Live Theatre Review: Initiative and The Seat of Our Pants at The Public Theater

so many Public Theater shows, so little time to write about them

Nov 13, 2025

I have the immense privilege of getting free tickets to Public Theater shows— yes, the word immense is key here. Tickets to off-Broadway shows are usually cheaper than Broadway, sure, but they aren’t exactly cheap. Just wanted to begin by acknowledging that yes, I am incredibly lucky that I get to see these shows, and that’s why I want to share the love the best way that I can: telling you every little thing that I saw to the best of my ability.

Now, if you’re plugged in to off Broadway happenings, you may have heard of these shows already. Both are written by Public Theater Emerging Writers Group alums, and while they seem incredibly different on the surface (one is a five-hour play and the other a musical adaptation), I found that the heart of them beat the same rhythm.

Initiative by Else Went

I know what you’re thinking— five hour play??? It’s definitely not the norm. Most plays, as I’m sure you know, don’t tend to exceed three hours at most. And that’s for, like, un-trimmed Shakespeare tragedies. So I understand the hesitation. Five hours can feel like a long time to dedicate to viewing a live performance! Luckily there are two separate intermissions so you can use the restroom and stretch your legs. And, also luckily, the show is worth it.

Initiative by Else Went is best described, in my opinion, as a moving coming of age mini series that the audience binges together in one sitting. At least, that’s what I and many other audience members connected over after the show. There was a deep feeling of camaraderie in the audience on opening night, when I saw it. We were all diving into this big thing together, settling in for a long night much like good friends might for a Lord of the Rings marathon. And oh, how apt and relevant that movie marathon would be after watching this play.

Those in the know might recognize the word “initiative” to have more than one meaning— that is, the meaning it has in Dungeons and Dragons in which you roll for initiative to begin combat. While it takes a little bit to get into it, all the characters except for one eventually play a campaign of DnD 3e together during the course of the show. Went clearly knows what parts of a session are most dynamic and interesting, and these scenes paired with the absolutely stunning projections (which covered the entire set) made for simply amazing theater.

Truly this is a piece of epic theater, not only due to its length, but due to its enormity of spirit and theme. The cast has been working together on this for as many as ten years for some, and this is evident in the performances. This is a journey— we follow the three main characters from freshman to senior year of high school. But no part of the story feels superfluous. To fully understand and feel what Went is doing with this play, every scene is necessary.

I was especially struck by the performances of Olivia Barresi as Clara, Greg Cuellar as Riley, and Christopher Dylan White as Em. It’s so awesome to see so many amazing actors make their off Broadway debut!

The Seat of Our Pants by Ethan Lipton

You don’t have to know anything about Thorton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth to understand and enjoy this hilarious, moving, and ridiculous musical. Is it all a little random feeling, borderline insanity? Sort of, yes! But that’s part of the fun, in my opinion. And honestly, when discussing something as horrifying as the idea that the human race has narrowly avoided extinction multiple times, some absurdity is necessary for levity.

This is a star studded production, boasting Tony award winners Ruthie Ann Miles and Shuler Hensley in the lead roles, as well as Tony noms like Andy Grotelueschen, Damon Daunno, and Micaela Diamond in supporting roles. I also very much appreciated Ally Bonino’s performance in the role of the Fortune Teller.

The energy with which the cast threw themselves into this fantastical world was immediately apparent! The first song is a funny one, delightfully delivered by Grotelueschen, that leads into the inciting incident: Mr. Antrobus (Hensley) isn’t home, and the encroaching ice from Canada threatens to swallow the whole human race (a parody of the Ice Age).

But this is not the only near extinction event the Antrobus’ and the rest of humanity will have to suffer through in this production. There is a flood (heavily implied to be the one of Noah) and a war (heavily implied to be WWII) as well. And underneath all of these crises are the problems of the Antrobus family— their rebellious son, Henry, who just seems to want to commit violence; Gladys, their daughter, and her coming of age; and the marriage problems that arise between Mr. and Mrs. Antrobus.

And throughout all these crazy events are songs! Beautiful ones, silly ones, and heartbreakers too. The end of Act One had me in tears, frankly (though I tend to be a little sensitive in a theater space). There are also many illuminating and hilarious meta theatrical fourth wall breaks, mostly by Sabina (Diamond), that had me smiling like a loon. All in all, I enjoyed myself immensely and am genuinely thinking about seeing it again.

But what connected the two for me? What, inside both very different shows, shone so strongly that I wanted to talk about both in the same post?

Their thematic questions.

Initiative is an incredibly moving coming of age story that goes over all of the hard, sad, and occasionally traumatic bits of teenage-hood, and how experiencing these things and moving through them is one of the things that makes us human. Seat of Our Pants is all about how the human race prevails, comes back, survives…over and over again. Both are connected by their absolute genuine love for humanity and its resilience, for the indomitable human spirit.

Hence all the crying I did in both shows! If anything anywhere will always get me in the gut, its that incredibly human perseverance in the face of near certain annihilation (or the feeling of it).

I highly recommend seeing both shows if you can! And if you can’t, I truly hope their scripts are available soon so you can at least experience them that way.

A Playwright's Journey

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