A collection of our favorite reviews from professional news sources.
"Even by Metcalf’s lofty standards, this is one stunner of a performance. A beautiful play. In today’s American theater, it’s unique. It is a revelation."
Chicago Tribune
Chris Jones
"Critic’s Pick. The glorious Laurie Metcalf plays one of the funniest and most thoroughly human characters seen lately on a New York stage. One of the most entertaining, too. In Samuel D. Hunter’s keen-eyed and compassionate play, the riveting Metcalf rips into her role."
The New York Times
Laura Collins-Hughes
"Laurie Metcalf gives a performance of unvarnished, plain-spoken beauty. Her remarkably fine performance is flinty, funny, and savagely unsentimental. Little Bear Ridge Road is as moving as it is bruisingly truthful."
The Wall Street Journal
Charles Isherwood
"A jewel of a play. The brilliant Laurie Metcalf is in blazing form in a singularly beautiful piece that shifts almost imperceptibly from acerbic comedy to searing pathos. This is a gorgeous play. Its rewards are as immense as the Idaho night skies"
The Hollywood Reporter
David Rooney
"A hard-hitting, hard-laughing show you leave wanting much more of. A rockstar of the New York stage, Laurie Metcalf is never less than nuclear.
Uproariously funny and bruisingly honest"
"The show was dramatic and very interesting. Laurie Metcalf was excellent and so was the entire cast."
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Broadway.com Customer on Dec 1, 2025
Captivating
"From start to finish I’m not sure I moved. Well acted unique minimal staging. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 23, 2025
A touching and sad story filled with laughter
" Laurie Metcalf was in her true form, love her acting and the characters she portrays. The two male actors were wonderful. Story was sad and touching reality of life and touched a nerve as we all know someone or have experienced similar situations or versions of, a simple story with a big message. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 16, 2025
A trifecta of acting, writing and direction
"I loved the simplicity. Just wonderful writing, impeccable acting, and perfect direction. Even the set, which consisted only of a sofa told a big part of the story. We need more of this type of theatre. "
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Marcia S from New York on Nov 16, 2025
Wonderful play.
"Laurie Metcalf is phenomenal. Micah Stock matched her performance. They were fantastic together. Loads of laughs and buckets of tears. A very emotional evening. I loved every minute of it.
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Trisha J from McMinnville on Nov 15, 2025
Think, laugh, enjoy
"The role was written for Laurie Metcalf - she made you laugh and think at the same time. The creative way of staging the passage of time or location was theatrically brilliant "
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 15, 2025
Overcoming barriers to love of self and others.
"The acting in this production is superb. Laurie Metcalf’s performance, however, is beyond superb. It is difficult to imagine anyone else portraying playwright Hunter’s creation of Sarah: a nurse without bedside manor; isolated from her family by choice and epidemic; plainspoken to the point of humorous rudeness; presented with an unexpected (and last) chance to remedy a past failing. To appreciate how she does it an audience member must prepare by coming well rested and lightly fed. Full concentration is needed for 95 minutes, but it will pay.
Finally, why hasn’t this script been released for educational study? Failure to do so is an act of culture robbing.
Full concentration is needed
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Jon M from Grand Rapids on Nov 14, 2025
Loved Little Bear Ridge Road!
"Loved it. The play was deeply moving and unexpectedly funny, often in the same breath. Laurie Metcalf delivers a phenomenal, nuanced performance—absolutely Tony-worthy. A beautiful, emotional, and unforgettable piece of theatre."
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Craig C from Pasadena on Nov 13, 2025
See if you can
"Fabulous show….great script performed by wonderful actors. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 10, 2025
Tight script, well played
"Unity of action, clearly drawn personalities that we care about in some real conflict. Unpredictable resolution and a satisfying experience."
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Broadway.com Customer on Nov 8, 2025
Loved it.
"Beautiful script, impeccably directed by Joe Mantello. Amazing actors, especially Laurie Metcalf. "
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Brian S from Hudson on Nov 6, 2025
Touching and Relevant
"Laurie Metcalf knocks it out of the park yet again with he layered, nuanced, emotional performance. Loved this show and the whole cast."
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Bruce G from Oakland Park on Nov 2, 2025
An intensely enjoyable 90 minutes
"Compelling script, brilliantly acted. Powerful "
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 30, 2025
Tough and Heartwarming Subject
"I'll see any play that Laurie Metcalf is in -- even without knowing anything about the play! I did that here and boy did she not disappoint. She was fabulous and so were Micah Stock and John Drea. A tough story about a tough family but also funny and heartwarming. I highly recommend!"
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Nicholas H from New York on Oct 29, 2025
So much to appreciate.
"There's so much to unpack in this bittersweet drama. I laughed; I cried. I needed to linger a bit in the theatre when it was over. Days later, I still haven't shaken it. Isn't that what great theatre is all about? "
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James B from North Wilkesboro on Oct 27, 2025
Laurie Metcalf is a gem
"The play has a lot of depth to it. The performances were energetic and passionate. Laurie especially was exceptional. I left the show wanting more."
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Marisa D from Somerville on Oct 26, 2025
Bear
"The acting was superb, you cared about the characters, excellent writing, minimalist set worked well.
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 25, 2025
Laughter (and Some Tears)
"Great acting and writing illuminates these little lives — first with humor then something deeper. Simply staged, engrossing, packs a wallop. Awards seem sure to follow. "
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Patrick O from Asbury Park on Oct 20, 2025
Laurie Metcalf never disappoints!
"I have been a fan of Laurie Metcalf since I was a little kid watching Roseanne. She has always been an incredible actress. I had no idea what this show was about, I just knew she was in it and knew I needed to see it immediately. She did amazing, to no one’s surprise. It was such a core memory getting to see her live. Incredible!"
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 20, 2025
Two people struggling in life
"The acting was excellent. I have seen Laurie Metcalf on Broadway several times. She continued to impress me as a superior stage actor. Top of her craft. Her costar also gave an excellent performance. The third actor also gave a strong performance. This is not an upbeat play. It is also a play that delivers excellence."
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 19, 2025
Amazing play
"What a spectacular play! Laurie Metcalf and Micha Stock deliver incredibly deep, vulnerable performances with just the right amount of dry humor. A must see!"
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 19, 2025
This is fantastic!
"Three phenomenal actors, and a talented creative team, present a story and characters that resonate and move you.
It’s that rare thing where all of it comes together. With a bare bones set, clever staging, and basically three actors, you are taken through time and place to witness and understand a profound human experience.
Laurie Metcalf can do anything as far as I’m concerned, and she comes in as a character you have seen in life or in stories, and then deftly reveals why she’s that character through skill and the most relatable dialogue. As only she can deliver of course.
Micah is so interesting to watch, as he uses his entire body to convey emotions in a way that reminds me of John Belushi. His facial expressions are priceless.
This is truly memorable theater. No false notes. I’m still thinking about it days later. That’s when I know that it landed. "
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 19, 2025
What comedic drama is all about
"Metcalf was anticipated to be good, but something about live theater just makes it so impressive! "
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 18, 2025
Laurie Metcalf!!
"I had no idea what to expect in terms of story. I just wanted to see Laurie Metcalf on stage. She is incredible and her character was definitely a mix of her past work. The story definitely hit close in terms of living in small rural town and being the person that has left for the big city and then returns to visit. Some parts were a bit slow to develop but overall would recommend."
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Broadway.com Customer on Oct 16, 2025
Masterful writing, powerful acting
"Very relatable characters reacting to realistic situations. You'll laugh and cry before the inevitable end. Laurie Metcalf is a treasure, inhabiting her role as fully as if she's living it."
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Deanna L from Minneapolis on Oct 16, 2025
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About
Little Bear Ridge Road
Four-time Emmy® and two-time Tony Award® winner Laurie Metcalf returns to Broadway opposite Tony Award® nominee Micah Stock in Little Bear Ridge Road, the wry and piercing new play by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale) directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello. This production marks Hunter’s Broadway debut and Metcalf and Mantello’s seventh collaboration.
Set on the remote edge of a small Idaho town, Little Bear Ridge Road centers on a razor-tongued aunt and her long-estranged nephew who find themselves suddenly back in each other’s lives—two lonely souls with a crumbling house to sell and a tangled history to unravel. Bitingly funny and quietly explosive, Little Bear Ridge Road lays bare our messy, human need to reach across voids for one another, even when it shakes us to the bone.
