After Miss Julie Broadway Review Matrix: Should You See It?
BROADWAY MAGAZINE – The new Broadway production of After Miss Julie, opened last night at the Roundabout’s American Airlines Theatre. Today, the critics have chimed in with their opinions. Based on August Strindberg’s charged sexual drama, Patrick Marber has adapted the play. With stars Sienna Miller and Jonny Lee Miller (not related) in the leads, a close study of 11 opening night reviews offers some immediate insight into the production.
While most critics commented on the tabloid-value of both Sienna Miller (ex-flame of Jude Law) and Jonny Lee Miller (formerly married to Angelina Jolie), a majority reviewers found the performances of both actors to be the highlights of the evening. Less agreement was found among critics regarding the merits of Marber’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s classic drama Miss Julie. With both strong advocates and firm objectors, Marber’s script itself seems to be as decisively divisive as the Strindberg play on which it is based.
Three Key Take Aways From Opening Night Reviews of After Miss Julie
- Sexy Themes and Feet- From the performances by Sienna Miller and Jonny Lee Miller, to the plot of the play itself, the provocative subject matter of After Miss Julie is front and center in this production. Several reviewers noted a particular exchange in the production involving Sienna Miller’s foot, which is not the sexiest pes in Broadway history according to multiple reviews.
- Strong Star Performances—The acting in this production generally met with positive reviews from the critics. While some were more enthusiastic than others, most critics seemed to agree that the actors did a remarkable job of bringing this difficult story to the stage.
- Challenging Play – While multiple reviewers took issue with the need for Patrick Marber’s adaptation and its quality, others found the fresh take on Miss Julie completely engaging. Of interest is the fact that more than one critic noted that Strindberg’s play itself is quite difficult to perform successfully and has never had a successful, extended run on Broadway.
Should You See After Miss Julie On Broadway
Yes, especially if you like Sienna Miller, John Lee Miller, August Strindberg, sexy performances, provocative plays, new adaptations, post-WW II Britain, swing era, class struggles, shining shoes, love triangles, OK! Magazine, Sun dresses, well-reviewed productions, Miss Julie, servants, and foot kissing scenes.
Sample of Opening Night Reviews of After Miss Julie
Marber spins a deadly web of sexual cruelty, power games and class tension. Mark Brokaw’s staging is mostly clean and propulsive, except for a few overly pregnant pauses. –David Cote, Time Out
But sex is the most prominent ingredient in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s new production of After Miss Julie (* * * out of four), which opened Thursday at the American Airlines Theatre. For the title character, played by a robustly imperious Sienna Miller, a romp with her father’s valet and chauffeur is more than an act of social defiance. –Elysa Gardner, USA Today
And while it does not wholly sustain all of its rhythms or ambitions, Mark Brokaw’s production of this savvy updating of the naturalistic classic is quite the smart, sexy and stimulating show. –Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
Mr. Marber claims that “After Miss Julie” is “in its way, truer” than the original play on which it’s based, but all he’s done for “Miss Julie” is tart it up with politics and vulgarize it beyond recognition. –Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal
Playing the title role in Mr. Marber’s adaptation of “Miss Julie,” August Strindberg’s love-and-death shocker from 1888, Ms. Miller registers as a healthy, sane young woman with good diction, good posture and great legs. –Ben Brantley, New York Times
While the plot remains exactly the same, Marber’s play is a bit more psychologically driven and sexually explicit. But that is hardly enough for the play to merit a separate title. Frankly, it’s a pretty pretentious choice. –Matt Windman, am New York
Miller, making her U.S. stage debut, delivers a respectable, emotionally charged turn that actually gains resonance from her tabloid newspaper notoriety. –Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Sienna Miller is convincing enough in the title role, managing superciliousness and condescension, lust and humiliation, with unassailable proficiency. Yet there is some sort of ultimate aristocratic hauteur in which she is a bit lacking, making her downfall less dramatic. –John Simon, Bloomberg
One such highlight: Julie’s demand that John kiss her foot. He obliges out of a sense of master-servant duty but the erotic subtext soon moves front and center and dooms everyone on stage. “After Miss Julie” makes for quite an explosive evening. –Michael Kuchwara, AP
As John, Jonny Lee Miller (also making his Broadway bow) fares much better, forging an imposing characterization. He assumes the bearing of a dedicated servant, constantly adjusting his shoulders in military fashion and practically clicking his heels. However, the actor’s take-charge manner is juxtaposed with the fear he quickly manifests when his unseen master rings. –David Finkle, Theatremania
Both prove to be real actors - but especially he does, as he twitches and flips between being an upward-mobile hustler and a besotted slave to the landowner’s overheated daughter, who hunts him down in the huge old kitchen of the estate (meticulously designed by Allen Moyer). –Linda Winer, Newsday
