The play THIS IS OUR YOUTH is old hat

The elements in THIS IS OUR YOUTH should have added up to a electrifying theater.  Steppenworlf is known for being edgy & thought provoking.  The cast included Michael Cera & Kieran Culkin (both played one note annoying characters.)  Playwright Kenneth Lonegran is an Academy Award winning screenwriter & Pulitzer Prize playwright finalist.  And, Dir. Anna Shapiro is a Tony, Drama Desk winning director.  Nonetheless, the play is as scattered & wasted as the blow strewn across the stage.  The play is set on the UWS in 1982 over 12 hours.  (The play felt almost as long.)  Credit should be given to scenic designer Todd Rosenthal (Tony winner for OSage) for the authentic, gritty looking studio aptmt.  It was amusing to compare the archaic phones & stereos with today's technology.  Dennis (Kieran Culkin) whose apt. the play is set, is an egomaniac & controlling bully with a caustic intimidating mouth.  Warren (Michael Cera) is pot head loser.  His dad has just thrown him out. Dennis left with his pot & $15,000 of his dad's money.  Warren comes to Dennis with his suitcase & sack of dough begging to stay with him.  Inside Warren's case are his prized processions:  childhood toys, classic albums & a limited edition toaster known for being combustible.  The whole play is one "stone grey haze." When asked what he's talking about, Warren replies, "It is not suppose to mean anything.  It's just something to say." The play is a nostalgic look back at youth spent wasted; looking to get laid & fighting with parents & friends.  "I've never understood why people consider youth a time of freedom & joy.  It's probably because they've forgotten their own." (M. Atwood)  THIS IS OUR YOUTH was a waste of my time.