The Portuguese Kid NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (190)
See it if you like Jason Alexander and light comedy. This show is very much like a sitcom for the stage but worth seeing.
Don't see it if you don't like sitcoms or "fluff."
See it if you want to laugh along with silly characters.
Don't see it if you don't enjoy farcical, over-the-top plays or seeing TV stars on stage. Read more
See it if are interested in Shanley's take on the battle of the sexes
Don't see it if you are looking for depth or all-out hilarity
See it if You are a fan of Jason Alexander or Sherri Renee Scott. You like small casts in an intimate theatre. You like comedy.
Don't see it if You are looking for an “epic” production. This is a small cast in a small theatre and is not trying to be anything other than entertaining. Read more
See it if you want to see a great comic ensemble deliver laugh after laugh, and don't care if it really doesn't add up to much. So much fun!
Don't see it if you want your plays, even comedies, to SAY something. This really doesn't. But boy, it's enjoyable!
See it if you like: funny, well acted,well paced comedies; Jason Alexander (who is wonderful); a light fluffy play; and an enjoyable night out.
Don't see it if you don't like: light, fluffy comedies; predictable themes and situations; or a play that isn't really about deep themes.
See it if You like relationship stories with great acting. Storyline wears a little thin, and Trump jokes seem unnecessary. Jason Alexander
Don't see it if You are tired of Trump jokes which seem forced into script. Are offended by obscenity and sexual references.
See it if you like a show that is light, funny and enjoyable. Jason Alexander and Mary Testa give memorable performances.
Don't see it if you don't enjoy romantic comedy or you are looking for a complex plot.
Critic Reviews (38)
“It’s a battle of the sexes in Shanley’s latest comedy...What makes it most intriguing is the line up of star power. It’s silly, wacky but you gotta laugh even if you don’t want to! This is really far reaching for the likes of Shanley...There’s nothing really going on in this plot, making ‘The Portuguese Kid’ just right for television. But it’s worth a try because the audience, on the whole, responds to a lot of the silliness and laughs out loud. Just what we need!”
Read more
"'The Portuguese Kid' has it all: idiosyncratic characters you cannot help but champion, rambunctious dialogue that leaves you occasionally breathless, and a director’s deft massage of the actors’ already polished gifts for comic timing...What’s most engaging here, is that John Patrick Shanley has written a series of pas de deux, binary battles between and among his characters that enchant even as they resonant."
Read more
“With all the elements of classic farcical comedy, you can bet it delivers...What really makes the piece resonate is the way it sucker-punches with its poignant, dramatic moments interspersed among the buffoonery...While it may not dramatically change the face of theatre, with its quick wit, sharp dialogue, slapstick elements, and overall comedic chaos, Shanley’s feel-good romp is undoubtedly an enjoyable night out."
Read more
"This play is enjoyable and brings a sweet smile to your face for the duration, but ultimately you leave with a bit of a headache and still hungry for more...Directed with a fiery wit and unflailing energy by the playwright...Shanley should have done better, foregoing the Portuguese, focusing his eye on the Greek princess, and serving up a spicier and meatier main dish to go with those feisty cocktails."
Read more
"As predictable as it is old-fashioned – a hoary pseudo-romantic comedy trafficking in insulting stereotypes that died well before Don Rickles did...Why would the Manhattan Theatre Club produce such a show?...For what it’s worth, 'The Portuguese Kid' is cast right...It’s hard to find fault with any of the five actors, who do their best to convince us we’re watching is sparkling entertainment...The production values are also high."
Read more
"Not in the same league as the author’s Oscar-winning screenplay for ‘Moonstruck.' Sure, this romantic comedy sometimes strikes comic gold, thanks both to Shanley’s sure way with a zinger and a completely committed five-person cast led by the equally wonderful Jason Alexander and Sherie Rene Scott. But too often for its own good, Shanley’s ramshackle script is likely to strike you as utter nonsense...It’s decidedly more miss than myth."
Read more
“'The Portuguese Kid'…features Broadway-level stars, doing their gifted best to keep its sinking attempts at humor afloat by sheer vocal, physical, and charismatic force. Occasionally, a good laugh does bubble up from the depths…Mrs. Dragonetti…offers Mary Testa an opportunity for one of the larger-than-life hilarious portrayals that are her well-deserved bread and butter…'The Portuguese Kid' is old hat, its jokes are uninspired, and it's all too overstated and laugh-hungry.”
Read more
“Some great acting, some rather funny dialogue, but it is short on substance...You wish for this uber talented cast and design team, a better play or at least a better sitcom. Shanley’s directing keeps his characters in a one-dimensional cardboard cartoon dimension. Luckily he cast wonderful actors who tried valiantly to climb out of that box. However, in an era where PC correct has gone overboard, this show's disregard of that, was actually refreshing.”
Read more