Interview: A Case for the Existence of Samuel D. Hunter and Micah Stock

In an ecosystem that subsists on splashy, star-driven productions, Samuel D. Hunter’s new, Steppenwolf-born, Broadway play Little Bear Ridge Road offers Broadway the rare chance for 90-minutes of quiet contemplation. And also big laughs.

It’s the story of a cantankerous aunt—played by the irreplaceable Laurie Metcalf—and her gay nephew—played by Micah Stock, who doesn’t miss a step in going toe-to-toe with one of the all-time greats—who come to live together in rural Idaho after the death of his father. It’s all of their first times working together; Hunter and Stock were friendly, but neither knew Metcalf and director Joe Mantello when the initial pitch meeting occurred. The result is a bit of magic, where comedy and tragedy often live in the same sentence.

In conversation, Hunter and Stock talk about crafting characters who “sling arrows and throw bombs,” writing for actors whose instincts can surprise even the playwright, and discovering new laughs (and new heartbreaks) every single night.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Sam, this play was a Steppenwolf commission for Laurie and Joe to work on together. Tell me about your pitch to them.
Samuel D. Hunter: Laurie and Joe wanted to do something at Steppenwolf. I think there was an Albee play they were looking at, but they kept going back and forth and landed on the idea of commissioning a writer to create something for them. They met with me when I was in tech for the revival of A Bright New Boise at Signature, and I was nervous because I really wanted them to say yes.

I had an idea for a play, but it was nascent. All I told them was that it was a play about people watching television. And to their credit, they didn’t run away. They were like “Can you get it to us in four or five months?” and I was like “Yeah, I think so.” Joe was not totally convinced that I was going to do it, but I handed them a draft the following July.

Did writing for a specific actor’s voice change your usual process?
Samuel: I mean, I have had this experience of writing for specific actors before, but this is only the third time. I wrote A Bright New Boise thinking “Andrew Garman’s got to play the guy” in my head, and he eventually did the world premiere. But in this case, it made it so much easier because Laurie and I kind of have a shared sensibility. We both really enjoy when humor and tragedy live right next to each other.

Micah, I feel like you have a sensibility like that, too.
Micah Stock: There’s a shared DNA, but I’m from Ohio and an Ohioan and an Idahoan would tell you there’s a very distinct difference between the two. In Ohio, people will talk shit behind your back, but to your face, there’s a lot more nicety. Idaho is a little more straight-shooting. I grew up with people who are constantly capping things in sweetness, but these two people, whether it’s an Idaho thing or not, do not cap. They sling arrows and throw bombs.

You and Laurie are verbally sparring in every scene. Is it as fun to perform as it is for us to watch?
Micah: It’s as fun as it is wrenching. I tend to be someone who’s like, “I don’t carry it with me. This is my job.” But I do have to remind myself that the physical experience I have on stage is not mine, because your body keeps the score. The physical tension and the panic that these people carry is something that I try to release once the show is over.

It’s what Sam just talked about, with the humor and the tragedy living right next to each other. That’s gold. It’s the most fun stuff to play. There’s a line where Laurie says, “This name might as well die with us, and I’m comfortable with that.” People die laughing at that, but it is such a tragic thing, to be so comfortable with the death of your lineage in such a casual, thrown off way.

This play is not about Covid, but it was nice to see a play on Broadway of all places that addresses some of what we all collectively went through.
Samuel: To your point, the play is not about Covid at all. But there was a sensibility over the last couple of years of people being like, “We don’t want to hear anything about that.” I don’t think that’s correct. We all went through something deeply profound and it’s worth reflecting on.

Micah: It becomes a helpful way of distinguishing them and the cultural strata that they consider themselves part of. I don’t think that Laurie’s character is a Covid-denier by any means, but she’s immediately like “Take off the mask.” And he’s just come from Seattle, where a mask is a social responsibility. That immediately shows them as different people, who would not spend this time together if it weren’t for Covid. We would not see this relationship develop without it, because there is no fucking way he would have stayed there.

Sam, I hate to ask this this way, but did you envision this play to be a comedy? Like, were these laugh lines when you were writing them?
Samuel: Not literally like “Oh, this will be a gas,” you know what I mean? I was aware of the comedy, but Laurie has found comedy in pockets of the play that I didn’t know where there. Both of them have.

You’re always surprised, because when you write a line and it’s intentionally funny on your part, you don’t know what the actor is going to do with it, and you don’t know how an audience is going to react. I think some of the funnier lines in this play are some of the lower laugh levels we’re getting. But it’s always fun with actors like Micah and Laurie because they undergird it so much that the comedy just blossoms.

Micah: I love doing that and playing with Laurie is the best. She is our greatest, and if there’s ever a day where I feel like, “Oh, God,” I look at her and she is ready to go. We’ve been doing this show for almost two years now, and she is still mining it, so I try to keep pace with that.

Samuel: I watched last night and there were at least five to 10 new things that both of you were doing, which was incredible to me.

Micah: My favorite thing is, she’ll come backstage, and if we’ve found something new, Laurie will turn to me and be like “What was that? What were you doing?” It always makes me feel very excited that she noticed.