Fish In the Dark is the new comedy written by Larry David, the creator and star of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and co-creator of "Seinfeld." Fish In the Dark is directed by Anna D. Shapiro and marks Tony-winner Jason Alexander's Broadway return and features Jayne Houdyshell, Jake Cannavale, Jonny Orsini, Rosie Perez, and Jerry Adler.
What plays well on the small screen occasionally generates honest laughs on stage, though 'Fish' becomes ponderous and ultimately feels like a sitcom episode tenuously stretched over two-plus hours...The humor is vintage David, and you either find it appealing or you don't; I thought a lot of the writing was lazy or boorish...This 'Fish' has a tendency to meander. More than once I felt as if the comedy was hitting a brick wall, only to be jarred out of my stupor by a set-up that could only come from David's sharp, Sheepshead Bay-cultivated mind. Those moments are too rare. Among the fresher things about David's comedy is the endearing performance by newcomer Jake Cannavale...The young man makes the most of his big moment in the second act, holding his own against seasoned pro Houdyshell...Hardcore Larry David fans will get a kick out of seeing the comic live on stage. Most theatergoers, though, will be better off throwing this one back in the river.
Larry David's first foray into Broadway comedy is like watching a weird -- but undeniably entertaining and, God help us all, even potentially transformative -- fusion of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' Borscht Belt comedy of the old school, long-form improv of the Chicago school, and the kind of black situational farce associated with Joe Orton or other radicals with dark, anarchic souls and a taste for shows commanding premium prices. Well, that, and 'Old Jews Telling Jokes'...To say that David looks new to the dramaturgical game ain't the half of it...So, David wrote a play that you actually could do without him (people will). And both he and the play go to some very funny places. Thanks to the plot being centered on a death in the family, and the ensuing fights over a Rolex watch and even an unexpected, illegitimate kid, the show has a life-affirming, or at least a death-cheating, quality...In its best moments, it feels as if David actually has succeeded in forming a new and potentially lucrative stand up-TV-Broadway fusion.
2015 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
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