Harry Townsend's Last Stand NYC Reviews and Tickets

79%

(270 Reviews)

Positive

86%

Mixed

13%

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Relevant, Funny, Entertaining, Absorbing

About the Show

Tony winner Len Cariou and David Lansbury star in this new father and son comedy.

From the show:

Sometimes it's harder to like someone than it is to love them. Meet Harry Townsend, an incurable romantic and irascible charmer whose sharp mind and dry wit is at the center of this new comedy. As his prodigal son Alan returns home, the visit raises the complexities of their relationship, placing father and son at odds. Harry Townsend’s Last Stand is a must see new play about the inescapable ups and downs of family to which we can all relate.

Member Reviews (270)

Indulgent, Long, Slow, Sitcom quality, Disappointing

See it if you love jokes abt farts, sex, drinking... No new insights. Why was this produced? 2 clueless white men (my GF's got me doing yoga hahaha)

Don't see it if you expect theater to entertain and/or enlighten. HTLS does neither. Way too long. Misogynistic; women = sex objects. Outdated! Off-putting!

Sentimental, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Funny, Great writing

See it if You want to see a sweet story that is rather predictable and sentimental but still captures the heart and doesn’t shy away from the issues.

Don't see it if The prospects of dealing with an aging parent might be too difficult a topic to sit through and find entertaining. Read more

Critic Reviews (12)

"Review: Facing Life’s Final Stretch in ‘Harry Townsend’s Last Stand’: George Eastman’s Off Broadway play is lifted by its direction and performances, but often feels like a cornball sitcom."
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"Poignant Performances Hoist ‘Harry Townsend’s Last Stand’ Above the Level of TV Sitcoms"
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"A Son and His Elderly Father Have 'The Talk' in Harry Townsend's Last Stand: Len Cariou and Craig Bierko star in George Eastman's new play."
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"Len Cariou and Craig Bierko as Bantering Father and Son in George Eastman's 'HARRY TOWNSEND'S LAST STAND'"
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"This is little more than a lengthy squabble, filled with pre-cable sitcom jokes about the indignities of old age. Your reviewer, who cannot be said to be in the first flush of youth, was not amused."
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"'Harry Townsend's Last Stand'...is a genre piece...If that sounds like a disparagement, it's a faint one—as a genre piece, 'Harry Townsend's Last Stand' is well-produced, humorous, and occasionally moving. Still, Eastman's trudging down a well-traveled path."
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2/5 Stars "Wheezy Geriatric Comedy, with Fart Jokes: Len Cariou charms his way through George Eastman's creaky play"
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"Nothing in Eastman's play, directed by Karen Carpenter, comes close to the meticulousness of the stage itself."
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Score: 87% "Even age cannot tame the lion that is Len Cariou in this play about a father and son navigating the treacherous waters of their less than sunny relationship. It's time for father to give way to his son's authority, by opening a space for him in his life and his heart."
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"It is always a pleasure to attend a performance of a play that stars two Broadway veterans and even better when it is a two hander because you are assured ample stage presence for both talented actors. Such is the case in 'Harry Townsend's Last Stand.'"
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"This sitcom-like, predictable two-hander, about a crusty, aging father and his exasperatedly devoted son, sticks rigorously to a naturalistic template, avoiding such furbelows of contemporary playwriting as magic realism, dreams, and literary ambiguities."
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"Cariou has at least some audience members in tears by the time Harry walks out that lake house door for the last time. If only the playwright, George Eastman, had more gracefully shaped the crisis that brings him to that point. Instead, he loaded the first act with too much exposition."
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