Mixed Reviews For Shatner One-Man Show
2 min read
Reviews are appearing for William Shatner‘s Shatner’s World: We All Just Live in It,” and while some critics enjoyed the trek into the world of Shatner, others were less than impressed.
Shatner’s World: We All Just Live in It runs through March 4 at Broadway’s Music Box Theater after which it will be seen in fifteen U.S. cities, finishing up in Detroit on April 19.
“Despite the lack of dish about Star Trek,” said Time Out New York’s David Cote, “you can bet that Trekkies will flock to the show like Tribbles on a starship bridge. Still, Shatner is genteel, funny and an amusing storyteller; there’s even a little something for the non-Trekkie.”
The New York Daily News’s Joe Dziemianowicz was less than impressed with Shatner’s show. “All solo bios involve some self-promotion,” he said. “But at their best they also take you on a journey, with stops for an insight or takeaway or two. World just feels like an extended sales pitch for Shatner as an icon. Broadway is a way to expand the brand.”
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter found Shatner to be “witty.”
“The octogenarian actor—here making his first Broadway appearance in a half-century–is such an engagingly hammy and funny raconteur that only the most curmudgeonly will begrudge him this celebration of his life and career,” said Scheck. “That’s not to say that being a fan isn’t a prerequisite for fully enjoying this breezy one-hundred-minute evening that features anecdotes, hoary jokes, film clips, philosophizing, and yes, a demonstration of his singing talent or lack thereof. But between the Trekkies and viewers of T.J. Hooker and Boston Legal, among others, the theater should be reasonably filled during this limited run.”
Entertainment Weekly’s Darren Franich admits that Shatner’s one-man show was “undeniably fun,” but “the most telling moments of the show come when the lights dim, and the on-stage video screen plays Shatner’s greatest hits: a Star Trek soliloquy, his Comedy Central roast, the final sequence of Boston Legal. In the corner of the stage, you can see Shatner watching Shatner, grinning from ear to ear. He’s his own best audience. It’s Shatner’s show: We’re just living through it.”
About The Author
The situation is grave, Admiral. We will not have a profitable performance for SIX DAYS. A break-even show might be possible…. in TWO DAYS.
By the book Admiral.
I saw Shatner’s World on Broadway and wrote my own review for my DeFlip Side radio show, which you might find interesting. Please give a listen/read and tell me what you think: http://deflipside.com/?p=4512