Critics weigh in on Katie Holmes‘ All My Sons opening perf.
The Arthur Miller revival which opened last night at the Schoenfeld Theater drew the expected Anonymous anti-Scientolo protestors, TomKat fans, gawkers, defamers and cultists played to a full house – natch.
NY Daily News critic Joe Dziemianowicz raved – sort of, "Holmes makes a fine Broadway debut. Her rather grand speech pattern takes getting used to, but she seems comfortable and adds a fitting glint of glamour."
The NY Times‘ Ben Brantley wrote "the neophyte Ms. Holmes" is a "sad casualty" of director Simon McBurney‘s "high concept approach" to the play.
"Ms. Holmes delivers most of her lines with meaningful asperity, italicising every word," he disparaged the Thetan enhanced thesp. "(Katie’s) Ann is straight from the school of … avenging furies from Greek mythology and I didn’t believe for a second that she really loved the honorable, naïve Chris."
Long time vet B’way crit Clive Barnes of the NY Post was trying to be kind to star John Lithgow but was equally appalled.
"Lithgow starts in a sunny, benign fashion, but eventually finds himself screeching alongside Holmes, looking tough under a glossy wig."
McBurney’s production also featured video projection which announced scene changes.
Most apropos was one that simply read "Doom Ahead."
