A young security guard with big ambitions clashes with his stern boss, an intense rookie cop and her unpredictable partner in a play from Kenneth Lonergan. Lobby Hero is a moving, emotionally-nuanced drama mixing ideas about race, gender, class, and corruption with moments of wit, comedy, and romance. In keeping with the play’s intimacy—there are only four characters in the show—Rockwell Group took a minimalist approach to the set at Hayes Theater, allowing the small scale of the lobby to make the drama seem larger than life.
The entire play takes place on a rainy night in the lobby of a middle class apartment building in Manhattan. We chose to imagine a white-brick post-war building in Murray Hill for inspiration.
Apartment lobbies are ubiquitous in New York, operating as extensions people’s living rooms; they are spaces in between the complete openness of the street and the privacy of home; welcoming and a barrier; and a place to observe and be seen. By keeping the set neutral—recognizable and yet not overly stylized—we allowed the lobby to literally be a stage for the emotions and action that come pouring out within the lobby’s walls.