Isherwood Says Lane Is 'Greatest Entertainer'

Noted theatre critic Charles Isherwood has written a virtual valentine to theatre favorite Nathan Lane, currently starring on Broadway in the new musical THE ADDAMS FAMILY.

"Watching Mr. Lane take natural command of the stage at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater, injecting comic adrenaline into an often lumbering show almost every time he opens his mouth, or simply turning those antic eyebrows into a teepee, the oversight seems absurd. Everyone pays lip service to the idea that comedy is the toughest gig in show business, but when it comes to scooping up jewelry for the mantelpiece, the tragedians have it all over the clowns. Although he has two Tony awards, for "The Producers" and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," Mr. Lane has but one more nomination to his name. "

Isherwood later adds, "And yet somewhere in the vast maw of YouTube there must be evidence that at least a few American youngsters are proficiently making like George M. Cohan in front of the Mac Book. But to what end, one sadly wonders, other than a fleeting flash of cyberglory? It's hard to imagine that tomorrow's Broadway will provide anything in the way of showcases for such paragons. Were a new Ethel Merman or Al Jolson or Jimmy Durante or Bert Lahr to emerge, few if any new vehicles could be found to suit those talents. Beginning in the 1970s the musical began to get more self-serious, offering fewer opportunities for showcasing multifaceted musical comedy performers like Tommy Tune and Angela Lansbury. (Mr. Tune, originally a performer, mostly worked behind the scenes as a choreographer and director.)"

Isherwood concludes, "Nathan Lane, like all great stage performers, is best savored live. You have to be in the room with him - even a very big room, like the Broadway palaces he now mostly plays - to feel the tickle of his genius. And when Mr. Lane is at his delirious best, spinning funny froth from material that reads pancake flat on the page, riding waves of audience laughter with the instinctive grace of a pro surfer, there's really no room I'd rather be in."

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Starring two-time Tony Award winners Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as Gomez and Morticia, The Addams Family also features two-time Tony Award nominee Terrence Mann as Mal Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Carolee Carmello as Alice Beineke, two-time Tony Award nominee Kevin Chamberlin as Uncle Fester, Jackie Hoffman as Grandma, Zachary James as Lurch, Krysta Rodriguez as Wednesday, and Adam Riegler as Pugsley.

The Addams Family features an original story in which the Addams house is turned upside down when they are forced to host a dinner for Wednesday's new love interest and his parents. For tickets to and more information on The Addams Family, visit www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com.