The New York Times - Not Recommended
"...Though it is based on one of Stephen King's most terrifying novels, the stage version of "Misery" will not, I promise, leave you cold with terror. The production that opened on Sunday night at the Broadhurst Theater, which stars a vacant Bruce Willis (in his Broadway debut) and a hardworking Laurie Metcalf, sustains a steady, drowsy room temperature throughout."
NY Daily News - Not Recommended
"...An actor's job is to make a character, even one who can't move, come alive. Except for an instant when Willis brashly flashes his nemesis the bird, he's so bland it's frightening. And unfortunately, nothing else is particularly scary about this dramatization of King's novel about a writer terrorized by a demented devotee...As directed by Will Frears, Metcalf lacks a sense of danger. Instead she tilts toward goofy...'Misery' reminds how hard it is to make a thriller click on stage."
Associated Press - Somewhat Recommended
"...Everyone is doing their best here except one guy, the one drawing the high ticket prices. But apparently no one told Willis he was in a thriller; he seems to think he's in a quirky romantic comedy. Maybe someone should tell him in his earpiece."
Hollywood Reporter - Not Recommended
"...This 'Misery' is an enjoyable enough rerun that recaptures some of its predecessor's B-movie pleasures...The play works surprisingly well in its more Hitchcockian scenes...As far as unhinged stalkers go, Metcalf's Annie is a hoot...It's just too bad nothing else in this rote retread comes close to the unpredictable energy of Annie's almighty insanity."
Vulture - Not Recommended
"...What this production mostly demonstrates is the futility of digging up the dead...The movie, with its variety of shots and its focus on details, could disguise that endless tick-tock, but onstage the drama flattens out and separates...Willis has no stage chops...Metcalf knows exactly how to engage the audience...The genre [of suspense] has become so marginalized that it's finally fallen off the page altogether, landing in a puddle of camp."
Variety - Somewhat Recommended
"...The bed-bound Paul is a purely reactive role; still, helmer Will Frears lets Willis get away with murder by maintaining his sophisticated-author cool well beyond the point of believability. It takes the iconic scene in which a maddened Annie takes a sledgehammer to Paul's healed legs to get the star to drop his sultry half-smile."
Newsday - Recommended
"...The challenge is to get someone who knows the story anxious all over again. And that they do. The box-office catnip is Willis, totally convincing in his first play since his early off-Broadway days...But the wow factor, the precision instrument that keeps propelling the story into psychologically unexpected corners, is Laurie Metcalf...The kind of expertly done, old-time theatrical thriller with little more in its psycho head than stylish, scary fun."
amNY - Not Recommended
"...Whereas Rob Reiner's film was chilling, Broadway production (directed without focus by Will Frears), comes off as a psycho version of 'The Odd Couple,' with audience members laughing throughout at Annie's apparent insanity. Those who don't see the humor are likely to find it a pointless star vehicle. Metcalf is big, loud and over-the-top as Annie. On the other hand, the gruff-looking Willis displays little energy or presence, which easily allows Metcalf to overtake the show."
Wall Street Journal - Not Recommended
"...'Misery' has nothing to offer save for the chance to get Mr. Willis's autograph after the show...As scary as a lukewarm cup of Nesquik. Two big things are wrong with it: Mr. Willis never seems even slightly frightened, and Ms. Metcalf isn't pitiful...As a result, you can't feel sorry for her, which means that you don't buy her...Will Frears, the director, fails to stage its gaspworthy moments with sufficient punch"
NorthJersey - Not Recommended
"...If 'Misery' were a prizefight, they'd stop it in the first round. That's how much of an acting mismatch is going on...The usual scheming and gambits that are basic to the genre fall flat; it's a cat-and-mouse game in which only the cat is committed to playing. In an attempt to do something to engage the audience and heighten tension, director Will Frears has inserted snatches of ominous music...At times, Frears appears to be poking mild fun at the bizarre plot."
Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...The fundamental problem, alas, with the performance of Willis, the star of some of the highest-grossing action movies in Hollywood history, is that his reaction to all of those realizations, upon which the forward trajectory of this theoretically scary play depends, are wholly homogenous - to the extent, that is, that one can detect any reaction from him at all. To say that Willis keeps this performance hidden under his bedclothes is a bit like saying that King sold a book or two. The character upon whom King projected his fear of some day being at the mercy of a totally wackadoodle fan is reduced mostly to various manifestations of the mumble. Sure, it's a mumble with a certain ironic cool, maybe even a level of panache with appeal to some Willis fans, but its perpetually quizzical root doesn't exactly convey mortal panic. Not as far back as my row, anyway."
Time Out New York - Somewhat Recommended
"...William Goldman's stage adaptation of his own 1990 screenplay is lazily faithful to his own work. He makes some concessions to stage necessities-eliminating supporting characters or information we could only get in close-up-but fails to add more of something theater can do well: compelling, revealing dialogue. We never get to know Sheldon as a person or artist, and Wilkes remains a two-dimensional bitch-demon. This basic lack of character development severely shortchanges Goldman's invented coda, in which Sheldon talks about how he learned something about writing from the sadistic harridan who tortured him. It rings false, to say the least. Still, if life imitates art, by the end of Misery's run, Willis may have learned something about acting from Metcalf. The rest of us just paid to watch the class."
The Wrap - Not Recommended
"...Frankly, this 'Misery' doesn't have enough over-the-top physical torture and mayhem to relieve its long spells of tedium. For the play's first half, Metcalf makes a terrific Annie, but Goldman's script doesn't give her any new notes of dementia to hit in the second half...Willis gives a credible performance, but as a stage actor he doesn't show much invention or variety."
The Guardian - Not Recommended
"...'The suspense is almost nil...Metcalf is far more engaged, yet outside of occasional moments, she and Willis don't really seem to be inhabiting the same world...'Misery' is often funny, and most of this humor is intentional...It seems to know that it's a genre piece rather than a serious drama and one wonders why the production didn't embrace that genre more."
Deadline - Somewhat Recommended
"...If you can put aside the fact that the show offers about five seconds of actual, thriller-type suspense during its 90 intermissionless minutes, you can see glimpses of a younger and extremely likable Willis in Misery. As an episode of Moonlighting, it gets a C+ for the sometimes amusing serve-and-volley between the actors. As heart-racing thriller, however, such masters of this theatrical form as Ira Levin (Deathtrap), Frederick Knott (Dial M For Murder) and Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth) remain unchallenged."
CurtainUp - Recommended
"...Laurie Metcalf turns out to be an inspired casting choice...Willis isn't as compelling as Metcalf...The resulting part thriller, part comic parody has just one or two really tense scenes but it's amusing to have you giggling at even Annie's most bizarre actions. The production values are good enough to overcome purist objections about the comedic angle being overdone...'Misery' is not high art. But then it never was."
Talkin Broadway - Not Recommended
"...You know that what you're watching is terrible, but because the realities surrounding the way you're watching it make it just too unbelievable to absorb, it simply doesn't work as theatre the way it should. It's not a bad time, but when you're a millisecond away from witnessing a brutal act and you and the people around you can barely stifle snickers, it's not exactly a good time, either."
American Theater Web - Somewhat Recommended
"...Neither William Goldman's script nor Will Frears' production will disappoint people who are looking to revisit their favorite moments in the story...For some theatergoers, the recreation of on stage of the familiar narrative will be enough. For those audiences members who are looking for a little more, there are two wonderful surprises...The production settles for the middle-of-the-road, giving audiences exactly what they might expect."
TheaterMania - Somewhat Recommended
"...Metcalf's performance is inscrutable, layered, and thrilling to behold. Willis feels much less present by comparison. He delivers most of his lines with the verve of a porn actor plodding through the exposition...Something about this change of medium has transformed 'Misery' from a thriller into a laugh-out-loud comedy...Suspense and dramatic tension are virtually nonexistent...'Misery' is a scream. I was never bored and didn't want it to end."
Huffington Post - Not Recommended
"...A bad idea poorly executed, a stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning film 'Misery' has been kicking around for years. It's hard to know why. What might seem creepy on film plays as silly and campy on stage...No one is in good form."
DC Theatre Scene - Not Recommended
"...It's not as good as either King's novel nor the movie, but it's likely to appeal to those who don't know either...Although he does manage some priceless blank stares, Willis' acting registers as something close to a non-performance...Metcalf's performance, while certainly competent, pales beside the memory of Kathy Bates'...Director Will Frears is hobbled by the absence of the movie's myriad close-ups...The best thing about 'Misery' is probably the set."
Front Row Center - Not Recommended
"...Well folks, this was a mighty hard slog...The other sad element that drags this production so far down that it barely has a pulse is the performance of Mr. Willis. Or lack thereof...Ms. Metcalf gives a performance that is strong enough to drag Mr. Willis and the entire set along with her. It is heavy lifting indeed...Time passes - could be weeks or months, but it feels to the audience like years."
WNBC - Somewhat Recommended
"...There's pressure on Metcalf to keep this play from going camp, and she pulls it off without hamming things up...Willis is persuasive and coy. It's a physical performance...Metcalf and Willis seem to be having oodles of fun...We may question whether 'Misery' demanded a stage adaptation, but there are two good reasons to see it: Metcalf and Willis. The actors manage to elevate material that is, at best, workmanlike. 'Misery' is entertaining and forgettable."
Broadway World - Recommended
"...From beginning to end, the night belongs to Metcalf's lonely, mentally unstable Annie Wilkes..Willis is fine, but not especially interesting...Familiar moments may invoke laughter and cheers, but the stage version works as more of a character study than a thriller...'Misery' on Broadway is a bit of tasty popcorn elevated to high art by an exceptional stage actor."