Misery
One hour and 30 minutes, with no intermission
Misery - 2015 Broadway History , Info & More
Broadhurst Theatre (Broadway)
235 W. 44th St. New York, NY
Two-time Emmy Award winner and Golden Globe Award winner Bruce Willis will makes his Broadway debut opposite three-time Emmy Award winner and two-time Tony Award nominee Laurie Metcalf in MISERY.
MISERY, written by two-time Academy Award-winner William Goldman (The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) who wrote the screenplay for the Academy Award-winning film and based on the acclaimed novel by Stephen King, is directed by Will Frears (Omnium Gatherum).
Successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon (Bruce Willis) is rescued from a car crash by his "Number One Fan," Annie Wilkes (Laurie Metcalf), and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads the manuscript to his newest novel and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new "Misery" novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it, and if he does not make her deadline, it will.
Misery - 2015 - Broadway Cast
PREVIEW Misery - 2015 - Broadway
Photos
Videos
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Misery
Misery: EW stage review
7 / 10
However, though the technical specs are excellent, the production suffers from a curious lack of tension. And, moreover, fun. The movie version had the benefit of close-ups, which Reiner took advantage of to the hilt, but in the play we feel too distanced from the intimacy and battle of wills that develops between Paul and Annie - or the notes of sympathy that is woven into each of them. Willis plays Paul with a flatness and passivity that feels too inert, even for a character who is bedbound. And as Annie, Laurie Metcalf is overly conscious of not echoing the line readings as they were delivered by Bates. During Annie's famous freak-out over Paul's decision to kill off his literary creation ('You murdered my Misery!'), Metcalf chooses the opposite tonal delivery for each of Bates' lines. And unlike in the book and the film, there's no grace period in which we discover that Annie is nuts. That's a symptom of making a play from material that is extremely well known, but it renders a great-looking production somewhat - to use a word - hobbled. B-
Broadway Review: ‘Misery’ With Bruce Willis, Laurie Metcalf
9 / 10
The eek! factor is largely missing from 'Misery,' starring a laid-back Bruce Willis as the bed-bound author held hostage by his 'greatest fan,' played here by Laurie Metcalfe. Despite the physical intimacy imposed by its stage setting, William Goldman's theatrical version of the 1987 Stephen King novel lacks the stifling sense of claustrophobia that made Rob Reiner's 1990 movie version starring Kathy Bates and James Caan so unnerving. Or maybe the atmosphere of fear and dread was just wiped out by the show's undercurrents of arch humor.
Misery History
Other Productions of Misery
| 2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Misery - 2015 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Scenic Design (Play or Musical) | David Korins |
| 2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Laurie Metcalf |
Videos