Happy Days (TFANA) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (56)
See it if You've got patience for a slow-burn and want to see Dianne Wiest give a masterful character study.
Don't see it if You need a driving action, or don't like plays designed to make you meditate rather than handing you catharsis.
See it if You like challenging work, are open to absurdism, and like your comedy and tragedy mixed in equal measure.
Don't see it if You need anything straightforward. You need action and plot and don't value meditative theater. Read more
See it if you aren't afraid of shows that make you work to meet them in the middle, rather than coming to you.
Don't see it if you don't like above-described shows, you prefer shows with a lot of visual action or clear development in plot.
See it if Woman stuck in the sand talks to herself and barely-responsive companion to pass the time. An extreme metaphor for the human condition.
Don't see it if The image was memorable but despite good acting, it dragged a bit and wasn't all that deep. We all focus on trivialities and smile to get by
See it if You love/like this play, or are curious about it. This is a solid, well acted production. Dianne Wiest is very worth seeing.
Don't see it if You like traditional plays with story and movement. This is a famous play, well performed, but it is not to everyone's taste.
See it if You can sit through Beckett.
Don't see it if You can't sit through Beckett.
See it if you like me love Diane Wiest - you know that Beckett is going to be an esoteric night at the theatre
Don't see it if you have to have a linear story line
See it if You like Samuel Beckett or you want to see a truly great performance from Dianne Wiest.
Don't see it if You get bored easily. Make no mistake - this is pure Beckett. It's Dianne Wiest onstage talking for two hours without moving.
Critic Reviews (23)
“Wiest is at the top of her game as Winnie, bringing the character fully to life in a tour-de-force performance. Despite the challenges of performing in an increasingly constrained position, she projects more than enough power and presence to pull it all off…Masterfully done, this production presents a powerful view of a woman in the middle of a very personal journey. Though where she's going and where she's been are matters left up to every member of the audience.”
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"Blessed we are to have Winnie played by a superb Dianne Wiest...There are too few visits to the theater that reduce the everyday so truthfully in the head, and so emotionally in the gut, too...Wiest draws you in closer and closer, to her face, to her eyes, in a totally captivating, mesmerizing performance...If I never see another production of 'Happy Days,' I’m blessed with this."
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“Diane Wiest is captivating…She wins the audience over with perky optimism in the face of her character’s overwhelming dilemma...Her energy stays with us long after the curtain comes down, allowing us to ponder Beckett’s provocative writing and apply it to our own circumstances…Ms. Wiest creates moments that are full of poignancy and humor…She is truly spectacular…The play is a thoughtful encounter that leads to meaningful introspection.”
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“A deep and at times gruesome look at the lives of women, stuck in one place and expected to make the very best of things…In lesser hands, this character could devolve into a harridan, but Wiest keeps Winnie sunny…Beckett is known for his love of the absurd, but in portraying the plight of this everywoman sinking deeper and deeper into the sands of time, he's hit the proverbial nail on the head.”
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"Yale Repertory Theater’s production of 'Happy Days' is both the epitome of existential comedy and tragedy pairing two genius talents – playwright Samuel Beckett and actress Dianne Wiest...Wiest is arguably one of the great American actresses of our time...Getting to see her in such a nuanced role is like watching a master class. The precision of her voice inflections and mannerisms is worthy of study...The beauty of it all is to decipher and see what it individually means to you."
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"At times the pacing might be tighter and Ms. Wiest tends to slip notes of piteousness into her delivery that border on the sentimental...But any actress undertaking this challenging role deserves a medal for valor, and Ms. Wiest’s entrancingly funny, ultimately harrowing performance certainly deserves one...As this fine production and Ms. Wiest’s fearless performance attest, call it what you will, 'Happy Days' remains one of the most unsettling and unforgettable plays in the modern canon."
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Wiest is the most engaging Winnie available to local audiences in recent memory…Director James Bundy and his ace design team are whole-heartedly in tune with Beckett’s desire to create an environment that juxtaposes sunny optimism with suicidal despair…As for Bundy’s effort, it deserves high praise for ushering two superlative performances by Wiest and Conroy through daunting roles while leaving no trace of his own presence. His service is to the playwright alone.”
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