Can you ever believe your ears? In the Michael Grandage Company production of The Cripple of Inishmaan, which just opened at the Cort following a London run last year, the answer would seem to be no — though not for the reason you may think. True, Martin McDonagh’s play preaches and practices the craft of weaving together fact and gossip to the point of indistinguishability. But Grandage’s first-rate revival asks you to go what you may think is a step too far: to accept that Daniel Radcliffe is a young crippled boy whose future, like his appearance, is disfigured beyond redemption.
"There's not a weak link in the cast, but the gorgeous Greene is just marvelous; her Helen is a spiky presence as perversely endearing as she is frightening. As for Radcliffe, this adventurous young actor could be living idly of Potter revenues forever, but continues to stretch himself on the stage after doing impressive work in Equus and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His accent, at least to these ears, is no less convincing than the cast's Irish natives, and he's masterful at conveying a forlorn sense of solitude while firing off sly put-downs that illustrate Billy's underestimated intelligence. His fever-dream monologue in Act II gives the play an unsettling element of mystery. But this being McDonagh, a coming-of-age yarn without a long shadow of gloom was never going to happen."
NBC News is kind of a non-review but reads positive:
"Radcliffe is appealing in a role that must be extraordinarily uncomfortable to play. He’s constantly wheezing, and one damaged leg remains stuck out, straight as a board. For any movement around the stage, which includes climbing over walls in Christopher Oram’s evocative turntable set, he must oblige that impediment.
“How to Succeed…” and “Equus” reminded us that Broadway audiences will always be endeared to Radcliffe, who grew up before our eyes, and we support him unapologetically in his attempts to escape the bitter tedium of Inishmaan. He has no more stage time than the rest of this gaggle of misfits, and it struck me as a bit off that he took an individual bow at the curtain call—not quite British restraint, but an homage to the mere fact it takes his name to fill the house for this show."
"As insensitive as they are to Billy’s misery, it’s doubtful that any of his neighbors has even noticed how deeply and desperately he’s in love with Helen, the foul-mouthed egg-thrower at the film screening. A gorgeous red-headed witch of a girl in Sarah Greene’s delicious performance, Helen is as fierce as she is beautiful, a heartless tyrant who physically torments her brother Bartley (Conor MacNeill, who must be a mass of bruises) and shamelessly teases all the horny priests on the island. In Greene’s positively edible portrayal, the divine Helen is all filthy thoughts and foul mouth behind an angelically lovely face. That’s an irresistible combination for every man, boy and priest on the island, and poor Billy is all too aware that this grubby goddess is out of his league."
"Radcliffe gives a physically committed, sympathetic performance. You root for him and feel really bad for laughing at some of the funnier (and crueler) lines at his expense. "What was we talking about, Cripple Billy? Oh aye, your dead mammy and daddy," says Helen McCormick (Sarah Greene), the beautiful bully girl with a tangle of red hair who Billy secretly pines after. Greene endows Helen with a fierce spirit that is oddly compelling, considering her mean-girl nature. Billy's masochism becomes understandable, even if you can't help but laugh at him for it."
There was no applause for Daniel Radcliffe when he first enters “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” the first and first-rate Broadway production of Martin McDonagh’s harsh 1996 comedy. I’m sure the many Harry Potter fans in the audience would have applauded if given the chance, but director Michael Grandage’s staging discouraged such behavior – proof that a good director can hire a movie star without turning a play into a mere vehicle. The Cripple of Inishmaan Review and Photographs
"There was no applause for Daniel Radcliffe when he first enters “The Cripple of Inishmaan,” the first and first-rate Broadway production of Martin McDonagh’s harsh 1996 comedy. I’m sure the many Harry Potter fans in the audience would have applauded if given the chance, but director Michael Grandage’s staging discouraged such behavior – proof that a good director can hire a movie star without turning a play into a mere vehicle."
There was applause at last night's performance, and it was awkward and annoying because it began right in the middle of dialogue so it was impossible to hear a couple of lines. Anyway, I'm glad to see good reviews so far; I love this play and thought this was a wonderful production with a very strong cast.