The Graduate is a hoot. Kathleen Turner's star turn is in the best Bankhead mode, and her impeccable timing brings a heartfelt laugh to every punchline in this fun-from-start-to-finish comedy. We know what's going to happen in this tale of seduction and first love, and this play's success is all in the telling. Adapted and directed by Terry Johnson, with a brilliant sense of what real comedy is, and long knowledge of whom to cast in the leads, the show totally succeeds.
Jason Biggs and Alicia Silverstone, both movie stars, bring major comedy talent to Broadway. Let's hope they stay, and come again. The paneled set by Rob Howell is a bold original departure from the ordinary that works perfectly for this fast-moving play, as do his costumes and Hugh Vanstone's lighting. The supporting cast are all excellent, but the three stars carry the night -- and beautifully - extending themselves into comic portraits that are both exaggerated and real.
