Broadway Blog - THE MIRACLE WORKER Review Roundup

The first Broadway revival of The Miracle Worker stars Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Tony Award nominee Alison Pill (The Lieutenant of Inishmore) as Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, iconic roles made famous by Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke in the Tony Award-winning play and landmark feature film adaptation. Set in the South in the 1880s, The Miracle Worker tells the story of real-life Medal of Freedom winner Helen Keller, who suddenly lost her sight and hearing at the age of 19 months, and the extraordinary teacher who taught her to communicate with the world, Annie Sullivan.

Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter: "Bottom Line: The emotional impact of the story of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan still comes through in this uneven Broadway revival."

Elysa Gardner, USA Today: "But like the original, this Miracle Worker benefits greatly from the involvement of two dynamic young actresses. In her Broadway debut as Helen, adorable Little Miss Sunshine star Abigail Breslin manages to make her mute, tortured character moving without turning her into a creature of pity. Breslin's grunts and grasps convey not only frustration but also unmistakable curiosity. She lets us see in Helen the same intellectual potential and thirst for life that Annie recognizes."

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: (Link via El Paso Inc) "How can you not cry, knowing that this breakthrough moment will lead to one of the most astonishing and admirable careers in American history? You are likely to feel, though, that the tears haven't been truly earned by a production that delivers full emotional frissons only in its final, fail-safe scene."

Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press: "Facial expressions mean a lot in "The Miracle Worker," and depending on where you are sitting at Circle in the Square, you will miss some of them. That's particularly true of the play's final moments, the celebrated "water" scene where Helen grasps the idea of language for the first time."

Chris Jones, The Chicago Tribune: "It also is tough to play in the round. Or so, at least, it seems at Circle in the Square. Designer Derek McLane has the Keller's furniture stored up in the air, on wires. That idea mostly seems to cause everyone problems: the parameters of neither the Keller house nor Annie and Helen's treehouse ever seem clear. The rules of space and reality keep changing and the flashbacks involving Annie's late little brother have an uncomfortably Dickensian patina, that keeps torpedoing the freshness of this approach. Most problematic, the show lacks the swirl of the necessarily circular style. "

David Rooney, Variety: "Circle in the Square's last tenant, "The Norman Conquests," was a superlative example of the enhanced scrutiny and heightened involvement that can be afforded by in-the-round presentation. "The Miracle Worker" is a less ideal fit; its staging in this first Broadway revival appears shaped more by necessity than by concept. Kate Whoriskey directs William Gibson's midcentury chestnut with sensitivity, if not with any startling new insight. But the volatile battle of wills between the young Helen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan, remains dramatically and emotionally effective, played with conviction by Abigail Breslin and Alison Pill."

Erik Haagensen, Backstage: "I've never been sure if William Gibson wrote a great play or merely an expert telling of a great story. After seeing the show's first Broadway revival, I'm still not sure, but there's one thing I'd bet good money on: You should never stage "The Miracle Worker" in the round."

More Reviews to Come in the AM!