The Oldest Boy

[edjames]

Now playing at the Mitzi Newhouse theater at Lincoln Center is this sensitive and well-written play.

The story of a parent's dilemma when an unexpected visit from two Buddist monks reveals their belief the 3 year old is the reincarnated soul of a Buddhist lama.

The monks request the child come back to India and live in their monastery where they will raise and teach him.

The child, Tensin, is the son of an American woman and her Nepalese born husband.

The playwright, Sarah Rhul, a pulitzer prize finalist, has written an intelligent and thought provoking drama dealing with reincarnation, the Buddhist culture and parental rights.

It's very well staged and the child is played by a puppet (shares of War Horse!).

A very good cast.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/04/theater/the-oldest-boy-by-sarah-ruhl-opens-at-lincoln-center.html?_r=0

[+ beethoven]

I also enjoyed this play. The puppeteer is the same person who did "War Horse." I thought it was imaginatively staged. Some of my friends didn't care for the play very much, but I recommend it to anyone who likes good theater and a provocative subject.

[uwsman2]

I saw it this afternoon and enjoyed it tremendously. The acting is superb, and Sarah Ruhl can be trusted to come up with an interesting plot.

[jakeleyman]

I gravitate to Lincoln Center for theater and usually go there while my family attends Broadway musicals. I am glad to know about this new play. This is a really good forum for those of us who only make it to NYC occasionally.