Despite the box-office buzz (and record-setting advance sales) the New York theatre critics did not feel quite the same about , his playwriting and stage acting debut. The show, about a dysfunctional family dealing (badly) with the aftermath of a family death, opened on Broadway March 5 at the Cort Theatre.
The New York Times� Ben Brantley wrote, “Mr. David has written a play that, four-letter language aside, feels like a throwback to the mid-1960s, when was king of the punch line."
Time Out New York said, "David's contribution is mainly to be himself, the Everyputz he played on ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm�: cheerfully cynical, blithely petty and amazed that anyone should be offended by his honesty.�
David had told °ëµºÌåÓý that , "It's me, with a different name. But not quite as sociopathic as the guy I play on television."
Other reviews noted that there were a good share of yuks in the production and it that’s what you’re after, you’d be satisfied. As USA Today put it, “What, you were expecting Chekhov?�
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What would action star be like as a stage actor?
We’re about to find out. The “Die Hard� actor is going to star in a new stage adaptation of ’s novel , written by , the legendary screenwriter who penned the script to the 1990 film version of the book that starred James Caan and .
Willis will play a novelist who is held captive in a cabin by one of his greatest (and craziest) fans. He’ll get some pro help from his co-star, theatre vet . The play will be directed by and arrive on Broadway in fall 2015.
The play made its world premiere at in the fall of 2012.
Goldman has had a distinguished career in Hollywood. His other screenplays include "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "All the President's Men.� He’s also the author of the 1969 book “The Season,� a famous skewering of the way Broadway functions. This will be his first return to the Great White Way since that tell-all came out. To those stage types who are still smarting from his candid assessments (and are still alive) � you have been alerted!
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The Octoroon may be enjoying its most successful run in New York since the ’s melodrama debuted in 1859, when it proved so popular that seven road companies criss-crossed the nation simultaneously. The Theatre for a New Audience-Soho Rep co-production has extended. Originally scheduled to close March 8, performances will now run through March 29.
To be fair, this isn’t exactly Boucicault’s original, about a love affair between the white heir to a Louisiana plantation and a woman who is one-eighth black (an octoroon). It’s a very free and avant garde adaptation by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, so much so it can be considered a completely different play.
Directed by Sarah Benson, the production has played to sold-out houses at TFNA in Brooklyn since it began previews Feb. 14. The play was originally produced by Soho Rep in 2014, where it had two extensions and a sold-out engagement.
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And you thought the reclamation of old Times Square theatres was so 1990s. The Liberty Theatre on W. 41st Street, it was announced, will be transformed into a site-specific and immersive theatrical experience called “Speakeasy Dollhouse: Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic.� (Sounds haunted-house scary.) The interactive show will re-imagine 's lavish 1910-20's revues of the same title.
“Speakeasy Dollhouse: Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic� is the third interactive show in the Speakeasy Dollhouse series from author, artist and playwright Cynthia von Buhler. Performances will run April 18-May 9.
According to press notes, "Guests can step into a reimagining of Ziegfeld's 1920’s extravaganza The Midnight Frolic, replete with showgirls, burlesque, aerialists and � of course � plenty of spirits. At the center of the story is the mysterious 1920 poisoning death of silent film star and Ziegfeld Girl, , and the subsequent destruction of her husband, movie star, .�
Like I said: spooky.
