The Dingdong NYC Reviews and Tickets

“Occasionally hilarious and mostly harmless...Under Hal Brooks’s direction, there’s little emotional center, and the precision of the pacing comes and goes. With all the one-liners and quick changes and frothy lingerie and funny accents, however, you might not notice...However lascivious in its come-ons and varied in its penis jokes, ‘The Dingdong’ is ultimately conservative in its conclusions: a tease of a play.”
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"The farce spectrum can veer from crude to exquisite. Mark Shanahan tends to favor the lower depths: lots of puerile wink-wink wordplay and pratfalls both sexual and scatological...In casting ill-matched repertory members d’un certain age, director Hal Brooks blunts the spirit of the original...The stage sizzles to life every time Curran turns up...She embodies what we bourgeois theatergoers rather hope to see when attending a French farce."
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"'The Dingdong' is passable fun, providing a solid laugh for every two or three that fall flat. It's also easy to admire the cast as everyone goes through his or her paces, switching costumes and characters with abandon. But this is Exhibit A in the argument that light entertainment can be even more challenging than the most serious drama. The characters in 'The Dingdong' suffer from a lack of discretion; you could say the same thing about the people behind this production."
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"Much of the fun of the play is seeing the same actors return over and over again in different roles often within a matter of seconds...While Brooks’ staging is stylish and elegant. The problem becomes that the stakes are not very high, and consequently we don’t worry or care enough about the possible tragedies for the characters if and when they are discovered...However, the rest of the production team is right on target."
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"A first-rate farce…The ‘DingDong’ plays fast and loose and is often ferociously funny and somewhat surreal…Excellently directed by Hal Brooks…The Pearl Theatre Company of actors is highly skilled with the requirements of farce: facility with speed of dialogue and emotional changes, physical dexterity, and a balanced, light and yet authentic attention to characterization."
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"The play's inherent funniness is stomped on by Brooks’s heavy-handed direction and the company’s frequent overacting. High energy is all well and good for playing farce, but there must be total conviction in the truth of each action...I’m afraid the Pearl’s production, apart from the delectable cranberry sauce and stuffing of Kelley Curran’s comical versatility, veers too closely to the actual meaning of ‘Le Dindon,’ i.e., the turkey."
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“Director Hal Brooks unbridles five actors in ‘The Dingdong’...He propels it even further into the absurd by having those five actors bring to charming, boisterous and nuanced life 12 distinct characters...George Feydeau is one of the most famous writers of bedroom farce, and Mark Shanahan’s adaptation is a remarkable homage. Witty banter, along with exaggerated physicality, are at the heart of 'The Dingdong.' Even the most pursed lip might be cajoled to laugh out loud.”
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"Hal Brooks’ direction is impeccable…But the great fun here is in watching this talented cast double and triple up on roles…And then, there is Kelley Curran! This brunette bombshell essays four different parts with the kind of comedic élan that made Carole Lombard a legend. Trust me, funny and sexy isn’t an easy thing to pull off. Ms. Curran makes it look like a day at the beach on Cannes. Vive La Kelley!"
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"I went in expecting a fun farce and The Pearl delivered. 'The Dingdong' is true to form and well executed. Technically this show does everything right; the blocking is great, the pacing on point...However, even though the show hits its mark, it lacks the danger and emotional stakes that would made it thrilling. But don’t worry, the brilliance of the text, snazzy costume changes, and slapstick humor makes 'The Dingdong' a lovely night out."
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