Modern Family's Jess Tyler Ferguson returns to Broadway in the role of a lifetime!
Starring five-time Emmy Award nominee Jesse Tyler Ferguson and directed by Tony nominee Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect, Avenue Q), FULLY COMMITTED is the "hilarious and touching" (Time Out New York) comedy that takes a sharp skewer to the backside of the restaurant biz.
You think you're having a bad day at work? Meet Sam. He covers the red-hot reservation line at one of New York's most exclusive restaurants, juggling desperate diners, scheming socialites, name-dropping wannabes, celebrity divas, panicked waiters and a fame-hungry chef. And in this side-splitting tour-de-force, Ferguson plays all 40 characters!
'Fully Committed' has essentially a one-joke premise, which becomes apparent after about 20 minutes of ringing phones; a slender subplot revolving around Sam's recently widowed dad in the Midwest, whose fondest hope is that Sam won't have to work on Christmas, does add a soupçon of genuine warmth. The sustained enjoyment comes from the impressively controlled mayhem activated by Ferguson, under Jason Moore's savvy direction. The actor not only manages to soothe Sam's savage callers, but also the most judgmental of the evening's ticketholders.
The play by Becky Mode...has been updated for a world that's slightly less obsessed with the 'it' restaurant of the moment...Mode doesn't chase stinging satire, just laughs -- and snags a few good ones. Director Jason Moore keeps things moving briskly and as dynamically as possible...Ferguson has proven himself a likable clown in Shakespeare plays and musicals like 'On the Town' and 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.' But that's not the same as being a chameleon capable of shifting instantaneously from one vivid character to another. Ferguson lisps, growls and crosses his eyes gamely, but people on the other end of the phone line are rarely remarkable. The actor is fully committed, yes, but the production isn't totally satisfying.
1999 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
2016 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Leading Actor in a Play | Jesse Tyler Ferguson |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design for a Play | Derek McLane |
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Solo Performance | Jesse Tyler Ferguson |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jesse Tyler Ferguson |
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