Did New York Critics Get Dreamy About Terrence McNally's Dedication?

Terrence McNally's Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams, starring Nathan Lane and Marian Seldes, explores the magic of theater. The play, which is being produced by Primary Stages, opened at 59E59's Theater A where it will now be through October 2 on August 18. Did critics find it dreamy?

Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

Eric Grode in his Broadway.com Review: "Any play that uses the transporting power of the theater as its central metaphor sets the bar pretty high for itself. OK, we say, how about a little of this magic we keep hearing so much about? Instead, Terrence McNally's Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams reminds us that theater can also be as forced and boring as any other art form… Michael Morris's slack, prosaic direction does McNally no favors. He uses the theater's many stage props to surprisingly fruitless effect and shows a tin ear during the more emotional exchanges. His direction of several characters consists of one basic tic or posture."

Ben Brantley of The New York Times: "Burdened with soap-opera-ish plot turns and artificially bright dialogue, this story of a struggling children's theater troupe in upstate New York never seems able to convince itself or its audience that life and art trump death and doubt. And while Mr. Lane gives a credible and affecting performance as a small-town seat-of-the-pants director, even he is no match for Ms. Seldes's wicked incarnation of the will to die."

Frank Scheck of The New York Post: "Toward the end of Act One of Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams is a scene that should be studied by anyone interested in comic acting. With Marian Seldes providing a viciously funny setup, Nathan Lane delivering a hilarious deadpan response and Seldes topping that with the final riposte, the exchange resembles a tennis match between Grand Slam pros. Unfortunately, their talents are unable to compensate for the forced staginess of Terrence McNally's overwritten and underdeveloped new play."

Howard Kissel of The New York Daily News: "Dedication is not only the key word in the cumbersome title of Terrence McNally's new play, Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams. It is also the operable term in what is required of theatergoers-- only the most dedicated will have the stamina to sit through this unwieldy play to see a wonderful performance by Marian Seldes and a nicely subdued one by Nathan Lane. There are several plot lines churning around in this talky two-act play, none of which would make it even as a one-act."

David Rooney of Variety: "Despite such weighty themes as cancer, assisted suicide, parent-child discord and platonic vs. physical love, this is an inconsequential piece, naggingly void of authenticity, emotional complexity or inspiration. Of course, with a writer as witty as the prolific McNally, there are compensations, and the play is not without a smattering of amusing dialogue. But the chief reasons to give any attention to this sophomoric work--premiered last summer at the Williamstown Theater Festival--are an enjoyably acidic turn from Marian Seldes, as an imperious dowager in vintage McNally mode, and the welcome return of Nathan Lane for the first time in years to a small-scale ensemble production, his fourth collaboration with the playwright."

Michael Kuchwara of The Associated Press: "[Seldes] gives one of those astonishing, highly theatrical performances, exuberant, extravagant, yet totally in character. She expertly mines the humor and heartbreak in this sardonic creature, a fearless grand dame named Annabelle Willard who happens to be dying of cancer. Until her appearance well into Act 1, Dedication dawdles, dramatically speaking. When the lady finally shows up, the play snaps into focus but then retreats into fuzziness when she goes offstage."