Jackman and Craig co-star in the production as police officers in Chicago, Illinois who have been friends since childhood.
The pair helped set a record for the highest weekly ticket sales of a non-musical play, with the show taking $1,167,954 (£778,636) during a week of preview performances.
But New York’s notoriously tough theatre critics weren’t so kind, following a star-studded premiere on Tuesday (29Sep09) night, attended by Jerry Seinfeld, Matthew Broderick, Jeff Goldblum, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber.
A reviewer from the New York Times summarises: “A Steady Rain… is probably best regarded as a small, wobbly pedestal on which two gods of the screen may stand in order to be worshipped.”
Other critics praised the pair’s performances but suggested the play, written by Keith Huff and produced by James Bond boss Barbara Broccoli, was an awkward choice for the duo.
A critic from the New York Post writes, “Jackman is vastly appealing, as usual, but he’s also miscast… (and) not entirely convincing as a troublemaker with an appetite for self-destruction. (Craig) fares better and single-handedly lifts up the show… Craig and Jackman were clearly eager to appear onstage together. Too bad they picked a clunky squad car for a vehicle.”
Craig and Jackman’s limited run ends on 6 December (09).
