Fish In the Dark is the new comedy written by Larry David, the creator and star of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and co-creator of "Seinfeld." Fish In the Dark is directed by Anna D. Shapiro and marks Tony-winner Jason Alexander's Broadway return and features Jayne Houdyshell, Jake Cannavale, Jonny Orsini, Rosie Perez, and Jerry Adler.
It's the pesky little things that make up Larry David's infinitely expandable comic universe. All those petty grievances and minor disputes, the slights and slips, the miscues and forced apologies -- so flustering in our own lives, so hilarious in his...This gift for stringing together minuscule moments of frustration and fury...is ideally suited to the small screen. On the stage, however, the smallness and the shtickiness are clumsily magnified, as 'Fish in the Dark'...uncomfortably reveals...This is an overextended sitcom that would like to become a farce but settles instead for some hoary Neil Simon middle ground. There are laughs, to be sure...But stretched out over the length of about three and a half episodes of 'Curb,' the show huffs and puffs its way to the finish line like a geriatric marathoner wheeling an oxygen tank behind him. It's not surprising that David's playwriting inexperience would show. What is astonishing is that the production would compound the problem by obediently following David's lead instead of channeling his comic instincts in a more theatrical direction.
Very funny. Occasionally very, very funny. Four-stars funny. If that's all you need to know about Larry David's Fish In The Dark...then read no more...Or maybe not. I'm not usually one to put a price on art but you may want to know a little more before shelling out...for a show that's as good as some episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld. (If that seems like praising with a damned feint, you've caught my drift.) Of course in this case you're getting the added thrill of seeing Larry David shrug, blink, holler, wince, pace and blurt, up close and personal. As a fan of both TV series, I can understand the attraction. I'm with you. On the other hand, to sample an image from the show itself -- a dining table laden with curated paninis, baby micro-greens, artisanal bagels, organic crudités and Diet Coke -- the show is too much of a muchness...Through it all, and under the fleet direction of Anna D. Shapiro, Larry David pays Larry David, also very convincingly...Of course, this is the age of binge-watching, so two hours of shtick can be satisfying. Or give you heartburn.
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
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