"Mr. Ferguson brings such warmth and variety to his performance that you may not notice that in the more than 15 years since the play opened Off Broadway, it has acquired a slightly sour aftertaste. Back in 1999, the words 'income inequality' were not on the lips of every economist, pundit and politician...Lively as Mr. Ferguson is, and as frequently hilarious as ‘Fully Committed’ can be, it feels shrunken in a Broadway theater."
Read more

“Before he became a household name, Jesse Tyler Ferguson was one of New York’s most inventive comic character actors. You can sense his delight at stretching those muscles in the revival of ‘Fully Committed’...Ferguson's performance is necessarily broad, and not always precise: a half-British accent creeps into several voices. But it hardly matters. The actor’s likability glazes his hamminess with sugar, and the play, while not very filling, can be enjoyed with few reservations.”
Read more

"Ferguson is not a television star for nothing. He gradually builds the performance from a base of detailed realism...Still, it’s an inversion of the 'Fully Committed' of 1999...Asking a play that is basically a clever stunt to support the weight of this more complex interpretation is asking for trouble, which here takes the form of a strange pall. As a result, 'Fully Committed' never quite reaches the pitch of mania you may be hoping for, as if it were on beta-blockers."
Read more

“The immensely likable Mr. Ferguson doesn’t quite have the vocal flexibility necessary to impersonate so widely varied a gallery of characters, and so the tour-de-force aspect isn’t fully realized. Even so, his acting crackles with physical energy and comic life, and it won’t take long for you to shelve your doubts and buy into his performance. The play itself is a piece of very well-made fluff...The laughter is pretty close to nonstop. If it’s light entertainment you crave, you’re in luck.”
Read more

“Tyler Ferguson navigates these human mountains and valleys, major torrents and tricky rivulets, with precision and even empathy; it’s a virtuosic performance and the audience, you should pardon the expression, eats it up. Derek McLane’s just-squalid-enough set...is spot-on. At barely 70 minutes, ‘Fully Committed’ is not so much a meal as an amuse-bouche, that clever little thingy the chef sends out before your meal to tickle your palate...A gulp and it’s gone.”
Read more

“Mode doesn’t chase stinging satire, just laughs—and snags a few good ones. Director Jason Moore keeps things moving briskly and as dynamically as possible...Ferguson has proven himself a likable clown...But that’s not the same as being a chameleon capable of shifting instantaneously from one vivid character to another…People on the other end of the phone line are rarely remarkable. The actor is fully committed, yes, but the production isn’t totally satisfying.”
Read more

“Without bringing anything special to the role...Ferguson’s performance should remind the industry why this clever trifle is among the ten most-produced plays in the country...The funny voices and comic poses Ferguson adopts to play all these characters are no more amusing than they need to be. But he shines as one character: Sam. Not only does he bring a sense of true if battered humanity to the role, he also gives Sam all the satisfaction he deserves."
Read more

“Somehow doesn't add up to much more than a string of sometimes-funny jokes...The play doesn't lend itself to bloated Broadway treatment, no matter who is starring...It's impossible to escape the nagging feeling that this flippant satirical comedy is being swallowed up by its outsize production...Within those limitations, Ferguson excels, bouncing among 40-plus distinct characters without ever tripping up.”
Read more