Writer: Mark Twain
Adapted by: David Ives
Director: Michael Blakemore
Synopsis: Inspired by the posthumous bidding war that broke out between the United States and France over Jean-Francois Millet’s painting The Angelus, Is He Dead? is about a group of poor artists who stage the death of their mentor to drive up the price of his paintings. In order for the scheme to succeed, the artists hatch various hilarious plots involving cross-dressing, a full-scale fake funeral, lovers’ deceptions, and much more.
NEW YORK TIMES:
""Is He Dead?" may be a scam, trying to pass off copper as gold. But by the time Mr. Butz raises his skirts and kicks up his heels for a final dance of the seven petticoats, there was indeed gold dust in my eyes."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS:
"Director Michael Blakemore ('Noises Off') hasn't just awakened the 'Dead.' He and his cast, some of the best comic actors in New York, have turned an old-fashioned, sometimes wobbly piece of material into a delightfully silly and entertaining evening. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"Frankly, Twain's play (even with Ives' tinkering) is pretty feeble... Yet Twain (and Ives) have struck it rich with Blakemore, the set designer Peter J. Davison, the costume designer Martin Pakledinaz and a cast that can spin gold out of lead." & "By the time the cast erupts into the crazy dance that constitutes its curtain call, it would be a hard heart that could have resisted such a subtly nutsy ensemble performance."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEWSDAY:
"A bit more than a curiosity but far less than a lost masterwork." & "Blakemore and Ives offer lots of exaggerated comic asides, mistaken identities and multiple doors to hide plot devices. The result reminds me of the sort of annoying person who keeps tickling you until, finally, you're forced to laugh despite your better judgment." & "We're forced to wonder if this would be on Broadway if a living playwright had written it."
NEW YORK SUN:
""Is He Dead?" serves as a heartening reminder that comic ingenuity can make even the hoariest material seem fresh and vibrant. I am referring not to Twain but to the blessedly disinhibited man at the center of his play (Norbert Leo Butz)."
Read the whole review HERE.
BLOOMBERG:
"Is He Dead?" did, however, contain a comic idea that, in David Ives's adaptation, has blossomed into a comic play. As directed at the Lyceum on Broadway by the dependable Michael Blakemore and with an expert cast surrounding that slapstick dynamo Norbert Leo Butz, it emerges very comic indeed." & "The guffaws creep up on us slowly at first, only to buffet us with a barrage of sidesplitters."
Read the whole review HERE.
VARIETY:
"Director Michael Blakemore, adapter David Ives and a spirited cast led by human whoopee cushion Norbert Leo Butz have turned this trifle into a ripely enjoyable confection." & "The most consistent delight is the gifted Butz!" & "Given the scarcity of laugh-out-loud comedies on Broadway, this one registers high on the mirth meter."
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