Lone Star (Ruth Stage) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (87)
See it if You are interested in great acting and relevant topics, if you want to laugh and cry at the same time . If you like plays that gain momentum
Don't see it if Off color, raunchy interaction bothers you. Read more
See it if You like plays not easily categorized: abt a Vietnam vet returned to his sleepy town w/out much happening staged as a comic book come alive.
Don't see it if You prefer well defined plays that fit neatly in a category: musical, drama or comedy. This one doesn’t. Read more
See it if you enjoy this cast. Dan Amboyer and Ryan McCartan are standouts and their interaction is far and away the highlight of the show.
Don't see it if you would mind caring more about the supporting characters than the leads.
See it if Alot of family drama and drama in general dealing. This happens in one night at the local bar.
Don't see it if Voilent, drinking, raunchy, not a light show.
See it if you have know a veteran from any of the recent conflicts
Don't see it if you are not reality oriented
See it if The staging really did make me feel like a summer night in Texas outside behind the bar.
Don't see it if Violent actions and speech bother you. If a play featuring a drunken man with PTSD is too hard to watch. Read more
See it if Good acting in a somewhat slow study of two brothers, one who suffers from PTSD as a result of serving in Vietnam.
Don't see it if Some laughs but mostly serious drama may not be for everyone. If you served in Vietnam or are part of that generation, you could relate.
See it if You want to see what the vietnam war did to one family in Texas in the 1970s.
Don't see it if If you are bothered by drunken behavior and excessive alcohol consumption, then skip this one.
Critic Reviews (9)
"One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that’s 'Lone Star' in a nutshell."
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"’Imagine a Burt Reynolds movie as written by Mel Brooks, and you might have an approximation of the hilarity.’ So wrote Mel Gussow about Lone Star when it opened on Broadway in 1979 to general acclaim (and admittedly, a short two-month run). Such hilarity is missing in action onstage at Theatre Row, leading one to think that James McLure's tragicomedy has aged badly. But I think it's more complicated than that; the allure of Lone Star is hard to make out but those involved in the revival don't make it any easier.”
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Probably only David Rabe’s "Sticks and Bones" (part of his Vietnam trilogy that included "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel" and "Streamers") is as demonstrative as "Lone Star" in its depiction of a soldier’s inability to easily pick up from where he left off upon returning from a tour of duty. For this production, Ruth Stage, in an adaptation by director Joe Rosario and actor Matt de Rogatis, has been given the rights to append the character of Elizabeth to the original "Lone Star" cast. Her character is from a companion McLure play, "Laundry and Bourbon," which has a history of being performed in repertory with "Lone Star." Elizabeth is Roy’s wife, therefore Ray’s sister-in-law.
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“The play is described, rightfully, as a dark comedy, which is powerfully portrayed by the brothers, Roy and Ray...After 90 minutes of yelling and fighting, the scene is a lovely way to end the play and begin their lives.”
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“The highlights of this production are two terrific acting talents that stand out in their characterizations and make the play worth watching...There’s a completely unnecessary comic-book type storyboard montage of the play showing us everything we have just witnessed that comes right before the last tie-everything-up scene. The play itself is a bit dated in its outlook on the world and the misogyny about what a woman is holds the script back from ever being something that will be produced very much.”
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"With shades of Chekov and The Best Years of Our Lives, the late Southern writer James McLure’s one-act play beautifully depicts the disaffected existence of a Vietnam War veteran in the early 1970’s through rich vernacular-laden dialogue, three engaging Texas small-town quirky male characters and a compelling casual plot. Actor Matt de Rogatis is awesome as the former soldier. This production is notable because with the permission of the McLure estate, the play is now being given an expanded adaptation."
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“The fun of McLure’s ‘Lone Star’ still holds up, as does the portrayal of a damaged war veteran.”
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“The actors are skilled with different techniques, so what we get feels imposed rather than lived in. You can see the seams and feel them acting...The evening feels calculated to expose the underbelly of the beast. There is no moment of redemption that justifies the ending.”
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