Social psychologists Merril Silverstein and Vern L. Bengston, among others, have studied the grandparent/grandchild relationship, a concept they call “intergenerational solidarity.”  Now, Amy Hertzog’s play “4000 Miles” at the Westport Country Playhouse explores the ramifications of that bond.

It’s three in the morning when exhausted 21 year-old Leo (Clay Singer) unexpectedly shows up at his 91 year-old Grandmother Vera’s (Mia Dillon) apartment in New York’s Greenwich Village. 

Riding a bicycle, he’s journeyed from the West Coast. He didn’t start the trip with the intention of visiting Grandma; instead, his intention was reconnecting with his girlfriend Becca (Lea DiMarchi), but that didn’t go well. So there he is – ringing Grandma’s doorbell.

After putting in her teeth and finding her hearing aid, Vera shuttles sweaty, smelly Leo into the shower, settling him into a guest bedroom. A series of subsequent scenes chronicles the reconnection between feisty Vera and befuddled Leo as they begin to understand one another. 

Vera is a widow who’s worried about losing some of her mental faculties, often dwelling on memories of the past, including her two marriages and strained relationship with her daughter, Leo’s estranged mother, who lives in Minneapolis.

Deeply distressed Leo has his own demons. When his epic, cross-country trek started, he was with his best friend, but only one of them made it to New York. Leo’s trying to deal with that loss, along with the end of his romantic relationship with Becca.

Through sharing experiences, they forge a plausibly tender friendship:  “Another toke, Grandma?”

Sensitively directed by David Kennedy, the ensemble is superb. With subtle honesty, Mia Dillon delivers an intelligently crafted, authentically compelling performance, embodying a capable, opinionated woman grappling with the indignities of aging.

Oozing unaffected vulnerability, Clay Singer is charming and – in supporting roles – Lea DiMarchi is outspoken while Phoebe Holden is hilarious as Leo’s casual pickup. Kudos also to scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado, costumer Maiko Matsuhima and lighting designer Carolina Ortiz Herrera.

Running one hour, 45 minutes without intermission, “4000 Miles” is insightful, thought-provoking and definitely worth seeing at the Westport Country Playhouse through Sunday, September 4^th.

So many people wanted to see HBO’s debut of “House of the Dragon” that they crashed the streaming service! 

Set in Westeros nearly 200 years before “Game of Thrones,” this pulpy, 10-episode prequel is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel “Fire & Blood” – both of which it offers in abundance.

The plot revolves around an earlier civil war for the Iron Throne, waged largely among various factions of the silver-haired, incestuous Targaryan dynasty, ancestors of Dragon Queen Daenerys Targaryan, played by Emilia Clarke in “Game of Thrones.” It’s all about family rivalry.

In the sprawling Red Keep – a.k.a the court in King’s Landing, capital of Westros – there’s aging King Viserys I (Paddy Constantine); his ruthlessly scheming, younger brother Daemon (Matt Smith); and plucky Princess Rhaenya Targaryen (Milly Alcock/Emma D’Arcy). 

Daughter of Viserys’ wife Aemma, who dies in a brutal, bloody childbirth scene, Rhaenya enjoys the company of her friend Alicent (Emily Carey/Olivia Cooke), whose father, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), is the King’s trusted Hand. They’re best friends – until they aren’t – since submissive Alicent marries Viserys and gives birth to Rhaenya’s half-brother Aragon II, who turns out like a creepier Prince Joffrey.  

Famed for their dragon-taming ability, Rhaenya rides the yellow dragon Syrax and pink-scaled Meleys – a.k.a. Red Queen. Daemon’s giant red dragon is Caraxes – a.k.a. Blood Wyrm. Altogether, there are at least 17 dragons, each with a unique name and CGI look.

Adding to the complexity, midway through the series, the story jumps 10 years, as the two teenage female leads are replaced by adults. Plus, there are additional multi-year jumps as the plot progresses.

Costing nearly $200 million, this sordid fantasy spinoff series brims with palace intrigue and is purposely peppered with nudity and excessive violence – under the direction of co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik and co-creator Ryan Condai.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, so-far “House of the Dragon” is an addictively watchable 8, streaming Sunday nights on HBO & HBO Max – and it’s already been renewed for a second season.

On June 23, 2018, twelve soccer players and their coach became trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Thailand. In “Thirteen Lives,” director Ron Howard details how they were rescued.

While the boys (ages 10 to 16) and their 25 year-old coach were exploring deep into the massive cavern system, heavy rains of the monsoon season began to fall, flooding the exit and stranding them inside. 

As initial extraction efforts by local emergency workers failed, fear for their lives grew in the nearby town of Pong Pha. That’s where Howard focuses on Pattrakorn Tungsupakul, as Buahom, the single, hard-working mother of Chai, one of the youngest boys, who serves as the film’s emotional center.

More than 5000 volunteers from 17 countries came together in a herculean 18-day rescue effort, including pumping water out of the sinkholes and diverting rainwater from the mountain above when farmers agreed to flood their fields.

British adventurer Rick Stanton (Viggo Mortensen), a former firefighter with four decades of cave-diving experience, and his diving partner, John Volanthen (Colin Farrell), assembled an international team, including anesthetist Dr. Harry Harris (Joel Edgerton) and Thai Navy SEALS.

Desperate, Buahom asked a monk to bless traditional ‘good luck’ bracelets which she then distributed to the divers. In wetsuits with oxygen tanks strapped to their backs, they dove into the dark waters with zero visibility, swimming against strong currents, dodging sharp stalactites to locate the trapped boys and ultimately towing them out, one-by-one, through a treacherous route.

“They’re packages,” explains Rick. “We’re the delivery guys.”

Scripted by William Nicholson & Don MacPherson, directed by Ron Howard and photographed by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, this docudrama was originally scheduled for a theatrical release but that shifted when Amazon Studios/Prime Video took over M.G.M. 

Previously, this rescue effort was chronicled in 2019 by Tom Waller and then again in a 2021 documentary “The Rescue,” helmed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chair Vasarhelyi. 

On the Granger Gauge, “Thirteen Lives” is a suffocating, suspenseful 7, streaming on Amazon Prime.