Did Reviews Fall for Tracy Letts' Bug on Broadway?

Playbill•January 9, 2026•entertainment

Key Points:

Tracy Letts' play Bug made its Broadway debut on January 8 at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, transferring from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre.
The production stars Carrie Coon and Namir Smallwood reprising their roles from Chicago, with David Cromer directing and a supporting cast including Randall Arney, Jennifer Engstrom, and Steve Key.
Bug, set in a seedy Oklahoma motel, explores the intense relationship between a waitress and a paranoid drifter, originally premiering in 1996 and previously winning Off-Broadway awards.
Carrie Coon returns to Broadway for the first time since 2012, having gained prominence through notable TV roles, including HBO's The Gilded