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Exit the King Reviews
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Review by: jshoover, Jun 25, 2009 |
| Ugh. So disappointing to have such amazing, talented actors in a dreaded script. I'm sure others appreciate the existentialism of such a play, but I wanted to run for the hills. The costumes were BEAUTIFUL, and the acting was superb, but the story made me want to poke my eyes out. I DO NOT recommend this - especially for any first-time broadway go-ers. |
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Don't go
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MIXED FEELINGS Review by: Mimi, Jun 10, 2009 |
I ORIGINALLY WENT BECAUSE OF SUSAN AND JEFFREY AND LAUREN, AND UPON RETROSPECT, I DID ENJOY IT. SITTING THERE, I WASN'T SURE. ACTING WAS SUPERB AND I THOUGHT THE COMEDIC MOMENTS HILARIOUS, ESPECIALLY WITH ANDREA MARTIN. IN THE END I ALMOST FELT LIKE THE KING WAS DREAMING AS HE WAS PASSING. I FELT I WENT THROUGH HIS DEATH WITH HIM.....IT WAS BOTH CHILLING AND REALSTIC AT THE SAME TIME; HOWEVER, IF YOU'VE JUST EXPERIENCED A DEATH IN ... read more YOUR FAMILY, IT COULD BE QUITE DEPRESSING. I RECOMMEND IT TO A CERTAIN TYPE OF AUDIENCE AND YOU MUST GO WITH AN OPEN MIND. |
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Make an effort to see
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Geoffrey Rush is incredible Review by: Dharma, Jun 2, 2009 |
| Very good show - very funny until it turns serious at the end. Lauren Ambrose is fantastic and Andrea Martin is hilarious. Susan Sarandon is good too. I'm not sure if kids would enjoy this show though. |
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Alone
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Seniors
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| 4 |
JUST EXIT Review by: BigKen, May 22, 2009 |
| See EXIT THE KING or have a root canal? I enjoy everything Broadway has to offer. This doesn't offer much. The actors were talented, but the show just dragged on. Some funny moments, but very few. It could be the worst production I have ever seen. It's just fortunate I saw it at the discounted price! |
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Don't go
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| 5 |
not a comedy, not a tragedy Review by: qwerty, May 21, 2009 |
I did not come to see movie stars on stage, but to see a revival of a great play by Ionesco... It did not stand up to the promise. Geoffrey Rush gets a lot of kudos. There were a few brilliant moments but The Message was lost, largely because actor often fell for buffoonery to the point where his means became more important then his purpose - unforgivable for a stage actor of his scale. At times I felt that play was picked with the ... read more only purpose to show off Rush's mime skills.
Susan Sarandon certainly did not help to save the play (which would've done better without her). Love Sarandon on film, but (oh boy!) she should've stayed away from Broadway. Acting on stage is a different profession. She didn't know what to do with herself and tried her best to stay awake and look "natural". Theater in general requires extraordinary acting, not "natural". Even more - absurdist play. This particular play is especially demanding.
One can argue with me, but then I'd ask - why so often acting was in such disbalance with the music? Often the audience laughed only to keep themselves busy. Final scene looked like an exercise in working with imaginary objects, at the best suited for freshman midterm exam in drama school. Ironically, "imaginary" part made scene look too realistic and prevented it from rising to the heights expected from the text. Doctor's presence was insignificant, Ionesco's lines did not shine through Mr. Sadler’s delivery.
Lauren Ambrose did a great job giving a character to her role - very hard thing to do when crying is all that character does on stage. She was funny at times and profoundly moving when needed. Andrea Martin was a gem - a pure joy to watch. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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| 6 |
Review by: RiverJim, May 20, 2009 |
| The reviews sucked us in to the play. But lordy lordy we couldn't wait for it to end. Yes Rush is a rush, and of course it's "theater" but it's not entertainment in any sense of the word. RiverJim & His NY Lady Friend |
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Don't go
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| 7 |
Highly Recommended for Theatergoers Who Like to THINK Review by: BroadwayBabySawIt, May 6, 2009 |
| What an evening! Geoffrey Rush delivers a landmark performance, truly he is an actor's actor, with great delivery, mime, naturalism, timing - this guy has it all, and he works it, baby!! Every theater student should see this superlative performance. The supporting cast is also excellent - Andrea Martin as the maid has a masterful stage presence and comic timing and Susan Sarandon commands the stage from beginning to end, but really shines ... read more in the dying moments of the King and the play. This play really makes you think, and if you prefer to sit passively, dazed and confused at a show, this one is not for you!!! Exit the King is about the meaning of life, the journey of living, and facing the process of dying, so if you are ready for philosophy as art, inspiration striking even in the face of death, this is your show this season. The first half is satire, the second half is human tragedy on a grand scale, and just before intermission, when Geoffrey Rush walks through the theater, we witness a breathtaking moment of an actor reaching across the invisible divide to draw us into the heart of the play, just amazing. If you have ever asked the meaning of life, you will find much to think about here. If on the other hand, you prefer not to think at all, but to sit passively in a theater, watching human beings being debased and abused, sickness masquerading as humor and an audience's intelligence being treated like garbage, go to something perverse like the Norman Conquests - a three-part insult to thinking, feeling people. Or to the squalid, nauseating hatefest called Hair, where anyone in the audience not dressed like a hippie is fair game for ridicule and groping, while quickly going deaf from third-rate, amplified noise. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Business Assoc., Seniors, Adults
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| 8 |
Oh Dear!! Review by: 2Go Or Not, May 6, 2009 |
| This was really disappointing. Rush plays the part as a clown during the first three quarters of the play and then gets serious at the end. If this was played clownish from beginnning to end it would feel more like Ionesco or play it straight all the way through and let it be remisiscent of "Everyman." It just didn't hold together. Susan Saranden was really flat and could have done so much especially at the very end. There was no variety or ... read more depth to either of them. I was very disappointed. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 9 |
Every actor should know what they are doing on stage at all times. Review by: lauranur, May 5, 2009 |
| Loved it. Geoffrey Rush is so talented and amusing. Susan Sarandon was weak especially in the last half. As an actress she did not know what she was doing. I suspect if she read about Sanskaras in a book called God Speaks she would then play this very powerful part the way it should be played. Never the less I was so pleased I went and also pleased that as an actress myself I stayed in my seat instead of jumping up ... read more on stage and directing the last half. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
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| 10 |
WORT SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN Review by: Dossie, May 2, 2009 |
| THIS IS PROBABLY THE WORST PLAY I HAVE EVER SEEN IN OVER 60 YEARS OF THEATRE-GOING! The script was the main flaw, but while I have admired Rush in everything to date, I cannot understand why Susan Sarandon, away from Broadway since 1972, chose this role for a return. The beginning was farcical, but I found nothing funny. The play got slower and slower and while I stayed awake, surprise-surprise, it was only because of sheer amazement ... read more that a show could be this bad. By contrast, "Table Manners" of Norman Conquest was MARVELOUS in script, acting, and direction! |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 11 |
could be better Review by: , Apr 28, 2009 |
The king could not die
fast enough!!!!!!
Story is boring not terrible
but needs to know more
about the king to care if he dies!!! |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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Recommended for:
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| 12 |
It's a Head Trip Review by: dweediecat, Apr 26, 2009 |
| The show is a head trip - starts off like a cartoon, you laugh, then you realize where you've really been for 2 hours and it's like, whoa wait a minute... that was my life. Gone in a breath. Amazing. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Recommended for:
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| 13 |
Talented actors but boring plot Review by: alanshore, Apr 26, 2009 |
| The cast/acting was great, especially Geoffrey Rush, but the story was quite disappointing. After seeing Sarandon and Rush out promoting this show I was expecting a comedy, and it clearly wasn't. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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Recommended for:
Adults
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| 14 |
Let it ferment and see it again. Review by: Jane, Apr 22, 2009 |
Exit the King I suspect will mellow with age. It's hard to put on in that each character has his own view point and somehow it needs to mesh, which it will.
The cast is spectacular. Who would have expected that the maid who functions like Shakespeare's comic characters would provide the glue for the cast? I expect that the longer it plays, the more cohesive the cast will become.
Rhinoceros took a while to come together. Theatre ... read more of the Absurd is not easy to turn into the stuff of human interaction. This will, too. I look forward to seeing it again later in the run. JL |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Adults
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| 15 |
Review by: Darryl, Apr 22, 2009 |
| We went to see this because we love Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon. It was the most boring show we've seen in many years. It is just awful. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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