Luke Macfarlane said the raw emotion his character experiences often stays with him during the off hours.
Love, loss, friendship, and loneliness are all explored in the new play "Reverberation," now playing at Hartford Stage.
Playwright Matthew Lopez, author of the acclaimed plays "The Whipping Man" and "Somewhere," sets his latest play in modern-day New York City, a place Lopez said can seem desperately lonely despite being surrounded by a sea of humanity.
"There's something really powerful about feeling visible in one part of your life, and then going into the streets of New York City and becoming the most unimportant person in the world," Lopez said. "My characters feel that fairly acutely in the play."
The play centers around Jonathan, a reclusive gay man dealing with a traumatic personal tragedy.
Jonathan strikes up an unlikely friendship with extrovert Claire, his upstairs neighbor, who manages to draw him out of his defensive cocoon.
As the play progresses, Jonathan and Claire become closer, but so do the unresolved ghosts of his past.
The role of Jonathan is played by actor Luke Macfarlane, perhaps best known for his role as Scotty in the TV series "Brother and Sisters." He said the raw emotion his character experiences often stays with him during the off hours.
"You spend your whole day thinking about what is about to happen," Macfarlane said. "It's always in the back of your head. You are always living with this moment, and this character."
The world premiere of "Reverberation" runs through March 15 at Hartford Stage.
