This Week on Stage: Christina Ricci holds her own in re-opening of ‘Time Stands Still’ with Laura Linney

Image Credit: Joan MarcusThe theater world was buzzy—and busy!—this past week: The choir-happy musical Leap of Faith, starring Brooke Shields and Raúl Esparza, opened in Los Angeles; Sister Act announced its opening dates in New York City (April 20, 2011!); Billie Joe Armstrong boosted the American Idiot box office big time; and Jersey Boys got the greenlight to doo-wop onto the big screen. And, of course, shows opened in NYC, including the re-opening of Broadway hit Time Stands Still (now with Christina Ricci, pictured here with costar Eric Bogosian), and Gatz and Tigers Be Still Off Broadway, all of which were reviewed by Melissa Rose Bernardo here on EW.com. The highlights:

Gatz: Bernardo loved the eight-hour show, which is a word-for-word production of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Showering the show with praise, Bernardo awarded Gatz an A and said: “It’s not unlike spending the day on the sofa curled up with a really, really good book.” (Opened 10/6)

Tigers Be Still: Of Kim Rosenstock’s NYC debut play, Bernardo says, “There’s a lot of angst packed into this appealingly dark comedy.” Bernardo ultimately awarded the show a B+, saying that Tigers is “overstuffed” at times but ultimately  makes “hanging out with despondent, angry, wayward people fun.” (Opened 10/6)

Time Stands Still: The play, which went on hiatus and moved theaters while star Laura Linney shot her Showtime series The Big C, returns with Christina Ricci in the role that Alicia Silverstone originated. After originally awarding Time a n A–, Bernardo thought the reopening also deserved an A– and said: “In her stage debut, the doe-eyed Ricci holds her own with her three costars, theatrical heavyweights all. And in her second go at the role, Linney has zoomed in on little bits of warmth in the detached, screwed-up woman who lives her life, unapologetically, behind the lens.”(Opened 10/7)

Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky

More Stage coverage from EW.com:
‘Leap of Faith’: Hollywood comes out in force to see Brooke Shields and Raúl Esparza in the new musical
Excess Hollywood: ‘Sister Act’ to open on Broadway
Billie Joe Armstrong boosts ‘American Idiot’ box office: Can it hold?
‘Glee’ duets: Yay for more ‘Chorus Line’
Cherry Jones and Sally Hawkins star in sluggish revival of ‘Mrs. Warren’s Profession’ on Broadway
‘Jersey Boys’ heading to the big screen

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