A new comedy written by Martin McDonagh, “A Behanding in Spokane,” opened March 4 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York, NY. Directed by Tony Award nominee John Crowley, this is the world premiere of the play, starring Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Anthony Mackie and Zoe Kazan.
The production begins with a bizarre premise: Carmichael, played by Walken, has been searching for a missing body part, his left hand, for 47 years. When a couple, played by Mackie and Kazan, offer a hand for sale that they do not actually possess, they learn Carmichael only needs one hand to use a gun. Rockwell takes the part of a skittish hotel clerk.
There were 16 previews in the weeks prior to the opening with a total attendance of 14,216 in this 1,093-seat theater. Average paid admission over the course of previews was $62. Gross ticket sales were $413,686 for the week ending before the opening, according to numbers from the Broadway League.
The limited-engagement play runs through June 6. For the remainder of this opening week, performances will run Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. with a matinee on Saturday at 2 p.m. Beginning March 8, the schedule runs regularly on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Matinees will take place Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m and on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Run time for “A Behanding in Spokane” is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is located at 236 West 45th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue. Scheduling and ticketing details are available on the production’s official Web site.
Opening Night: “A Behanding in Spokane”
| Publication | Critic | Review |
| Variety | David Rooney | “The playwright makes no pretense of doing anything beyond spinning a good yarn. Entertaining as it is, however, the black comedy remains insubstantial.” |
| New York Times | Ben Brantley | “[Walken’s] use of his signature arsenal of stylistic oddities has seldom been more enthralling.” |
| USA Today | Elysa Gardner | “As is, this ‘Spokane’ offers more laughs than insights.” |
| Hollywood Reporter | Frank Scheck | “Fueling the evening with his endlessly entertaining physical mannerisms, offbeat comic timing and hilarious vocal inflections, Walken lifts this slight shaggy-dog story into the comic stratosphere.” |
| Theatre Mania | David Finkle | “Ultimately, ‘A Behanding in Spokane’ feels as if McDonagh wrote it with one hand tied behind his back.” |
| The Chicago Tribune | Chris Jones | “‘Behanding’ is an interim joke that amuses, sometimes greatly amuses, because it was penned with a death wish.” |