Review Roundup: John Patrick Shanley's PRODIGAL SON Opens at MTC

Manhattan Theatre Club presents the world premiere of Prodigal Son, the new play written and directed by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley (Doubt, Outside Mullingar). Prodigal Son opens tonight, February 9, at MTC at New York City Center - Stage I.

The cast for Prodigal Son features Annika Boras (Chair, An Oresteia), Timothée Chalamet ("Homeland," Interstellar), Tony Award winner Robert Sean Leonard (The Invention of Love, "House"), Chris McGarry (Defiance, Doubt), and David Potters (New York stage debut).

PRODIGAL SON is a passionate, explosive portrait of a young man on the verge of salvation or destruction, written and directed by John Patrick Shanley (of Tony, Academy Award, and Pulitzer Prize fame). A 17-year-old boy (Timothée Chalamet) from The Bronx finds himself suddenly in a private school in New Hampshire. He's violent, gifted, alienated, on fire with a ferocious loneliness. Two faculty members (Tony Award winner Robert Sean Leonard and Chris McGarry) wrestle with the dilemma: Is the kid a star or a disaster?

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: Closely modeled on Mr. Shanley's experiences as a student, "Prodigal Son" is a hymn to the impossible, combustible and brilliant young thing he once was. And it is filled with the sort of self-worshiping, self-flagellating self-centeredness you associate with boys tormented by their raging hormones...In "Prodigal Son," the main function of the other characters is as a hall of mirrors to Jim's astonishing self...The reedy Mr. Chalamet...never seems physically menacing. But otherwise, he fills a tall order of a character with enough easy charisma to confirm his status as a rising star...Jim is a character in search of an author to explain him to himself. Strangely enough, the man that Jim would become seemingly has yet to achieve the distance to make this struggling artist-in-the-making worthy of a play of his own.

David Cote, Time Out NY: Prodigal Son...is a keen, passionate portrait of the author as a poetry-spouting romantic punk torn between literary dreams and his roots in the Bronx...Jim's obvious antecedent is the prep-school cynic Holden Caulfield, but Shanley makes deliberate reversals...Beyond such literary echoes...Prodigal Son is pure, splendid Shanley: shaggily idealistic and always scratching a philosophical itch underneath jokes and banter. He directs his own production with a tender hand...Like Doubt, the play is lean and cool-headed, but it contains one or two emotional explosions that cast the previous action in a new light...But the night's revelation is lanky Chalamet as Jim, nailing the Shanley accent and swagger. He gives one of the most impressive stage debuts I've seen in years. Cagey, bashful, cocky, then crumpled with shame, he makes you feel Jim's growing pains-body and mind.

Robert Kahn, NBC New York: Charismatic actor Timothée Chalamet may be on the cusp of stardom with "Prodigal Son," an enjoyable, if sometimes formulaic drama from author John Patrick Shanley..."Prodigal Son" is a concise tale, with echoes of "The Catcher in the Rye." Just as in the real world, people aren't always who they seem to be... Chalamet...he's a gangly and anger-fueled instigator, erudite, though the dialogue he's given is too polished for even the sharpest teenagers I know...Redemption certainly came for Shanley, so there's little question of how things will evolve for Jim. All the performances are good. The writing is classic Shanley: mellifluous, easy on the ears. The story, though, doesn't break any new ground.

Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News: Thoughtful and measured, the show takes its own sweet time to reveal itself. Over an hour-and-a-half, themes that have occupied Shanley as an adult are seen emerging here. There's a butting up against morally and religiously rigid, flawed people that served him so well in the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning "Doubt"...The ideas are brought to life with eloquent intensity by Chalamet...Shanley, who directs, skillfully guides the actors well. His production is less successful. The scene changes are slow-moving, as trees slide and snap into place. The music, even though it's by the likes of Paul Simon, tugs too heavily on the heartstrings. But those are all quibbles with this satisfying play.

Matt Windman, AM New York: The 95-minute drama is raw and choppy, with long gaps in time between some scenes, meandering discussions of philosophy and a heavy reliance on direct narration...But on the whole, it is an engaging and candid coming-of-age piece, in which Shanley reflects upon and makes peace with his younger self and the complicated adults around him. There is also an air of mystery to many of the interactions and character motivations. The off-Broadway production...is built around a hyperactive and emotional performance from Timothée Chalamet ("Homeland") as the young Shanley, which is contrasted with shaded performances from Chris McGarry and Robert Sean Leonard as well-meaning but struggling faculty members.

Robert Hofler, TheWrap: John Patrick Shanley looks back at his prep-school days and gives himself an A for both brains and beauty. His new play, "Prodigal Son," opened Tuesday at MTC's Center Stage 1, and while it doesn't have much to offer as a play, it does tell us much about this writer's high opinion of himself...Timothee Chalamet ("Homeland") succeeds in making Jim Quinn slightly more edgy in his demeanor than he is insufferable in his superiority.

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Photo Credit: Joan Marcus