Act One – Location, Tickets, Reviews
Act One is a stage adaptation of the memoir, Act One, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Moss Hart (known for writing You Can’t Take It With You and The Man Who Came to Dinner). Tracing Hart’s rags-to-riches life story, from his Bronx beginnings to his legendary collaboration with George S. Kaufman, Act One is a love-letter to the golden age of showbiz, brought to life by writer-director James Lapine.
Maxamoo
Every minute of Act One‘s daunting two hour and 45 minute running time is brimming with Broadway nostalgia. It’s an earnest bulletin from midtown circa 1920, when the plays were light, the suits were right, and everyone dreamed of being a star. Indeed, the sprawling set by Beowulf Borritt and the shimmering lights by Ken Billington promise a thrilling journey to Broadway’s glorious past.
Unfortunately, the lovely design is all but swallowed by Lapine’s adaptation, which doesn’t have the hunger and passion of Hart’s book. A play about Hart’s life ought to be one that makes us dare to dream, not stifle a yawn. It should be a New York fairy tale about a young man’s yearning, not a checklist of Hart’s Wikipedia page. It shouldn’t, in other words, look like Act One, which is so overstuffed it nearly tumbles off the vast stage at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. George S. Kaufman, who speaks in this very play about the importance of “cutting to the chase,” must be spinning in his grave.
What saves Act One from being an entirely mediocre exercise is its wonderful (and enormous) cast, notably a heartfelt Andrea Martin as Hart’s aunt and Tony Shaloub, who serves as both older Hart (our narrator for the evening) and a beautifully rendered George S. Kaufman. Best of all, Santino Fontana proves he can carry a show on his shoulders as young Hart. An actor of admirable charisma and charm, Fontana is a beguiling guide on a drudging journey. If you’re curious about Hart’s story, pick up a copy of his book and save yourself a few bucks and a trip to Lincoln Center.
Public Opinion
Have you seen Act One? What did you think? Comment below or tweet to us at @maxamoo.
Critics’ Review
It’s a decidedly mixed bag of reviews for Act One, with some critics were swept up in the nostalgia of Hart’s story, others balked at the show’s slow pace and sentimentality.
New York Times
In the spotlight, Finding his Religion
New York Post
Fans of ‘Act One’ will be Cruelly Let Down by Stage Version
New York Magazine
The Second Life of Act One
New York Theater
Moss Hart’s Beloved Theater Memoir Brought to Broadway Stage
TheaterMania
James Lapine unearth’s Moss Hart’s famed memoir for a stage production at Lincoln Center.
Time Out New York
Lincoln Center Theater and James Lapine do right by a sacred Broadway text.
Variety
Delicious star turns from Tony Shalhoub and Santino Fontana can’t save this verbose, unwieldy adaptation of Moss Hart’s classic autobiogrpahy.
TICKETS
$77 – $137 (click here for tickets)
DATES
Performances through June 15, 2014
LOCATION
Lincoln Center
10 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York City
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RUNNING TIME
2 hours 45 minutes, one intermission
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Written & Directed by James Lapine
From the autobiography by Moss Hart
Featuring Tony Shaloub, Santino Fontana, Andrea Martin, Will Brill & Chuck Cooper