The Cost of Living

By Martyna Majok, Directed by Jo Bonney

Broadway Play Debut

Runs through 11.6.22

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

261 West 47th Street

BOTTOM LINE: The brilliant Broadway debut of this Pulitzer Prize winning play is not to be missed.

Self-Care is a phrase and concept popular the world over for encouraging people to actively work on their own individual well-being.  Far less attention however, is paid to caretakers - the people who provide care for someone else who is dependent upon them. This type of care is not the one that is preached in social media or featured in streaming programs. It is not glamorous or sparkly, it is arduous and labor intensive for all involved parties. And while there is doubtless anguish and pain, this frustration lends itself to moments of deep vulnerability and humanity. These concepts are explored so beautifully in Martyna Majok’s Pulitzer Prize winning production, Cost of Living, which is finally making its Broadway debut. 

Cost of Living centers around two different couples and the complex and nuanced relationships between each pairing. Eddie (David Zayas), is an out-of-work truck driver faced with the care of his wife Ani, (Katy Sullivan) who has recently lost her legs in a car accident. As a couple that was already estranged and living separately, tensions are already rife between them when the accident occurs. Zayas and Sullivan make wonderful foils for each other. Matching warm words with sharp barbs, tears of laughter are often accompanied with tears of grief. The violence of being maimed is devastating and it often feels that way on stage, however in the careful and skilled hands of Zayas and Sullivan, these two broken people find small ways of healing through breathtaking scenes of tenderness and grace. 

Directly opposite this struggling former couple are two strangers contemplating an intimate employment. John (Gregg Mozgala) is a white man with cerebral palsy who interviews Jess (Kara Young), a black first-generation woman, for the open position of the person who will bathe and groom him every morning. While both share the same ivy league background, the economic class difference is profoundly felt. John has an abundance of wealth while Jess works multiple shifts as a bartender to make ends meet. While they may be on opposite ends of the financial spectrum, both John and Jess recognize and respect the fierce pride and independence that radiate from each other. Mozgala is uproarious as John, exuding the condescension and smugness of the upper classes with effortless panache. He is matched with the enchanting Kara Young, in a dazzling star-making performance. During what could be considered as the ugly parts of caretaking, Young’s luminous performance is a jolt of pure electricity and brilliance in a world that can often feel so dark.

Another important note about casting is the authentic casting of Gregg Mozgala and Katy Sullivan, as both are actors with physical disabilities. The importance of having actual actors who have physical disabilities portray disabled characters on a Broadway stage cannot be understated. The genuine representation of these actors brought so much to an already rich production. 

Majok’s choice to primarily write scenes between two people proved effective, as it allowed a deep intimacy between the two characters to develop without distractions. This type of intimacy not only reflects real life situations, but it also found a perfect match with director Jo Bonney, who excels in compassionate storytelling. Supported by the seamless scenic design of Wilson Chin and the meticulous sound design of Rob Kaplowitz, Bonney has masterfully crafted a world with some of the most difficult and the most beautiful parts of the human condition, exposing what it really means to be a care-taker and a care-giver.