Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Three Critics' Blood Pressure Soars in Reviews of The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Three Critics' Blood Pressure Soars in Reviews of The Lieutenant of Inishmore

A cursory review of New York City's major dailies reveals very few reviews of The Lieutenant of Inishmore, with some relying on their previous critiques of the Off-Broadway mounting to describe the Broadway transfer. Reviews by USA Today's Elysa Gardner and New York Post's Clive Barnes and -- to a lesser degree -- Newsday's Linda Winer, soared with excitement.

In giving The Lieutenant of Inishmore 4 stars, Gardner proclaimed the play to be "...the smartest, funniest new work to land on Broadway since … well, since McDonagh's last offering, 2005's The Pillowman." Barnes was every bit as enthusiastic, stating that the play is "...acted with elegant zest by the entire cast, this murderous merry-go-round effortlessly becomes one of the best shows in town." According to Winer, "This remains good, smartly stupid fun, an unrepentantly violent, Grand Guignol bloodbath about splinter groups of nationalist splinter groups."

The New York Times' chose to merely recap the almost non-review offered last February by Ben Brantley in summarizing the Off-Broadway mounting: "But (the show's characters) might as well face it, they're addicted to blood. So, this play suggests with devilish obliqueness, are we." There is apparently no new review of the Broadway version of the production from Howard Kissel of New York Daily News.

One other critic whose previous review was recapped today was not caught up in the mayhem. Broadway.com's Rob Kendt took issue with the bloodletting by noting "...the playwrights' humor/horror mash-up curdles into shtick pretty quickly."

Still, it's a safe bet that when the Tony Award nominations are announced, this will be among the Best Play nominees.

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Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Play, The Lieutenant Of Inishmore

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Thursday, May 04, 2006