Today is Wednesday, November 14, marking the official opening night for David West Read's new comedy, THE PERFORMERS, following previews that began October 23 at the Longacre Theatre. The play marks the Broadway bow for Read.
Set at the Adult Film Awards in Las Vegas, the cast features Henry Winkler, Cheyenne Jackson, Daniel Breaker, Ari Graynor, Jenni Barber and Alicia Silverstone. Evan Cabnet directs the 90-minute intermissionless comedy.
THE PERFORMERS, according to press notes, "is a romantic comedy about two high school friends (Cheyenne Jackson and Daniel Breaker) — and the women in their lives (Ari Graynor and Alicia Silverstone, respectively) — who reconnect at the Adult Film Awards in Las Vegas. When the night takes an unexpected turn and relationships are threatened, Chuck Wood (Henry Winkler), the hardest-working man in the business, steps in to lend a hand. Sex, love and Barry Manilow intersect in this comedy about the ups and downs and ins and outs of love."
I suppose "hate" may be too strong a word, but I found it all around a rather blah show: not good, not horrible; serviceable performances, but nothing profound; occasionally humorous, but never laugh-out-loud funny.
I found Ari Graynor to be extremely shrill and annoying. Sorry, but I thought her "comedic acting" in The Performers was really subpar. Jennifer Tilly should get royalties.
So, the Post feels compelled to quote this anomalously clean joke:
"Do you like White Russians?” one porn star asks another at a bar.
“Sure,” comes the reply. “I like white Russians, I like black Russians, I like half-Russians...”"
If that's an indication of how funny the play gets - clean or dirty - (and I take it it might be as the positive review all but starts with this joke) I'll stay home.
Henrik, I don't want to defend the show too much,because it's not perfect, but that White Russians joke isn't really the joke. When the character asks the set up question, you laugh because you KNOW what the response is going to be. The joke is more in the humorous situation than in "this is a great wittily-written gag."