Programme
- Anne Washburn's play 'Anon' is running at MCC Theater in Manhattan.
- The review headline states the satire 'Gets Lost in the Storm'.
- Izabel Mar and Crystal Finn perform in the production.
Anne Washburn's new satire Anon is now running at MCC Theater in Manhattan, and the critical verdict is blunt: the play, per the review headline, "Gets Lost in the Storm."
That's a hard judgment for a playwright with Washburn's track record, and it lands on a production that audiences can see right now. Izabel Mar and Crystal Finn lead the cast, both appearing in the current staging photographed for the review.
What do we actually know about the production?
The source material here is thin — a review headline and a caption — so let's be precise about what it establishes:
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The play: Anon, written by Anne Washburn.
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The genre: satire, per the review's framing.
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The venue: MCC Theater, Manhattan.
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The cast: Izabel Mar and Crystal Finn are among the performers, credited in the production photo.
The verdict: the reviewer's headline states the satire "Gets Lost in the Storm" — a judgment that the play's satirical machinery doesn't fully hold together.
What does a headline like that tell a reader?
Review headlines compress a critic's argument into a few words, and this one is doing two things at once. It confirms the play is a satire — Washburn working in the mode she's known for — and it flags a structural problem: the production, in this critic's view, doesn't keep control of its own material.
"Lost in the storm" suggests the play generates more dramatic weather than it can steer. Whether that refers to tonal overload, plotting, or staging isn't specified in the available text, and we won't guess beyond it.
Who is on stage?
The credited performers, Izabel Mar and Crystal Finn, anchor the production photograph that accompanied the review. Crystal Finn has a growing profile in New York theater; Izabel Mar's casting places her at the center of this MCC production. Beyond their names and presence in the show, the source doesn't detail their roles.
Why MCC Theater matters here
MCC Theater, an off-Broadway company in Manhattan, has a long history of launching new plays by ambitious writers — exactly the profile of a Washburn premiere. A rough critical ride at this stage doesn't close a play's future; it does shape the conversation around whatever Washburn does next.
For now, Anon is playing, the review is out, and readers who want to judge whether the satire truly loses its way will have to buy a ticket.
Source: NYT Arts
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Correspondent covering technology and product news in arts in the broadest sense at Arts & Voices.
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