The much ballyhooed ambiance was "outdoorsy zen, with a touch of pretentious food snobbery." We ordered fairly quickly. We arrive to be told they were swamped.which was odd as there were tables empty. This place was recommended to us by the owner of the hotel we were staying at. What was particularly irksome was the cavalier way in which the staff explained the delay in our meals being served when it was clear to anyone in the place that they weren't overrun with patrons, especially when it's taken into account that three other couples who arrived after us were served their meals before we were. I prefer grub, and a few menu items were just a little to shi shi for my tastes, especially on the dessert menu, but that's on me. I'm not a foodie, and perhaps that's the problem. Duck Soup, in my opinion, is trying too hard for a Beard Award.
#Duck soup marx brothers reviews free
Shortly thereafter we finally got our meals, and were offered a free dessert as compensation for our wait. When I finally inquired of a waitress as to when our meals would be served, she apologized and told me they'd been hit by a lot of customers which, given that the place seats no more than fifty, approximately, and it wasn't seated to capacity by any means, was a spurious excuse.
We were treated well by the staff when we arrived, ordered what were reasonably straightforward meals and then proceeded to wait patiently for nearly an hour as three other couples who arrived after us were served their dinners first. Kennedy has two swell sessions with Harpo and Chico.Duck Soup is presumably a good restaurant. The biggest slice of songwriting arrives in the heaviest production number, a satirical congressional or parliamentary session in which war is declared.Įverybody in the support cast, excepting Edgar Kennedy, plays straight to the Marxes. Everything’s in keeping with the tempo of the production, the Marxes personally staying on top of the story at all times and on top of the music as well. Music and lyrics, through which much of the action is in rhyme and song, serve to carry the story along rather than to stand out on pop song merit on their own. He’s an expert gag man and is so splendid at imitating any one of the brothers, that should illness stop one from making an appearance, Zeppo can immediately take his place.” Clearing up that mystery. Press sheet says, “Zeppo, despite his straight character, is a most important part of the team. Chico and Harpo omit their musical specialties, which should make it much easier for the piano and harp numbers the next time, if needed. While Groucho soft pedals the verbal clowning for more physical effort this time the other boys also make a quick change. For his customary dowager-foil he has the high, wide and handsome Margaret Dumont, making it perfect for Groucho. Groucho is the prime minister, who takes his job as seriously as a judge in “Irish Justice,” and gives this champ of comedy dialog a veritable Yankee Stadium to work in. Story is a mythical kingdom burlesque that could easily have been written by a six-year-old with dust in his eyes, but it isn’t so much the story as what goes with and on within it. mirror routine, so well done in the hands of Groucho, Harpo and Chico that it gathers a new and hilarious comedy momentum all over again. In place of the constant punning and dame chasing, “Duck Soup” has the Marxes madcapping through such bits as the old Schwartz Bros.
The shift to the ‘situation’ in this picture therefore is a relief besides being, for the Marxes, a means of changing the pace that will draw dividends for the boys in the future.
Radio has killed all the good gags and is responsible for the present low caste of gagsters and gags. Less gags this trip with more accent on ‘situation.’ That doesn’t hurt, either.