Reviews

"A DELIGHTFULLY SILLY AND ENTERTAINING EVENING that leads to a SIDE-SPLITTING climax! DAVID IVES has given 'Is He Dead' a fresh update.  NORBERT LEO BUTZ proves that he's Broadway's finest, funniest and most appealing rascal. The ensemble is impeccable."
- Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News

"The WONDROUS NORBERT LEO BUTZ SHOWS THE TRUE COMIC GENIUS OF WHICH HE IS MADE. Like many great comic actors, he suggests that he has more energy than a human body can naturally contain. MR. BUTZ in drag is a MINOR MIRACLE.  There was gold dust in my eyes.  Mr. BLAKEMORE keeps the machinery running smoothly. So does his infectiously happy cast. BYRON JENNINGS appears to be having the time of his life. DAVID PITTU plays with a consummate blend of precision and enthusiasm that is this production's hallmark."
- Ben Brantley, The New York Times
"SUBTLY NUTSY! Twain and (Ives) have struck it rich with Blakemore and a cast that SPINS GOLD!  Norbert Leo Butz is a COMIC GENIUS and SIMPLY INCOMPARABLE!"
- Clive Barnes, New York Post

"COMIC INGENUITY! The tireless NORBERT LEO BUTZ is a modern-day vaudevillian. He executes as many laughs as possible within every scene, every beat, every head toss and dialogue tweak. He makes it all look very difficult -- but worth the effort. DAVID IVES has a sharp ear for period comedy."
- Eric Grode, The New York Sun

"A LOT OF LAUGHS! MICHAEL BLAKEMORE's direction is masterly. DAVID IVES understands the seriousness of a light touch; he's swift and smart. Caprice has its day; in the sure hands of Blakemore, Ives and the well-drilled supporting cast, it also has its victory."
- John Lahr, The New Yorker
"NORBERT LEO BUTZ is a sight to behold. He's the fireplug that jump-starts this remarkably modern play, adapted by DAVID IVES and directed by MICHAEL BLAKEMORE with a sure ear for language and an even surer eye for physical comedy, in one of the most felicitous collaborations of the season. Butz heads a cast of GIFTED actors who merrily work their way through the plot. Twain and IVES share a delightful comic sensibility."
- Michael Kuchwara, AP

"At last a play about which there can be no controversy. THIS GLITTERING PRODUCTION IS JUST PLAIN HILARIOUS. A Broadway boulevard comedy from an era when the boulevards were truly grand. RELENTLESSLY FUNNY, THIS IS A SHOW FOR ALL AGES AND FOR ALL TASTES, AND IT MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR US ALL. ALL YOU NEED TO ENJOY IT IS THE ABILITY TO LAUGH. The team of Butz, Blakemore and Ives has produced an absolutely fail-safe machine that makes an audience laugh itself silly."
- Jacques Le Sourd, The Journal News

"A RIPELY ENJOYABLE CONFECTION! An elaborate madcap comedy that registers HIGH ON THE MIRTH METER and reaches ESPECIALLY GIDDY COMIC HEIGHTS!" NORBERT LEO BUTZ is A RIOT and a CONSISTENT DELIGHT."
- David Rooney, Variety

"UPROARIOUSLY ALIVE, with GUFFAWS AND A BARRAGE OF SIDESPLITTERS! "The hilarious Norbert Leo Butz is A SLAPSTICK DYNAMO!"
- John Simon, Bloomberg News

"HILARIOUS! Right now, the funniest man on Broadway is NORBERT LEO BUTZ, a splendid actor and A TOTAL RIOT. He sets off ERUPTIONS OF LAUGHTER!"
- Michael Sommers, Star-Ledger

"A cast of stylish pros. Norbert Leo Butz flounces with endearing klutziness."
- Linda Winer, Newsday

"NORBERT LEO BUTZ IS QUITE SERIOUSLY THE FUNNIEST MAN ON BROADWAY TODAY!* If you want to laugh and just have an over-the-top time, go marvel at him in IS HE DEAD. The cast is made up of LUMINARIES. You will be doubled over with laughter!"
- David Richardson, WOR AM

"ROLLICKING! A SPIFFY, FIRST-CLASS PRODUCTION! The sheer volume of laughs that it produces demonstrates that 'Is He Dead' is no mere historical curiosity. It is a pointed satire of the art world, expertly staged by MICHAEL BLAKEMORE.  NORBERT LEO BUTZ is perhaps the most viscerally ebullient comic actor on the stage today. Watching him work his magic is not so much amusing as it is practically LIFE-AFFIRMING."
- Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter