The Parisian Woman
Closed 1h 30m
The Parisian Woman
73

The Parisian Woman NYC Reviews and Tickets

73%
(445 Reviews)
Positive
71%
Mixed
22%
Negative
7%
Members say
Relevant, Entertaining, Clever, Great acting, Disappointing

About the Show

Oscar nominee Uma Thurman ('Pulp Fiction,' 'Kill Bill') makes her Broadway debut in a new power play by 'House of Cards' creator Beau Willimon ('Farragut North,' 'Ides of March'). Directed by Tony winner Pam MacKinnon.

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Member Reviews (445)

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1085 Reviews | 265 Followers
62
Banal, Disappointing, Edgy, Fluffy, Overrated

See it if I cannot come up with a really good reason to see it. Thurman should stick to movies; not a good stage actor.

Don't see it if It was not very good, bad directing, bad script and not good acting. Do not waste your money seeing this one!

982 Reviews | 343 Followers
45
Nonsensical, Annoying, Uninsightful, Unfunny, Dull

See it if you want to witness a muddled mess. The script is idiotic w/no redemption except a handsome set and a beautiful Uma (but her role is awful).

Don't see it if you demand any coherence. TPW is insulting to both Reps and Dems. Stupid drivel. Why did Uma agree to star? And who dressed her (terribly)?

715 Reviews | 109 Followers
66
Absorbing, Disappointing, Intense

See it if you like a political drama with a few twists. Plot involves actual political figures which will make this a dated play in a hurry.

Don't see it if you are a Trump fan.Like the Portuguese Kid very nasty remarks re Trump and his supporters are made. Read more

655 Reviews | 129 Followers
78
Funny, Entertaining, Slow

See it if Its not fast moving, but sometime you laugh and it was ok

Don't see it if Its slow and alot of sitting down talking in the show.

567 Reviews | 147 Followers
88
Indulgent, Slow

See it if you are a fan of "HOUSE OF CARDS" or a fan of celebrity casting. If you're not a fan of the current admin., you'll revel in the barb-lobbing

Don't see it if if you are a fervent supporter of the current administration. Stage acting is your thing. Can't take the barb-lobbing leveled at YOU.

535 Reviews | 488 Followers
65
Disappointing, Misguided, Mediocre, Uneven, Muddled

See it if you want to see what happens when a script that could be an interesting drama gets directed and performed like a sitcom.

Don't see it if you don't want to see terrible acting and some really confounding direction.

543 Reviews | 133 Followers
72
Low expectations has its rewards, Good sets, Slow, Relevant, Entertaining

See it if you like political banter and humor; you're interested in the seedy side of politics in social settings; Thurman holds her own in her debut.

Don't see it if you want more than a superficial, heavy handed take on politics today. Trump jokes are fun and abundant but they get tired quickly.

520 Reviews | 107 Followers
84
All around great

See it if You want to see a great all-around play. Everything about this production is well above average.

Don't see it if You are not interested in seeing a comedic look at politics in the present day Read more

Critic Reviews (57)

The New York Times
November 30th, 2017

"A collection of every cozy cliché to be mined from the deep catalog of stories about powerful intrigues and human deceit...The setups are unlikely, the payoffs banal. Call it 'Dangerless Liaisons'...Things we need to know are posted baldly in dialogue like a weird Tinder profile. But then nothing in this play — not one line or ginned-up plot turn — feels real. That some of the cast members nevertheless do feel real is a tribute to the great mystery of stage performance."
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Time Out New York
November 30th, 2017

"Willimon seems stymied by his project. A political thriller stuffed into a sex comedy’s dress, the play bulges in all the wrong places. To be fair, it is hard to assess 'The Parisian Woman' on the basis of Pam MacKinnon’s enervated Broadway production...Thurman is a milky dud. She has no chemistry with either the waxy Lucas or any of the other actors; it’s like watching people try to snap their fingers with wet hands...The play totters idly forward without finding sure footing."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
November 30th, 2017

"In attempting to walk the line between classic sexual intrigue and contemporary political resonance, 'The Parisian Woman' falls flat on both counts, delivering yet another lamely apologetic, latently self-satisfied slog through the worldview of an ostensibly liberal white dude...Thurman and her castmates are battling their way through dialogue that feels surprisingly monotonous and frequently stilted...A dull complacency weighs down the whole play."
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New Yorker
November 30th, 2017

"Why does the play have such trouble finding its angle on the enraging political scene? Despite being self-knowingly au courant, 'The Parisian Woman' feels as creaky as an old boulevard entertainment...While the play informs us of Chloe’s allure, it’s not much in evidence...If people are drawn to Chloe, it’s not because Thurman has injected her with charisma...Thurman is a blank, swanning and sighing as if impersonating the leading lady of an old drawing-room comedy."
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The Hollywood Reporter
November 30th, 2017

"Thurman attacks the part like she's doing bad Noel Coward in regional repertory theater....This is a play with an identity crisis, exacerbated by MacKinnon's incongruously stylized scene changes...Visually, these fussy interludes make no sense, beyond echoing the confusion of a work that can't decide if it's a sly political thriller about our alarming reality or a conventional drawing-room comedy about no credible reality at all."
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Entertainment Weekly
November 30th, 2017

"Unfortunately, Willimon brings none of his shrewd insight into the political machine to the stage here...They’re amusing enough, but don’t offer any more insight than a five-minute scroll through Twitter would, and it quickly starts to feel stale and cliché. Likewise, Thurman’s Chloe feels uninspired, and the actress doesn’t slip smoothly into the role...Still, the show has its pleasures: Soo is wonderful...And some of Willimon’s lines are deliciously funny."
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Variety
November 30th, 2017

"Entrusting this captivating character to a star from another artistic solar system proves an unkindness to both character and star...It gives no pleasure to watch the star struggling to keep up with Chloe...Willimon has updated his play to reflect players in the current administration....But he fails to draw on any of the many issues bedeviling the president, missing his chance to turn this mannered trifle into a substantive political drama."
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The Wall Street Journal
November 30th, 2017

"A weightlessly slick piece of politics-flavored confectionery...It bored me to the point of squirming in my seat, packed as it is with boo-hiss-cheer lines so predictable that I caught myself mouthing some of the comebacks a half-beat ahead of the actors. As for Thurman, her performance is technically competent but devoid of the red-hot star quality...MacKinnon is famously good at staging naturalistic dramas, and has done her best to disguise the limitations of the star and script."
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