![]() Letts is already a Tony and Pulitzer-winning playwright for “August” – “The Minutes” was shortlisted for the Pulitzer back in 2018, too – and this ambitious satire with a shocking finale that wrangles with American history sounds like the kind of work that will easily land in the Best Play race. Judging from the largely positive response to “The Minutes,” the play looks like a strong, late-breaking contender at the upcoming Tony Awards. WATCH 2022 Tony Awards slugfest: 13 productions vie for places in Musical races Shapiro fumble the first pivot into seriousness, and they do far worse that that in the final turn,” which she says ultimately sours the proceedings. She describes Letts as “a connoisseur of folly” with “rapid pinprick wit” and notes how he “finds much to be delighted by in meeting minutiae.” She also spotlights actor Austin Pendleton as a “laugh-a-minute.” Yet, Shaw writes, “Letts and director Anna D. Less effusive, Helen Shaw ( Vulture) writes, “Time has caught up to ‘The Minutes,’” as she says the long pandemic delay has dulled the satirical potential of the piece. It shows us how we are starting to understand, but still mostly failing to accept, that our privileges are tied to a history of denying them to others.” Jesse Green ( New York Times) labels “The Minutes” a Critics Pick, describing the work as “a deeply troubling play about history and horror” from Letts, “a master of the American Macabre.” He appreciates a number of the facets of the production, from Reid’s performance that “combines the aw-shucks pluck he brought to the role of Patrick on ‘Schitt’s Creek’ with a mounting apprehension” and David Zinn’s “witty set.” Even though Green expresses his “admiration for what Letts is trying to do,” he still voices “questions about the way it plays out for an audience.” He concludes, “‘The Minutes’ does what a play aimed mostly at white people must. WATCH 2022 Tony Awards slugfest: 21 productions vie for places in Play races ![]() In a rave review, Naveen Kumar ( Variety) calls the play a “cunning,” “sensational,” and “astonishing feat” handled with “brilliant finesse.” He applauds Letts for penning this “thrilling and essential theater that interrogates the present by laying bare how history is written,” and goes on to deem it “among the best new plays on Broadway in years.” Of the ensemble cast, he calls out the performances of Brown, Sally Murphy, and Ian Barford, who “play expertly off each other.” Letts’ latest work received overwhelmingly strong notices from critics.
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