Broadway Review-----CLYBOURNE PARK

CLYBOURNE PARK blazes onto Broadway already having had a successful Off-Broadway run along with winning the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, not to mention an acclaimed run in London and the Olivier Award for Best Play. One goes into CLYBOURNE PARK on Broadway with extremely high expectations due to the incredible amount of hype. My opinion is that the play is a wee bit overhyped. It's a good play, but in my opinion, it's hardly a masterpiece. The play is written by Bruce Norris and it takes it's lead from the classic play A RAISIN IN THE SUN. The setting is a house in Clybourne Park, in fact, it's THE house that the family from A RAISIN IN THE SUN moved to at the end of that beautiful piece. The first act takes place in 1959 as a couple prepares to move out of their home, making way for the neighborhood's first African-American family. The only character from RAISIN that makes an appearance is Karl, who attempted to talk that family out of making their move. His function in Act One of CLYBOURNE PARK is basically the same. Only this time he is trying to convince the white family to leave well enough alone and not make this final sale. The reason for this couple needing to make the move becomes tragically clear as the act draws to a conclusion. Act Two takes place in the same house in 2009. The house and the neighborhood have gone through a few changes and the act revolves around a white couple preparing to move into what is now a predominantly African-American area. I definitely think the Second Act is the stronger of the two. Where I feel that the first act is a bit clumsy, the second act is tight and incredibly funny. The performances were a mixed bag for me. I think the strongest come from Tony winner Frank Wood and the wonderful Jeremy Shamos. Tony nominations are announced this Tuesday and most consider the race to be between CLYBOURNE PARK and OTHER DESERT CITIES. I absolutely feel that OTHER DESERT CITIES is the better play, but I keep hearing that most feel CLYBOURNE PARK will be the winner. We'll see....