Theater: Pretty Woman Acts Up

Broadway has nurtured new audiences too: the family crowd, with popular and creatively adventurous shows like The Lion King and Wicked; the rock generation, with jukebox musicals featuring the songs of groups like Abba and the Four Seasons. And, of course, it has used star power to create Big Events. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are hardly names that would set a Hollywood mogul's heart aflutter, but after their smash success in The Producers (theater's Big Event of 2001), they made this season's revival of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple Broadway's hottest ticket.

Until Julia Roberts. Serious plays have not been left out of the Broadway renaissance (Doubt, last year's Tony winner, is still doing a robust business after a year), but only a PEOPLE magazine cover girl like Roberts could have turned a quiet little play about the battle over a family inheritance (which had a little-noticed off-Broadway run in 1997) into a Broadway blockbuster. And good for her; she could be doing Ocean's 17.

So I sprang for that $250 seat. Critics are forbidden to review a show before its official opening, while the actors and director are presumably still working out the kinks (although it's not too early to charge ordinary theatergoers $250 for the privilege of watching them practice). I can say, however, that the audience applauded when she came out; the dour role doesn't give her much chance to show off that famous smile; and the pro forma standing ovation for her curtain call at the end seemed a little more pro forma than usual. And for $250, I want to be able to take my drink back to the seat.