Hughie NYC Reviews and Tickets

53%
(147 Ratings)
Positive
34%
Mixed
31%
Negative
35%
Members say
Disappointing, Slow, Great acting, Dated, Overrated

About the Show

Oscar winner Forest Whitaker makes his Broadway debut in the revival of Eugene O'Neill's classic drama.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (147)

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1109 Reviews | 378 Followers
50
Absorbing, Slow, Intelligent, Disappointing, Flat

See it if you love O'Neill or Whitaker. There are strong moments, but not enough. The set is magnificent!

Don't see it if you want a meaty evening.It should be paired with another one-act; it's too slender to stand alone.Left wanting more. Whitaker lacked range.

79 Reviews | 39 Followers
50
Disappointing, Slow, Confusing

See it if You want to see Forest Whitaker or are an Eugene O'Neill enthusiast.

Don't see it if I can't for the life of me understand why FW would pick this for his Bway debut. Despite the short 60 min. it felt like a lot longer...

187 Reviews | 41 Followers
50
Disappointing, Slow, Beautiful set

See it if have nothing better to do for 60 minutes and $$ to spare. To be fair I saw it while in previews. Love Forest Whitaker BUT not in this.

Don't see it if if you like Forest Whitaker and you are hopeful that his performance improved once the show opened. It's a slight play and not well done.

180 Reviews | 367 Followers
49
Banal, Dated, Disappointing, Excruciating, Insipid

See it if you need to get inside from bad weather and have nowhere else you can possibly go

Don't see it if you want to be entertained, see a good play with good writing, see something that makes sense, have anywhere else you can go.

101 Reviews | 33 Followers
49
Slow, Dated, Overrated, Great acting, Indulgent

See it if you want to see a slice of life of old New York.

Don't see it if you want a profound experience.

90 Reviews | 10 Followers
49
Disappointing, Slow, Confusing

See it if You enjoy Eugene O'Neill

Don't see it if You like Forrest Whitaker

175 Reviews | 20 Followers
48
Banal, Disappointing, Excruciating, Slow, Boring

See it if You insist on witnessing Forest's Broadway debut.

Don't see it if You want to preserve your high opinion of Forest's talent - he should stick to movies.

MJK
677 Reviews | 192 Followers
45
Disappointing

See it if you have seen everything else by Eugene O'Neill. Or see it for the set: It's great & you'll be staring at it a lot!

Don't see it if you respect Forest Whitaker as an actor. He does himself no favors here!

Critic Reviews (50)

WNBC
February 25th, 2016

“Forest Whitaker is brave to spread his wings to Broadway, but his performance, at least for now, is disappointingly one-note…He plays Erie as consistently content, but such joviality doesn’t seem to fit the circumstances...Maybe he’s still trying to find his footing with O’Neill’s rhythms…I’d wager that Whitaker’s performance will evolve in the weeks ahead, but for the moment he’s throwing snake eyes.”
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Out Magazine
February 29th, 2016

"'Hughie' is a low-octane one-act character study set in the lobby of a NYC hotel...Forest Whitaker is charming and quite commanding, playing the character in a more chirpy mode than some previous actors, who went for more boozy squalor...But when it’s over after about an hour, some might wonder if they’ve been conned by Erie too."
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NJ.com
February 25th, 2016

“Forest Whitaker swallows his words and looks deeply uncomfortable onstage…Whitaker doesn't even begin to illuminate Erie or make it clear to the audience why we should care about him…‘Hughie’ does feature a very beautiful set and lighting design…The designers gorgeously evokes a place gone to seed. But that's about all this undercooked, altogether listless production has going for it.”
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W
February 27th, 2016

"O'Neill is known for his compassionate, nuanced portrayals of such sad-sack characters. Indeed, this short work is a wonderful character study and an affecting portrait of grief. What it isn't is a compelling narrative. Not a lot happens in 'Hughie' — and the one thing that does, toward the end, is so unbelievable, it warps the story. It makes sense that the play was never produced during the playwright's lifetime."
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The Associated Press
February 25th, 2016

“Grandage lets it breathe and the actors make it work as a parable about connecting and disconnecting in modern life. By the time the clock hits 4 a.m. and the sun peeks out, there's something deeply satisfying about this little play, which O'Neill himself may never have expected anyone to actually mount on a stage. Thank goodness it has been, especially with Whitaker in the lead role.”
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Epoch Times
March 7th, 2016

"'Hughie' offers a devastating look at loneliness and our need for someone to look up to us in order to make ourselves appear more important than we actually are...Whitaker seemed relatively comfortable as Erie...A major problem in the play is with the role of the Night Clerk...Grandage is unable to make the almost different planes of existence Erie and Charlie inhabit effectively merge. Despite the problems in its execution, O’Neill’s messages still shine through powerfully."
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StageZine
March 3rd, 2016

"He is an incredible actor to watch and so it pains me to say he is making his Broadway debut in 'Hughie,' a non-existent Eugene O’Neill play and his interpretation of the beleaguered character Erie Smith is all wrong. To be sure, Mr. Whitaker is giving an earnest performance, but unfortunately it is a misplaced one...Considering there is no plot or point to this play, the bravado has to be an essential part of the show, for without it the show becomes a big snooze."
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Act Three - The Reviews
February 25th, 2016

“This is a two person show that lasts 60 minutes…Forest Whitaker enters the elegantly designed set and he rambles for 60 minutes. Then the show ends. This is all. I didn't have a clue why we were watching him, why he was there, and frankly was bored and disgusted at his pointless babbling. Dumb, Expensive, Meaningless. This was my waste of a Wednesday night at the Theatre.”
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