The Confession of Lily Dare NYC Reviews and Tickets

79%

(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)

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.

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

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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2/5 Stars. "As an admirer of Busch ever since witnessing his Vampire Lesbians of Sodom in 1984, I'm sorry to report that 'The Confession of Lily Dare' is not one of his major works."
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"Even its title leaves a lot to be desired. Based on a seemingly endless parade of Hollywood movies of the pre-code era, Busch has pulled out all of his old tricks--cross-dressing, an homage and parody of old movies, long pink arm gloves--and produced something stale and feeble."
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"A stunning production, under the beautifully finessed direction of Carl Andress."
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Score: 98% " It is the intimacy of the Cherry Lane that makes the play all the more worthwhile. We are all on this ride together. Charles Busch at the helm."
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"As he's done for 40 years, Busch sprinkles his latest campy melodrama with Oscar Wilde wit, Barbara Stanwyck grit, Marlene Dietrich glamour and Mae West shtick…There are many moments of hilarity…even touching moments…Still, it's tough to savor the show for its full two hours."
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"Busch has also long mastered the vocal delivery of these much-missed women, although he never resorts to mere imitation. More importantly, though, he brings real humanity to the character of Lily."
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"What emerges captures the sentimental contrivances of those largely forgotten black and white weepies and somehow, while making hilarious mockery of their histrionic extravagances, actually manages to tug at our cynical tear ducts."
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"Few performers can discern Hollywood camp as well as Busch…The familiarity of plot elements-necessary for the satire-can occasionally seem hoary, but Busch still finds juice in them."
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