After Kyra (Anika Noni Rose<\/a>) and her family move into a stately Victorian home in the historic landmarked Vernon Point neighborhood, she quickly joins the community board, a motley nine-person crew, hand-selected to showcase the area’s supposed diversity in terms of age, race, gender, sexuality, and religion. Wielding a gavel, and taking it all a bit too seriously, is the president, Elliot (Richard Thomas<\/a>), who grew up in the area and is devoted to maintaining the historical nature of the neighborhood, down to minute architectural details like balusters (the small beams that support a railing).<\/p>\n While there is much comedy to be mined out of these suburban squabbles, the play, directed by Kenny Leon, goes much deeper as the problems the board discusses get increasingly intense. Kyra suggests they petition the town to put in a new stop sign, a seemingly benign request that leads the board into chaos, petty disputes, backstabbing, bribery, blackmail, and a brawl.<\/p>\n Through it all, the board members are all extremely forthcoming with their opinions, however offensive, outdated, performative, or oversensitive they may be. Microagressions and impatient corrections volley back and forth like shuttlecocks. Ruth (Margaret Colin<\/a>), an older Jewish woman, and Isaac (Ricardo Chavira<\/a>) a Latino (not Latinx) man, delight in being contrary, boldly voicing their politically incorrect takes, and social justice warrior Willow (Kayli Carter<\/a>) \u2014 who secretly has a trust fund \u2014 is always ready to correct them. Alan (Michael Esper<\/a>) rants about how hard it is to get sympathy as a white man. When packages get stolen, several members racially profile teens from nearby projects, which upsets the board’s two Black members, Kyra and Brooks (Carl Clemons-Hopkins<\/a>), though Brooks, who is gay, assumes a local Muslim man is homophobic. Always a bit confused is the lovable, elderly Penny (Marylouise Burke<\/a>), who repeatedly mistakes Melissa (Jeena Yi<\/a>), a Korean American lesbian, for a Pakistani straight woman also named Melissa.<\/p>\n The Balusters is an ensemble piece, and across the board the cast is superb. The actors work together symbiotically, forming a spectacular, unstoppable unit of privilege and prejudice. Burke, a comedic veteran at the top of her game, threatens to steal the show with each line. Thomas gloriously captures the way older white men hold on to power and wield it with almost evil authority, even when trying to do good. Rose takes her character on a journey, and we see her become more sneaky, political, and dare I say cunning as the play goes on. She was attracted to the neighborhood\u2019s idyll, but she must contend with the implications, cost, and silent exclusions behind that old-timey charm.<\/p>\n Vernon Point and its board live in a self-created bubble, though they also represent something bigger, and The Balusters’s scathing critique has much to offer in this divisive moment. Lindsay-Abaire\u2019s script is masterful, a stunning dissection of hypocrisy that is equally political and hilarious. Still, the play stays firmly in the comedy camp, so things can be a bit tidy \u2014 a dramatically timed accident, a tied vote, a string of secrets revealed, including by the housekeeper Luz (Maria-Christina Oliveras<\/a>), and stakes that get continually ratcheted up, leading to an unrealistically large explosion of emotion.<\/p>\n Still, The Balusters is thrilling to watch from start to finish, a sort of respectable cage match with a typed agenda and tea served on family china. Welcome to the liberal thunderdome.<\/p>\n The Balusters summary<\/p>\n Krya Marshall and her family have just moved into a Victorian home in the historic neighborhood of Vernon Point. Kyra has been roped into joining the neighborhood board, and the play traces several of their meetings at her house. They debate things trivial, like historically inaccurate architecture, and serious, like racial gatekeeping and public safety.<\/p>\n The nine board members \u2014 carefully selected and representing various backgrounds \u2014 have big personalities, strong opinions, and lots of history. With Kyra thrown into the mix, sparks fly and debates quickly turn heated.<\/p>\n What to expect at The Balusters<\/p>\n In a world of minimalist sets, The Balusters is a gorgeous outlier. Derek McLane\u2019s heavily detailed set represents Kyra\u2019s 1905 Victorian mansion: There are high ceilings, crown moldings galore, hardwood floors, sconces, and a grand fireplace. While the set mainly features the parlor, sumptuously designed with a modern flair and featuring an array of seating options in patterned upholstery, beyond we can see a foyer and a dining room.<\/p>\n Lining many of the walls are Black artists\u2019 takes on classic paintings, like The Birth of Venus and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Everything gives off the impression of wealth, of an impeccably (and professionally) designed house that fuses the old and the new.<\/p>\n The play runs 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. It contains extended discussions of race, religion, class, sexuality, disability, and gender and is rife with microagressions \u2014 but this is entirely the point. They are there to highlight the biases of the characters and act as litmus tests for who corrects whom.<\/p>\n What audiences are saying about The Balusters<\/p>\n The Balusters has a 90% audience approval rating on the review aggregator Show-Score. Audience response has been extremely positive, with theatergoers especially complimenting the play\u2019s humor, political message, and the dynamic ensemble cast.<\/p>\n \u201cDavid Lindsay-Abaire you have done it again.\u201d – Mezzanine user Juliet Grace Grochowski![\"3](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3_balusters-1200x600-NYTG.png\")
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\n\u201cA hoot and a half! This was so fun and funny. Sharp writing, great performances by the entire ensemble. Set was notably great.\u201d – Mezzanine user Jacque
\n\u201cExtremely smart, funny, terrible acting, had incisive things to say about our sociopolitical environment in a somewhat subversive way but not over-the-top or spoon feeding a message.\u201d – Show-Score user Rob S
\n\u201cOne of the best plays I\u2019ve seen this season. Extremely funny, quick, engaging, and well-written. Large ensemble cast but each character has a moment and get developed which is impressive.\u201d – Mezzanine user Aaron Gluck<\/p>\n