A Heartfelt and Hilarious 'Grand Horizons'

What happens when a couple who have been married for 50 years decide to get divorced? That's the question posed by Bess Wohl in "Grand Horizons," a hilarious and moving new play currently being produced by Second Stage Theater at the Helen Hayes Theater.

Bill (James Cromwell) and Nancy French (Jane Alexander) are silently going through the motions of what probably feels like the millionth dinner that they have shared together when Nancy calmly announces that she would like a divorce. Though Bill barely seems bothered, their kids are not taking the news well at all.

Brian (Michael Urie) and Ben (Ben McKenzie), accompanied by his pregnant wife Jess (Ashley Park), arrive at their parents' modest condo to talk them out of such a rash decision. Their frustrated interrogation of their mom and dad doesn't reveal much about what led to the split, except that it seems the marriage has long since run cold.

Directed by Leigh Silverman, "Grand Horizons" has the bright, funny feel of a comedy with the heart of a thoughtful drama. As Brian and Ben continue to pester their parents, hoping to keep them together, their own hurts, insecurities, and romantic woes come to the surface. They also learn much more about their parents' intimate lives than they ever wanted to.

Playwright Wohl expertly peels the onion of Bill and Nancy's inner lives, mining some salacious personal details for laughs at first, only to make us feel how much these elderly individuals wish to be seen as complete people – not just "mom and dad."

Cromwell and Alexander are great veterans of the stage, and it is wonderful to see a pair of older actors in a new play that provides them with parts worthy of their talent. Urie is excellent as Brian, a theater teacher who is the most sensitive and expressive member of this stoic family. McKenzie is the more buttoned-up brother, which makes his eventual emotional opening-up all the more meaningful.

The main cast is given some welcome assists from Park as Ben's counselor wife, Maulik Pancholy as a potential hook-up for Brian who is put off by the family drama, and the magnificent Priscilla Lopez as a brash woman who Bill is taking a stand-up comedy class with (and with whom he may or may not be "sexting" as well).

With a simple – and increasingly relevant – premise, "Grand Horizons" offers an evening of laughs, surprises, and a heartfelt, thought-provoking exploration of how relationships can damage and define us. It also, ultimately, offers hope that it's never too late to discover what you really want and to go after it.

"Grand Horizons" runs through March 1 at the Helen Hayes Theater, 240 West 44th Street, NYC. For information or tickets, call 212-541-4516 or visit https://2st.com.