Most Popular

National Features >

  • Riverfront Times

    The Pope of Pork

    Old-school hog farming makes a comeback, thanks to some fine swine from Frankenstein.

    By Kristen Hinman

  • Houston Press

    Crime Doesn't Pay Back

    In Texas, restitution for victims is nothing but a state-sanctioned sham.

    By Chris Vogel

  • Seattle Weekly

    Hot and Frothy

    If you thought Seattle couldn't fetishize coffee any more, you haven't been to a "cupping" yet.

    By Jonathan Kauffman

Old Youth

Spiritual Decay at the Dawn of the Reagan Era

By Brandon K. Thorp

Published on August 09, 2007 at 12:00am

The 1980’s were a decade of death. John Lennon died right there at the beginning. Flared pants died too, though they’d make a comeback a few years later. The Eagles died, and so did Fleetwood Mac. And so, one could argue, did idealism.

And that is the subject of This is Our Youth, even if the script never quite comes out and says it. Kenneth Lonergan’s play about young seekers marooned by happenstance in the untamed wilds of 1982 Manhattan, zooms in on a trio of fragile dreams: those of Dennis, a wily, drug-dealing youngster; Warren, a put-upon friend who’s just stolen $15,000 from his vicious father; and Jessica, whom Warren hopes to bed. Drifting, confused, and alone, the three try to figure out each other, themselves, and the future, in a world that no longer seems to have one. Folks looking for a bit of serious theater, garnished with some early fin de siecle portent and awkward sexual fencing, should find a lot to love here. The show starts at 8 p.m. at The Atlantic Theater (6743 Indiantown Rd., Jupiter). Tickets cost $10 to $15. Call 561-575-3271.