On B'wy "The FRONT PAGE" Stop the Press Don't Go to this Mess

"The Front Page" is a slapstick comedy that is sappy & a political farce without fire.  The cast is packed with A list stage/movie actors:  Nathan Lane, John Goodman, Holland Taylor, Sherie Rene Scott & John Slattery.  Unfortunately, the ensemble cast doesn't jell.  Goodman as the Sheriff sleepwalks the role of a buffoon.  Lane does what he does so well.  I find Lane a tiresome pain.  As for Scott, Taylor & Slattery (as Hildy Johnson in an admirable performance as a die hard reporter,) their skills aren't enough to get this play to print.  It first premiered in 1928 written by journalist & Acad Award winning screening writer Ben Hecht in collaboration with author & Acad Award winning screenwriter Charles MacArthur.  They buried the lead:  political corruption & deceptive reporting for self-promotion & profit.  On the eve of the hanging of convicted killer Earl Williams, the bawdy bunch of reporters are gambling & bantering to kill time.  Williams manages to escape and a chaotic chase ensues.  The shocking news came in Act II (of an 3 Act windbag show.)  The Governor's reprieve order is clandestinely kept by the mayor & sheriff in order to gain glory & re-election.  Williams didn't manage to flee far.  He's holding out in the news room across from the prison, kept under cover (in a roll top desk) so that Johnson & his editor will have the exclusive scoop on the elusive escapee.  Mixed into this melee are mushy love stories moved aside along with obscure references to anti-communist rhetoric.  The facts of a great cast, celebrated playwrights and a prescient presidential race don't add up to making the grade.  The play is disappointingly dated & superscilious.  The lead on the leaded "Front Page" is yesterday's news.