There are some plays which foster such a degree of intimacy that you feel like you’re eavesdropping on private interactions rather than watching a performance. Such is the case with Preston Max Allen’s drama receiving its world premiere at MCC Theater. Depicting the interactions between a young mother, her precocious 9-year-old child, and the child’s grandmother, Caroline is the sort of small-scale family drama that packs a big emotional punch.
Much of that is due to the outstanding performances and the pitch-perfect direction by David Cromer. The play begins with Maddie (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her daughter Caroline (River Lipe-Smith) on a road trip from West Virginia to Illinois, stopping at greasy spoon diners and cheap motels along the way. Caroline’s arm is in a cast, and she’s suffering from pain for which her mother can offer only Tylenol. As we eventually learn, Caroline is trans, and the pair are heading to the home of Maddie’s mother Rhea (Amy Landecker) from whom she’s long been estranged.
The 90-minute play consists of a series of short conversations in which the backstories of the characters are quietly revealed. Maddie is a recovering addict, and her abusive former boyfriend was responsible for Caroline’s injury. At every turn, Caroline reveals herself to be preternaturally knowledgeable about a range of topics, including illicit drugs, but she also displays the innocence and emotional availability of a child.
Shortly after Maddie and Caroline arrive at their destination in Illinois, the tension between Maddie and her mother becomes clear. But Rhea is also a gracious host and behaves affectionately toward the granddaughter she’s never met. She also seems unruffled when Maddie tells her about Caroline’s transitioning. When Maddie asks if her father will also be okay with it, Rhea shrugs it off.
“Of course. We’re not Republicans,” she insists.
Very little actually happens in the play, but the subtle exchanges and well-drawn characterizations prove compelling throughout. Moretz — last seen on our stages in 2014 as a high-school student dealing with the aftermath of a school shooting in The Library, directed by Steven Soderbergh — gives a warm, deeply felt performance that fully allows us to empathize with her character who’s led a rocky life but is determined to be a good mother to her child. And Landecker is terrific as the wary Rhea who wants to be supportive but can’t forget her daughter’s past transgressions.
But it’s Lipe-Smith who’s truly outstanding, delivering one of the best child performances I’ve ever seen onstage. The 11-year-old performer proves so self-assured, so perfect in their deadpan comic timing and inflections, that you suspect they’re a little person in disguise. Seeming grown-up and childish all at once, remarkably self-assured but still young enough to clutch a stuffed animal, Lipe-Smith’s Caroline will break your heart.
Cromer orchestrates the quiet proceedings with the emotional delicacy that is his trademark, with Lee Jellinek’s versatile set design providing a variety of locations with minimal fuss. And the play greatly benefits from the intimate MCC Theater space that allows the actors to register every emotion with the subtlest of means. By the time the play is over, you’ll have come to care deeply about these characters.
Caroline opened September 30, 2025, at the MCC Theater Space and runs through November 16. Tickets and information: mcctheater.org
