A young, idealistic, American married couple move to Paris to live together and do good work. But youth and idealism aren’t enough to build a life on in a strange city, unless the foundations of the relationship are solid. Amy Herzog’s new play Belleville, described as a “psychological thriller,” is in its first Manhattan production at New York Theatre Workshop.

The play comes to the city after its initial outing at Yale Repertory Theatre a year-and-a-half ago, bringing with it the same creative team of director Anne Kaufman and its lead actors. New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood tells us what pushes this couple’s relationship askew, and whether or not the playwright achieves the effect she intends.