EXIT THE KING Reviews

Hello, dear friends! I'm back and better than ever, and what better way to celebrate than with a new B'way opening! It is Thursday, March the 26th, and tonight, Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush holds court in the opening night performance of the starry Broadway revival of Eugene Ionesco's absurdist comedy Exit the King at the Barrymore.

According to press notes, Exit the King "is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin. Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control."

Co-adapted by the show's director, Neil Armfield and star Rush, Exit the King began preview performances on March 7th and will conclude it's limited engagement on June 14th. Armfield and Rush had previously collaborated on Exit the King in a run at Sydney's Belvoir St. Theatre in 2007.

Rush is joined onstage by fellow Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon as Queen Marguerite, Lauren Ambrose as Queen Marie, Tony Award winner Andrea Martin as Juliette, Brian Hutchison as the Guard and William Sadler as the Doctor.

With hopes of catching this one sometime within the coming months, I give my absolute best to all involved!

Post the reviews here!

Updated On: 3/26/09 at 03:35 AM

Pathetic...

TheActr97J- I am in totally agreement with you. Unless someone comes out of left field I really want Rush to win the Tony. It was, for me, the best male performance of the season. I hope Brantley gushes.

---

I saw it on Tuesday night and LOVED it! Hilarious and they all did a great job, including the musician and sound board operator!

---

Saw the show and loved it. But on a different note, I think the marquee and logo for this show is so classy and beautiful and tasteful. Anyways....

I'll be in NYC for the next several days so hopefully I can catch it.

BTW, just let me say that Lauren Ambrose is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life.

Although I'm sure Rush is great, I really want Esparza to take home the Tony this year. He's earned it. It's his turn.

Brantley will gush over Rush, for sure. Saw him the other night a few rows behind me, looked downright giddy when Beringer descended into the audience.

---

Is this a limited run? I was hoping to get up to NYC in May to see it.

Miracle Elixir: i thought that, too ... not that the other poster was a "dick" per se, but that really what's it hurting anyone if Limelight Mike wants to ... well ... grab the limelight this way!

plus, i have to say: on some of the more obscure off and off-off openings, he's the main reason the rest of us know how the notices are coming in!

---

MiracleElixir, I'm glad to hear Ambrose has dug her teeth even deeper into the comedy side of her role, but I found her pretty hysterical when I saw it (one of the early previews). I look forward to revisiting so I can see how much more fun she is having up there.

The only performer I had somewhat of a problem with was Susan Sarandon. She's a marvelous actress and she gives a completely fine performance, but I would have liked to see her have a little more fun with the role. The lines are there, and they're great, but I didn't feel like she dragged out the comedy as much as the role gave her room for. I would have liked to see what someone like Jan Maxwell could have done with the role.

Rush was brilliant and he has the Tony, without a doubt. Aside from the fact that he completely inhabits the role, he also has going for him the fact that he revised the script, and that gives him a heads up over other Tony contenders. Esparza gave another wonderful performance, but it wasn't a Tony-winning performance.

Rush's performance reminded me of Christine Ebersole's in GREY GARDENS. One of the most magnificent master works I've ever witnessed on stage. I imagine the reviews tonight will be a lot like they were for Ebersole.

---

Updated On: 3/26/09 at 05:52 PM

Variety is Very Positive:

""Nothing's abnormal when abnormal has become the new normal," declares Geoffrey Rush, a short distance into his astonishing performance as the dying monarch in "Exit the King." It's that state of pervasive uncertainty, in a world thrown into chaos as an empire crumbles, that rescues Eugene Ionesco's 1962 absurdist tragedy from the dusty vaults and infuses it with unexpected currency. But the play's relevance is secondary to the virtuoso work of its lead actor, who unleashes a dazzling arsenal of mime, clowning and physical techniques to swerve in an instant between comedy and pathos, keeping the audience riveted to him through every hairpin turn."

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939945.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

---

The NEWSDAY review is apparently posted, but I can't find it on the website itself, and when I find the link via Google, it says 'Page not found' -- nonetheless, in said Google search, the VERY minimal text I can see appears to be VERY POSITIVE:

"If an evening-long death scene isn't your idea of exhilarating theater, you haven't been to "Exit the King." This inspired revival of Eugene..."

Pathetic...


funny, coming from someone obsessed with Story of My Life.