The Balusters Broadway Reviews

*CRITIC'S PICK* This psychological delicacy comes as no surprise: Lindsay-Abaire wrote one of our most persuasive dramas on social collision, “Good People,” which explores the two ends of the class struggle in New England. I may have quibbles wit...

*CRITIC'S PICK* This psychological delicacy comes as no surprise: Lindsay-Abaire wrote one of our most persuasive dramas on social collision, “Good People,” which explores the two ends of the class struggle in New England. I may have quibbles with the way his plot here unfolds, particularly the way it incorporates Luz, whose circumstances must be manipulated in unrealistic ways. But all boulevard comedies lean on coincidence, and I guess that applies even when the boulevard is a residential esplanade. (I laughed while I watched “The Balusters”; I only grumbled while thinking about it hours later.)

*CRITIC'S PICK* Written by David Lindsay-Abaire with a keen understanding of human nature and directed by Kenny Leon with a master’s skill for building onstage drama to a fever pitch, “The Balusters,” which debuts tonight at Manhattan Theatre C...

*CRITIC'S PICK* Written by David Lindsay-Abaire with a keen understanding of human nature and directed by Kenny Leon with a master’s skill for building onstage drama to a fever pitch, “The Balusters,” which debuts tonight at Manhattan Theatre Club, may be the most vital and timely show on Broadway this season. It’s definitely the funniest.

While The Balusters is never less than entertaining, the play suffers in comparison to similar recent Broadway works, notably The Minutes and, especially, Eureka Day, both of which had sharper laughs and singular executions. Eureka Day, in particular...

While The Balusters is never less than entertaining, the play suffers in comparison to similar recent Broadway works, notably The Minutes and, especially, Eureka Day, both of which had sharper laughs and singular executions. Eureka Day, in particular, found its universality in the specificity of its liberal, well-to-do day-school officials and the panic that the hot topic of vaccines unleashed. The characters in The Balusters, despite an unassailable cast led by Richard Thomas, Anika Noni Rose, Margaret Colin and the delightful Marylouise Burke, never reach that level of pinpoint precision, its characters as often as not seeming little more than voices for their demographics, as uni-dimensional as the poster board demonstrating exactly where that stop sign should go regardless of which hypocrite stands to benefit.

And while the Vernon Point Neighborhood Association finds a resolution that satisfies most of its members, it leaves some hurting, a few wondering if they've done the right thing, and others deciding to push the burden of responsibility onto others. ...

And while the Vernon Point Neighborhood Association finds a resolution that satisfies most of its members, it leaves some hurting, a few wondering if they've done the right thing, and others deciding to push the burden of responsibility onto others. A prime example of when art imitates life. Grade: B–

Even more egregious, several emotional turns depend on offstage action that, through its on-stage unveiling, feel like cheap gotchas. Is this a multifaceted discussion or a series of cute writers’ tricks? The Balusters feels more like the latter �...

Even more egregious, several emotional turns depend on offstage action that, through its on-stage unveiling, feel like cheap gotchas. Is this a multifaceted discussion or a series of cute writers’ tricks? The Balusters feels more like the latter – which makes it both more fun and less resonant than it probably should be.

For the record, the playwright also said in that interview that he lives in a Victorian home in the relatively affluent Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, where his wife served on the board of the local neighborhood association. Whether...

For the record, the playwright also said in that interview that he lives in a Victorian home in the relatively affluent Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, where his wife served on the board of the local neighborhood association. Whether or not it was real conflicts in the past that informed the hilarious and pointed squabbling in “The Balusters,” it won’t be too surprising if the play causes some squabbling in the future.

The Balusters is the latest in a series of contemporary stage comedies that are less interested in traditional drawing rooms than in drawing blood — skewering the foibles and hypocrisies of progressive lefties who also happen to be theater’s most...

The Balusters is the latest in a series of contemporary stage comedies that are less interested in traditional drawing rooms than in drawing blood — skewering the foibles and hypocrisies of progressive lefties who also happen to be theater’s most reliable ticket buyers. It doesn’t stray into over-the-top horror fantasy like Tracy Letts’s The Minutes or the extremes of cultural appropriation like Larissa Fasthorse’s Thanksgiving Play. Nor does it boast a show-stopping comedic detour like the suburban parents’ Zoom meeting from hell in Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day. Lindsay-Abaire’s play more closely resembles the century-old Victorians of Vernon Place, boasting a sturdy frame on which the first-rate cast can express themselves with great craftsmanship. It doesn’t seek to push the genre into bold, modern directions — no glass-walled modern extension, thank you — but to embrace the virtues of a well-constructed contemporary satire. A gut renovation isn’t needed. The Balusters has good bones.

Director Kenny Leon (This World of Tomorrow) keeps the stellar cast laser-focused as the banter unfolds—a herculean task in scenes with the entire cast onstage. Eventually, it becomes clear that nearly everyone will have their moment of racial reck...

Director Kenny Leon (This World of Tomorrow) keeps the stellar cast laser-focused as the banter unfolds—a herculean task in scenes with the entire cast onstage. Eventually, it becomes clear that nearly everyone will have their moment of racial reckoning, despite Penny’s reminder that “everyone in this room is a decent person.”

Speaking of aesthetic curation, we must discuss Derek McLane’s Architectural Digest–ready set. From the floor-to-ceiling drapes to the turquoise tiled fireplace to the burnt-orange and olive walls through the parlor doorways, every detail is stun...

Speaking of aesthetic curation, we must discuss Derek McLane’s Architectural Digest–ready set. From the floor-to-ceiling drapes to the turquoise tiled fireplace to the burnt-orange and olive walls through the parlor doorways, every detail is stunning, right down to the artwork and the throw pillows (two of which I have already tracked down and purchased). Top-notch comedy and covetable home decor—all in a tidy 100-minute package.

MTC has afforded the play its typically expert production, with Derek McLane’s gorgeous set and Emilio Sosa’s incisive costuming making important contributions. The Balusters ultimately doesn’t have enough thematic heft to feel like much more t...

MTC has afforded the play its typically expert production, with Derek McLane’s gorgeous set and Emilio Sosa’s incisive costuming making important contributions. The Balusters ultimately doesn’t have enough thematic heft to feel like much more than an entertaining diversion. But like the object that gives the play its title, it provides sturdy support for an evening of solid laughs.

With so many outrageous lines done to a fare thee well from this sensational acting ensemble, The Ballusters provides more gut-busting laughter than any show this season. And at the preview I attended, Marylouise Burke was greeted with an ovation at ...

With so many outrageous lines done to a fare thee well from this sensational acting ensemble, The Ballusters provides more gut-busting laughter than any show this season. And at the preview I attended, Marylouise Burke was greeted with an ovation at her curtain call that was so euphoric it seemed to take her aback. Let’s hope in two weeks’ time she’s equally stunned by the news of a first time Tony Award nomination for Featured Actress in a Play. Personally, no other nomination would make me happier.

If there was ever a case to be presented for why the Tony Awards desperately needs to add a “Best Ensemble” category – and there have been many – it’s watching 10 remarkable actors spar and strike their way through David Lindsay-Abaire’s ...

If there was ever a case to be presented for why the Tony Awards desperately needs to add a “Best Ensemble” category – and there have been many – it’s watching 10 remarkable actors spar and strike their way through David Lindsay-Abaire’s new comedy, “The Balusters,” at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Under Kenny Leon’s superb direction, each performer offers up a precise characterization and peerless line deliveries, all of which make this extremely enjoyable show even funnier and more profound than it is on the page.

Kenny Leon’s direction levels some of the imbalance in the play’s humor. He gives the supporting characters just enough edge to inflict pain without ever spilling so much blood that someone turns into a villain. He also sets up a marvelous two-pe...

Kenny Leon’s direction levels some of the imbalance in the play’s humor. He gives the supporting characters just enough edge to inflict pain without ever spilling so much blood that someone turns into a villain. He also sets up a marvelous two-person fight between Richard Thomas, the HOA’s long-time president, and Anika Noni Rose, the new member who hosts the meetings. Thomas and Rose deliver two completely different performances that make beautiful dissonance. From the beginning, Thomas exudes bonhomie to the HOA and the entire world beyond, while Rose remains reserved, almost faceless. But just you wait. She’s a tiger waiting her turn to pounce.

What do you call a gathering of like-minded, well-meaning but annoying, virtue-signaling liberals? A community association board meeting, of course. David Lindsay-Abaire’s new play for Manhattan Theatre Club, The Balusters, takes up this decidedly ...

What do you call a gathering of like-minded, well-meaning but annoying, virtue-signaling liberals? A community association board meeting, of course. David Lindsay-Abaire’s new play for Manhattan Theatre Club, The Balusters, takes up this decidedly of-the-moment subject, finding depths of comedy and critique within what is becoming well-trodden territory. After Tracy Letts’s The Minutes and Jonathan Spector’s Eureka Day, it might have appeared this emerging genre was already played out, but The Balusters reaches new heights. Lindsay-Abaire’s searing wit makes an almost anthropological study of liberal hypocrisy, offering an effective and highly entertaining callout.

Clearly, we’re in a moment in the American theater when, after years of caution, writers finally are beginning to find the courage to expose the hypocrisy of our newly sensitive language, tiptoeing toward reminding us that the mercenary, Edward Alb...

Clearly, we’re in a moment in the American theater when, after years of caution, writers finally are beginning to find the courage to expose the hypocrisy of our newly sensitive language, tiptoeing toward reminding us that the mercenary, Edward Albee-like characters of the previous generation are still very much with us, only better schooled in progressive buzz words like “holding space” or “I see you.” People desperately holding onto power, or trying to acquire it while pretending otherwise, are a time-honored structure for tragedy and comedy. And even if credible veracity comes and goes, Lindsay-Abaire mines them for plenty of laughs. Including a couple of total howlers.

Lindsay-Abaire’s new play The Balusters makes a highly entertaining if specious argument for the eventual triumph—bad-faith cultural backlash be damned—of social justice in left-leaning America. Solidly staged by director Kenny Leon, this world...

Lindsay-Abaire’s new play The Balusters makes a highly entertaining if specious argument for the eventual triumph—bad-faith cultural backlash be damned—of social justice in left-leaning America. Solidly staged by director Kenny Leon, this world premiere from Manhattan Theatre Club is witty and always engaging, though its ham-fistedness might leave you longing for the nuance of Lindsay-Abaire’s past triumphs.

I mean, the venue has a new name. It used to be the Biltmore, now it’s the Samuel J. Friedman. Same producer: Manhattan Theatre Club. Same playwright. The Balusters is not bougie grief porn. It is a bougie meta-woke social comedy. It steps into the...

I mean, the venue has a new name. It used to be the Biltmore, now it’s the Samuel J. Friedman. Same producer: Manhattan Theatre Club. Same playwright. The Balusters is not bougie grief porn. It is a bougie meta-woke social comedy. It steps into the well-trodden furrow of the Hypocritical Liberal Play. Other examples (every other critic will list them) include The Thanksgiving Play, Eureka Day, and The Minutes. I wasn’t crazy about any of those previous titles, and The Balusters doesn’t elevate the formula.

The Balusters is a razor-sharp show loaded with non-stop laugh-out-loud one-liners, politically incorrect accusations and affronts, and sidesplitting sight gags (the group preposterously toasting a former Board member’s sobriety with wine and the �...

The Balusters is a razor-sharp show loaded with non-stop laugh-out-loud one-liners, politically incorrect accusations and affronts, and sidesplitting sight gags (the group preposterously toasting a former Board member’s sobriety with wine and the “WGT” bet on Willow are two of the best), while addressing important social issues and delivering the message loud (sometimes extremely so) and clear, by being riotously satirical, not preachy. It will keep you laughing and leave you thinking about what it truly means to be a good, albeit imperfect, person.

If there’s cleverness to the way Lindsay-Abaire keeps passing the buck of hypocrisy between the members of the neighborhood association, there’s also a pervading sense of decorum that limits how far the satire can go. Just as Elliot respects the ...

If there’s cleverness to the way Lindsay-Abaire keeps passing the buck of hypocrisy between the members of the neighborhood association, there’s also a pervading sense of decorum that limits how far the satire can go. Just as Elliot respects the importance of neighborhood serenity above all, Lindsay-Abaire and Leon aren’t going to put anything onstage that will truly turn off an audience.

It’s almost churlish to single out any of the actors as they’re all wonderful, but one performer deserves an extra bouquet: Burke, Lindsay-Abaire’s longtime muse, who finds pathos and humor while remaining grounded in every moment. The two have...

It’s almost churlish to single out any of the actors as they’re all wonderful, but one performer deserves an extra bouquet: Burke, Lindsay-Abaire’s longtime muse, who finds pathos and humor while remaining grounded in every moment. The two have collaborated seven times, including Fuddy Meers, Kimberly Akimbo, and Ripcord, but this is the first time Burke has performed one of his plays on Broadway. Hopefully it’s not the last. They’re a magnificent duo.

David Lindsay-Abaire’s The Balusters, now at Manhattan Theatre Club, arrives with the biting precision of Clybourne Park and the uneasy political sting of The Minutes—but with a sharper, more contemporary edge. This is comedy with teeth, where ci...

David Lindsay-Abaire’s The Balusters, now at Manhattan Theatre Club, arrives with the biting precision of Clybourne Park and the uneasy political sting of The Minutes—but with a sharper, more contemporary edge. This is comedy with teeth, where civility is a costume and hypocrisy is the true language spoken.

Line by line and moment by moment, “The Balusters” is an engrossing and enjoyable watch, fueled by Lindsay-Abaire’s impolite humor and the cast’s sparky connectivity and willing embrace of the bonkers. Director Kenny Leon precisely paces the ...

Line by line and moment by moment, “The Balusters” is an engrossing and enjoyable watch, fueled by Lindsay-Abaire’s impolite humor and the cast’s sparky connectivity and willing embrace of the bonkers. Director Kenny Leon precisely paces the comedy and gets a string of howls for his efforts. When more broadly considered, as the writer turns his attention to serious issues rather than quick jabs at the culture wars, the play falters some. Because of all the giggles, I almost forgot the show was building to anything of substance. Well, it tries to, and that is “The Balusters” at its least satisfying. The conclusions are obvious because they’ve been arrived at many, many times before, and the two main opponents are pancake flat. One is good, one is bad, bingo bango. I got the sense that Lindsay-Abaire, who has no fear with his punchlines, was reluctant to give Kyra any flaws at all.