A popular mainstream actor, John Krasinski enjoys a profile as an agreeable white American guy, established by his role as the affable Jim in the long-running sitcom The Office and since maintained by subsequent projects and his cheerful visits to talk shows. Krasinski’s personable brand puts a deceptively happy face on Angry Alan, a dark comedy about a Mister Nice Guy whose online trip into the “Google vortex” causes his outlook on life to grow increasingly misogynistic.
Premiering on Wednesday at the 296-seat Studio Seaview (more about which later) in a very smart Off Broadway production directed by Sam Gold, Angry Alan is composed almost entirely as an 85-minute monologue that Krasinski speaks directly to viewers. Clean-shaven and neatly dressed in khakis, the smiling actor’s initial manner as a middle-aged fella named Roger is conversational and engaging.
Turns out Roger is a downsized former AT&T executive currently stuck managing the dairy department of a supermarket. Divorced from Suzanne, who resides two hours away with Joe, their 14-year-old son, Roger is married none too blissfully to Courtney. Scrolling on his phone, Roger discovers Angry Alan, a vlogger whose conspiratorial viewpoint on the world strikes a chord that converts Alan into a devoted follower. Angry Alan preaches a theory that a covert “gyno-cracy” has tilted the balance of society too far in favor of women. Roger proceeds to tell the audience in sometimes droll passages of mansplaining how his new perspective has colored his relationships with others.
Crafted by British author Penelope Skinner (with a credit to Don Mackay, an actor who created the role of Roger in the play’s 2018 premiere at the Edinburgh Festival), Angry Alan is a character study and not a shocker. It paints in abundant detail an oddly poignant picture of an average-type white guy hanging on the cusp of MAGA times, disappointed by his life, who embraces a radical mindset. Ironically funny as Roger tries to explain and justify Alan’s way of thinking, scary possibilities flicker through his narrative. How tragic will it be? A confrontation proves more subdued than sensational. It is impossible to evaluate the content further without revealing a surprise the production takes care to guard.
Comfortable in a demanding stage appearance, Krasinski is convincing as a nice guy going the wrong way. The actor subtly communicates that Roger is uneasily aware his outlook is dubious even after swallowing what he terms “the red pill.” Making good use of his bushy eyebrows and expressive physicality, the lanky, loose-jointed Krasinksi animates Roger with a wonderfully natural quality as he talks to the audience. The theater’s stadium-like proximity to the stage increases the effectiveness of Krasinksi’s fine performance.
What gives the play and its production further distinction is the visual way Sam Gold’s staging presents Angry Alan as an exhibit, as if the Museum of Natural History possessed a gallery of Twenty-First Century Humans. Designed by the dots collective, the action is plainly framed with a large panel on one side upon which images appear of people in Roger’s world. The suburban den where Roger dwells contains a fold-out couch and a recliner, but behind them the background and its furnishings are obviously painted. Like two other settings on a turntable, it looks like an old-fashioned museum diorama crafted in forced perspective. (The optical illusion itself slyly comments on human manipulation.) Sometimes, when Roger’s thoughts turn extreme, ugly red light drowns the room and nasty sounds erupt. Isabella Byrd and Mikaal Sulaiman are the top-flight lighting and sound designers, respectively, employed in Gold’s smooth production at Studio Seaview.
Known as the Tony Kiser Theater after Second Stage rebuilt it from a former bank in 1999, the venue was acquired recently by the Seaview production company. Other than a change in name and a few licks of paint, Seaview has done little to the public areas. The snack bar is now spiffed up into a modest cocktail lounge. Sorry to report, those terribly worn-down original Rem Koolhaas-designed seats remain in the auditorium. But between the play’s timely qualities and Krasinski’s satisfying performance, few will notice their bum seats.
Angry Alan opened June 11, 2025 at Studio Seaview continues through Aug. 3. Tickets and information: angryalanplay.com
