Old Acquaintance

What the press had to say.....

BEN BRANTLEY of THE NEW YORK TIMES: �Mildly entertaining, maddeningly disjunctive revival."

JOE DZIEMIANOWICZ of NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: "The production is breezy (three acts zip by), beautiful (the '40s fashions and interiors are luscious) and bipolar in its tone (naturalism here, hysteria there). The overall effect is discombobulating."

CLIVE BARNES of THe NEW YORK POST: "Tivial is as trivial does - and trivial does remarkably little for the Roundabout Theater Company's inexplicable revival "

MICHAEL SOMMERS of STAR-LEDGER: "All fussy gestures and sharp vocal inflections, eyes ceaselessly narrowing with discontent, Harris sweeps through her scenes in a high-handed manner that ain't subtle but sure is funny."

ELYSA GARDNER of USA TODAY: "The material does show its age, certainly more than its heroines would wish to show theirs. But even at its most quaint, van Druten's play reminds us that women of civility and substance can be formidable sparring partners."

LINDA WINER of NEWSDAY: "If only Michael Wilson had directed the main characters (Harriet Harris & Margaret Colin) as if they were in the same production, we would have had more to ponder than the decor."

ROBERT FELDBERG of the RECORD: "A whiff of old-time soap opera. Almost all is overcome, though, by the show's stars, Margaret Colin and, especially, Harriet Harris. Using their wit and style, they firmly take the show in hand and provide an evening of feather-light fun while adding a pinch or two of emotion."

ERIC GRODE of the NEW YORK SUN: "Even with the stylish maneuverings of its leading ladies, the authorial and romantic angst on display amounts to not quite enough for love or hate, just a mild contentment that fades from memory faster than a Mildred Watson Drake paperback."

JOHN SIMON of BLOOMBERG: "Michael Wilson's rather inconsistent direction has allowed Harris and Davis the kind of leeway a spoiled lapdog might envy. You may be old enough to recall the 1943 movie version with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins excelling. Already then James Agee found it 'odd that such trash can seem mature and adventurous.' Today, this acquaintance seems even more odd than old."

FRANK SCHECK of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: "neither the play nor this production are outstanding enough to stake a claim for the work as a neglected classic."

DAVID ROONEY of VARIETY: "The comic verve of Harriet Harris and the elegance of her co-star and foil, Margaret Colin, make the three acts pass painlessly, but the play's catfight lacks claws just as its lovefest struggles to summon warmth." & "Wilson keeps the play motoring along briskly enough, yet the production strains to find its groove, exposing the material's flimsiness. It's never quite as much fun as it should be."

External links to full reviews from newspapers

New York Times
New York Daily News
New York Post
USA Today
NewsDay
The Record
New York Sun
Bloomberg
Variety