RACE: Review Roundup

Eddie Izzard, Dennis Haysbert, Afton C. Williamson, and Richard Thomas began their run in RACE, written and directed by David Mamet, on Monday June 21st for a nine-week limited engagement through Saturday, August 21st.

Beginning on June 21st, the show will play on Monday nights and not on Sunday matinees. The schedule is as follows: Mondays at 8 pm, Tuesdays at 7 pm, Wednesday at 8 pm, Thursdays at 8 pm, Fridays at 8 pm and Saturdays at 2 pm and 8 pm.

RACE made its world premiere at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (located at 243 West 47th St.). The show began performances on Monday, November 16, 2009 and officially opened on Sunday, December 6, 2009.For tickets and more information, visit www.raceonbroadway.com.

Ben Brantly, New York Times: "I had hopes that Mr. Izzard, a brilliant stand-up portraitist of human perversity, might give a jolt of shock therapy to an often glib and mechanical play...Mr. Izzard's performance is smart and sensitive, but it generally feels more submissive than subversive. From the beginning he registers more as a self-deluding patsy than a super con man....Ms. Williamson is an improvement on Kerry Washington, her predecessor as Susan, an attractive young woman with a murky agenda. The part could still use more varied inflection than it's given here."

Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter:" Bottom Line: Thanks to its terrific new cast, David Mamet's problematic legal drama is well worth a second look. The new cast of David Mamet's "Race" represents a perfect example of how to inject fresh life into a long-running Broadway show. Replacing original stars James Spader, the Tony-nominated David Alan Grier and Kerry Washington are Eddie Izzard, Dennis Haysbert and Washington's understudy, Afton C. Williamson. The mesmerizing results demonstrate that this legal drama should prove catnip to actors in subsequent productions."

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