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.
Indeed, Fish -- efficiently directed by August: Osage County's Tony-winning helmer Anna D. Shapiro -- represents something of a greatest hits set for Larry David and, for that matter, 'Larry David.' While he technically plays Norman Drexel, a urinal industry executive of some very sketchily sketched-in stripe, he is essentially reprising his Curbcharacter, from his outfits to his open-palmed gesticulations to his twin obsessions of sex and things that irritate him. The slight but morbidly humorous plot is also straight from the Curbplaybook...Fish in the Dark is most definitely David's show and this latest half-twist of his persona proves an entertaining comedy machine...If the result is only pretty good, Curb fans should nevertheless look forward to it with, well, enthusiasm.
If you're wondering if you'll like Larry David's Broadway debut, 'Fish in the Dark,' you need to ask another question: Do you like 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'? That's because David's new stage comedy is like his 30-minute HBO show, only stretched out over two hours so that what is usually a cringe-worthy appetizer on TV has grown into a tedious and self-indulgent main course onstage. What opened Thursday at the Cort Theatre will surely delight fans of David, the 'Seinfeld' and 'Curb' master of observational humor, who stars and wrote 'Fish in the Dark.' But it may leave others frustrated that a great cast, set and director were wasted...David stalks the stage like an overgrown, wiry insect -- a bespectacled Daddy Longlegs comes to mind -- as he stuffs his hands in his pockets or waves his arms around to sell his outrage. A self-satisfied smirk never seems far from his lips...Director Anna D. Shapiro keeps the action as brisk as a sitcom but this cold fish of a play would likely have ended up on the cutting room floor if it was made for TV...Talk about the one that got away: David had a chance to do something special here with a new medium and a game cast, but he chose to spin his wheels. He chose to go faux.
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
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