LA CAGE gets a rave review.... by John Simon standards

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 12/13/04 at 11:05am

For once, he seems to agree with the other critics on most counts. He just manages to state it in less-than-flattering terms. His reviews of individual cast are a bit brutal and further evidence that no one can overlook that damn ponytail. I do like how he closes it out:

"As a sassy restauratrice, Ruth Williamson is dependably Ruth Williamson. The others do what little is expected of them unexceptionably. “I Am What I Am” is the show’s hit song; this Cage may not be what it is ideally, but can Broadway, parched in a musical desert, insist on Perrier?"

eh, could've been worse.
Simon's Review in NY Magazine

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 12/13/04 at 11:08am

Ruth Williamson is one of the funniest women to grace a Broadway stage - good for her!

[magruder]

Posted: 12/13/04 at 11:16am

In the same issue though, he seems unduly harsh on Gem of the Ocean. Now, I haven't been to see Gem yet, but surely August Wilson deserves better than two dismissive paragraphs?

What is to be done with the state of theatrical criticism in New York City? At no other point in my time following the theatre do I remember a bigger gang of misfits and miscreants than our current crop of critics. And it has created a dangerous situation where only the mild, unchallenging evening can succeed on Broadway.

[morosco]

Posted: 12/13/04 at 11:22am

No one takes Simon seriously since he has become a parody of himself. But it's nice to hear a critic mention the musicians for a change.

"The orchestra, under Patrick Vaccariello, couldn’t be more ear-filling, and performs Jim Tyler, Larry Blank, and David Krane’s orchestrations and dance arrangements with all-out brio."

Updated On: 12/13/04 at 11:22 AM

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/13/04 at 12:44pm

It's old fashioned. Of course he liked it.