British playwright David Hare , criticized in the past for his preachy politics , is said to have finally found his way beyond polemic ( John Lahr , The New Yorker ) . Hare 's new play about a self-centered film critic , his wife , and his mother-in-law is hailed as a coup de theatre ( Matt Wolf , Variety ) , both for its social critique ( of the amorality of the news media ) and for its sensitivity about such personal matters as loss , grief and stoical survival ( Benedict Nightingale , the London Times ) . Hare 's enthusiasts declare it time for canonization .
The playwright wanted to write something out of their comfort zone .