Did Bunin's Busy World Answer Critics' Prayers?

Keith Bunin's The Busy World is Hushed lost its announced star, Christine Lahti, just days into rehearsals. But the production rebounded quickly, enlisting Jill Clayburgh, who had starred in a reading of the play, to headline the mounting. With Clayburgh on board as a minister with a complicated family life, the drama opened at Playwrights Horizons on June 25. Was it an answer to critics' prayers?

Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

William Stevenson in his Broadway.com Review: "The title which comes from a prayer may be clunky, but Keith Bunin's new play about faith and families is smart, thoughtful and ultimately affecting. Directed with sensitivity by Mark Brokaw and ably acted by its three-person cast, The Busy World Is Hushed combines religious debate and complicated relationships with winning results… [Jill Clayburgh] is easygoing and somewhat too restrained in the play's early scenes. When she finally uncorks her emotions toward the end, however, Clayburgh is terrific."

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times: "Mr. Bunin's characters speak in complete, articulate sentences and never leave a thought unfinished, lending too much of the talk a neatly manicured quality. I wish too that Mr. Brokaw had urged Ms. Clayburgh to play down the piousness of some of Hannah's loftier statements about Christian beliefs… But Mr. Bunin's characters have enough peaty substance to win our empathy despite the writing's excesses… Much as believers will find evidence of a creator's plan wherever they look, those with an eye for contrivance will discern plenty in Mr. Bunin's neatly charted play, but its sincere approach to questions of religious belief is appreciated."

Frank Scheck of The New York Post: "The play's subtle charting of the growing rapport among the three characters has lengthy speeches... While always provocative and interesting, they tend to impede the flow, feeling like intellectual footnotes, not natural dialogue. There's a stilted quality to the play that seems indicative of a playwright more interested in showing off his knowledge than involving us on an emotional level. Still, it seems counterproductive these days to condemn a play for being too intelligent, and despite its schematic elements, The Busy World Is Hushed can be admired for its quiet thoughtfulness. Under the astute direction of Mark Brokaw, the three performers do quietly compelling work."

Joe Dziemianowicz of The New York Daily News: "Under director Mark Brokaw, the production crackles, particularly Act I, which showcases Bunin's keen eye for characters and ear for dialogue. In the second act, however, when Hannah's machinations awkwardly come to light she carelessly gives herself away, things get muddled… That said, [Luke] MacFarlane is fine as a man who masks his pain with smiles and buoyant energy. As Brandt, [Hamish] Linklater is heartbreaking, all jangled nerves and raw emotions. And Clayburgh is moving as a minister who can comfort her flock, but as a mother can't reach her rudderless son."

David Rooney of Variety: "The talky play remains dramatically and emotionally absorbing, its smart, contemplative dialogue flowing naturally from the articulate characters. Brokaw's unfussy direction shows a heartening trust in what's by no means an easy-access text and in the actors… Clayburgh brings wisdom and quiet humor to her role while refusing to define Hannah's questionable behavior and convictions as right or wrong, sound or unsound… But the production's strongest performance is Linklater's."