John
We start slowly and quietly, with the audience simply taking in the scene. This is an Annie Baker hallmark, and she, with the assistance of her frequent, Tony-winning collaborator, director Sam Gold ( The Flick , Fun Home ), uses it to good effect. Over the course of three acts, Baker ( The Flick , The Aliens ) introduces us to four characters, inviting us to ponder forgiveness and the obstacles to healing. John takes place over the course of a late November weekend at a bed and breakfast in Gettysburg, PA. The innkeeper, Mertis Katherine Graven ( Georgia Engel ), is a sweet older woman who has filled her home with tchotchkes and Christmas ornaments of all sorts. She likes to have instrumental music playing in the background, and part of her daily routine includes writing in her journal about the sunset. Mertis always lingers just a little too long with her guests, trying to make conversation and be what she probably thinks is a gracious hostess. Her guests this we...