| Meteor Shower | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Steve Martin |
| Date premiered | August 2016 |
| Place premiered | Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, California |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | 1993 |
Meteor Shower is a 2016 play written by Steve Martin. The play, a comedy, is set in 1993 in Ojai, California. It premiered on Broadway in 2017. Amy Schumer received the production's sole Tony Award nomination.
Plot
In 1993, a meteor shower occurs in Ojai, California. Corky and her husband Norm invite another couple for dinner, Gerald and Laura. Over the course of the evening, Gerald and Laura are belligerent and aggressive.
Cast and characters
| Character | San Diego debut | Broadway Debut |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2017 | |
| Corky | Jenna Fischer | Amy Schumer |
| Gerald | Josh Stamberg | Keegan-Michael Key |
| Laura | Alexandra Henrikson | Laura Benanti |
| Norm | Greg Germann | Jeremy Shamos |
Productions
The play had its world premiere at the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, California in August 2016. The director was Gordon Edelstein with the cast that featured Alexandra Henrikson, Josh Stamberg, Greg Germann as Norm, and Jenna Fischer as Corky. The play then ran at the Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut in October 2016. The director was again Gordon Edelstein, with the cast that featured Arden Myrin as Corky, Patrick Breen as Norm, Josh Stamberg, and Sophina Brown.
The play premiered on Broadway on November 1, 2017 in previews, officially on November 29, 2017 at the Booth Theatre. Direction is by Jerry Zaks, with scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by Ann Roth and lighting by Natasha Katz. The original Broadway cast features Keegan-Michael Key as Gerald, Amy Schumer as Corky, Laura Benanti as Laura, and Jeremy Shamos as Norm. This marks Schumer and Key's Broadway debuts. The play closed on January 21, 2018.
Response
Critical reviews
Charles McNulty, reviewing the play at the Old Globe, San Diego, wrote: "Meteor Shower plunges into the absurd without establishing a philosophical grounding for the mania. It's sitcom Ionesco crossed with a Saturday Night Live parody of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?".
Allison Adato of Entertainment Weekly reviewer wrote of the Broadway production that Meteor Shower is "a very funny play. Keening-like-a-howler-monkey funny. Design-a-new-cry-laughing-emoji funny. What it is not, however, is a substantial play...All four actors enjoy a share of the silliness, which they put over ably in black-out scenes that tell and retell variations of the evening’s events. But the night belongs to Schumer, her timing, her mugging, her deftness with some extremely ridiculous gags."
Awards and nominations
2018 Original Broadway Production
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Nominated | |
| Distinguished Performance Award | Laura Benanti | Nominated | ||
| Amy Schumer | Nominated | |||
| Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Amy Schumer | Nominated | |
References
- Stasio, Marilyn (30 November 2017). "Broadway Review: Amy Schumer in Steve Martin's 'Meteor Shower'". Variety. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- ^ McNulty, Charles. "Steve Martin's 'Meteor Shower' feels like a Hollywood welfare case" Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2016
- Rizzo, Frank. "Connecticut Theater Review: 'Meteor Shower' by Steve Martin" Variety, October 10, 2016
- Green, Jesse (29 November 2017). "Review: Look Up! It's Amy Schumer in 'Meteor Shower'". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
- McPhee, Ryan. "Amy Schumer and Laura Benanti Star in Steve Martin’s 'Meteor Shower', Opening on Broadway November 29" Playbill, November 29, 2017
- McPhee, Ryan. "Steve Martin’s 'Meteor Shower', Starring Amy Schumer and Laura Benanti, Ends Broadway Run January 21" Playbill, January 21, 2018
- Adato, Allison. "Amy Schumer delights in Steve Martin’s new comedy 'Meteor Shower': EW review" ew.com, November 29, 2017
- McPhee, Ryan. "Glenda Jackson, 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Among 2018 Drama League Award Winners" playbill.com, May 18, 2018
- McPhee, Ryan. "Denzel Washington, Andrew Garfield, Laurie Metcalf Among 2018 Drama League Award Nominees" playbill.com, April 18, 2018
