The Traveling Lady NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (82)
See it if You are a fan of Horton Foote and enjoy gentle, slice of life dramas
Don't see it if You are expecting a plot with mounting tension and a big reveal.
See it if You like Horton Foote,shows about relationships, good acting,especially the roll of Missues Mavis
Don't see it if You want to see something lighter or a musical
See it if Appreciate Horton Foote and enjoy plays about contemporary 20 century settingd
Don't see it if Only interested in plays that show case sexual, racial and ethnic issues.
See it if you enjoy wonderful character studies. I enjoyed watching the plot unfold of these small town characters. Very talented cast.
Don't see it if you want lots of action and powerful dialogue. I enjoyed the realism of this play. It doesn't blow you away, it just make you an observer.
See it if you like Horton Foote plays about simple, sincere people trying to be kind to one another even in iffy circumstances, realistic portrayals.
Don't see it if You don't like tales of rural Southern life, ex-convicts trying to reintegrate into everyday life, mother-daughter good-natured bickering..
See it if if you like plays by Horton Foote - even though it is not one of his best - it still it had a nice story with interesting characters.
Don't see it if if you need to see fast moving plays that have huge profound ideas.
See it if you enjoy an engrossing story with interesting characters, each with their own issues, complexly interacting.
Don't see it if you don't like Horton Foote or shows that take their time to develop.
See it if you like stories about small town folks with perceptive insights into people trying to cope with their conditions and superb acting.
Don't see it if you dislike stories that focus on the minutia of everyday problems and is somewhat predictable.
Critic Reviews (25)
“It needs a director and actors able to dig into the rhythm of Foote's words, and the personalities of his characters. Fortunately, director Pendleton and the cast are more than up to that challenge…Pendeleton overdoes the use of the aisle for the actors to enter and exit the stage a bit. However, his direction otherwise and the production values overall enhance and support this visit down Mr. Foote's very special and well worth visiting memory lane.”
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"An excellent revival...Pendleton brings tremendous reverence to Foote, his ensemble, and the art of theatre in general, directing every moment with grace and sensitivity...While the production is top-notch, the script itself is not Foote’s best...Why revisit what feels like a writing exercise in the expansive 70-year career of a literary giant? I don’t have the answer. But if you are a Foote aficionado, you’ll find his play successfully and faithfully realized here with great love and loyalty."
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“A sleepy misfire directed by the ubiquitous Austin Pendleton…A company of first-class New York actors fails to find more in their roles than their obvious external features…Rarely does the atmosphere rise to compellingly dramatic levels; rarely is there any tension; and rarely do we care what happens to these people, who, for all their basic decency, seem little more than Dixie stereotypes. They drawl, gossip, smile, stare, and pause the time away, all on behalf of a foregone conclusion.”
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"Wildly predictable...So, what’s the reason to hustle downtown to go there, again? In this case, it comes down to the acting...Difficult to say how much of the authenticity of the acting magic is owing to the director (Austin Pendleton) and how much to the craft and alchemy of the polished actors...There’s nothing wrong with 'The Traveling Lady' but there is little bite to it, little memorable about it, nothing surprising to take away. If you like Horton Foote, you will probably like this one."
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"Poignant, gently amusing, and peopled with believable small-town characters who struggle and strive to be decent, not always successfully...I have to admit that 'The Traveling Lady' didn’t really kick in for me until the last third of the play...If this production may have required more attentiveness than I was willing to give it, if it didn’t move me or amuse me as much I might have hoped, that may only be because Horton Foote is responsible for some of the best theater I’ve ever seen."
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“One of those just-about-flawless revivals that Foote seems to invite…Here it is again, under Austin Pendleton’s reliably sympathetic and spanking-clean direction…The minute Foote recognized there was playwriting gold in them thar plains had to have been the minute he started recording them for his series of high-caliber works. Here they are again, delivered by a strong cast. Hearty thanks to them all.”
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"Will Georgette catch a break? I was not at the edge of my seat waiting to find out. While the ensemble is mostly good, Pendleton’s direction is flat...The need for most of the actors to enter via the theater’s center aisle and up a few stairs grows tiresome quickly. While it’s always a pleasure to see Ziemba, she is wasted in a nondescript supporting role...Unless you are a fanatic Foote fan, you can skip this one."
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"The characters Foote has created grow on you right up until the very touching ending...The beauty of the play, directed with care and intelligence by Austin Pendleton, lies in Foote’s ability to develop believable characters and place them in believable surroundings. The excellent cast succeeds in making Foote’s characters come alive...Everything unites to make one leave with appreciation of having had a moving experience and renewed respect for the author."
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