The Front Page NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (583)
See it if the greatly talented cast intrigues you. It is a fast paced comedy, but Nathan Lane steals the show and increases the pace in Acts 2 and 3.
Don't see it if three hour shows are not for you. If you expect this to be modernized or amended to fit current norms or the current political climate.
See it if you want to see a classic play with no PC edits and full of laughs and great acting.
Don't see it if you can't deal with a play that is not sexist (it's of its time) and don't want to laugh.
See it if you like terrific acting, fast-paced dialogue and on-the-spot scenery.
Don't see it if you are expecting a laugh a minute. Read more
See it if you enjoy a new take on a classic comedy. A brilliant, all-star cast tackles the gumshoe life of 1920's newspaper reporting.
Don't see it if you're a stick in the mud who doesn't like to laugh. It's a delightful ensemble period piece. This 3 act play picks up in Act 2 & goes!!!
See it if u take pleasure seeing classic antique brought to life by huge top notch cast Big old fashioned set to die for. J. Mays & Sherie R Scott!
Don't see it if you don't like old fashioned exposition and pace. If you've ODed on Nathan Lane shtick - there's a lot of it here.
See it if You want to see a classic comedy with a wonderful ensemble cast led by Nathan Lane.
Don't see it if you prefer a serious, dry drama
See it if you like old movies. This felt like an old movie but with some of the best Broadway stars all on the same stage. Time flew. I loved it.
Don't see it if you have no appreciation for "old school". There's not a lot of gimmicks here, just good (emphasis on good) old fashioned acting.
See it if You want a fun evening; you like "Plays"; you love good acting
Don't see it if you're not willing to step into another time or if you're some sad kind of theatre snob. Read more
Critic Reviews (50)
"Even if not every element in director Jack O'Brien's lavishly cast production hits the mark, this deluxe Broadway revival nonetheless is crackling entertainment...But the play only really starts firing on all cylinders once Lane enters...Lane elevates everyone around him, including Slattery...The galvanizing force of Lane's performance erases any concerns about the production's unevenness."
Read more
"The expertly seasoned revival of 'The Front Page' is a mischievous newspaper bundle of earthy delights...The production crackles with old-school comic smarts. Count among these primo farceurs a splendid director, O’Brien, who knows how to put an acting army 26 strong through the dizzying paces of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s classic piece of Americana...With Lane leading the charge, this production offers as much fun as you’re ever likely to have courtesy of the First Amendment."
Read more
"For one near-perfect third act of the old farcical school under the direction of Jack O'Brien, Lane delivered a sublimely funny tour de force...O'Brien's star-crusted revival starts out slow but reaches a boil precisely because it captures the addictiveness of newsgathering...'The Front Page' is always a fun play. But you don't normally get the benefit of Lane's readings...This was a great Chicago play by great Chicago writers, here performed by actors who understand."
Read more
"The first act is both over-long and too broad. It’s flat where it should be fizzy...Barking arias of sarcastic, arsenic-laced insults, Lane is like a human defibrillator whose presence single-handedly puts the production back on course...But you’ll have to be patient waiting for Lane to arrive to really enjoy it...It’s smart, subversive, and seemingly timeless. Too bad that this time around it’s also an ensemble comedy that feels like a one-man show."
Read more
"More often than not falls flat in spite of a boisterous atmosphere and heightened comedic tone...O’Brien’s lively and lavish production holds nothing back in terms of broad comedy and busy movement, but the three-act play does not hold up so well by today’s standards, containing fewer one-liners and much more exposition than you’d expect from a comedy. I often found myself admiring the production but unable to enjoy it...Lane steals the final third of the show."
Read more
"Jack O'Brien's terrific production, featuring some two dozen of Broadway's best and brightest actors, transports us back to a time when men were loud, brash misogynist pigs; women were alternately dames, tarts or the marrying type. And nothing was politically correct...It takes a good hour before the plot kicks in. But fortunately the character actors are standouts - each one...O'Brien masterfully directed the physical humor in this over-caffeinated production. 'Front Page' is a winnah!"
Read more
"Individually, they're all very funny, but their performances become cacophony in concert...O'Brien fails to bring harmony to the proceedings during the lethargic first act. The piece only really begins to come together after 90 minutes, when Lane enters with a show-stealing performance...The whole ensemble benefits from Lane's presence as the dialogue and slapstick significantly tighten...'The Front Page' takes a long time to warm up, but once it does, it proves worth the wait."
Read more
"A terrific cast bangs out the gritty, wise-cracking dialogue of newspapermen turned playwrights Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur with the precision of freshly greased keys striking at the platen of a Royal typewriter...Lane is a master at finding the vocal inflections and cadences that discover humor without sacrificing realism and at one point he contributes a show-stopping bit of physical business...This is satisfying old-school, muscular comedy done right."
Read more