OHIO STATE MURDERS Reviews

Landmark, Obie-winning playwright Adrienne Kennedy makes her long-awaited Broadway debut as her Ohio State Murders officially opens at Broadway's recently renamed James Earl Jones Theatre December 8. Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald stars in the limited run, which began November 11 and will continue through February 12, 2023.  

McDonald, who leads the cast as Suzanne Alexander, is joined by Bryce Pinkham as Robert Hampshire, Lizan Mitchell as Mrs. Tyler/Miss Dawson/Aunt Louise, Mister Fitzgerald as David Alexander/Val, and Abigail Stephenson as Iris Ann. Rounding out the company as understudies are Christian Pedersen, Gayle Samuels, Brett Diggs, and Brooke Gardner.

I agree with the above, I anticipate reviews to be pretty split.

One the one hand, McDonald is great. Her final moment is particularly gutting. The set is very cool. And it's a story that absolutely deserves to be told and is quite harrowing (and it's a tale that I had never been aware of).

But...the style of the piece leaves little room for dramatic tension. So much of it is narration and I don't think Leon differentiates enough moments, so much of the piece coasts along at the same energy level. It could use more "peaks and valleys" to the script to make it truly exceptional theater.

https://variety.com/2022/legit/reviews/ohio-state-murders-review-audra-mcdonald-broadway-1235454379/

"‘Ohio State Murders’ Review: Audra McDonald Stuns in Adrienne Kennedy’s Long-Awaited Broadway Debut"

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/ohio-state-murders-broadway-review-audra-mcdonald

4 out 5 stars

Updated On: 12/8/22 at 09:24 PM

Will the NYT post a review while the guild is on strike? If so, don’t click on it. 

Its a rave from Jesse Green, for the direction, for the playwright and for Audra of course.

DTLI Consensus: Audra McDonald kills it in the long-awaited Broadway debut of playwright Adrienne Kennedy. 

10 positive (including the NYT), 3 mixed.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/ohio-state-murders/

wow what show were these critics watching

Very positive review from Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune.

At the age of 52, given the rave reviews she received, I imagine that Audra will get her 10 Tony nomination, which would tie her with Julie Harris for the most acting nominations in To y History.  Given her record number of wins, I guess she is well on her way to being the Meryl Streep of Broadway, in terms of record books.  She seems to get nominated almost every time she appears (and she should have been nominated for Shuffle Along.

I have to admit that I would like to see her in a new musical next time.

I saw this at an early preview, and to say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement. Audra has no bigger fan than I; I've been glorying in her work since the days of CAROUSEL, and have cheered each and every performance since then. But  OSM never came to life that night, and the audience response was tepid at best, and perhaps Audra was still working her way through the play. Still, the opening night reviews were a shock, and I can only think that Leon's direction, which was flat and dull when I saw it, had improved dramatically over the course of a few weeks. Perhaps that is not surprising, but when a paying audience is present, they expect to see a somewhat finished product, and certainly when it's not a big splashy musical, where changes are constantly being made every night as they approach the opening. 

As I live out of town these days, I won't be returning to see OSM in what may be a triumph for Audra and Adrienne Kennedy, and I can only wish I had seen the play later.

quizking101 said: "uncageg said: "NYT's Critic's Pick....for those who didn't click."

Clearly him and I are NOT gonna see eye to eye this season on anything."

 

Not everything is for everybody. 

I loved it and think it deserves all of the positive reviews it has gotten, including the critics pic. I am going to try to see it again.