For those who have seen Tracy Letts’ Bug on Broadway—which ran earlier this year at the Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre—the ending brought what might just be one of the most startling and unsettling closing scenes you’ve seen in a play. But for Tony nominee Carrie Coon, the ending was the easiest part.
Nominated for four Tony Awards—with Coon receiving a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play—Bug follows lonely waitress Agnes (Coon) and mysterious drifter Peter (Namir Smallwood), who is later revealed to be a soldier that has gone AWOL. Due to his experiences since leaving the military, Peter is a devoted conspiracy theorist, and has become convinced that there are thousands of bugs crawling on and around him that were planted as surveillance technology. As the play goes on, Agnes begins to believe him.
A dark commentary on where the line between conspiracy and truth can begin to blur in a modern techno-surveillance society—especially one where the government is able to outsource personal data and information from corporations—Bug is a heavy play to bear. The ending is devastating for both its central characters, and the audience.
When asked in an interview with Playbill how Coon decompresses at home after performing such a disturbing play, she answers: “You know, I’m good at that,” Coon says, in reference to leaving all the turmoil behind at the theatre. “And one of the reasons I’m good at it is because of the way the play ends. It ends with Agnes triumphant, saving the world with all of the answers. When you’re playing that, energetically, it’s actually quite a high to go out on.”
Coon also notes being grateful to come home at the end of each night to enjoy tea, popcorn, and the ability to sleep alone in a bed without bugs. Coon also credits director David Cromer’s guidance for the role, as they worked together to ensure that, as laughable as the belief that bugs designed by the government are watching you, audiences did not find humor in what was meant to be horror.
Says Coon: “He’s not playing for laughs—he interrogates each moment so that it’s really psychologically solid.” Watch Coon’s full interview in the video above.
