I and You

At People’s Light, March 29th – April 23^rd

Break out the tissues and get ready to laugh until it hurts, because the tragic comedy about life, love and terminal illness is coming to our area! Lauren Gunderson’s sharp and poignant play, I and You, opened to critical acclaim back in 2013. This play and several others have made Gunderson the second most produced playwright in America in the 2016–17 season.

Set in a teenage girl’s bedroom, I and You is the stuff young adult best-sellers are made of. The cast of characters—snarky Caroline and outgoing Anthony—connect over the most mundane of tasks: homework. While Caroline’s illness leaves her homebound, star-athlete Anthony tries to connect over an assignment on Walt Whitman, the 19th-century poet whose themes of life, death, nature, the American spirit, unity and the soul are seamlessly woven into a play about millennials.

While the play deals with tragic themes, it avoids sentimentality. Taking a cue from Caroline’s line of avoiding “all that mushy stuff,” I and Youdoesn’t focus on tragedy. Yet it doesn’t sweep it under the rug, either. Instead, I and You acknowledges the ups and downs of life in a way that’s surprisingly mature for a pair of high schoolers.

Rich characters add life to any play, and the hilarious duo of I and You is no exception. The conversations are sharp and funny, while the dialogue feels natural. This critically acclaimed, charming, thought-provoking play deals with real issues in surprising ways, including a plot twist at the end that’s left audiences stunned.

A study in teenage psyche and the ties that bind, I and You is the rare kind of play that touches and entertains an audience. Or, as one reviewer wrote: “Gunderson’s gift is the best thing a play can offer: we might be better people after seeing it.”

Come out and support People’s Light and their mission to entertain, inspire and engage our community through theater!

If You Go:

Where: Steinbright Stage, People’s Light, 39 Conestoga Rd., Malvern

When:   March 29th through April 23rd

Tickets: $28 and up, available online and at 610-644-3500

Best enjoyed by audiences 12 and older