IRENA'S VOW Reviews- Page 2

[James2]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 10:14pm

Entertainment Weekly gives it an A-

"There are strong performances from the entire cast, but the play is truly Feldshuh's. The actress lends a gravity and fierce verve to her depiction of Irena that is utterly believable. 'I had to choose,' Feldshuh says as she begins relating Irena's story, 'between life and death.' That heavy, yet hopeful, sentiment is the crux of this heartrending production."

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20268712,00.html

[Smaxie]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 10:19pm

NY Times is Negative

The capsule:

A little-known story of heroism is transformed into theatrical hokum in "Irena's Vow," a play by Dan Gordon about a young Polish woman who helped a dozen Jews survive the Holocaust. Susceptible audiences will want to practice their hisses and prime their tear ducts before attending this efficiently manipulative drama covering territory that is rather too frequently exploited for its undeniable emotional force. Tovah Feldshuh portrays Irena Gut Opdyke, whose life was upended in World War II when the Germans invaded Poland from the west as the Russians invaded from the east. This history deserves attention and respect. But as compressed into 90 minutes of stage time, Irena's personal tragedy and inspiring courage are mostly cheapened into suspense-driven melodrama. - Charles Isherwood

Updated On: 3/29/09 at 10:19 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 10:23pm

Is it weird that the review I most agreed with (although it was a BIT too enthusiastic) was the Word Of Mouth review? ...and the EW review.
Updated On: 3/29/09 at 10:23 PM

[James2]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 10:32pm

Nothing wrong with that, WiCkEDrOcKS. Same opinions can direct one to a kindred spirit.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 10:57pm

Told you about Isherwood. He was visibly not enjoying himself.

And I, for one, think his review is dead-on.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 11:11pm

John Simon is a Rave:

"In ?Irena?s Vow,? astounding human heroism and the amazing Tovah Feldshuh triumph in the blend of a powerful true story, suspenseful dramatization and humorous leavening. The result should prove a sure-fire crowd pleaser on Broadway.

I know that some people feel they have had enough of Holocaust tales, movies and plays, but this is a very special one. Dan Gordon?s play is not the oft-told story about Jews as heroes or victims; rather, it tells of what a young Catholic woman from among the so often anti-Semitic Poles did for some seemingly doomed Jews.

Guided only by sheer, shining humanity, Irena Gut Opdyke, a Polish Catholic girl, risked her life while sheltering 12 adult Jews and a baby from sure death, right under the noses of the Nazi occupiers during World War II."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601098&sid=a1SSEkMTUtB8&refer=movie

[jagfkb]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 11:14pm

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen sich a group of mixed reviews ever in my life. Best of luck with the other reviews though!

[April Saul]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 11:40pm

I didn't think Irena's Vow was a perfect play, but Isherwood's review strikes me as being one of the nastiest pieces of criticism I've come across in the NY Times in recent years. Cheap melodramatic hokum...and I guess I was mistaken in thinking I was moved to tears by this show, when now I know I was merely manipulated; my mistake! Even though I usually agree with Brantley's and Isherwood's reviews, I am still shocked at times by their inability to criticize productions without completely insulting them in the process....

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 11:41pm

I TOTALLY agree.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 11:48pm

Isherwood would probably rave about ROCK OF AGES. His review of IRENA'S VOW could not be more wrong. I despise him.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 11:51pm

Respectfully disagree, but in my opinion, Isherwood's review pretty much hit the nail on the head.

[scott68]

Posted: 3/29/09 at 11:59pm

I think Isherwood discounts the humor of several of the play's de-tensionizing (excuse my complete invention of a word) moments, and could be a bit more generous in his appraisal of Tovah's performance. Aside from that, I think his review is pretty much dead-on.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:31am

"Isherwood would probably rave about ROCK OF AGES. His review of IRENA'S VOW could not be more wrong. I despise him."


Further proof of why you shouldn't be allowed to discuss theatre/art: you don't ever give opinions, you give facts. Isherwood's review is "wrong"? Really! Here I was thinking different people have different opinions on different things. But, no, apparently, there's just right and wrong. And then icing on the cake, you DESPISE him? Because he disagreed with you on a show you raved about as on the o-m-g most amazing and moving thing you've ever seen in your entire life? That's just disgusting. Do I despise you because we have different opinions? No, I despise you because you're an arrogant, bitchy little theatre queen who specializes in behind-your-back name-calling, and personalizing things to the point of DESPISING someone because they have a different opinion than you on a show.

And for the record: ROCK OF AGES succeeds more at what it's trying to be than IRENA'S VOW, and while I wouldn't "recommend" either show, I'd much rather sit through ROCK OF AGES again.
Updated On: 3/30/09 at 12:31 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:32am

MiracleElixir, I thought we were done arguing...

Updated On: 3/30/09 at 12:32 AM

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:34am

I'm not picking on you because I don't like you or something. You're just saying ridiculous things and I feel like responding. Neither one of us needs to curb what we want to write on here...

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:36am

Please refrain from personally attacking me on these boards. Thank you.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:38am

Isherwood would probably rave about ROCK OF AGES. His review of IRENA'S VOW could not be more wrong. I despise him.

Since when can someone's opinion be "wrong"? And is this worth despising someone over? Really? Must be awfully miserable going through life despising people who disagree with you.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:39am

What? You despise him because he disagreed with you? Umm...okay.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:41am

Ugh, please. You just said you had the RIGHT opinion and that you DESPISE Isherwood because he had the wrong one. Sounds like you're the one personalizing stuff. If you want to discuss theatre, fine, but if you're going to throw a fit when someone calls you out on ridiculous, bitchy, argumentative things you say then, how bout this? Don't say them. Think about them before they escape your brain.

But seriously, I have no interest in having a catty back-and-forth with you on here. Just stick to the topic and don't shriek 'personal attacks!!' when someone responds to your comments.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:42am

After seeing the show, and being so moved by it (it even brought me to tears), I honestly thought this would get across the board rave reviews, and I am truly upset and shocked that Isherwood didn't like it. The word-of-mouth reviews were more along the lines of what I was thinking, and I just don't understand how people could dislike IRENA'S VOW.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:44am

Because people aren't all you and you are not all people. I'm sure everyone has one badly-reviewed movie that they love. Or some food item that everyone else thinks is weird. Or some silly Holocaust drama with tepid critical response that they adore.


It's critical opinion. Not personal attack.

Updated On: 3/30/09 at 12:44 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:46am

MiracleElixir, there are many more constructive and mature ways of refuting my statement than saying I'm an "arrogant, bitchy little theatre queen who specializes in behind-your-back name-calling." And if you don't think that is a personal attack, then I'd love to hear what you think is an example of one.

Back to the topic at hand...after the poor review in the Times, I'm not sure how long this brilliant piece of theater will last on Broadway...so sad.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:56am

Ugh, whatever. Is there a doctor in the house? Anyway.

Perhaps these reviews and the potential forthcoming lackluster buzz/box office/consensus/etc. might result in the TONY going to Gay Harden rather than Feldshuh?

Every cloud...

Updated On: 3/30/09 at 12:56 AM

[KingKong]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 12:58am

Every silver cloud...


I think you've got silver in the wrong spot in that adage.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/30/09 at 1:00am

Scott Thomas gave a better performance than Gay Harden in my opinion (and I believe she got better critical reviews).

I see Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter's performances tomorrow night, so that may stir this race up as well.