Theater Review: Harvey

So I thought it was time for my first review post.  I was originally going to make this a review of one of my favorite TV shows, “The Glee Project,” but that post will have to wait until later.  

On Saturday, I had the privilege of seeing the Broadway play “Harvey,” the well-liked 1944 revival starring Jim Parsons, also known as Sheldon Cooper from “The Big Bang Theory.”  My grandma subscribes to the Roundabout Theater Company (the company showing “Harvey”), and since my grandpa can’t really go to shows anymore, my mom usually goes to them with her.  Since my dad and I expressed interest in this play, she found a voucher for two free tickets and so we were able to go with her.  This was the eighth Broadway show I have seen and it is the only one that was not a musical.  (In case anyone is wondering, I have also seen Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Wicked, Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Bye Bye Birdie, and Anything Goes.  I recommend all of them, though most of them are no longer playing.) 

The play was fantastic.  If you don’t believe that Jim Parsons can be anything but a TV actor, think again.  Parsons plays Elwood P. Dowd, a man who, ever since his mother died, has found a friend in a mythical creature called a pooka in the form of a six foot three and a half inch tall white rabbit named Harvey.  No one else sees Harvey, and since all Elwood does is go to bars and drink, most people believe him to be an alcoholic lunatic.  Elwood lives with his sister Veta and niece Myrtle Mae, and Elwood’s reputation prevents them from having a social life and makes it unlikely that Myrtle Mae will ever find a husband.  Because of this, Veta decides to send him to a sanitarium, but once they arrive it is she who the doctors are convinced should be locked up.  From there, a hilarious plot continues, and we are shown in the end Veta’s true feelings for her brother and how Harvey may be keeping Elwood sane.

If you come to see “Harvey” looking to laugh, laughter is guaranteed.  Parsons delivers every line and joke with perfect timing.  Many of the other characters also provide entertainment, such as Veta played by Jessica Hect and the doctor’s wife played by Carol Kane, famous for her role in the TV show “Taxi.”  Many things Parsons does mirror his TV persona, such as the way he repeats a line because he likes the way it sounds and the way he takes everything literally.  The play actually has a serious message behind it: we may try to change the way people with autism and other similar disorders act to make them more “normal,” but in reality they can be much happier than we are.  Sometimes living life simply is better.  One of Elwood’s memorable lines went something like this; “My mother always told me I should be smart or friendly.  For years I was smart.  I recommend being friendly.” 

Though this play is meant to be entertaining, there is a lot we can take away from it.  If you only have the opportunity to see one Broadway show in your lifetime, I would probably not recommend “Harvey” unless you are a serious “The Big Bang Theory” fan.  However, if you have already seen a few musicals and you want something different, then “Harvey” might be for you.  I’m not sure when it closes but I think it is very soon.  If you don’t get a chance to see the show, there is also a movie version.

Have you guys ever seen any Broadway plays?  Which ones?  Did you like them?  If not, what would you like to see?  Did you like the format of this post?  Was it too long?  Formal?  Boring?  Let me know!

Lots of love,

Dawn J