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People you know, or maybe the people you are
The Lantern Theater presents David Auburn’s Summer, 1976
In David Auburn’s Summer, 1976, now getting its Philly premiere at the Lantern, two middle-aged women reminisce about the summer they met, telling the story to the audience as if it were light party conversation. As they go on, it becomes unclear if they’re telling the story together.
The play is set in Columbus, Ohio. Diana (McKenna Kerrigan), who teaches at the college, and Alice (Grace Gonglewski), wife of another instructor trying for tenure, connect through their daughters’ friendship, and spend the long summer hanging out, until they don’t. Diana derisively describes Alice as a “free spirit” while Alice, trying to match Diana’s academic precision, labels her new friend a snob.
They take turns telling the summer’s events, tag-teaming, as friends do, trading off parts of the story until it is told. Some things are private between the characters and the audience, as the misunderstandings pile up. Auburn’s dialogue is natural, and the plot, as it unfolds, stays firmly in a believable, inevitable world. Even with Chris Haig’s abstract set, modelled on Paul Klee paintings, these performances are extremely realistic character studies. Kerrigan and Gonglewski sound like people you know, or maybe people you are.
Naturalistic and fascinating
Gonglewski is in motion even when she’s just sitting, her eyes darting as she self-checks to see if she’s just said what she meant to say, or throwing herself into a chair, or pulling her hair back or her flowery skirt down. And just as quickly, she says something, and her eyes betray that she has no idea she’s wrong. She can switch from overwhelmed to overconfident in a breath.
Kerrigan is fascinating to watch in this, since her character could so easily be a haughty caricature like TV’s Maude, or a contemporary Disney adult. Just as she meticulously straightens her furniture and shelves, she checks her own expression. Kerrigan’s Diana feels real, a woman trapped in her own self-expectations as she says, “I could never finish the work.”
Quiet and realistic
Director Kate Galvin, a newcomer to the Lantern, keeps a light, fluid movement. When Diana moves a chair, it doesn’t look like they’re setting up the next scene; we just see another detail about her meticulous housekeeping. Such natural-looking performances take work.
The ending is quiet, and realistic. Auburn’s dialogue and character development are matched by his grip on what happens, not what we’d like to see, as in a romcom. Galvin’s direction and the actors’ performances stay in line with this commitment. This is what happened in summer 1976; here is, of course, where we are now.
What, When, Where
Summer 1976. By David Auburn. Directed by Kate Galvin. $25-49. Through October 11, 2026 at the Lantern’s St. Stephen's Theater, 923 Ludlow Street, Philadelphia. (215) 829-0395 or LanternTheater.org.
Accessibility
St. Stephen's Theater is accessible only via stairs. Lantern staff can accommodate early seating or other specific needs. At the theater, let the house manager on duty know what assistance you need.
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