Cotter Smith

Review: A Maze of Manipulation in Kinetic Theatre’s ‘Henry Johnson’

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Kinetic Theatre’s production of David Mamet’s Henry Johnson marks the play’s Pittsburgh debut. It is also only the third production of the work, following its premiere in Los Angeles in 2023 and a staging in Chicago in 2025. Henry Johnson has Mamet’s classic flair, with its downward-spiraling plot, coercion, ulterior motives, and the rhythmic, staccato, naturalistic Mamet-speak. It’s a play that makes you wonder: What is the truth? Who should I believe? Am I, as an audience member, just as susceptible as Henry Johnson? The play is less of a moral lesson and more of a question of morality. It leaves us grappling with the ambiguity of where the truth and manipulation begin and end. 

Kinetic’s Rarely Done ‘Henry Johnson’ Boasts David Butler’s Return to Pittsburgh Stage

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The story of how the third production of David Mamet’s “Henry Johnson” landed at Carnegie Stage, and along with it, David Butler’s return to a hometown stage, follows the on- and off-ramps along the figurative map: All roads lead back to Pittsburgh. Andrew Paul’s Kinetic Theatre is bringing the play to the stage July 9-26, 2026, with Butler, Cotter Smith, David Whalen and John Steffenauer.

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