Gruesome Playground Injuries (2025) at the Lucille Lortel Theatre – Review

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Summary

Kayleen and Doug have been in each other’s lives since they were 8 years old, and through Doug’s plethora of injuries. From breaking bones, damaging his eye, comas, and more, from 8 to 38, we watch as Doug deals with his injuries, and Kayleen is often dealing with her mental and emotional pain – some of which might be as self-inflicted as Doug’s physical. But, with something drawing them to one another, no matter how many years go by, they reunite, trying to see if what they felt is still there.

Characters and Cast

Kayleen (Kara Young)

For most of Kayleen’s life, she has been unlucky in relationships. Whether it is her parents or boyfriends, connecting with people in a mutually beneficial way has been hard. The only exception might be Doug, but when you’re used to scraps and neglect, it makes those like Doug feel like a bit much.

Doug (Nicholas Braun)

Athletic but prone to injuries, Doug is like a lovable golden retriever who is always going to the vet. This has made him popular in some ways, but there is something special about Kayleen that makes him feel drawn to her, even if she requires you to go through an obstacle course to experience her softer side.

Details

• Language: English
• Attendance Type: Offline
• Event Status: On Schedule
• Duration: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
• Performance Date: November 7, 2025
• First Performance At This Venue: November 7, 2025
• Opening Night Performance: November 7, 2025
• Last Performance At This Venue: December 28, 2025
• Venue URL: https://boxoffice.lortel.org/Online/default.asp
• Tickets Starting At: $74.00 (via Todaytix)
  • You may see “Tickets from $50, but that is for wheelchair accessible seats
• Director(s): Neil Pepe
• Writer(s): Rajiv Joseph
• Scene/ Set Design: Arnulfo Maldonado
• Costume Design: Sarah Laux
• Lightning Design: Japhy Weideman
• Sound Design: David Van Tieghem
• Theatre Name: Lucille Lortel Theatre
• Address of Theater: 121 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014
• Genre(s): Play, Drama, Romance

Review

Highlight(s)

The Comedy [82/100]

The humor is the saving grace of Gruesome Playground Injuries. Whether it is how Doug and Kayleen talk when they are 8, or how Kayleen, albeit in a mean way, makes fun of Doug when they are older, or Doug joking about his injuries, you will laugh a few times. Maybe not to the point of Nicholas Braun, who broke once during the play, but enough to positively remember that this was far more comical than the title of the play would make you think.

On The Fence

The Transitions [74/100]

A good portion of the play is just the actors moving these two hospital beds and changing off to the sides. To note, the Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway theater, so there aren’t stagehands who can quickly do this for the actors – never mind they don’t even give the actors privacy, so you are literally watching both Kara Young and Nicholas Braun change from scene to scene. They are doing this on their own, so there isn’t a team to hasten this, which makes things slightly more difficult for Braun since he has to do his own prosthetics and more, unless Young helps.

The need for grace noted, to me, it slowed things down dramatically and led to a peak-and-valley type of pacing. On top of that, considering only for a short while, there is a projection of how old Doug and Kayleen are, and it can happen as you watch the actors, waiting for a sign that the next scene will start; it can be frustrating.

Which, I should note, also can throw you off since the play jumps around years, if not decades in time, and while it does reference what happened in the past, to give a slight hint if you missed the note over the stage, for some, that may not be enough.

The Chemistry [70/100]

Young and Braun don’t have the kind of chemistry that pushes the idea that their characters can be in each other’s lives for 30 years, and constantly reconnect, hoping their timing is now good for something romantic. You don’t get this sense that she loves him, but rather likes that he makes more of an effort than most of the men in her life.

Then, with him, as much as you get Kayleen is someone in need of a consistent, lovable person, and he likes her more than enough to be that; it is hard to believe Braun when he confesses his love. It often feels like it is far more about the familiarity than anything romantic – which could be the point. But, if it isn’t, then you’re left with this sense that his words are hollow, performative, and not made for either Young or the audience to fall in love with.

However, if the push was for them to be like siblings, especially considering how Kayleen talks to Doug, I could believe, accept, and appreciate the dynamic. But presenting to the audience, there are romantic feelings there; it is quite a stretch, and no amount of Tony Awards or Emmy nominations seems able to compensate for a lack of chemistry, either because of the actors, the direction or the writing.

Overall

Our Rating (75/100): Mixed (If Affordable)

I’m a Kara Young fan (clearly more for her off-Broadway than on-Broadway work), so for me it was worth it. However, between the theater this is in (notorious for its less than ideal layout and hearing street sounds during performances), the lack of chemistry, transition times which can feel notably long, and the comedy being good, but certainly not $80+ good (after taxes and fees), I would say, unless a fan of someone involved, this shouldn’t be anywhere near the top of your plays to see this winter.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing
• Miscellaneous: Vomiting (noises), Smoking, Light Blood, Depiction Of Self-Harm, Depiction Of Superficial Wounds

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