Savoy theatre, London
Despite a thrilling premise – New York’s power couple staging unhappy marriages – this dated production coasts on its stars’ fame rather than testing their seasoned skills on the boards
This transfer of Neil Simon’s three-act play about couples in crisis comes with Broadway’s famed levels of audience appreciation, perhaps unsurprisingly given that New York royalty is headlining. The whooping begins at the sight of an empty set. Decibels rise when Sarah Jessica Parker walks on. Matthew Broderick’s entry stirs more hoopla. One woman in my sight-line holds up a glowing phone to secure her brazen memento, 15 minutes in. Parker has already asked an audience member at a previous show to put away their phone, mid-production. Ushers zip up and down the aisles, clearly hoping to prevent another such misdemeanour.
Never mind the comedy on stage, this is a celebrity circus. Even costume changes get audience oohs and aahs. It seems oddly disproportionate because, as exciting as it may be to see Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw on stage, the production is flat and forgettable, not testing either actor’s seasoned skills on the boards (though this is Parker’s debut in the West End).
