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‘McNeal’ Review: Robert Downey Jr. Confronts A Fake New World In A Fearless Broadway Debut
Deadline's Broadway review of 'McNeal' starring Robert Downey Jr.
Slow to grab hold and knotty when it does, Ayad Akhtar’s McNeal, opening tonight and starring Robert Downey Jr. in a formidable Broadway debut, is, at its core, a sort of literary parlor game: Let’s take that most mighty of 20th Century book-chat tropes – the macho, aging male superstar novelist who amorally mines the lives and works of his enemies, his betters and, most cruelly, his loved ones, as grist for his art, fuel for his bank accounts and supply chain for his trophy shelves. Downey, in his rumpled Important Novelist garb (costumes courtesy of Jennifer Moeller, on point as ever), is perfectly cast as Jacob McNeal, an old-school author – he’s sexist, misogynist, drinks too much, wallows in self-pity when he isn’t shouting his self-important ambitions, narcissistic, dreams of Shakespeare, lives like Mailer, and as he approaches liver failure can’t quite decide whether “I’m sorry” or “Fuck You” should be his epitaph. Title: McNeal Venue: Broadway’s Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center Written By: Ayad Akhtar Directed By: Bartlett Sher Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Brittany Bellizeare, Rafi Gavron, Melora Hardin, Andrea Martin, Ruthie Ann Miles, Saisha Talwar.
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