Why Is “The Lyons” On Broadway?
That’s the question that keeps arising in my brain every time I contemplate the new Nicky Silver dysfunctional-family comedy “The Lyons” that has made its way uptown after a successful run off-Broadway at the Vineyard (one of my favorite NY theatres.) There are unanimous raves for Linda Lavin’s performance but if you dig deeper into this round-up of reviews it’s hardly accurate to say that “just about everyone loves ‘The Lyons'” as the summarizer suggests. Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal pretty much nails my feeling: “Though it’s more than a bit of a mess, “The Lyons” has its moments, and Linda Lavin, the star, is in sensational form. Off Broadway, that amounted to a passable bargain—but is it really worth $126.50 to see an amusing but inconsistent show?” Or even $65.00 since the show will be on the half-price board every night? Even with a Tony nomination for Lavin, I doubt “The Lyons” is going to be around for long.
