JANE FONDA - FONDA'S BROADWAY RETURN MET WITH MIXED REVIEWS

FONDA'S BROADWAY RETURN MET WITH MIXED REVIEWS

JANE FONDA's return to Broadway has divided New York's theatre critics - who have described her performance as a terminally ill academic in 33 VARIATIONS as both "elegant" and "strained".
The Oscar-winner, 71, took to the stage in the Big Apple for the first time in 46 years on Monday (09Mar09), to star alongside Samantha Mathis and Colin Hanks in the Moises Kaufman play.
A star-studded audience, including Renee Zellweger, Dolly Parton, Geoffrey Rush and Rosie O'Donnell, rewarded the actress with a standing ovation - but the celebrity turnout wasn't enough to fully win over reviewers.
A critic for the New York Times put aside what is branded as a "clunky" opening to applaud Fonda for her "elegantly restrained" performance, while a Washington Post writer adds, "Fonda's agelessness owes something to both the longevity of her fame and the intensity of her struggle against physical decline... On this occasion, she not only manages to transcend time, but also the material."
But a reviewer for Backstage.com is more hesitant: "Her voice is occasionally strained, and she lacks the passion to make us care... Despite (co-star Zach) Grenier's robust performance and solid work from Samantha Mathis, Colin Hanks, Don Amendolia, Susan Kellermann, and Erik Steele, these Variations are on themes that are all-too-familiar."
Fonda made her Broadway debut in 1960 play There Was a Little Girl, earning her a Tony Award nomination for best featured actress, and her last stint came in 1963 drama Strange Interlude.
33 Variations is scheduled to run until 24 May (09).