Starring Janeane Garofalo and Lili Taylor

One of the wisest and funniest plays of the 1990s makes it Broadway debut at last in 2017. Roundabout Theatre present a new production of Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room, a beautifully written exploration of mortality that leavens its heavy subject matter with absurdity and resolute optimism. The story centers on Bessie, a leukaemia sufferer who is herself caring for her sick father, while trying to maintain peaceful relations with her sister and angsty teenage nephew.

Marvin's Room premiered Off-Broadway in 1991, and went on to win two Obie Awards, one for Best Play and one for Best Actress for Laura Esterman. It was subsequently adapted for the silver screen, with a cast that featured Meryl Street, Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. This new Broadway production is directed by Anne Kaufman, and stars Janeane Garofalo and Lili Taylor.

What is Marvin's Room About?

Middle-aged Bessie spends her days caring for her cancer-ridden father. Never once complaining about the burden of her workload, Bessie must nevertheless call upon the help of her estranged sister Lee, and Lee's troubled son Hank, when she's diagnosed with Leukaemia and needs to find a bone marrow donor. Meeting for the first time in 18 years, Lee and Bessie are forced to deal with their differences, and try to turn Hank's life around.