reviews - IT'S ONLY A PLAY - Phoenix Theatre

Tony Latham, Debra K. Stevens, Toby Yatso, D. Scott Withers, Pasha Yamotahari, Rusty Ferracane, and Ashley Stults
photo by Reg Madison Photography

highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)

Click here for more information on this production that runs through February 11th.

"...Terrence McNally's comedy It's Only a Play... stars some of the top comic actors in the Valley. While the play itself is a bit long and includes a lot of famous name dropping and backstage drama that might go over the heads of those not well versed in the in-depth knowledge of the business of Broadway and New York City, it still amounts to a fun, charming and often times hilarious ride through the nonstop behind the scenes theatrics at the opening night party for a new Broadway play...McNally's characters are funny and interesting individuals that are fairly fleshed out and three dimensional, though they are also almost all narcissists who truly only care about themselves. ..Director Matthew Wiener has assembled a cast of gifted comedians who get some big laughs from McNally's funny script, though not every joke lands and a few aren't delivered as successfully as they could be. Chalk that up partly to the unfamiliarity of some of the names that are dropped that are very specific to New York and Broadway as well as the somewhat uneven tone and direction the play goes in the second half of the second act which pads out the play and shortchanges some of the humor of the show.... " -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)

"...The jokes come fast and furious...but when the payoff is limited to the famous name-drop, what brought the house down on Broadway is in danger of only receiving a muted laugh when played regionally....Director Matthew Wiener’s proven affinity for farcical comedy is clearly evident. He draws the broadest of broad gestures out his cast and keeps the action moving at such an effective breakneck speed you may not notice that there’s hardly a plot at all...." -David Appleford, Valley Screen and Stage (click here to read the complete review)

"There’s abundant raucous laughter and madcap confusion in “It’s Only a Play” at Phoenix Theatre.  The delightfully daffy production is due to Terrance McNally’s hysterical script and a superlative local cast of comic farceurs. ...The superlative cast runs with every bit of amusing mayhem.... fabulous comic details in Matthew Wiener’s expert staging....The opening night audience never stopped laughing ...nothing but perfect comic performances in the seven person ensemble.  ...“It’s Only a Play” entertains mightily because of the performers’ comic expertise in this beautifully staged production. .." --Chris Curcio, KBAQ (click here to read the complete review)

COMING SOON - Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic (click here to read the complete review)

"Neither Douglas Clarke's lavish set nor Paul Black's Broadway-bright lights, neither Connie Furr Soloman's classy and colorful costume design nor a cast comprised of some of the Valley's thespian luminaries can save Terrence McNally's IT'S ONLY A PLAY from its weak legs and gratuitous nastiness. ... a firecracker that fizzles, every now and then sparked by a singular stand out performance....by the end of this two-hour slog, IT'S ONLY A PLAY, directed by Matthew Weiner, is a vehicle stuck in first gear. " - Herbert Paine, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)