Review Roundup: Ethan Slater Leads MARCEL ON THE TRAIN at Classic Stage Company

The world premiere of Marcel on the Train, co-written by Marshall Pailet and Tony Award nominee Ethan Slater, and directed by Pailet, officially opened on Sunday, February 22 at Classic Stage Company. Read the reviews here!

Marcel on the Train features Rora Brodwin (A Modest Proposal), Harrison Bryan (A Patron of the Arts), Maddie Corman (Accidentally Brave), Tedra Millan (Leopoldstadt), Max Gordon Moore (Tammy Faye), Josh Odsess-Rubin (Miracle on 55th Street), Aaron Serotsky (August: Osage County), Ethan Slater (Spongebob Squarepants, Wicked), and Alex Wyse (Good Night, Oscar).

History remembers Marcel Marceau as the world’s greatest mime. But before the spotlight, he was a young man in Nazi-occupied France, guiding Jewish children to safety with nothing but courage and imagination. In the shadows of World War II, Marcel on the Train reveals the man behind the invisible mask. Co-written by and starring Tony Award? nominee Ethan Slater (SpongeBob SquarePants, Wicked), this inventive new play shows us how, sometimes, the loudest resistance begins in the most quiet places. 

Elizabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times: Stories about people trying to distract children in dreadful times are very tricky — it’s hard not to think of such films as Roberto Benigni’s “Life Is Beautiful” (1997) or the cult fascination for Jerry Lewis’s unreleased “The Day the Clown Cried” — because they have to broker the uneasy coexistence of entertainment, pathos and sentiment. It’s a problem “Marcel on the Train” does not solve, maybe because Marcel himself is an enigma here, and his drives remain opaque.

PJ Grisar, Forward: While the story has been told before, perhaps most notably in the 2020 film Resistance with Jesse Eisenberg, Slater and Pailet were right to realize its inherent stage potential. It’s realized to a point, though their approach at times leans into broad comedy that misunderstands the sensibilities of its subject.

Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Theatre Guide: The onstage conductor is, of course, Slater, who’s known as a SpongeBob SquarePants Tony Award nominee and Boq in the Wicked movies. With expressive eyes and liquid limbs, he embodies his role with physical and emotional chops alike. He summons our full attention whether speaking or deftly going through the motions.

Jonathan Mandell, New York Theater: But the frame of the play is the train ride, and the longer it went on, the more it felt to me like a children’s adventure story, albeit one not suitable for children. (The production is recommended for age 13+.) This is largely, I think, because the dialogue is neither as natural nor as precise as the physical movement, and because each of the children is a type.

Adam Feldman, Time Out New York: As he proved in SpongeBob SquarePants and more recently in the Wicked movies, Slater has a real gift for movement. Marcel on the Train gives him ample opportunity to showcase it as Marceau tries with varying success to entertain his 12-year-old charges, Life Is Beautifully, and distract them from the dangers outside. The adolescents, all played by adult actors, include the virtuous Adolphe (Max Gordon Moore), the mischievous Henri (an amusing Alex Wyse), the sour and pessimistic Berthe (Tedra Millan) and the cowering Etiennette (Maddie Corman), who—perhaps in response to unspeakable trauma—never says a word.

Matt Windman, amNY: Slater gives a terrific performance — physically agile and emotionally transparent. He avoids mythologizing Marceau, instead presenting a young man straining to hold everything together. When his cousin fails to appear and responsibility settles fully on his shoulders, the flicker of panic is visible.

Sara Holdren, Vulture: I’ve written before about the potential trap of the “cool story” bio-play, and the good news is that Marcel on the Train is stylish and thoughtful enough to avoid the standard pitfalls. Only occasionally does it give off a whiff of Life Is Beautiful mawkishness. For the most part, it makes a good-faith effort to be wiser and wryer about the tenuousness of living and the spiritual utility of art.

Average Rating: 80.0%