John Lithgow: Stories By Heart - 2018 Broadway History , Info & More
Todd Haimes Theatre (Broadway)
229 W. 42nd St. New York, NY
In this triumphant return to Broadway, Tony and Emmy Award winner John Lithgow dazzlingly conjures an entire cast of indelible characters - and The New York Times says the result is "superb, illuminating and uplifting." With honesty, humor and heart, he combines family memories and timeless tales into a one-of-a-kind event that New York magazine calls "pure entertainment." Don't miss John Lithgow as he elevates the magic of storytelling to masterful new heights. "Rarely have I spent so entertaining and touching a night at the theater." (The Wall Street Journal).
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR John Lithgow: Stories By Heart
John Lithgow: Stories by Heart
8 / 10
Lithgow's show is framed in family history, but no skeletons are exposed, unless you count the love of theater he carries in his bones. Ring Lardner's 'Haircut,' in which a country barber tells a customer about a scandal in his small town, takes up most of the first act; Lithgow livens it with deft tonsorial pantomime and a sense of dawning realization on the part of the garrulous narrator. The centerpiece of Act Two is P.G. Wodehouse's zany 'Uncle Fred Flits By,' a veddy British comic tale of embarrassment and family tension. It is a quaint and slender tale-more jam than scone-but Lithgow's love of sharing it is infectious. Likable though the stories themselves may be, the heart of this show is in their telling.
John Lithgow's Stories by Heart is an acting masterclass, but not much else: EW review
7 / 10
This is ultimately a basic piece of theater that never really digs below its cozy, slightly drab surface. Each of the play's two acts is constructed as follows: one-third background from Lithgow, reminiscing on his childhood or the power of storytelling, and two-thirds his solo performance of a classic short story. The production is strikingly bare-bones - as if you've walked into a dusty study that's just been cleared out for a house move, with only a chair, small desk, and thick ol' storybook remaining. There is no flourish here. All eyes are meant to be on Lithgow as he loosely moves about, all ears on the tales he spins with vigor.
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John Lithgow: Stories By Heart History
Other Productions of John Lithgow: Stories By Heart
| 2008 | Off-Broadway |
Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
| 2012 | US Tour |
US Tour |
| 2018 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Company Original Broadway Production Broadway |
John Lithgow: Stories By Heart - 2018 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Solo Performance | John Lithgow |
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