Arturo Ui: The Reviews Are In

Arturo Ui had it's official opening night last night and the press were quick to follow with reviews. Check out some of the comments below...

Mr. Esparza, a performer of wit and fire, doesn’t fail to amuse in the role and — when his character roams the audience with the dead eyes of a shark — to chill. He’s especially entertaining when Arturo slips into faux-Shakespeare mode, evoking not only Richard III, but also Hamlet and Macbeth.
--New York Times--

Esparza is on fire from word one. Even in the play’s barkerlike choral introduction, delivered by the company behind the metal fence, there’s a thrilling combination of comedy and menace in everything from his tilted head to his dead stare to his broad “simple son of Brooklyn” accent. He practically frolics through the play’s verse — the language, with all its rhymes and flourishes, quips and quotations, is a game of double Dutch for him, and he never skips a beat.
​--Vulture--

​Esparza’s Arturo Ui keeps his eyes wide shut, plus he exudes rank stupidity. The character’s most violent harangues, and there are many, often spring from the campiest of retorts. One moment, Esparza is stuck wallowing in Arturo Ui’s seemingly playful narcissism; the next, he’s a fire-breathing monster in full command. It’s a magnificently indulgent performance.
--The Wrap--

The headline, though, is Ui, Ui, Ui, and no one really comes close to Esparza, who whiplashes between moods. He goofs around like a kid, plays broad, whacks the role with some commedia shtick—and then, when he decides to be menacing, he electrifies the room.
--Time Out New York--

Esparza is at the top of his game playing Ui. With his intonations, stance and walk, you will be unable to take your eyes off him. He is narcissistic all smiles and good intentions and a psychopath with his next breath ready to terminate those who do not see his way.
--Time Square Chronicle--

It's great to see Raul Esparza back on a New York stage after an absence of over three years, especially playing a role that takes advantage of his skill for creating steely tension while hinting at traces of madness. Sporting a harsh accent that identifies the pompous dullard as a Brooklyn transplant, his Arturo Ui has the kind of working class charisma that charms uneducated masses.
--Broadway World--