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Holmes Holds Own on Stage

Supporting performer is center of attention in Broadway production of All My Sons

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 17, 2008 5:53 PM CDT

(Newser) – In a perfect world, stars John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest would be the center of attention in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. “In this world, however, Mrs. Tom Cruise is playing a supporting role,” writes Natalie Finn of E!. So with tabloid-lovers watching and Anonymous protesting outside, how did Katie Holmes do in her Broadway debut? Not bad, critics say, but not great.

Holmes is “demonstrably a neophyte on stage,” writes Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune, but thanks to her tabloid-honed poise, “you can’t take your eyes off her.” Elysa Gardner of USA Today found her performance “one-note,” though she “exhibits a girlish exuberance that could serve her well” in other roles. In the end, she performs “with neither distinction nor embarrassment,” writes David Rooney of Variety, and avoids being “an obtrusive bit of celebrity casting.”  

Actors Katie Holmes and Patrick Wilson take a bow at the opening night of the Broadway play All My Sons on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008 in New York.
Actors Katie Holmes and Patrick Wilson take a bow at the opening night of the Broadway play "All My Sons" on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008 in New York.   (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)
John Lithgow, left, Dianne Wiest, second left, Patrick Wilson and Katie Holmes, right, are shown in a scene from All My Sons, a revival of Arthur Miller's play currently running in New York.
John Lithgow, left, Dianne Wiest, second left, Patrick Wilson and Katie Holmes, right, are shown in a scene from "All My Sons," a revival of Arthur Miller's play currently running in New York.   (AP Photo/Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Joan Marcus)
Actress Katie Holmes attends the opening night after party for Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons' on Thursday, Oct.16, 2008 in New York.
Actress Katie Holmes attends the opening night after party for Arthur Miller's 'All My Sons' on Thursday, Oct.16, 2008 in New York.   (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
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Holmes does not a) forget her lines, b) get naked (as the last Mrs. Cruise did in her Broadway debut), c) look fat in her costumes or d) toss out non sequiturs that seem like references to Scientology. - Elysa Gardner

She lacks the technique to match her co-stars' depths, working hard at conveying purpose, gravity and a contradictory duality between innocence and sharpness. - David Rooney

Holmes, clearly, has been told that movie stars need to project on Broadway, and project she does. She starts out the play like the stage is on fire beneath her feet. - Chris Jones

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