Fish in the Dark

"The bottom line – it’s goddamned funny. Simple premise: neurotic Jewish family becomes even more unhinged when the patriarch dies – hilarity ensues. Now, whether or not you get the Jewish humor, it’s a universal theme. And this is one storyline where the schtick works...Fish In The Dark is just plain fun." Full Review

"It is funny and sometimes silly. But actually if one digs beneath the gags and David’s outlandish interpretation—wide eyes and widely spread arms, as if bewildered by the goings-on—there are some deep and even poignant issues dealt with." Full Review

"Mainly, though, this is about the laughs and we are certainly not short-changed in that department. Like Neil Simon with added bite, the quality and quantity of the jokes is simply astounding. While it might not come together at the end quite as beautifully as the very best Curb and Seinfeld episodes, this is still a joy from start to finish." Full Review

"The uninitiated may sniff, but Larry lovers will plotz...No Neil Simon character ever exclaimed, "You f***ed my mother?!" But in countless other ways, Larry David's first venture into Broadway playwriting is a spirited throwback to that once hugely popular gagmeister's patented specialty: classic boulevard comedy molded to fit the American Jewish family. It's also pure sitcom, energized by David's customary serrated edges and willfully abrasive characters...exactly what the fans are craving." Full Review

"I can safely report that “Fish In The Dark”, in which David is the writer and star, is an expanded version of the TV comedy. While it is about as funny of a show as you’re likely to see on Broadway, it doesn’t quite measure up to the impossibly high standard of the TV series...Over two hours, this “Fish” can feel a bit thin. However, minor quibbles aside, there will be no curbing audience enthusiasm here. Larry David knows from comedy!" Full Review

"What, you were expecting Chekhov? Surely, even Larry David's most ardent fans weren't hoping to have their lives changed by Fish In the Dark...But the jokes do keep coming, and usually stick. If its humor can be predictably caustic, Fish's tone is pleasingly light and flaky." Full Review

"When he finally recited his signature line — “prettay, prettay good” — the Cort Theatre went nuts. In other words, the bar for his fans’ appreciation is prettay, prettay low. Fortunately, the play, which opens tonight, is a worthy outlet for both their cash and their adoration, rewarding audiences with two hours that at their best combine the winning aspects of his signature sitcoms." Full Review

"The people have spoken. This outlandish comedy penned by Larry David opened with a stratospheric advance of $13.5 million. Which renders moot whatever the critics might have to say about the show...Instead of sticking to a conventionally constructed plot, this “Fish” swims from one comic situation to another — which may not make it much of a play. But there are plenty of laughs in the play’s minor comic questions." Full Review

"Chronically amusing, if creakily old-school...David wrote and stars in the funny full-length sketch that aims for, but just misses, the lofty territory of great 1960s Broadway comedies. He has a huge following from “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” — and when you add in everyone’s deep craving for light entertainment, the show is a bona fide must-see...You don’t need to be a fan of David’s hit TV series to appreciate zingers." Full Review

"Anna D. Shapiro stages the hybrid sitcom-farce for maximum shine, and the mix of seasoned actors with David’s breezy script (about three TV episodes’ worth of plot windup) results in a night of huge, rolling laughs." Full Review

"It’s to be expected that Larry David’s new play is laugh-out-loud funny. The big surprise, though, is just how sturdy and conventional his stage comedy is in an old-fashioned Broadway kind of way. David may have written cutting-edge TV, but “Fish in the Dark,” is anything but cutting-edge theater. Maybe “vintage” is a better word than “old fashioned” to describe “Fish,” which harks back to the pleasures of Broadway’s golden age." Full Review

"This isn't Hamlet here, but it feels like about a solid B+ episode of Curb; an exciting, hilarious spectacle that works much more than it doesn’t. It probably won’t be the best show that you see on Broadway this year, but it’s a very pleasant experience and one that should scratch that Curb itch of yours." Full Review

"Very funny. Occasionally very, very funny. Four-stars funny. If that’s all you need to know about Larry David’s Fish In The Dark, his debut as a Broadway twofer—playwright and actor—then read no more...A half-hour seems just the right amount of time you want to spend with these folks on any given evening. Of course, this is the age of binge-watching, so two hours of shtick can be satisfying. Or give you heartburn." Full Review

Larry David's first foray into Broadway comedy is like watching a weird — but undeniably entertaining and, God help us all, even potentially transformative — fusion of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Borscht Belt comedy of the old school, long-form improv of the Chicago school, and the kind of black situational farce associated with Joe Orton or other radicals with dark, anarchic souls and a taste for shows commanding premium prices. Well, that, and "Old Jews Telling Jokes." A plethora thereof." Full Review

"He’s the great neurotic of all time as he gesticulates in his mime-like persona that makes the audience roar with laughter. But keep in mind, that although this is a tough ticket to score (mostly sold out) you have to be a big time Larry David fan or this won’t work for you." Full Review

"The petty, obsessive, socially challenged figure we see onstage is indistinguishable from David's alter ego on his brilliantly funny HBO series...So the play is a kind of transfer without transformation. The character is, however, such a sturdy comic figure, and David's take on him – as both writer and performer – so authoritative that, despite the show's recycling, it's often extremely funny." Full Review

"Fish in the Dark is most definitely David’s show and this latest half-twist of his persona proves an entertaining comedy machine...If the result is only pretty good, Curb fans should nevertheless look forward to it with, well, enthusiasm." Full Review

"While the set pieces are concocted with genius, and some, like a dilemma about whether or not to tip a doctor, turn toe-curling into an art form, they don’t come sublimely full circle in the way that David’s plots are known and praised for. The show is very linear, and some of the funniest and cleverest scenes are cut off before they can really blossom. By the admittedly exceptional comic standards David has laid down, this ranks alongside an average episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm." Full Review

"The story is all over the place, and the second act doesn't continue the narrative as much as tell an entirely new one. And it would probably benefit from a shorter run time than its current two hours of amusing peaks and dry valleys. For a Seinfeld and Curb diehard, though, it's impossible to discount the amount of joy that comes from watching David's antics in the flesh. In that respect, Fish in the Dark is more than pretty good, it's pretty great." Full Review

"David offers an entertaining, pretty, pretty, pretty nice Broadway debut. (and if you don’t get that three-part “pretty” reference, you might want to spend your $155 on a deeper show)." Full Review

"I kept wishing that the show’s director, Anna D Shapiro, who stages with her usual expert hand, had been able to coax him into another rewrite. But most of the audience won’t care that the pace flags in the second act. For them, it will be enough to see their King Kvetch in the flesh, uttering trademark phrases such as “pretty, pretty, pretty . . . ” And I must admit: I had a pretty, pretty, pretty good time." Full Review

""Fish in the Dark," Larry David's first Broadway play, is one of the hottest tickets in New York, playing to sold-out houses since previews began in February...Reviews have been mixed, but as some critics have noted, does that matter?" Full Review

"Every phrase and mannerism recalls a scene from a classic Larry scenario. Those constant, involuntary comparisons expose Fish’s shortcomings, but the positive associations make the play impossible to tune out. I chuckled much more often than I genuinely laughed, but my mind never wandered." Full Review

"It’s well built, occasionally thoughtful, and consistently very funny if not transcendently so. In short: You’ll laugh, you’ll cry — well, you’ll cry when the Visa bill comes...For a playwriting debut, if not a Broadway acting debut, Fish in the Dark is amazingly confident and delivers what it promises. But it’s got neither cerebral gloss nor solid emotional underpinnings. It’s going for something else, and almost gets there. Which is a complement, truly. We criticize because we care." Full Review

"Hardly a great work of dramatic literature, “Fish in the Dark” hearkens back to the silly and insubstantial Broadway comedies of the 1960s, full of one-dimensional characters and nonsensical farce." Full Review