Ruskin presents “Grangeville” – reviewed

The world seems to be suffering an empathy shortage lately, or at the very least the lack of that quality in our current leaders. Worse, there is an impression in some parts of society that empathy is simply another word for weakness: they don’t have it, they don’t want it, they don’t believe in its existence and think it’s a scam. In such a setting, the concept of forgiveness seems unlikely if not impossible. And yet, without empathy and forgiveness, humanity cannot survive in any meaningful way. This is one of the themes of Samuel D. Hunter’s excellent play, Grangeville, which is receiving an extraordinary and powerful production by the Ruskin Group Theatre.

Artist Arnold (Tim Cummings) is living in The Netherlands when one day he receives an unexpected call from his estranged older half-brother, Jerry (Jeff LeBeau), who’s living in their old hometown of Grangeville, Idaho. Their elderly mother’s health is failing, and she’s named Arnold the executor of her will. Although this is the last thing Arnold wants undertake, he agrees to try and bring some order to the financial chaos. Jerry tries to use this situation to bond with his half-sibling, but Arnold resists, still dealing with trauma from his past.

I’ve rarely seen a show in which both actors in a two-hander are so in sync with the quality of their work – it’s performance at a very high level. LeBeau is terrific, delivering a sympathetic but complicated turn as Jerry, whose life in the story at this point seems largely composed of regret. He’s also funny and very different as Arnold’s partner, Bram. Cummings is superb as Arnold, with a layered portrayal that traverses anger, denial and fear with fierce skill. He expertly displays that Arnold is tentative to engage with his family, attempting to cover up his deep feelings with professional distance. He brings a lighter and more comedic touch to playing Jerry’s ex-wife, Sherry. One remarkable thing about the actors playing secondary roles is, even though different characters are interacting, the sense that beneath it all it’s also the brothers still communicating in some way, which works beautifully onstage.

John Perrin Flynn’s direction feels seamless, getting outstanding work from his cast, and staging it so astutely that the distances between the characters emotionally adjust whether they’re supposed to be on the other side of the world or in the same room with each other. I’m often hot and cold on Hunter’s work, but this is one of his most accomplished plays. The writing is lovely, it’s perfectly structured and its theme of familial pain and a desire to heal will always be important, but it seems vital now.

Grangeville at Ruskin Group Theatre features some of the best acting you’ll see onstage this year, and it’s one of the strongest productions of 2026.

Grangeville plays at Ruskin Group Theatre Arts Center in Santa Monica through July 12, 2026.

Tickets are available at https://www.ruskingrouptheatre.com/