GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR Reviews

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:03pm

NYT/Jesse Green is unimpressed.

‘Good Night, Oscar’ Review: Sean Hayes With Demerol and Cadenzas

The “Will & Grace” star is unrecognizable in a Broadway biography of Oscar Levant: wit, pianist and “Eeyore in a cheap suit.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/theater/good-night-oscar-review-sean-hayes-with-demerol-and-cadenzas.html

"Oscar Levant, the troubled midcentury musician and wag, often said he’d erased “the fine line between genius and insanity.”

He says it again, or a version of it, in “Good Night, Oscar,” the unconvincing biographical fantasia that opened Monday at the Belasco Theater. But on the evidence of the character as written, and especially as impersonated by Sean Hayes in a gloomy if accurate performance, Levant doesn’t erase the line so much as fudge it."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:04pm

NY Daily News is positive:

BROADWAY REVIEW: Sean Hayes offers up a stunning star turn in daring ‘Good Night, Oscar’

https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/broadway/ny-broadway-review-sean-hayes-good-night-oscar-20230425-csx5naabkzbixeedmv5diqpq5y-story.html

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:05pm

A from Entertainment Weekly:

Good Night, Oscar review: More like 'Hello, Tony' — Sean Hayes strikes gold on Broadway

Hayes is terrific as the depressive and self-deprecating pianist, composer, and noted wit Oscar Levant.

https://ew.com/theater/theater-reviews/good-night-oscar-sean-hayes-review-broadway/

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:06pm

The red carpet for this event is full of gorgeous, famous, sexy people all looking FINE AS HELL. Whew! 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:06pm

Deadline:

‘Good Night, Oscar’ Broadway Review: Sean Hayes Pays Tribute To Golden Age Second Banana

https://deadline.com/2023/04/good-night-oscar-sean-hayes-broadway-review-deadline-1235334934/

"Some of his witticisms survive him. He’s the guy who said he knew Doris Day before she was a virgin, and that beneath all the phony tinsel of Hollywood is real tinsel.

Ripostes like that, even today, might make for some mild amusement dropped from a talk show couch, but strung together and passing for dialogue they make tedious biography. Good Night, Oscar tries very hard to present Levant as a sort of Lenny Bruce-in-the-making – and who knows, maybe he was – but for all the hard sell, the play seems even more intent on serving as Tony bait for a hammy Hayes."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:07pm

Theatrely: GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR; Play It Again, Sean — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/good-night-oscar-play-it-again-sean-review

"Not to be too hard on the ensemble who, to their credit, are doing their best with a wooden, unoriginal script and Lisa Peterson’s farcical direction. Again and again, we learn that a star’s entourage might not have their best interests at heart, that talent is burdensome, and fame is a prison, et cetera. And creaky exposition fills us in on the man’s bonafides—though it is nice to learn about this icon of mid-century American culture.

It’s only when Hayes is left to his own devices, and Levant with his own demons, that the play takes off. We learn that the concert pianist was brought under George Gerswhin’s suffocating wing and laments the cost of that association; in a tragic bit of irony, meeting his hero showed him the limits of his own talent, and trapped him into a career of carrying his former master’s legacy."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:08pm

Vulture:

The Playing’s the Thing: Sean Hayes Shows Range in Good Night, Oscar

https://www.vulture.com/2023/04/theater-review-sean-hayes-levant-good-night-oscar.html

"I would not recommend showing up an hour and twenty minutes into a Broadway show, but it sure would be nice if you could do that at Good Night, Oscar. The play, structured around Oscar Levant’s appearance on The Tonight Show With Jack Paar in 1958, idles in neutral for the bulk of its run time, falling into that Wikipedia-theater trap of having characters relay their histories to each other via factoid. But once the TV taping starts, the thing shifts into gear and the performances come to life—or really, one key performance."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:08pm

NY Post: 2 stars

‘Good Night, Oscar’ review: Sean Hayes stars in off-key Broadway play

https://nypost.com/2023/04/24/good-night-oscar-review-sean-hayes-stars-in-off-key-play/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:09pm

Daily Beast:

Review: Sean Hayes Plays a Dark Rhapsody in ‘Good Night, Oscar’

“Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes plays comic Oscar Levant in a Broadway play that finally locates its power in Levant’s jokes and Hayes’ bravura piano-playing of “Rhapsody in Blue.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/review-sean-hayes-plays-a-dark-rhapsody-in-good-night-oscar-on-broadway

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:10pm

3/5 and 5/5 from New York Stage Review 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:11pm

Theatremania is a rave:

Review: Sean Hayes Plays Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar

Doug Wright’s comedy-drama about a significant television appearance opens on Broadway.

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-sean-hayes-plays-oscar-levant-in-good-night-oscar_1699644/

 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:14pm

LA Times is mostly negative:

Unhappiness made Oscar Levant a laugh riot. Sean Hayes carves a portrayal in a marble of suffering

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-04-24/broadway-review-sean-hayes-piano-good-night-oscar

“Good Night, Oscar” provides a vehicle for Hayes to be snappy and tragic. Ironically, his performance is the least sitcom-y thing in the production."

Updated On: 4/24/23 at 09:14 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 9:32pm

I see Jesse Green had the stick fully inserted for this review. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 10:03pm

DTLI Consensus: Sean Hayes shines in an otherwise flawed look at Levant's life.

4 mixed, 3 positive, 3 negative (including the NYT). 

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/good-night-oscar/

 

[rubytuesday]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 10:07pm

I had quibbles with the play, but I thought Sean Hayes was magnificent. My quibbles appear to be deal-breakers for Jesse Green and others. These reviews surprise me.

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 10:22pm

Some people were predicting this one to get a nom for Best Play, but with these reviews, it wont happen.

Also, I'm in doubt now if Hayes wins the Tony that I felt very sure until now.

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 10:28pm

I'm forever disappointed in Jesse Green since his move to the Times. He now always has to have some big opinion just for the sake of going against everyone else. I really enjoyed his previous work so it's a bummer. 

[Dusoleilcanwhistle]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 10:29pm

I feel slightly vindicated for sharing my take from seeing the show in Chicago - Hayes has some brilliant moments but the play itself was really rough. It genuinely felt like the first draft of a script to me and felt bad for the actors who were trying so hard. Glad I saw it, but also glad I paid Chicago prices.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 11:00pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "DTLI Consensus:Sean Hayes shines in an otherwise flawed look at Levant's life.

4 mixed, 3 positive, 3 negative (including the NYT).

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/good-night-oscar/

"

Breakdown is now 5 positive, 4 mixed, 3 negative.

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 4/24/23 at 11:56pm

What on EARTH is Jesse Green even going on about????!

While I admit that the script is not on the level of some other astounding plays we have had this season like Leopoldstadt, Cost of Living, Ain't No Mo, etc...some of these critiques really seem like overkill. I had a great night at the theater with this play, even if I did think some of the supporting characters could have used more fleshing out or a more intriguing goal. But I never felt like the play approached a "wikipedia biography" so that's a really weird complaint to read in multiple reviews. Not my experience at all.

In any case, I don't think any review could stop Sean Hayes from winning the Tony at this point. He is sublime and checking off every single box when it comes to winning awards. Plus, his biggest competition is from closed shows. And, critics aren't Tony voters!

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 2:26am

Ive been frustrated by Green's reviews recently, too-- there seems to be a shift since he moved to the NYT. I still miss Sara Holdren, and mostly look to Helen Shaw for actual advice since Green and I are apparently on different planets.

THAT SAID the anger in these parts at Green is.... odd. Hes literally been hired to write his opinions. Hes clearly no dummy, and clearly takes it seriously.  And at least with respect to Good Night Oscar and Prima Facie, he isnt even an outlier? Hes echoing alot of what many critics have said, so...

If anything, I wish the NYT would invest in another serious critic to balance him out (because the others have been no better, and dont write as well) but lets not get mad AT him because we disagree? I dont even think it matters what the NYT says anymore, at least not as much as it used to. These shows need a quote or two to lure NJT/LIRR riders, and some other hook.

Updated On: 4/25/23 at 02:26 AM

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 4:11am

OL was a fascinating character, not just for the quips but for what he represented in his era.  I hope people give this play a chance to succeed or fail on its merits; and not be swayed by click-bait merchants and vestiges of a formerly respectable institution. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 6:18am

Variety criticizes play; praises Hayes

‘Good Night, Oscar’ Review: Sean Hayes Gives a Bravura Performance as Late-Night TV Virtuoso

https://variety.com/2023/legit/reviews/good-night-oscar-review-sean-hayes-broadway-1235592711/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 6:20am

The Wrap

‘Good Night, Oscar’ Broadway Review: Sean Hayes Says Goodbye to ‘Will & Grace’ With a Vengeance

The Emmy-winning sitcom actor delivers a transformative performance, playing the brilliant and drug-addled pianist Oscar Levant

https://www.thewrap.com/good-night-oscar-broadway-review-sean-hayes-will-and-grace/

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/25/23 at 7:37am

I'm no fan of Green's -- on the contrary, to me he's often guy to make us miss Brantley -- yet his review here isn't really an outlier take, as some seem to opine. If you read all of those tallied, the play is dissected with something akin to consensus*. The Vulture review is close to a companion piece to the NY Times. After a discerning friend's report from Chicago I expected more genuinely mixed reviews, but it seems to be an especially unpredictable season.   

*An example from a review considered positive, Variety's. A review that calls the play proper "conventional" and "unmemorable" is more of a definitive "mixed."
 
"In this, “Good Night, Oscar” seems content to provide a showcase for a notable figure accompanied by musings on topical themes. It could surely go deeper to find more to say beyond the simple, “Look how exploitative this system is.”  But the largest fault of the play may be its conventionality. It is without a doubt a well-made play, with clear structure and stakes, tight pacing, funny jokes and concisely rendered characters. But it does not push the envelope in any way — which is a shame, considering that is exactly what Oscar Levant was famous for. Still, Hayes’ performance in “Good Night, Oscar” demands to be seen. Though the play itself may not be memorable, Hayes’ acting feat undoubtedly is."

 

Updated On: 4/25/23 at 07:37 AM