When the entire cast is composed of two actors, the chemistry, energy, and connection need to be off-the-charts to hold an audience’s attention. Visiting Mr. Green, now playing through March 8, 2026, at the Manassas, Virginia, ArtFactory, is a case in point and features a cast that keeps patrons focused for the 85-minute running time of this touching play.
With precision and heart, director Kimberly Kemp has assembled two masterful actors to become the odd couple at the center of the play: Mr. Green and his weekly companion Ross Gardiner. More about performers Robert Leembruggen and Joshua Mutterperl in a moment.
Playwright Jeff Baron’s simple but engaging script sets up the premise: After the young Ross Gardiner nearly hits Mr. Green with his car, a judge orders him to visit the salty and lonely Mr. Green once a week as a form of community service. Mr. Green, a venerable and recently widowed Russian immigrant, is dubious about accepting.
This uneasy partnership is the basis for each scene of the single-act play, which progresses through time as Ross begins to wear down Mr. Green’s tough exterior, while the elderly gentleman slowly endears himself to his younger visitor, a man with secrets and demons of his own.
Leembruggen captures the old-world charm and the hard-scrabble nature of the newly widowed and wounded Mr. Green. With a light European accent and a direct manner, the actor embodies the defensive, fiercely independent older gentleman, still lost after the death of his longtime spouse, Yetta. Between Baron’s vivid script and Leembruggen’s performance, it seems as if his late wife is a third character in the piece, a testament to the actor’s skill at painting such a vivid picture of Mr. Green’s beloved wife.
Playing opposite Leembruggen, but keeping up with him line for line, Mutterperl effortlessly portrays the 30-something New York professional who is paying his debt for reckless driving. At first glance, a bit nebbish and fussy, Mutterperl’s Ross meets his formidable match when he enters Mr. Green’s cluttered apartment. But the younger actor gives as good as he gets from the seasoned Leembruggen. Seeing their characters slowly let down their respective guards as they build their at first uneasy relationship into almost a father-son dynamic is touching and feels very real.
Balancing comedic touches with believable pathos, Baron’s text doesn’t skimp on conflict, the driver of every great play. Baron wisely pits the characters against themselves rather than directly at each other. Mr. Green faces some painful realities, but so does Ross, all leading to a satisfying and heartfelt conclusion, handled masterfully by the actors.
Serving the play’s simplicity, Kemp’s in-the-round staging and lived-in apartment design allow the actors to flourish in their scenes, providing intimacy often lost in proscenium or front-of-house staging. Evocative lighting, designed by Franklin Coleman, complements the action.
Director Kimberly Kemp stated in her director’s notes that after seeing Visiting Mr. Green 30 years ago, she was struck by the play’s message. “What a great example of revealing the challenges and judgments we face in life and how conversation can be the catalyst to help us see and overcome them.” This statement goes to the heart of Baron’s play: two characters who lay bare their soul and find common ground, in spite of an array of differences — generations, religion, family life, and much more.
The Actor’s Theatre production brings these issues to the stage with skill and style. Audiences should share this intimate experience before it’s too late.
Running Time: Approximately 85 minutes with no intermission.
Visiting Mr. Green plays through March 8, 2026, presented by the Actors Theatre at the ArtFactory, in the Wind River Theatre (third floor), 9419 Battle Street, Manassas, VA. Purchase tickets ($25 for adults, $20 for students/seniors, plus fees) online.
Visiting Mr. Green
A play by Jeff Baron
CAST
Mr. Green: Robert Leembruggen
Ross: Joshua Mutterpurl
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director: Kimberly Kemp
Sound Designer: Chris Beatley
Lighting Design: Franklin Coleman
Costumer: Jenn Durham
Properties: Jean Tegtmeyer
Stage Manager: Victoria Ingram
