To Be Or Not To Be - A Comedy Based On 1942 Motion Film

By Author: Al Terry
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To Be Or Not To Be is a comedy written by Nick Whitby. It is based on a motion film directed by Ernst Lubitsch in 1942 of the same name. The motion film To Be Or Not To Be had portrayed the serious subject of Nazi's invasion of Poland during World War II in a light humorous manner.

The play is a production of Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC). MTC is a reputed theatre company and has won number of Tony Awards and Pulitzer Prizes. MTC has tried to recreate the charm of the past. Though it would be unfair to compare the play with the original motion film, but the play is still worth watching. To Be Or Not To Be is a debut show of Nick Whitby at Broadway. Also it is his first show at New York. The premiere of this comedy show was postponed because of changes in the lead caste hence the show was delayed by two weeks. The play opened on October 14, 2008 at Samuel J Friedman Theatre. The play has different shades of romance, drama, glamour and humor.

A Preview Of The Story

To Be Or Not To Be is a story set in the year 1939 when during World War II the Nazis invaded Poland. The play narrates the story of a married ...
... Polish couple Josef and Maria Tura who run a theatrical troupe in Warsaw. They were getting ready for the release of their new hit show at Polanski Theatre but because of the invasion by the Nazis, the theatre got closed. Due to the closure of the theatre, the couple faces difficult times. And then a good looking young pilot, who had just returned from England, hired the troupe to help catch a spy. The young pilot, Stanislaw and Maria are attracted to each other. The troupe then plans and tries to save Warsaw from the Nazis using their acting skills.

Cast

The creator of the play To Be Or Not To Be is Nick Whitby. It is directed by Tony Award nominee Casey Nicholaw. The set is designed by Anna Louizos, lighting is by Howell Binkley and costume designer is Gregg Barnes.
The show casts some famous theatre personalities like Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award Winner Jan Maxwell who has given great performances in plays like ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', ‘Coram Boy' and ‘The Sound of Music'. It also casts two time Obie Award winner Kristine Nielsen who is famous for her performances in ‘Our Leading Lady' and ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses'.

The main leads of the show are:

David Rasche as Josef Tura
Jan Maxwell as Maria Tura
Peter Benson as Rowicz
Robert Dorfman as Grunberg
Steve Kazee as Stanislaw Sobinsky
Peter Maloney as Dowasz
Michael McCarty as Colonel Erhard
Kristine Nielsen as Anna
Brandon Perler as Young Grunberg
Rocco Sisto as Silewsky
Jimmy Smagula as Walowski
Marina Squerciati as Eva
Mark J Sullivan as Officer

Summary: To Be Or Not To Be has beautifully portrayed the desperate times of World War and is filled with drama, action, comedy and romance.
The author of this review enjoys writing many articles about Broadway such with advice such as How To Locate To Be Or Not To Be Tickets in New York City. His reviews cover every show in the city and other major cities and are updated daily with resources for how to locate To Be Or Not To Be tickets.