Succession star Jeremy Strong is hailed as 'warm and winning' as he impresses critics in the Broadway revival of An Enemy Of The People
His name alone is enough to drive audiences to catch a glimpse of him in action - but Jeremy Strong's performance in his return to Broadway has wowed critics.
Succession star Strong takes on the role of small town doctor Thomas Stockmann in the Broadway revival of An Enemy of the People - Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's tale of how societal structures endanger lives.
Considering himself to be a upstanding member of the community, Stockmann raises the alarm when he discovers the water at a newly opened spa is polluted.
But his refusal to stay quiet, threatening the community's continued economic prosperity, quickly causes him to become alienated from local townsfolk.
In contrary to Matt Smith's lukewarm reception for the current West End adaptation, Strong's performance has been hailed as 'warm and winning' in early reviews.
Jeremy Strong's performance in his return to Broadway for the revival of An Enemy of the People at Circle in the Square Theatre has impressed critics
Succession star Strong takes on the role of small town doctor Thomas Stockmann in the Broadway revival of An Enemy of the People
While the West End version sees the play moved into present day, the Broadway revival, adapted by Amy Herzog and directed by Sam Gold, stayed firmly in the 19th century.
Strong, 45, was joined by The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli, 57, as Stockmann's brother Peter, and Netflix's You actor Victoria Pedretti, 28, as his daughter Petra.
The HBO actor, whose award-winning method portrayal of Kendall Roy was as much mocked for its seriousness as it was applauded, received rave reviews from critics as he returned to the stage.
Writing for The Times, Will Pavia said: 'Perhaps Strong is funny, once again, because he does not mean to be but his performance is warm and winning.
'In Succession he was a nice man trying desperately to be mean. Here, his earnestness is allowed to shine.'
Speaking of his A-list status, Diane Snyder of The Telegraph asked: 'How do you follow a triumph like Succession?
'If you're Jeremy Strong, it turns out you go from playing the fragile, bullish Kendall Roy on that smashing TV series to starring as Henrik Ibsen's whistleblower doctor Thomas Stockmann in a quietly gripping production of An Enemy of the People, now at New York's Circle in the Square Theatre.
'It's his first leading role on Broadway, and he inhabits it with a winning combination of nuance and fervor.'
In contrary to Matt Smith's lukewarm reception for the current West End adaptation, Strong's performance has been hailed as 'warm and winning'
Echoing the praise for Strong, The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney wrote: 'Strong builds from calm certainty to febrile outrage; until numb resignation — and, later, an odd optimism for future vindication — sets in, he's so tightly wound he makes his Succession character, Kendall Roy, look chill.
'The role of Thomas Stockmann feels tailor-made for the actor's dangerous energy. But he's no simplistic martyr in a post-truth world.'
Variety's Daniel D'Addario commended Strong's performance but feels the adaptation is too forgiving of all characters.
'One moment in which Strong emerges, late in the show, took my breath away, and yet in memory doesn't feel like a stunt,' he wrote.
'This production has much to recommend it, and Strong in particular should return to the stage as often as he can.
'But it's hard not to feel as though this 'Enemy of the People,' in which as rootable as possible a hero is ground down by the forces of evil, ended up presenting an opportunity for the audience to put themselves on trial, and then, with a sigh of relief, exonerate themselves.'
Charles Isherwood for the Wall Street Journal writes: 'A performance of sustained, contained intensity that keeps this intimate, refreshing revival continually absorbing.
'Mr. Strong is powerfully affecting and at times bitterly funny in drawing a portrait of a much-wronged man who puts his ideals ahead of even his family's welfare, while also illustrating how deeply painful it is for Thomas to accept his new, dark view of humanity.'
In a nod to Pedretti's appearance, Isherwood hailed her performance as 'touching'.
Strong, 45, was joined by The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli, 57, as Stockmann's brother Peter, and Netflix's You actor Victoria Pedretti, 28, as his daughter Petra
While the West End version sees the play moved into present day, the Broadway revival, adapted by Amy Herzog and directed by Sam Gold, stayed firmly in the 19th century
The HBO actor, whose award-winning method portrayal of Kendall Roy was as much mocked for its seriousness as it was applauded, received rave reviews from critics
In a nod to Pedretti's appearance, Isherwood of the Wall Street Journal hailed her performance as 'touching'
Also giving space to the rest of the cast's performances, The New York Times's Jesse Green wrote: 'Everyone in the uniformly excellent cast is complicated in that way: just wobbly enough, even in their bonhomie, to make credible the quick transformations to bad faith.
'The few who do not make that transformation are all the more touching for the quirks that make their good faith costly.'
Adrian Horton for The Guardian commended the adaptation's bravery in having one of its most important speeches performed with Strong atop the interval beam and the townsfolk scattered among the audience, describing it as a 'polarizing stage decision'.
'It could be viewed as tacky (Linie, a Nordic spirit, is very clearly a sponsor; transitions are soundtracked by castmembers singing Norwegian folk songs),' she said.
'But there's something to be said for erasing the line between stage and stands, spotlit and shaded, performer and audience, for seeing the reaction on the face of people – wide-eyed shock, grimace, gasp – who know just as much of what's to come as you do.
'Just because a point is very on the nose doesn't make it less salient.'
On Thursday's press night at Circle in the Square Theatre, the socially critical play was rather aptly disturbed by climate protesters.
Three environmental activists from the group Extinction Rebellion, halted the show by shouting 'no theatre on dead planet' during the beginning of the second act.
Adrian Horton for The Guardian commended the adaptation's bravery in having one of its most important speeches performed with Strong atop the interval beam
On Thursday's press night at Circle in the Square Theatre, the socially critical play was rather aptly disturbed by climate protesters
'It could be viewed as tacky (Linie, a Nordic spirit, is very clearly a sponsor; transitions are soundtracked by castmembers singing Norwegian folk songs),' she said
One protester was then seen being escorted out of the theatre by cast members, including The Sopranos Imperioli, who shoved and dragged the rebel up the stairs - all while remaining in character.
In a video posted on X, formerly know as Twitter, a protester is seen walking on to the stage while stars Imperioli and Jeremy Strong, who plays Kendall Roy on succession, were in the middle of performing a rather tense scene.
'I am very, very sorry to interrupt your night and this amazing performance. I am a theatre artist,' the rebel shouted before being escorted offstage by security.
The protester continued: 'The oceans are rising. It will swallow this city and this entire theatre whole. I am putting my career on the line because we are not doing anything about this crisis. The water is coming for us!'
'Go back drama school!' Imperioli yelled in true gangster fashion.
Strong. still in character, retorted loudly: 'Let them speak.'
Imperioli then left the stage and helped to shove the activist up the stairs and out of the theatre.
Some of the crowd members believed the protesters were part of the show as the plot addresses environmental concerns and involved audience participation.
When the final activist was kicked out of the theatre, the majority of the room applauded.
The actors were told to exit the stage by an announcement, but the majority of the group refused to comply.
When the final activist was kicked out of the theatre, the a majority of the room applauded their efforts for social change
Imperioli posted a response to the incident on Instagram, suggesting that while his character Peter might not agree with the demonstrators, the actor himself was more inclined to.
'Tonight was wild….no hard feelings extinction rebellion crew,' he wrote. 'Michael is on your side but Mayor Stockmann is not. Much love.'
A statement released by the climate change group said: 'Today's action highlights the failure of governments and corporations to treat climate and ecological breakdown as the crisis it is.'
'The group emphasises that the present socio-economic system can't protect people from the environmental crises to come, because its very structure creates these crises and then ignores them.'