Critics Battle Over Katie Holmes' Broadway Debut 10/17/08

Katie Holmes' Broadway debut has left New York's tough theatre press battling over whether it loves her or hates her.

Arthur Miller's All My Sons - starring Holmes, John Lithgow, Dianne Wiest and Patrick Wilson - opened at the Big Apple's Schoenfeld Theater on Thursday (16Oct08) night.

While anti-Scientology protesters targeted followers Holmes and her husband Cruise outside, the actress' performance left some critics wowed and others unimpressed.

The New York Daily News' Joe Dziemianowicz was won over by the actress' first stint on stage, writing, "Holmes, a TV and film vet, makes a fine Broadway debut. Her rather grand speech pattern takes getting used to, but she seems comfortable and adds a fitting glint of glamour."

But other critics disagreed. The New York Times' Ben Brantley claimed "the neophyte Ms. Holmes" is a "sad casualty" of director Simon McBurney's "high concept approach" to the play. He adds that "Ms. Holmes delivers most of her lines with meaningful asperity, italicizing every word".

And the New York Post's Clive Barnes was similarly unimpressed by the Batman Begins star - and had few compliments for her co-stars. He writes, "Lithgow starts in a sunny, benign fashion, but eventually finds himself screeching alongside Holmes, looking tough under a glossy wig."