Hare’s second Iraq war play opens in NY
From Christine Kearney

NEW YORK—Months after his anti-war drama “Stuff Happens” opened in New York to largely positive reviews, British playwright David Hare’s follow-up on the Iraq conflict — his first work to premiere on Broadway — drew a mixed reaction from critics.
Hare’s latest play, “The Vertical Hour,” opened on Thursday night with four-time Oscar nominee Julianne Moore and English actor Bill Nighy making their Broadway debut under the direction of Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes.
It marked the first time the acclaimed playwright has debuted a play straight to Broadway after premiering many of his works at the National Theatre in London, including “Stuff Happens,” about political events leading to the Iraq war.
That play, which portrayed Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as an arrogant warmonger, was mostly well-received by critics when it opened in New York in April. But in reviews of “The Vertical Hour,” some critics found Hare’s latest work less assured. Many, however, gave Nighy high marks for his role as a left-leaning English doctor opposed to the Iraq war, saying he outshone Moore’s turn as an American pro-Iraq war academic.
New York Times critic Ben Brantley said Moore appeared comfortable on stage but was miscast. Moreover, “her American star shine is no match for Mr. Nighy’s wily British craftsmanship,” Brantley wrote. “Mr. Nighy, to put it bluntly, mops the floor with Ms. Moore.”
Brantley also said Hare’s “soggy consideration of the Anglo-American cultural divide” and the play’s “obvious topicality” with debate on Iraq was less incisive than “Stuff Happens.”
“Without Mr. Nighy, ‘The Vertical Hour’ would be heavy sledding,” he said, calling Nighy’s performance “one of the most vibrant portraits to be seen on a New York stage.”
USA Today’s Elysa Gardner said Moore “can seem strained and self-conscious” against Nighy, who she described as “thoroughly convincing and deliciously idiosyncratic.”
BROADWAY DEBUTS
Nighy, 56, a London stage veteran who has appeared in several of Hare’s plays, told Reuters that with the involvement of Mendes and Moore, who turns 46 this week, “it was not hard to identify (the play) as a bit of a rockin’ gig.”
“I would have done this play in Greenland,” said the lanky actor known for his comic timing and quirky portrayals in such films as “Love Actually.”
But some critics said even Nighy’s performance was insufficient to transform Hare’s play about personal and political responsibility into one of his best works.
“The characters played by Nighy and Moore in many ways are simply mouthpieces for opposing views on the war,” said Variety’s David Rooney, adding the drama “seems not destined to rank among Hare’s greatest accomplishments.”
Others had more praise for the play and Moore’s performance under the direction of Mendes, who previously directed Hare’s 1998 Broadway production of “The Blue Room.”
Michael Billington of The Guardian newspaper described “Vertical Hour” as “an eye-opening experience,” while the New York Post said it was “one of the best plays Broadway has seen in years,” with Mendes displaying “exquisite skill.”
Nighy acknowledged that compared to performing in London, he found it was “slightly more daunting” to appear before an American audience. “I am unfamiliar with the audience, and they are unfamiliar with me,” he said. Nevertheless, Nighy added, “The idea of Broadway ... for all British actors is in the top five things that you could wish for.”