We round up the reviews for the new play by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis, starring Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
Time Out: “The spirit of cheap comedy dominates what should be a thriller and character study. If a stage version of Dog Day Afternoon was unable to figure out how to integrate the outside narrative—the crowd, the media, the effect that revelations about the robbers’ sexuality have on both—it could have compensated with expanded explorations of Sonny’s relationships with, say, his first wife or his mother.”
New York Times: “While the dialogue keeps reminding you of the grit and grime of 1970s Brooklyn, this play is firmly a product of the family-friendly Broadway of today. Even the inevitably doomed conclusion to the robbery is given a new addition that allows audiences some easy uplift. There’s nothing wrong with comic escapism, and this show has verve and momentum that is easy to enjoy. It helps if you have never seen the movie.”
Variety: “As a piece of stagecraft, “Dog Day Afternoon,” directed by Rupert Goold, does a canny job of translating the film’s logistics, keeping the flow of action taut and invigorating.”
amNY: “What is gained by this adaptation? Little that wasn’t already achieved, more effectively, on screen. As a piece of theater, it feels less like a reimagining than a repackaging — a familiar property pressed into service as a showcase for recognizable television talent. Like the robbery at its center, it never quite comes together.”
The Hollywood Reporter: “On Broadway, though, Dog Day Afternoon attempts to force that out of its onlookers rather than earn it, turning Sonny’s shouts of reckless heroism into a hollow marketing slogan utterly stripped of context. Maybe some theatergoers will put down their $30 themed cocktails to clap and cheer along, deciding right then and there to buy an “Attica! Attica! Attica!” tote bag in the lobby on their way out, happy to have had the Dog Day experience. But the Sonny of the film would certainly be appalled to see such a thing. I think the hostages would be, too.”
New York Theater.me: “It’s the depiction of the gay and trans characters that made me question the claim that the story speaks to today in any way that feels useful.”
USA Today: “Guirgis and Goold, on the other hand, make this “Dog Day” a farcical comedy of errors from start to finish, undercutting every potentially poignant or frightening moment with a punchline.”
New York Post: “How remarkable that a half-century-old movie treats a trans character with more sensitivity and nuance than a brand-new play.”
To find out more about the production visit: https://dogdayafternoon.com/