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The Lyons Reviews
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They're all family, but they certainly don't seem to love each other Review by: Tom Bestor, Jun 10, 2012 |
There is often a moment in a play when a character delivers a line that perfectly encapsulates the mood or the message of the work. In "The Lyons," playwright Nicky Silver's first foray onto Broadway, the line goes something like, "You're all horrible people and I hope never to see any of you again!"
This line is spoken by Curtis Lyons, the youngest child of Rita and Ben Lyons. Ben doesn't much care for his son. Or his daughter, Lisa. ... read more They're both huge disappointments, and now that dad is dying (the first act takes place in a hospital room), he feels liberated to say exactly what he thinks. For instance, he thinks his son is "a creep." His wife, Rita, is "a bitch." To be honest with you, I'm inclined to agree. Apart from the nurse (played with a gentle strength by Brenda Pressley), no one is likeable. They're all family, but they certainly don't seem to love each other -- or themselves, for that matter.
They do have one thing going for them -- they're fictional. They're often funny, but they're also often pitiful and cruel and self-absorbed and standoffish and, yes, creepy. But they're on the other side of the proscenium where they belong. Where we can enjoy how marvelously they are played by a terrific cast led by Linda Lavin, who is on pretty much everyone's short list to win the Tony for this role.
The acidic nature of their characters seem to have eaten through any familial connections that might once have existed. The "icy, glacial blue" Rita imagines for the living room she wants to redecorate as soon as her husband hurries up and dies already loses its luster from the moment the curtain rises and ends up -- in Rita's words -- the "washed-out shade of dashed hopes." This family doesn't talk with each other, or even to each other, if they ever did. They only ever seem to talk at and through each other. But that's the way they like it. As Rita says, "no one feels comfortable with they're intimate."
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Review by: T, May 31, 2012 |
| The first act was one of the funniest I've seen in years.But it was downhill from there. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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Spouse/Partner
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Review by: CM, May 29, 2012 |
| Linda Lavin was wonderful but she can't save the show. The male actors were also good but the uneven second part of the show didn't make sense. Not a good piece of writing by Mr Silver. |
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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Alone
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Seniors
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Always great to see Linda Lavin Review by: Legs, Apr 23, 2012 |
| Another triumph for Linda Lavin. The Lyons is not a happy family and no pretenses are made in this dark comedy about a loveless marriage and all that ensues. Lavin's exit line delivered to her pathetically unevolved children is priceless. Dick Latessa is fabulous as the dying Ben remembering and longing for his father. The second act which focuses on the son is less engaging but the play picks up when Rita (Lavin) reappears. There are many ... read more laughs and lots to think about, as well. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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Business Associate
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The Old Pros Do it Best Review by: Carol, Apr 20, 2012 |
The Lyons starring Linda Lavin as Rita and Dick Latessa as Ben is true to its title in all aspects. The lions roar, and they have been lying to one another throughout their long marriage as Ben is lying in a hospital bed dying of cancer. Before you get the idea that this is a grim play despite its setting and subject matter, it is laced with acerbic humor delivered flawlessly by Lavin and Latessa. This is a play about ... read more untruths and relationships both real and imagined. It is black humor at its darkest. Yes, Broadway has trotted out yet another dysfunctional family, and this one takes the cake. There is pathos in the longing to be loved and the rejection of love throughout not only between the married couple but also the divorced daughter Lisa (Kate Jennings Grant) and the adult, gay son Curtis (Michael Esper). The lines delivered between Rita and Ben in Act I are delivered flawlessly in witty repartee.
Act II explores the life of Curtis and his emptiness. Only his sister Lisa’s longing to connect to someone, anyone at all, matches this ache. It seems Broadway is showcasing all its established stars this season with 75-year-old Lavin and 82-year-old Latessa overshadowing the performances of their adult children. If you have a twinge of nostalgia and want to see great acting, The Lyons delivers.
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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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Linda Lavin Nails It! Review by: LD, Apr 18, 2012 |
I did not see The Lyons in its off-broadway run and came to the show with an open mind. Very funny indeed with exception of the first scene of the second act where the plot takes a bit of a dark turn. Linda Lavin nails it- in fact I did not see an understudy for her in the Playbill. Many funny lines and a first-rate production.
The set, a hospital room, appears hugely spacious by any realistic standard and I would have preferred ... read more to see the actors struggle with the small confines of hospital room, but this is a minor quibble.
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My recommendation:
Go see if you get a chance
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Adults
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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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