It’s a HIT! The critics here in Chicago are loving the show, starring Michael Urie of “Ugly Betty”, which opened on May 8th at the Broadway Playhouse.
“”Buyer and Cellar” manages to probe the darker side of our collective celebrity obsession: our seemingly insatiable need to fully know the very people whom you cannot fully know, the way we mercilessly critique their fish-bowl lives from positions of pathetically limited knowledge and yet also turn to jelly when these living icons afford us the time of day.”
– Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune Read more
Jones gives the show 3 1/2 stars and calls it “a lot of laugh-out-loud fun, replete with an engaging performance from Urie”.
“Urie takes us through 100 minutes of rapidfire, emotionally charged but oddly warped “interaction” between employee and star. And as he recounts his own experiences, he also brilliantly conjures the eccentric, needy, intimidating star herself; her movie-star husband James Brolin; Sharon, the all-business manager of Streisand’s estate; and his own boyfriend, Barry”
– Hedy Weiss, The Chicago Sun-Times Read more
Weiss says the show is “too good to pass up” and it comes “highly recommended”.
“Urie makes a tour de force tour guide, rendering his tale in fluid, charmingly conspiratorial tones and stocking this Cellar with equal parts in-jokes and insights.”
– Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago Read more
Vire calls the show “blisteringly funny” and rates it 4 stars.
“Throughout the ninty-minute work, Mr. Urie masterfully narrates the story then begins inhabiting the different characters that affect each other in profound ways. The initial interaction between Alex and his employer is hysterical as she tries to barter for “FiFi” the doll whose backstory he instantly creates. As both begin to get to know each other, a tacit bond of trust starts to form as they each understand the loneliness and isolation the other is feeling.”
– Michael Roberts, Showbiz Chicago Read more
Roberts calls Michael Urie’s performance a “tour-de-force” and rates the show “highly recommended”.
“Without the need for countless props, vast set or scenery, any costume changes or a plethora of projections and video, it is Urie alone on stage who seamlessly morphs in and out of character with ease and distinction for each voice and identity.
He has the gift of not only the acting craft, but also as a masterful storyteller able to punctuate with humor and emotion.”
– Phil Potempa, Northwest Indiana Times Read more
Potempa says the play “offer[s] insight not only about happiness and the price tag of reality but also lessons about friendship and the fleeting need for fame and recognition by others.”
Make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to see the show that has the critics writing raves! Buyer & Cellar performances continue at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place through June 15, 2014.
