A STEADY RAIN Reviews

2-stars from London's Telegraph:

"This is theatre as stripped-down story-telling; a two-hander played out on a sparse set over a gripping 90 minutes.

The duo gave a tight, nuanced performance, complete with convincing Chicago accents. Jackman, who won a Tony Award for his 2004 Broadway debut in The Boy From Oz, was enthralling as the big hearted but corrupt cop.

By turns humorous, dark and tense, the actors handled Keith Huffs evenly paced drama, directed by John Crowley, with a skill and subtlety which rarely gets chance to shine in Hollywood."

Correction: London's Telegraph gave it three stars.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/6243814/A-Steady-Rain-at-the-Gerald-Schoenfeld-Theatre-review.html

Talkin' Broadway is Positive.

"[Craig and Jackman] do throughout exactly what great actors must: not only make the roles their own, but make it difficult to imagine they could (or should) be played any other way. Theirs is a terrific pairing, one that makes a satisfying but forgettable script into something memorable and electrifying for reasons that go well beyond merely seeing big movie actors onstage. Itâ??s great talent using good material to show the amazing things theyâ??re capable of when theyâ??re allowed to let loose. Producers and audiences everywhere - assuming they can get tickets - should look at A Steady Rain as the ultimate example of the magic that smart star power - and smart star casting - can work."

http://www.talkinbroadway.com/world/index.html

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Updated On: 9/29/09 at 07:21 PM

Sounds like a POSITIVE review from VARIETY, both for the play and the performances.

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941264.html?categoryid=33&cs=1


>But playwright Keith Huff recharges those familiar elements by approaching events usually outlined in action terms with the probing eye of a forensics investigator and psych profiler combined. Pair that with John Crowley's taut production, not to mention actors with the charisma and command of Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman, and you get riveting theater. <<<<

>>Likewise the performances are not star turns but complex characterizations that peel back layer upon layer of reticent self-protection to reveal increasingly uncomfortable truths.<<<<

Updated On: 9/29/09 at 08:00 PM

I hear that people who see this show walk out very wet
from the Steady RAIN

Die.

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I have to agree with the sentiment that the actors deserve good reviews, but the material falls a little short...

But, will enjoy reading the reviews as they come out.

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What if it happens to Thunderstorm
Would they rename the play "A Steady Storm" ?

http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/reviews/2009-09-29-steady-rain-jackman-craig_N.htm

This USA Today review is very positive!

Huff's briskly absorbing script has its clichés and contrivances, but Denny and Joey are drawn with such earthy wit and non-patronizing compassion that Rain never rings false or superficial. It's hard to imagine a better vehicle for two actors who clearly don't need larger-than-life characters to deliver grand performances.

The Los Angeles Times is drawn by the compelling performances but had reservations about the adequacy of the material to show off the talents of the two actors.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/09/theater-review-a-steady-rain-on-broadway-.html

>Don't tell the movie studios, but Jackman can be astonishingly cinematic even without a blockbuster budget furnishing the illusion for him. And Craig manages to achieve a romantic intensity even with his Adonis looks tucked under a nebbishy facade.

As drama, "A Steady Rain" is mostly drizzle. But as entertainment, the play packs hurricane force, thanks to its lightning headliners.<<<<

Updated On: 9/29/09 at 09:49 PM

YOU'RE NOT FUNNY!!!

Backstage.com love it.

http://www.backstage.com/bso/content_display/reviews/ny-theatre-reviews/e3i49ed8b00bbe771aad6ff077a49d8e97a

>>Though its plot sounds like one you might hear at a Hollywood pitch meeting, Keith Huff's "A Steady Rain" offers one of the most powerful theatrical experiences in many seasons. This is mainly due to John Crowley's tight direction and the masterful performances of a pair of movie hunks best known for their adventure capers. Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman prove they are much more than James Bond and Wolverine in this heavyweight smackdown.

Brantley is Indifferent-to-Snobbish, or Negative:

"“A Steady Rain,” which opened on Tuesday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater, is probably best regarded as a small, wobbly pedestal on which two gods of the screen may stand in order to be worshiped. Not that Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman are striking Olympian poses in Keith Huff’s 90-minute, two-character melodrama, directed by John Crowley. On the contrary, playing a couple of all-too-human Chicago cops whose friendship is direly tested, these strapping actors work hard to tamp down associations with their super-heroic franchise film roles, that of James Bond (Mr. Craig) and the X-Man mutant known as Wolverine (Mr. Jackman).

For the record, both are just fine in their parts, and in the case of Mr. Craig, almost unrecognizable with a milquetoast mustache and cowed mien, more than fine. But it’s hard to avoid thinking that had they chosen to recite the alphabet in counterpoint (which might have been more fun), their joint appearance would still generate ticket sales unknown for a straight play since Julia Roberts appeared in Richard Greenberg’s “Three Days of Rain” (which had a cast of three instead of two) three years ago."

http://theater2.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/theater/reviews/30steady.html?hpw

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My favorite, wtf part of the Times review is when Brantley reports that the woman accompanying him to Steady Rain says she is disappointed that Jackman and Craig don't take their clothes off...guess that forever dispels any notion of theater critics having serious post-show conversations on press nights!