NBC New York is mostly negative, stating what we've all expected, i.e. hardcore fans of Larry David will be thrilled, but the average theatergoer will be underwhelmed:
Newsday is mixed calling it "a Broadway throwback, brightened by Larry David," saying that everyone around him seemed to love the show while he wished he was in on the joke:
Deadline is mostly positive, calling it "Very funny. Occasionally very, very funny. Four-star funny," praising much of the cast (like Rita Wilson, who is giving her "best stage performance"), but also noting that David's schtick can grow wearying:
As if the reviews even matter for this show. The run is already completely sold out.
"Mostly, I loved the size of these people's emotions. Nobody has emotions this size anymore. Outsized emotions. Operatic emotions. Kushemski and Vanda are like Tristan and Isolde, they're Paolo and Francesca. Nobody's in total thrall like this anymore. Nobody's overcome by passion like this, or goes through this kind of rage." Thomas, Venus in Fur
The Washington Post is mixed, calling it "middling," and saying, like many others, that fans of Larry will love the show, but others may not be so enthralled:
TheaterMania is mixed-to-positive, here's the review in a nutshell:
But is Fish in the Dark a good play? The story is all over the place, and the second act doesn't continue the narrative as much as tell an entirely new one. And it would probably benefit from a shorter run time filled with more straight laughs than its current two hours of amusing peaks and dry valleys. For a Seinfeld and Curb diehard, though, it's impossible to discount the amount of joy that comes from watching David's antics in the flesh. In that respect, Fish in the Dark is more than pretty good, it's pretty great.
"As if the reviews even matter for this show. The run is already completely sold out."
True, but one still has to wonder if it'll even end up being a player come Awards Season...
I think the genre of the show - comedy, pure and simple - hurts it more than anything else: Even the recent winner Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike, which was by-and-large a comedy, had some dramatic heft and the nods to dramatic giant Chekov. The reviews for Fish in the Dark have been mostly positive, regardless, so I don't think this affects it's chances.
"Imagine a Neil Simon play without a plot—or three bottom-drawer episodes of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' hastily knocked together into a two-hour script -- and you'll get the idea."