"It's Only a Play", Really (a Broadway theater review by a nobody)
Proving definitively an all-star cast does not necessarily make for a good show, "It's Only A Play" opened in previews last night on Broadway,
I had already learned my lesson twice: a famous actor does not mean a great Broadway show, thank you Jeremy Piven ("Speed the Plow") and Orlando Bloom ("Romeo and Juliet") for that valuable lesson. But last night's cast members weren't just famous actors making their Broadway debut; these are living legends. How could you go wrong with Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Stockard Channing, F. Murray Abraham, and Megan Mullally? They even threw in the red head from Harry Potter, Rupert Grint. I kept my expectations in check, but even so, this show disappoints.
Written by Terrance McNally, this is definitely a play for patrons of Broadway. If you're not an avid theater goer, the many references to playwrights, actors and critics will leave your head spinning. Although if you are in on the joke, it's quite a laugh. The jesting about the other Broadway shows was humorous, and man did they jest- from Mama Mia to Matilda, but the jokes about popping pills and the off screen dog seemed old. The first act of the play was slow. Although the second act picked up after all the literal praying, the comedic moments couldn't be strung together to make it work.
Set in a Broadway producer's bedroom, the two hour play is about the opening night of a broadway play called... something about a golden egg, if I remember correctly. The Egg's producer, director, playwright, the playwright's best friend and sitcom star, the star of the show, a critic, and a coat boy all convene for an after party and await the show's first reviews.
Matthew Broderick gives an underwhelming performance as the playwright, waxing philosophical about the meaning of theater.
Megan Mullally seems to completely recreate her character, Karen Walker, from "Will and Grace". Only her hair color is different. And unlike watching her on TV, where she was loud and brash, everyone past the first five rows was straining to hear what she was saying the entire duration of the play.
F. Murray Abraham and Rupert Grint are great supporting actors and Nathan Lane, carries the show, as he always does.
Stockard Channing's character has hilarious moments, but something about her character seems old. She's supposed to be a movie star with drug problems who turns to Broadway for a come back, but like the character she plays, the jokes written for her felt similarly washed up.
At one point Micah Stock breaks out into song, belting Elphaba's "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked" meant to raise the spirit of the actors, producer, playwright and director in the egg play, whose show was a flop. He raised my spirits too, after sitting through an hour and a half of a play with a boring plot, albeit punctuated with some good laughs.
Seeing these famous performers in this at-best mediocre play was kind of like going to the US Open earlier this week and watching Rodger Federer and Serena Williams in their opening matches. It's always nice to see a star. There were moments of brilliance: who could get tired of watching Federer drive his one-handed backhand down the line for a winner? Nathan Lane pretending to be Harvey Fierstein on the phone with a theater critic was kind of like that. But overall this show, like those matches fell flat.
An afterthought, maybe the jokes on me for paying $137 to see this show, which is after all, only a play.
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