Geffen Playhouse’s Tiny Father is an intriguing play that boasts a formidable collection of talent, including playwright Mike Lew and his frequent collaborator, Tony-nominated stage director Moritz von Stürpnagel. The subject matter is unique and precious — a man coming to terms with fatherhood while watching over a baby in the NICU — and the fact that it has a largely international cast, including Maurice Williams as the father and Tiffany Villarin as the night nurse, is a great win for me. But ultimately, this play will resonate most deeply with those who have been through the NICU. What about everyone else? Overall, it’s not a bad theater experience.
When a “friends with benefits” relationship unexpectedly leads to premature labor and the birth of a baby girl, Daniel (Maurice Williams, The Vince Staples Show) must choose between becoming a biological parent or becoming a father. With the help of no-nonsense night shift nurse Caroline (Tiffany Villarin, Do You Feel Anger?), the new dad learns to navigate the rules and frustrations of NICU life on the uncertain road to parenthood.
LR: Tiffany Villarin and Maurice Williams in Tiny Father at the Geffen Playhouse.
Photo by Jeff Roach.
For a two-person play, the Geffen Playhouse utilized the main space in a very elaborate way, with a fantastic set design by David Meyer and a fantastic lighting design by Pablo Santiago. You can tell the theatrical production is elaborate by having actual running water onstage and seeing the actors use it. But the relatively short 90-minute run time could have actually been shortened by 10 minutes if they hadn’t had to use the rotating stage platform to jump through time every time, because that alone slowed the show down considerably.
LR: Tiffany Villarin and Maurice Williams in Tiny Father at the Geffen Playhouse.
Photo by Jeff Roach.
The actors performed well, with Tiffany Villarin having a difficult job spewing out a ton of medical jargon. However, one of the most frustrating aspects of the production was that the play had very little tension or dramatic rise, and the two characters’ development was without any real change. Does it succeed as a play about everyday life? Not every theater production needs to have high life-or-death stakes, but it could have at least had more conflict and consequences, especially near the end, when Daniel drinks all the formula with his own hands and gets the baby out of the NICU. The actors also never really connected with each other throughout the show, and most of it was fast-paced, so many jokes got lost.
LR: Tiffany Villarin and Maurice Williams in Tiny Father at the Geffen Playhouse.
Photo by Jeff Roach.
Many factors emerge as to why the play was largely so-so — the writing, acting, and direction — but I appreciated that an Asian American playwright was commissioned to write a play about a universal health issue (in this case a specifically American one with a terrible healthcare system) rather than a minority identity, and that it features a global majority actor cast. I understand that playwrights often want to work with directors they can relate to, but I would have liked to see a global majority woman in the director’s chair and see how she would handle this subject matter.
This last thought is actually my observation for the Geffen Playhouse’s 2024-2025 season, because all but one of the Geffen Playhouse shows will be directed by white people. I understand that large theater companies only want to work with established and very long-standing artists, but I also know that there are exceptionally talented directors in the Global Majority who could easily rise to the challenge and achieve great success. As a Global Majority theater critic, I can only hope for more diversity in the field, even if the new artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse is Tarell Alvin McCraney, who is black.
LR: Tiffany Villarin and Maurice Williams in Tiny Father at the Geffen Playhouse.
Photo by Jeff Roach.
In summary, “Tiny Father” was a safe play with impressive set and lighting design, and once again, I am grateful that plays like this exist, written by the majority of international playwrights, but I would have liked the playwright and director to make bolder choices that force sacrifices on the characters.
Little Dad
Premiere: June 20, 2024
Last Date: July 14, 2024
Author: Mike Liu
Directed by: Moritz von Stürpnagel
Tiffany Villarin (Caroline)
Maurice Williams as Daniel
Performance Schedule
No performances on Mondays and Tuesdays
Wednesday to Friday 8pm
Saturday 3pm and 8pm
Sunday 2pm and 7pm
position
Gil Cates Theatre at Geffen Playhouse
10886 LeConte Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
runtime
90 minutes, no break
caveat
Content warning: This work contains vulgar language.
Recommended age: 12+
All Geffen Playhouse productions are for adult audiences only. Children under the age of 10 are not permitted. Though not required, audience members are encouraged to wear masks for the health and safety of our artists.
Ticket Information
Tickets are currently priced between $39.00 and $129.00 and may be purchased by calling 310.208.2028 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org. Fees may apply.
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