THE COUNTRY HOUSE Reviews

It just seemed sad that not a one was posted yesterday, so here's the Times. Rave for Danner, Meh for the remainder of the cast and what they had to work with.
The Danner Show

Brantley, as usual, put in his usual negative review . Another notch on old Ben's belt

Now I do not get connected to a show as it is an 80% chance none of the few shows we see will even survive. I no longer invest myself in a show. In addition, I never had or never will get into the hero worship of Broadway stars. We see the show and totally forget it. I will not be the 2014 or 2015 version of Sinatra's bobbysoxers.

I used to care so much and now we see the shows to pass the time.

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Updated On: 10/3/14 at 05:01 PM

I saw this a couple of days ago, and I'm not surprised by the reviews. The play is amusing, but the jokes and plot feel sort of stale. Danner is good, but not great. It's the kind of play you see and never think of again. One of the more recent plays also featuring show biz themes--Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike--is much, much better, with sharper writing and more vividly drawn characters.

I saw this in LA over the summer prior to NYC opening, with mostly the same cast. (Scott Foley was in the role played by Daniel Sunjata; and the actress/girlfriend was Emily Swallow). I'd agree with most of Brantley's review -- Danner was luminescent and the first act was entertaining. But things really go downhill in act 2 with Elliot's descent into self pity. Disappointing but worthwhile for a chance to see Danner.

Updated On: 10/6/14 at 05:09 PM