What Happened Was tickets
About What Happened Was
Get What Happened Was tickets on New York Theatre Guide to see a play about two co-workers who meet for a first date — and the secrets they've been hiding that surface one by one. Tony Award nominee Corey Stoll (Appropriate) and Emmy Award nominee Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live) star in this moving, hilarious, and revelatory play about finding love in the Big Apple, a city that can be as dazzling as it is lonely to live in.
What Happened Was plays off Broadway at Audible's Minneta Lante Theatre for a limited run only starting April 14. Stoll, known for his roles on Broadway, in TV shows like Girls and House of Cards, and in many Shakespeare in the Park productions, returns to the stage alongside Strong, who made a splash in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe at The Shed.
Now, the two star in this riveting play about looking for love, the power of human connection, and finding shelter in someone you didn't think you needed. In What Happened Was in New York, can you let someone in without losing yourself? That's what two co-workers find out on a date in a Manhattan apartment. Small talk quickly turns into something deeper as the pair discusses secrets, attraction, and the need to be seen.
Obie Award winner Tom Noonan’s play inspired the Grand Jury Prize-winning 1994 Sundance film, and now the play is back on stage in its first major New York revival. Ian Rickson, known for his many West End credits and for being the Artistic Director of the Royal Court from 1998 to 2006, stages this revival.
Two stars play ordinary people who share the extraordinary in a single New York night. Tickets to What Happened Was are available now on New York Theatre Guide.
Run time
1hr 30min.
Categories
Age
Ages 14+.
Start date
April 14th, 2026
End date
June 14th, 2026
“Awkward first date reveals lonely souls seeking connection”
Two Lonely Hearts on an Awkward Date
This intimate revival captures the excruciating awkwardness and unexpected vulnerability of a first date between two lonely coworkers in a small NYC apartment. Audiences consistently praise the except...
What It Feels Like
- Painfully relatable
- Darkly funny
- Quietly moving
You’ll Love This If…
- You appreciate cringe comedy with emotional depth
- You enjoy intimate two-hander plays with stellar acting
- You find stories about urban loneliness and human connection resonant
Interesting story and great acting. Easy to focus on plays with just 2 people.
Interesting twist on the awkwardness of dating.
I thought it was a very moving depiction of awkwardness and loneliness - with humor to balance it out - that was beautifully acted.
Our Review
'What Happened Was..." Off-Broadway review — dinner and a story with Corey Stoll and Cecily Strong
What Happened Was cast and creative team
By: Tom Noonan
Director: Ian Rickson
Producer: Audible Theater and Together (Hugh Jackman and Sonia Friedman)
Cast list: Corey Stoll and Cecily Strong
Sets: Brett J Banakis and Christine Jones
Costumes: Kaye Voyce
Lighting: Japhy Weideman
Sound: Mikaal Sulaiman
Venue
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