The Lucky One NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (140)
See it if You want to see a masterful play about two brothers, one of whom is everyone's favorite, that completely doesn't go where you'd expect it to
Don't see it if You don't have the patience for slow-moving plays that are just people talking in period English. Or if family dysfunction doesnt interest u
See it if Mint is on a perpetual roll, Sets are always super even after the tough move. Cast is in tune. Surprised that Milne is the writer.
Don't see it if Act 1 may be a bit slow but Act 2 is the time for the climax, Do not miss it If you need singing and dancing this is not your cup of Earl G
See it if You are a nostalgic theatre goer who appreciates well written plays that allow actors to get truly absorbed in the characters.
Don't see it if You prefer your theatre done in modern day American and you don't care for British dry wit and words. Read more
See it if You like great acting and enjoy stories of siblings and their conflicts. Powerful acting by the cast and particularly the two leads.
Don't see it if You don't like period pieces. A bit dated but very well written.
See it if you enjoy show about family dynamics that is very perceptive.
Don't see it if you don't like period pieces with traditional presentation. Read more
See it if You like a psychologically sound play about sibling rivalry that is still relevant.
Don't see it if You dislike a lot of exposition and buttoned-up characters. You don't give a fig about golf. Read more
See it if You like rarely seen revivals that respect their time period & are relevant to today. You like well-written plays & great acting.
Don't see it if You prefer contemporary plays. You have no familiarity w/early 20th century English play structure.
See it if You like English period pieces, family dramas, and well-developed characters. You prefer shades of grey to black-and-white plots.
Don't see it if You prefer a clear protagonist and antagonist. These are two well-defined, flawed characters.
Critic Reviews (28)
"The use of light comedy to weave a serious narrative is a particularly British manner of storytelling, and it’s not easy to pull off. Director Jesse Marchese has skillfully managed to honor the style without any 'tickety-boo' self-consciousness that would belittle the material...The cast is very competent and clearly versed in theater, hitting the mark in gesture and tone...Milne has written with a sensitivity all the more affecting for its touch of autobiography."
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"Feels somehow oddly devoid of involving dramatic content...The playwright seems set on justifying the shabby treatment of the black sheep by the favorite son. But Grant’s preening, ever-grimacing portrayal makes it hard to appreciate Gerald’s point of view. And Brand makes the dour, grudge-holding Bob equally unlikable...Things aren’t helped by a needless comic subplot...The Mint’s choices have customarily been fortunate, but with 'The Lucky One' the company is decidedly not so lucky."
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"It feels like an ever so proper British play, served up by a group of fine actors in search of a better Coward play...The actors try to engage, but never really connect...They must combat some pretty bland direction and stereotypical acting choices...We are forced to slog through the plot points in the first two acts in order to finally get to the clash where the emotionality of these two brothers can finally alter, shift, and develop beyond the one note given so far. It’s worth the wait."
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“The three-act play, clumsy, old-fashioned, and dotted with unanswered plot questions, nevertheless contains enough lively dialogue and dramatic confrontations to make its two hours pass by entertainingly enough…Otherwise, Milne's play can't be described as an unfairly overlooked treasure…Surrounding the fraternal squabbles are a familiar lot of drawing-room stereotypes. Best is veteran Cynthia Harris as the wise, aged great-aunt, Miss Farringdon.”
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"The play seems unfinished...Part of the problem is the casting. Neither Brand nor Grant physically fit their roles and it isn’t until the second act that we actually like Gerald. By the end we hate the whiny immature loser known as Bob...It seems like Marchese just did not have a handle on this production, except for the comedic scenes between the young ingenues. The first act also seemed vastly different than the second with the later picking up speed, but it also seemed to be missing scenes."
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"A stylish, well-acted revival...Brand’s performance as Bob is very one-note until the explosion of anger toward Gerald, but even when he wins Pamela his demeanor is solemn...A scene-stealer is Cynthia Harris as the great-aunt, who has many good lines denoting her wisdom and humor, and Harris makes the most of them, dominating the stage whenever she makes an appearance...As is customary with Mint Theater productions, all is done here in impeccable style."
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"Skill in depicting societal expectations, relationships, and moral quandaries later embodied by forest creatures is here showcased with insight...Spot-on golf repartee, wonderful pieces of dialogue...Most secondary characters, though credible, act as wallpaper...Still the piece holds one’s attention, not the least because of actor Robert David Grant’s vivid performance...Director Jesse Marchese uses her stage with aesthetic and dramatic skill."
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“Milne slyly subverts the title, the tropes of the drawing-room comedy and the themes of the Cain versus Abel matchup...But, alas, the play seems to have overwhelmed its director Jesse Marchese, who is alternately too heavy-handed in some places and too light in others…The cop out would be to say that 'The Lucky One' is just an old-fashioned play that has seen its day...I suspect we'd all be feeling differently if we had been lucky enough to get a more percipient production.”
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