The Oldest Boy

"Sarah Ruhl’s new play, The Oldest Boy, is extremely imaginative and hypnotically beautiful."—Marilyn Stasio, Variety

"Ms. Ruhl’s drama . . . is among the most easily accessible from this poetic, venturesome playwright. In addition to being an exploration of a family’s willingness to embrace a radical notion of what may be best for its child, the play offers a neat primer in the history and principles of Tibetan Buddhism . . . [The Oldest Boy] is marked by Ms. Ruhl’s inquisitive intelligence, clean-lined eloquence and spiky humor."—Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

"The work, inspired by the author’s Tibetan Buddhist baby-sitter and now in its world premiere, is thoughtful and imaginative and showcased beautifully by Keenan-Bolger’s vivid star turn."—Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News

"It's hardly uncommon that the emotional tsunami of maternal love can inspire many mothers to believe their children are truly special beings, perhaps even divine. But in the imaginative mind of Sarah Ruhl that primal connection yields an extraordinary story . . . This meditation on such intellectually unfashionable concepts as faith, destiny and spirituality is delicate and affecting. And it's impossible to imagine it receiving more ideal treatment than in Rebecca Taichman's exquisite production for Lincoln Center Theater . . . The Oldest Boy is among her more straightforward works, but it has a poignancy that feels unique and entirely personal. It also evinces a fresh perspective on parental attachment and the mentor-disciple relationship . . . There's gorgeous fluidity in the writing as it jumps back to recount how Tenzin's parents met at the Tibetan restaurant his father runs, when his mother came in one afternoon seeking shelter from the rain."—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter