"Leaf takes liberties here and there, but he sticks close to historical fact in tracing the last few years of Alexander Pushkin...The tantalizing potential of his story remains out of reach, though, in the unwieldy 'Pushkin.' There is no vigor to the language, no fever of emotion to match the intrigue of the action...The action always feels removed in time and space...Unhelpfully, and perplexingly, McElroen stages many scenes with actors’ backs to half the audience."
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"Tautly told and staged with hurtling momentum by Christopher McElroen, 'Pushkin' is one of the best new plays to open in New York in recent memory, and this fabulously well-acted production, performed in an 80-seat black-box theater, puts you a heartbeat away from the action...If you didn’t know that the characters in 'Pushkin' were speaking in verse, you could easily fail to realize it until well into the evening, so involving is the high-stakes plot and so good the acting."
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"It's rich source material, which is why it is almost impressive how boring playwright Jonathan Leaf manages to make his story...Within the first five minutes of this soporific verse play, we know why it has hitherto remained unproduced...It's mostly downhill from that arresting first image in director Christopher McElroen's sluggish production...All of this represents a wasted opportunity when one considers the machine that Pushkin raged against."
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"Gambling, palace intrigue, and poetry abounds in Leaf’s imaginative and engrossing historical drama. In the course of two acts and numerous scenes, the eventful life of the great Russian author is skillfully dramatized...McElroen’s exquisite staging is a glorious series of tableaus, stage pictures, and often searing confrontations with dashes of humor...With its fine writing and impeccable presentation, 'Pushkin' is a compelling theatrical exploration of a fascinating literary figure."
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"John Leaf’s play lacks the energy verse is meant to inspire. It is devoid of rhythm and any emotional immediacy...Despite an ensemble stacked with accomplished actors, we are presented one-note, two dimensional characters...There is no dynamic variation in tone from one scene to the next, lacking any semblance of an arch...The core is good...These actors are good...This director is good. But it should have been worked on and developed until it was as emotionally affecting."
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"McElroen’s slow-paced direction and the cast’s controlled emotions and sometimes stilted delivery evoke the formality of the Tsarist court. But the rigidity too often feels enervated...Might benefit from a slightly more accelerated pace and a greater emotional revelation of the passions that drive the characters’ actions. But the new play is an intelligent and informative examination of the influential Russian literary icon, his pivotal work, and his unsettled times."
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"What’s most impressive about Leaf’s biographical play ‘Pushkin’...is that Leaf never chooses the easy way out for himself or for his audience...This is an ambitious drama in verse, conceived on a large scale...Leaf re-creates a whole lost Russian society on the stage, without ever making the mistake of trying too hard to underline contemporary resonances...Lassiter is perfect both visually and emotionally."
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"The work is well directed by Christopher McElroen...The design of the work is amazing....Frankly, even though the work is interesting, at two hours it is too long...If the scene changes were minimized, the play would slim down to a better length...This work was diminished by a busyness that detracted from the strong story, lilting verse, and a cast of well-credited, talented actors."
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