''Lungs'' is a play written by Duncan Macmillan, which debuted in 2011 at the

Studio Theatre A black box theater is a simple performance space, typically a square room with black walls and a flat floor. The simplicity of the space allows it to be used to create a variety of configurations of stage and audience interaction. The black ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Synopsis

M and W, a young couple, find themselves examining the scope of their lives together and the world around them when they begin considering starting a family.

Production history

''Lungs'' premiered in October 2011 at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., directed by

Aaron Posner Aaron Posner is an American playwright and theater director. He was co-founder of the Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia and was the artistic director of Two River Theatre from 2006 to 2010. He has directed over 100 productions at major region ...

and starring Ryan King and

Brooke Bloom Brooke Bloom is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as ''Ronah'' in the drama film ''She's Lost Control (film), She's Lost Control'' (2014). Career Her first on-screen appearance was a role as Grunge Girl in the episod ...

as M and W respectively. It also held its British debut that same month at the

Crucible Theatre The Crucible Theatre (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England which opened in 1971. Although it hosts regular theatrical performances, it is best known for hosting professional snooker's ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

directed by Richard Wilson, and starring Alistair Cope and

Kate O'Flynn Kate O'Flynn is a British actress. She is known for her performance in National Theatre's production of ''Port'' for which she received a Critics' Circle Theatre Award in 2013, as well as starring roles in plays ''A Taste of Honey'' in 2014, a ...

. Canadian productions of the play were held at the

Tarragon Theatre The Tarragon Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the main centers for contemporary playwriting in the country.

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in March 2014 starring

Brendan Gall Brendan Gall (born September 2, 1978) is a Canadian writer, actor and producer living in Los Angeles, California. Early life and education Gall graduated from the George Brown Theatre School. Career Gall has written and/or produced for the t ...

and Lesley Faulkner, and in February 2015 at the Verb Theatre, starring Kyle Jespersen and

Anna Cummer Anna Cummer (born January 2, 1977) is a Canadian actress. She was born in Singapore to Canadian parents. She spent half of her adolescence in Southeast Asia and the other half in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. She finished high school in Hong ...

. A 2019 production of the play was hosted at

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...

starring

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor in the BBC series '' Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targaryen in the HBO series '' House of the Dr ...

and

Claire Foy Claire Elizabeth Foy (born 16 April 1984) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of the young Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons of the Netflix series ''The Crown'' (2016–2017) for which she won a Primetime Emmy Aw ...

, with

Matthew Warchus Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015. Personal life Warchus is married to American actress La ...

directing. Previews began in October prior to a November opening. This production was planned to transfer to the United States at the Brooklyn Academy of Music from 25 March – 19 April 2020. Smith and Foy were slated to reprise their roles. Due to the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, this transfer was cancelled. On 27 May 2020, it was announced that the 2019

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

production would be reprised with

and

starring once again. Starting in June, it was part of Old Vic: In Camera, a project aiming to revive the theatre's revenue, which had been wiped out by the closure of theatres caused by the

, through live streams and other digital focused works. Despite being live-streamed over the internet, tickets were limited to 1,000 per performance, representing the full capacity of the house of any regular performance at

. Tickets were available at standard prices (£10-£65) for each performance.

Critical reception

A 2011 review in '' The Washingtonian'' praised the play as "original and striking", but slighted the characters as "cliche". In her review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'',

Lyn Gardner Lyn Gardner is a British theatre critic, children's writer and journalist who contributes reviews and articles to ''The Stage,'' '' Stagedoor'' and has written for ''The Guardian''. Theatre critic and educator A graduate in drama and English from ...

wrote "Duncan Macmillan's distinctive, off-kilter love story is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current. It gives voice to a generation for whom uncertainty is a way of life through two flawed, but deeply human, people who you don't always like but start to feel you might love. It's bravely written, startlingly structured, and if it loses momentum in the final 30 minutes, Richard Wilson's sharp staging and two outstanding performers, Alistair Cope and Kate O'Flynn, keep it buzzing to the end." A review in

by Arifa Akbar of the 2019 performances at

starring

and

, praised the production's leads and set design.

Awards and nominations

The play won the 2013 Best New Play award at the Off West End Awards. Claire Foy won Best Actress at the 2020 WhatsOnStage Awards for her performance as W in the 2019 Old Vic production.20th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards winners include Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, Come From Away and Six
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References

{{Reflist English plays 2011 plays