The Confession of Lily Dare NYC Reviews and Tickets

80%

(208 Reviews)

Positive

91%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Entertaining, Funny, Delightful, Great acting, Clever

About the Show

The latest comic melodrama written by and starring Charles Busch tells the story of one woman’s tumultuous passage from convent girl to glittering cabaret chanteuse to infamous madame of a string of brothels.

From the show:

We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our 35th anniversary than by presenting the newest work from one of our most frequent collaborators, legendary master of theatrical parody Charles Busch (best known to Primary Stages audiences from our productions of The Tribute Artist, Olive and the Bitter Herbs, and You Should Be So Lucky). Busch’s newest play, The Confession of Lily Dare, tells the story of one woman’s tumultuous passage from convent girl to glittering cabaret chanteuse to infamous madame of a string of brothels—all while hiding her undying devotion to the child she was forced to abandon. Directed by Busch’s long-time colleague Carl Andress (The Tribute Artist, The Divine Sister), this comic melodrama celebrates the gauzy “confession film” tearjerkers of early 1930s pre-code cinema, such as The Sin of Madelon Claudet, Frisco Jenny, and Madame X.

Member Reviews (208)

Fluffy, Entertaining, Cute

See it if You're a Bush fan. Entertaining with good performances. Funny-ish.

Don't see it if There's A LOT of painfully cliched jokes, mostly on the first act. Eye-rolling. Act 2 is more streamlined and the story takes center stage. Read more

Campy, Entertaining

See it if You enjoy farcical campy humor. I really enjoyed the story most of all and liked the nod's to the style of old hollywood movies.

Don't see it if I didn't find it all that funny and didn't laugh that often but I could still appreciate the story and the show.

Entertaining, Stylized, Long, Tear-jerker send-up, Not for everyone

See it if you love Busch and/or 1930s melodramas. Campy w LOTS of plot. Gr costumes/wigs. Rare laughs; mostly smiles. Stylized acting can be wearing.

Don't see it if you want insights. Purely for entertainmt. Is long. Drags a bit. Needs cuts. Has a good heart, like Lily. Only recommend to old-movie fans.

Indulgent, Fluffy, Disappointing, Cliched, Banal

See it if Charles Busch trying to do what ludlum and Quinton did so well. The show has some good moments but not many.

Don't see it if If you had camp, drag silly absurdist humor. If you want a more serious show.

Clever, Quirky, Great acting, Great staging, Entertaining

See it if you enjoy camp - here done well by a good cast with a take on the 1930's movie scene. Great costumes and good supporting sound.

Don't see it if you don't like what Busch offers up. Not a hilarious show but many light moments that make you chuckle.

Imaginative, Entertaining, Refreshing, Funny, Delightful

See it if boisterous exuberance with great costumes and a touch of poignance is your idea of a fun night out. Especially delightful for opera lovers!

Don't see it if you are averse to drag performance, dislike opera or find stories dealing with adoption triggering.

Refreshing, Intelligent, Hilarious, Funny, Clever

See it if You’re a fan of Charles Busch, you love to laugh, enjoy 40’s movies cliches, drag tropes, a bit of risqué humor, mindless fun, sharp wit

Don't see it if Not a fan of drag, can’t relate to movie references, don’t like the deliberate tackiness of Busch shows, can’t get Busch’s humor

Parodic, Fluffy, Campy, Funny, Entertaining

See it if you want to see campy Charles Busch's latest vampy femme fatale creation in a fun (if overlong) parody of classic Hollywood film noir.

Don't see it if ur looking for something serious, heady & substantial; ur not interested in theater that's contrived, melodramatic & farcical (by design).

Critic Reviews (16)

CRITIC’S PICK. "Camp and Compassion in 'The Confession of Lily Dare': Charles Busch’s mash-up of mother-love weepies finds both pathos and hilarity in the tough talk of Hollywood divas."
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4/5 Stars. "For audiences today, increasingly removed from the cinematic source, Busch's sensibility is now itself an object of nostalgia, and it is showcased to humbly glorious effect in his latest scrappy melocomedy, 'The Confession of Lily Dare.'"
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"Charles Busch, drag artiste and author of 'The Tale of the Allergist's Wife,' plays the title role in his campy comedy riffing on female-driven 1930s movie melodramas."
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"‘The Confession of Lily Dare’ Is a Side-Splitting Hoot From Charles Busch"
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"Drag Icon Charles Busch Plays a Fallen Woman in 'The Confession of Lily Dare' Not even an earthquake can shake her resolve."
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"Charles Busch Sends Up Pre-Code 'Fallen Woman' Flicks With 'THE CONFESSION OF LILY DARE'"
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"It's a kind of film festival for the stage -- a gloriously cockeyed one, to be sure -- and it provides playwright/star Charles Busch with his most deluxe vehicle of recent seasons."
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4/5 Stars. "As usual with the witty Busch, the script is a Godiva-chocolates-boxful of clever lines."
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Trailer

Creative team