On the heels of her Academy Award-winning, breakout performance in 12 Years a Slave, LUPITA NYONG'O stunned critics and audiences in the Public Theater's sold-out hit ECLIPSED- the "scorching and powerful" (The Guardian) new play by Zimbabwean-American playwright and actress DANAI GURIRA (star of AMC's "The Walking Dead" and co-author of In the Continuum). Now, the global star makes her Broadway debut in this "must-see" (NBC New York) production written, directed and performed entirely by female artists.
ECLIPSED is the story of five extraordinary women brought together by upheaval in their homeland of Liberia. They forge a close-knit community... one that inspires them to feats of increasingly greater strength. Directed by South African-born LIESL TOMMY (The Good Negro, Appropriate), ECLIPSED is a stirring tale of hope, humor and resilience- and the only new play by a woman on Broadway this season.
[Nyong'o] is captivating to watch, as are all the women in the cast, even when the script doesn't quite rise up to meet them. If the first half can sometimes feel too baggy and broadly-played, and the second almost seems to rush through its most affecting moments, the overall impact is still startling. Gurira, whose parents emigrated from Zimbabwe, and the Kenyan-raised Nyong'o obviously shouldn't have to carry the weight of representing their entire continent for a Western audience on Golden's stage. But Eclipsed does open a window on a world we rarely get to see this intimately, and they deliver it so gracefully that the play's flaws feel less consequential than the resonating force of its story. B+
When experienced in the intimacy of the Public's LuEsther Theater earlier this season, Danai Gurira's searing drama about women's roles in the Liberian civil war had an extraordinarily visceral impact. With only 177 seats in the house, audience and performers seemed to be breathing the same air. One wondered whether that connection would be broken when the show moved to a much larger Broadway theater. Not to worry. The 900-seat Golden Theater was originally designed to be an intimate house, a good fit for small-scaled, serious plays, of which 'Eclipsed' is decidedly one. And while the $95 top-priced ticket was a draw for downtown theatergoers, at a new top of $145, the show hits the sweet spot for the serious New York theater crowd - the ideal audience for this intense drama - that often feels overlooked and underserved on Broadway.
2015 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theatre Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
2016 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Saycon Sengbloh |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Lupita Nyong'o |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Danai Gurira |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Lupita Nyong'o |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Pascale Armand |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Zainab Jah |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Saycon Sengbloh |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Danai Gurira |
2016 | The Lortels | Outstanding Costume Design | Clint Ramos |
2016 | The Lortels | Outstanding Director | Liesl Tommy |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Clint Ramos |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Liesl Tommy |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Pascale Armand |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Saycon Sengbloh |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Lupita Nyong'o |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Danai Gurira |
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