Written by Samson Raphaelson
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Synopsis: Successful playwright Stephen Gaye (played by Tony & Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce) is about to abandon his latest script, when his young secretary offers him new inspiration. With her as his muse, he stages the show on Broadway, only to learn, to his dismay, that the show's young leading man is being inspired by her too.
NEW YORK TIMES:
"...offers cozy comforts understandably prized by a significant subset of Broadway theatergoers. Namely those for whom a couple of hours of light laughs in the presence of a likable star and some ogle-worthy period scenery will suffice for an afternoon of diversion. "
Read the whole review HERE.
NEW YORK POST:
"Rarely have material, director and cast been as mismatched as they are in the leaden Manhattan Theatre Club production that opened last night."
Read the whole review HERE.
THEATERMANIA:
"So it's no surprise to find this comedy is dated in other ways and little more than mild entertainment for ticket buyers content with a passing-the-time trifle."
Read the whole review HERE.
VARIETY:
"Daniel Sullivan's spiffy production and David Hyde Pierce's effortless timing make the antiquated comedy tick by painlessly enough, but there's not much substance beneath its mild charms."
Read the whole review HERE.
NEWSDAY:
"Alas, it is hard to work up serious affection for the revival, which Daniel Sullivan has directed for Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway venue. The well-dressed production is more than dutiful, but less than scintillating. It's merely pleasant in the leisurely, mild-mannered style of elevated summer stock."
Read the whole review HERE.
BACKSTAGE:
"Samuel Raphaelson's Accent on Youth is the kind of play for which the word chestnut was appropriated. No doubt titillating and somewhat sophisticated in its day, in 2009 it just creaks, groans, and lumbers its way across the stage of the former Biltmore Theatre despite the best efforts of a talented company."
Read the whole review HERE.
AMNY:
"What’s it like attending “Accent on Youth”? Well, the posh Manhattan apartment set design and Depression-era costumes are pretty. The cast is pretty charming. Some witty dialogue occasionally pops up. But it’s hard to not feel underwhelmed and bored by the Manhattan Theater Club’s well-meant but unnecessary and uninspired revival of what feels like a third-rate Noel Coward play."
Read the whole review HERE.
AMERICAN THEATER WEB :
"In Daniel Sullivan's graceful, but unremarkable revival that opened last night at Manhattan Theatre Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, the show's discrete pleasures are certainly in evidence, particularly given leading man David Hyde Pierce's elegant performance, but as this show business romantic comedy spins its droll, but not terribly merry way, one can't help but wonder why the company selected this play for revival in the first place."
Read the whole review HERE.
