The School for Scandal NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (74)
See it if You miss the dowager countess from downton abby, as Dana Ivey is great. The second act is better and very fun.
Don't see it if You don't have the patience to pay close attention to the dialogue or can't tolerate broad humor
See it if I'm taking it down to the wire since the run ends today, but I recommend this enjoyable production of a truly brilliant play. Cast=delight.
Don't see it if Guess one could find a reason not to see it: okay, if you don't have the time or can't get in. What other?
See it if You are looking for a fun period play
Don't see it if you're looking for a thoughtful period drama
See it if you like old English period theater. Excellent acting and costumes. Amazingly relevant considering it was first seen in 1777.
Don't see it if don't want to work at a play. You must pay attention and concentrate on the dialects.
See it if You love classical comedies with complicated plots and an abundance of characters.
Don't see it if You can't stand classical British plays.
See it if You enjoy comedic period pieces with colorful characters. It's a polished production and a fun time at the theater!
Don't see it if You don't enjoy period pieces or have difficulty understanding shows written in old english (although this is pretty easy to follow)
See it if like period plays and period costumes
Don't see it if you don;t like old Shakespearean language
See it if like farce "a comic dramatic piece that uses highly improbable situations, stereotyped characters, extravagant exaggeration etc"
Don't see it if if you like comedies, such as Shakespearean comedies, with a lot more substance and more subtle meanings.
Critic Reviews (25)
“Rest assured, if there’s humor to be gotten out of this material, director Vietor will find it. He plays up the literal and figurative posturing of this gossipy crew, he varies the pacing in a way that always keeps us guessing, and he has his gifted actors well aware of how to land a laugh….Red Bull has done an impeccable job. But if you find the plotting needlessly convoluted and the acres of verbiage excessive, you’re not alone.”
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“A first-class production...A supporting company of devoted and dedicated actors who are comfortable and adroit at playing high comedy without camp or condescension...Director Mark Vietor has kept this merry frolic spinning all evening long...Lest you think this ancient play will appeal mostly to ancient audiences, the young lady of about 13 sitting in front of me was infectiously laughing for the entire 2 l/2 hours.”
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“A marvelous production with first-rate performances across the board. Staging this material well is no simple task and, as audiences favor the now typical 90-minute theater treatment, it requires slightly more focus. This clocks in at 2 hrs. and 20 minutes. Nonetheless, it’s a practical study in acting for students and provides a pleasing highbrow comedy for the rest of us.”
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"“This is a classy, entertaining revival. Linn-Baker is the perfect straight man, enhancing the humorous chaos taking place around him. Costumes by Andrea Lauer enhance the characters -- from elegant and stylish to vulgar…I found the pace in the almost two-and-a half-hour run a bit draggy."
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“Resonate is what this production certainly does. The plot is too complicated to unravel here, yet remarkably there’s not one moment of confusion….All the action and brilliant language charms and enlightens. Nearly 250 years have gone by and not a whole lot about human nature, it turns out, has changed. There’s still a lot of duplicity and self-delusion in our world, and in the case of this wonderful evening of theater, I say, ‘Thank goodness.’”
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“Once the action gets into gear, the comical proceedings soon become quite easy and enjoyable to follow...The production has a wonderful cast...While some of Sheridan's piercing one-liners don't bring down the house today in quite the same way that they surely did years ago, the pleasure of watching otherwise intelligent people make fools of themselves never gets old, making ‘The School for Scandal’ a timeless play well worth seeing in this fabulous production."
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"The production delightfully balances this classic play’s sweet, charming love story and its bawdy, boisterous comic gags…Overall, Vietor’s direction emphasizes the skills of these well-trained actors, as well as the polished design elements…The well-made plot may feel too much like a fairy tale for a viewer to relate to it on a more personal level. Nonetheless, the production elicits laughs both light and hearty and is an excellent example of the genre."
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“There is not a weak link in this production...The plot is so tightly wound and the dialogue so rapid that its ideal audience must take joy in the marathon. Thankfully, with Marc Vietor at the helm measuring out the plot and clarifying the twists through clean staging, the weight of the plot never falls on the audience’s shoulders…’Scandal’ is a showcase of refined skill put through the prism of refined skill...The production is relentlessly satisfying.”
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