Leo, having just ridden his bike across the continental United States arrives at the apartment of his Grandmother, Vera, in New York City. He may have nearly finished his journey, but Leo still has a long way to go, especially with this lady. Though they barely know each other Vera takes Leo in as an unlikely roommate until he sorts things out. Truly adorable and heartwarming, Amy Herzog explores a multi-generational gap in this charmer of a play, ultimately arriving at the conclusion that these two really might not be that far away from each other. Both need something that the other can provide. Firecracker Vera might have some trouble admitting that she could use a little help around the house as she gets older. And Leo reveals a tragedy that occurred on his trip that has left him rattled and soul-searching as he tries to figure out his next steps, with a little help of simple wisdom from is Grandma. It’s hard to pin down what is so very likable about this 2012-Pulitzer-prize-finalist, but it may just be the simple joy of learning along with Leo and Vera that we may not be as far away from one another as it seems.

Through Herzog’s 4000 MILES is a slow burn to a surprisingly ominous conclusion: at any age, we can connect in the imminence of death.  Rather than explosive conflict between grandmother and grandson, there is an anxious and familiar buzz.  This story lives in the haunting gray of our daily worries.  Vera and her Leo—disparate in age and mindset—find each other through their mundane trials, though there is something huge and stifling in their rent-controlled Manhattan apartment.  They are both suffering in their proximity to death.  Amy Herzog finds ways to bring extreme light and flickers of out-loud laughs to these haunting anxieties.  In the end, we are left to worry about both Leo and Vera.  While we have the brief comfort of their encounter, they go presumably separate ways at the end of the play.  Though 4000 MILES is a heartwarming, and at times, subtly profound play…there is a communal ache at its conclusion.  Who has a watchful eye on Vera?  How will she continue to live alone?  Leo is set to work in the outdoors, to pursue what interests him and to most likely fall in love again (in his relationship after Bec).  But there is an itch where we might begrudge him his promising future—imagining Vera return to her empty apartment is powerfully heart wrenching.