“After Miss Julie,” Patrick Marber’s post-war update of August Strindberg’s 1888 naturalistic drama “Miss Julie,” fizzled rather than sizzled during its Broadway debut on October 21 at American Airlines Theatre.
The tale of class struggle in 1945 England stars Sienna Miller in the title role of the aristocratic Julie, as unrelated actor Jonny Lee Miller steps in as the object of her lust, family servant John. Marin Ireland completes the three-person cast as the cook and John’s fiancée, Christine.
Directed by Mark Brokaw, previews for “After Miss Julie” began on September 18. In the last full week of previews, the 740-seat theater was at about 87 percent capacity. Tickets for the limited engagement, closing December 6, range in face value from $66.50 to $111.50.
The play itself has received high praise since its London stage premier in 2003. However, American critics have found fault with Sienna Miller’s interpretation and portrayal of the complex Miss Julie, resulting in disappointing reviews for the Broadway production overall.
Performances run Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. However, curtains for evening performances will be pushed up to 7 p.m. from October 27 through November 6. Total runtime for the production is 90 minutes, without intermission.
The American Airlines Theatre is located at 227 West 42nd Street in New York, NY. More details about the production are available on the Roundabout Theatre Company’s official Web site.
Opening Night: ‘After Miss Julie’
| Publication | Critic | Review |
| Variety | David Rooney | “Sienna Miller is out of her depth in the title role, making her dance of power and death an unaffecting tragedy.” |
| New York Times | Ben Brantley | “If Julie is written as clashing chords of conflicted impulses, Ms. Miller plays them like a novice at a piano, plunking down each note loudly and individually.” |
| Newsday | Linda Winer | ” In character, the Millers can often seem poised to either kiss or punch each other, and it can be difficult to discern which.” |
| USA Today | Elysa Gardner | “…pointless and pretty toothless…” |
| TheaterMania | David Finkle | “Part of the difficulty is that Miller simply doesn’t quite have enough control of her stagecraft to convincingly appear to-the-manor-born.” |
| Chicago Tribune | Chris Jones | “And while it does not wholly sustain all of its rhythms or ambitions, Mark Brokaw’s production of this savvy updating of the naturalistic classic is quite the smart, sexy and stimulating show.” |
