Florida Weekly Previews ‘4000 Miles’

When a young cyclist’s cross-country journey concludes with an unannounced visit to his grandmother’s New York City apartment, “4000 Miles” explores the unconventional but tender — and often humorous — bond between the pair as they navigate grief, memory and generational distance.

After miles on the road, unforeseen circumstances bring Leo, 21, to a sudden stop — at the doorstep of his 91-year-old grandmother, Vera, disrupting her solitary routine. What begins as a brief overnight stay stretches into an unexpected period of cohabitation for the unlikely roommates.

At times, they frustrate and perplex one another, but gradually develop an understanding that bridges seven decades of life experience.

Written by playwright Amy Herzog, “4000 Miles” is a critically acclaimed dramatic comedy that explores the beauty and simplicity of human connection when two vastly different worlds collide.

The 90-minute character-driven play, directed by Frank Blocker, runs from March 17 through April 5 at Players Circle Theater as part of the theater’s 2025-2026 season.

First produced in 2011, the play quickly gained recognition for its contemplative storytelling and compassionate, though equally flawed, protagonists. “4000 Miles” was later named a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, with critics praising Herzog’s ability to seamlessly integrate humor and authentic vulnerability.

While the title refers to the thousands of miles Leo travels by bicycle across the United States, the play also examines distance in a more personal sense: the emotional and relational distances that separate people even when they share the same space. Actor Carrie Lund Cacioppo, who plays Vera, said the generational divide between the two characters is central to the story.

Having experienced dissimilar cultural moments, technologies and life expectations, Leo and Vera initially struggle to understand one another. Over time, those differences give way to shared values and unexpected similarities.

“The distance between grandmother and grandson is 70 years,” Cacioppo said. “Oddly enough, the two of us in this storyline have so much in common.”

For Cacioppo, Vera represents a woman who has lived through decades of social and political change while maintaining a worldview shaped by her belief in community and social responsibility.

When Leo arrives, Vera finds herself assuming the role of caretaker, balancing concern for her grandson with respect for his independence.

“At my old age, I’m very sensitive to know that he has a long way to go, and I don’t want to be disruptive or interfere with his growth,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Leo — portrayed by actor Jameson Stobbe — is characterized as an outlier, someone who has chosen to revolt against a privileged background but is still searching for direction.

“Leo’s a person who wants to keep moving,” Stobbe said. “The opposite of depression is movement. I feel like that’s so true for Leo and his lifestyle. He just feels like he has to keep moving, even in this time he’s spending with his grandmother.”

That restlessness contrasts sharply with the stillness of Vera’s apartment, where Leo is forced to slow down and confront the experiences that brought him there in the first place.

Cacioppo said she gravitated toward the role because her son has an adventurous spirit, similar to Leo, who embarks on potentially risky journeys, like biking from the Arctic Circle to the southern tip of Argentina and solo kayaking from Panama to Colombia.

“You can’t tie that kind of energy down. You can’t hold it. That’s their purpose in life. They’re seeking to do something more than just take the regular route,” she said.

For Stobbe, he was able to connect with Leo’s cross-country journey through memories of cycling with his father during childhood. He said his own close relationship with his grandmother also drew him to the story.

“Seeing how I get along with my grandma is kind of similar to some of the interactions that we’ve been having in rehearsal,” Stobbe said. “It’s really, really beautiful.”

Rather than relying on dramatic plot twists or elaborate settings, the play unfolds largely through late-night conversation and combined routines inside Vera’s two-bedroom, rent-controlled Greenwich Village apartment.

“4000 Miles” relies heavily on dialogue and quiet moments between the characters.

Both actors said the rehearsal process has required careful attention to the script’s subtleties.

Cacioppo described the play as deeply nuanced, with much of the emotional development occurring in minute gestures and pauses rather than grand, theatrical gestures.

“It’s like a microscope on setting it in this little space and in real time for these different scenes,” she said. “It’s very concentrated in the dialogue of what goes back between —there’s a lot of unsaid dialogue, with moments of looking and wondering and thinking.”

Although presented as a dramedy, Cacioppo said the comedic aspect more so stems from situations that are humorous in nature.

“It is not a laugh riot,” she said. “There are some funny moments, but they’re born out of not necessarily the funny line as much as the circumstances that lie behind it, of where we are with one another on the stage.”

Stobbe said the ambiguity of the role has also challenged him to navigate lengthy monologues, in comparison with past productions where he feeds off the other actor. Director Frank Blocker said Herzog’s writing captivated him and convinced him to take on the project.

“It’s a unique relationship between grandmother and grandson,” Blocker said. “Yet there’s familiarity enough for everybody to recognize themselves or other people they know in it. It’s a very touching story of connection and growth.”

As someone who spent more than a decade living in New York City, Blocker said he felt at home when he was reading the script.

“It’s set in New York, even though it’s not necessarily a New York story, which I find very interesting, too,” he said. “So, just seeing the script, I could feel it happening in my apartment…there’s a very specific, unique feel to that.”

Blocker described a particular energy that comes with living in New York — the feeling that the world is right outside your window, waiting.

“There’s still some magic out there in the street somewhere,” he said. “You make the right connections or go to the right place or just do something different. You end up having, you know, these magical, wonderful experiences out there.”

It is easy to find yourself feeling trapped inside the confines of a tiny space, craving change and ready for exploration. Conversely, there comes a time when those four walls become a safe haven. According to Blocker, this is where Leo and Vera’s opposing standpoints intersect.

“I think (Vera)has lived out in the world, but she’s fine being boxed in now,” he explained. “(Leo) is feeling boxed in and wants to get out into the world.”

Through the play’s intimate setting, Blocker hopes to place audiences directly inside Leo and Vera’s world, allowing them to feel as though they have taken the emotional journey right alongside the characters.

“Some people want to hear R.E.M. whenever they go on the road, and some people want to hear jazz, but you have your songs, you have your music, the sounds that make you feel like you’re traveling,” Blocker said. “Even though this is a rather stationary play in an apartment, I want the feel of the audience over the whole play to feel like they’ve traveled.”

Stobbe and Cacioppo believe one of the most compelling aspects of the play is watching the evolution of each character in real time. Leo and Vera’s dynamic develops in ways that are both subtle and profound, demonstrating that love can be found in strange circumstances.

“Seeing how two completely different worlds at the end of the day can merge…,” Stobbe said. “Even in these three weeks, so much happens to where we become so intertwined.”

Cacioppo believes the play is culturally relevant and timely in today’s world, underscoring the value of open-mindedness and listening to perspectives beyond one’s own.

“When you find out the commonality between yourselves and are able to accept and enjoy the differences, how much more it benefits you and how much more you grow from that,” Cacioppo added.

In a story about two people learning to connect, Blocker said every audience member can take something away from “4000 Miles.” When people sit down and talk to each other, even if they begin with opposing views, he trusts that with enough time, they will find common ground.

“You’re seeing people get along and try to move forward in the best possible way, regardless of what’s going on,” Blocker said. “We could really use some of that right now.”

In The KNOW:

WHAT: 4000 Miles
WHEN: Evening performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and matinee performances at 3 p.m. on weekends. Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime.
WHERE: Players Circle Theater, 13211 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers.
TICKET PRICES: Admission ranges from $40 to $55, with discounted preview performances from March 17 through March 19 priced at $35.
MORE INFO: playerscircletheater.com/series/4000-miles/

Players Circle Theater is located at 13211 McGregor Blvd, Fort Myers. For more information, call 239-800-3292.