This Much I Know

by Jonathan Spector

Lukesh is a professor who knows exactly how humans operate. He literally teaches the subject. But when the son of a white supremacist asks Lukesh to sponsor his thesis, and more personally, when his wife Natalya ups and leaves for Russia, Lukesh struggles to make sense of everything with his typical black-and-white understanding of the human brain. He is faced with an ultimatum: think about life in a new light, or sink. Jumping back and forth through time, This Much I Know weaves in stories of Svetlana Alliluyeva – Stalin’s daughter – who has become disillusioned with her father’s ideas and considers defecting to the United States. Her story mirrors the story of Lukesh, Natalya and his student Harold; their parallel journeys explore how a person changes their mind, if we are responsible for things we cannot control, and after it all, if something that was once submerged can still float.

Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved Spector's Tony winning play Eureka Day, so wanted to see what else he'd produced. This is a VERY dense and somewhat difficult/problematic work, that like the previous one, had its premiere in Berkeley - however, I managed to miss both! It was also done in NY just this past Oct.

As one can tell by the synopsis, it covers a convoluted multi-thread storyline, and the three actors each play a plethora of characters, changing identities frequently. I had a little difficulty keeping everything straight on the page and would think those would be exacerbated on stage - unless a very clever director and stellar actors were involved. Still, I'd rather see a play that tries to exceed its grasp and fail than one that is facile in the first place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L-uK...

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/th...
https://www.theatermania.com/news/rev...
https://www.theatrebeyondbroadway.com...