Photo by Julieta Cervantes

OK, full disclosure: I could watch Nathan Lane delivering all his signature tricks on stage until the cows come home. Even when he's not hammering home his lines, my eye is constantly drawn to his reactions and facial expressions that keep popping up in his vast amount of Broadway credits... and they get me every time! Even though Mr. Lane as Walter Burns is perhaps the top draw for the play, he is complimented by a stellar cast that other Broadway producers would die for. John Slattery hangs up his "Mad Men" coat and returns to Broadway with a supremely confident performance as Hildy Johnson, whilst John Goodman plays the hopeless Sheriff Hartman to loveable perfection. Throw Holland Taylor, Sherie Rene Scott and Robert Morse into the mix for good measure and the cherry on top of the cake, in my opinion, is a show-stealing performance from Tony winner Jefferson Mays as Bensinger, who nails each opportunity for physical comedy and delights us with his neurotic, germophobe habits again and again.

Click HERE to read our interview with Jefferson Mays.

The key to the play's success is the tremendous level of pace the cast is able to keep up for 2 hours and 45 minutes. To perform with that amount of energy eight shows a week makes me tired just thinking about it! The Chicago-based press room - the setting of the play - feels completely authentic, brimming with hectic banter and testosterone-fuelled bravado. Even the bathroom door is plastered with the Playboy centrefolds of yesteryear. The female roles and portrayals are consequently not as three-dimensional as one would like, but again that adds to the authenticity of the playwrights' period.

The production also boasts an impressive, towering set by Douglas W. Schmidt, which also accommodates the smashing of windows as characters enter from outside in a dramatic fashion. Again, the actors have the timing of the physical aspects of the play down to a tee.

To make almost 3 hours of comedy fly by is a true testament to the skill of the cast and director Jack O'Brien. From the front page to the back page of the script, this member of the press was completely hooked.

Click here for tickets to The Front Page, which is booking through to January 29th, 2016 at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre.

- by Tom Millward