On the heels of her Academy Award-winning, breakout performance in 12 Years a Slave, LUPITA NYONG'O stunned critics and audiences in the Public Theater's sold-out hit ECLIPSED- the "scorching and powerful" (The Guardian) new play by Zimbabwean-American playwright and actress DANAI GURIRA (star of AMC's "The Walking Dead" and co-author of In the Continuum). Now, the global star makes her Broadway debut in this "must-see" (NBC New York) production written, directed and performed entirely by female artists.
ECLIPSED is the story of five extraordinary women brought together by upheaval in their homeland of Liberia. They forge a close-knit community... one that inspires them to feats of increasingly greater strength. Directed by South African-born LIESL TOMMY (The Good Negro, Appropriate), ECLIPSED is a stirring tale of hope, humor and resilience- and the only new play by a woman on Broadway this season.
[Nyong'o] is captivating to watch, as are all the women in the cast, even when the script doesn't quite rise up to meet them. If the first half can sometimes feel too baggy and broadly-played, and the second almost seems to rush through its most affecting moments, the overall impact is still startling. Gurira, whose parents emigrated from Zimbabwe, and the Kenyan-raised Nyong'o obviously shouldn't have to carry the weight of representing their entire continent for a Western audience on Golden's stage. But Eclipsed does open a window on a world we rarely get to see this intimately, and they deliver it so gracefully that the play's flaws feel less consequential than the resonating force of its story. B+
For all its harrowing power, 'Eclipsed,' headlined by the Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, one of the most radiant young actors to be seen on Broadway in recent seasons, shines with a compassion that makes us see beyond the suffering to the indomitable humanity of its characters. And although the events it depicts happened more than a decade ago, the play resonates powerfully today, as more than one African country continues to be plagued by atrocious violence, with women often the most brutalized victims....Under the bright lights of Broadway, where escapist fare or genteel revivals most often thrive, Ms. Gurira's play, directed with clarity and force by Liesl Tommy, reminds us of something profoundly important, and perhaps too easily forgotten amid our own country's continuing racial troubles: African lives matter.
2015 | Off-Broadway |
Public Theatre Original Off-Broadway Production Off-Broadway |
2016 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Saycon Sengbloh |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Lupita Nyong'o |
2016 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Danai Gurira |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Lupita Nyong'o |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Pascale Armand |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Zainab Jah |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Saycon Sengbloh |
2016 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Danai Gurira |
2016 | The Lortels | Outstanding Costume Design | Clint Ramos |
2016 | The Lortels | Outstanding Director | Liesl Tommy |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Clint Ramos |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Liesl Tommy |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Pascale Armand |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Saycon Sengbloh |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Lupita Nyong'o |
2016 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Danai Gurira |
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