Review Roundup: LCT3's A KID LIKE JAKE

Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3's 2012-2013 season continued last night, June 17 with the opening of A Kid Like Jake, a new play by Daniel Pearle, directed by Evan Cabnet, and featuring Caroline Aaron, Michelle Beck, Peter Grosz, and Carla Gugino, at the Claire Tow Theater, 150 West 65 Street. BroadwayWorld was there for the opening and you can check out photos below!

A KID LIKE JAKE is the story of a husband and wife trying to do right by their son. Alex (Carla Gugino) and her husband, Greg (Peter Grosz), want only the best for their precocious four year old, Jake. When they apply to New York City private schools, part of what makes Jake special - his passion for Cinderella and dress-up - starts to cause concern.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Charles Isherwood, New York Times: Under the smooth direction of Evan Cabnet, Ms. Gugino, a superlative stage actress, brings a simmering intensity to her performance, managing to render human even Alex's sometimes implausible excesses of vitriol. Mr. Grosz, perhaps best known for his comedic appearances on "The Colbert Report," does a nice job with the perhaps slightly idealized, über-mensch role of the nurturing Greg.

Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Post: Gugino and Aaron are a lot of fun to watch in those scenes, each one making the most of a distinctive voice - the first's low and sexy, the second's a smoker's rasp. It's also nice to see the vibrant Gugino in a new play, since her previous stage work had been in revivals like "After the Fall" and "Desire Under the Elms."

Marilyn Stasio, Variety: Talk about shows that appeal to niche audiences! Daniel Pearle's new play, "A Kid Like Jake," should captivate yuppie parents from upscale urban neighborhoods who are obsessed with getting their little darlings into prestigious private kindergartens that cost $40,000 a year. This talky domestic drama also has a lock on anyone with a 4-year-old kid who displays transgender behavior. Playgoers outside these narrow demographics might reel back in horror from this scary spectacle of parental insanity.

Loe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News: Director Evan Cabnet's cast and production impress. Staged on one set, "A Kid Like Jake," which opened Monday, cannily changes locations from home to school to doctor's office, with simple lighting shifts.

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