Sean Hayes Unravels a Mind-Bending Mystery in The Unknown

In The Unknown, Sean Hayes embodies multiple roles in David Cale’s hypnotic solo play, turning a writer’s pursuit of a stalker into a meditation on unreliable narration. The noir-tinged production—supported by deft lighting and evocative sound—creates an intimate, radio-drama mood that feels timeless, even as Hayes’s coyness and the material’s quirks invite critical ambivalence. Running around 70–75 minutes, the show immerses the audience in a mind game about whether the mystery lies in the stalker or in the storyteller’s mind, under Leigh Silverman’s atmospheric direction at Studio Seaview in Manhattan.