Bruce Willis And Al Pacino Tried Broadway, But Failed Miserably

Bruce Willis and Al Pacino have flourished as stars of the screen, becoming two of the most successful actors in Hollywood. By the end of 2023, Willis boasted a total of 26 film titles under his belt that grossed $100 million or more at the box office. Pacino’s number stood at an impressive 12. The pair could not conquer Broadway in the same way, however, as they both tried their hand at stage acting… and flopped miserably!

Many actors in Hollywood often overlap between stage and screen, with varying degrees of success in either field. Broadway was the starting point for many legendary careers as well, including those of Morgan Freeman, Sarah Jessica Parker, and even Meryl Streep. For Bruce Willis and Al Pacino, however, memories of their time walking the boards might not be as pleasant.

Al Pacino Received Less-Than-Glowing Reviews For His Performance In China Doll

Al Pacino found himself on the sharp end of negative fan and critic reviews following his performance in the David Mamet play China Doll. The story itself centers on Mickey Ross, a wealthy businessman about to retire. Pacino portrayed Mickey, with Christopher Denham playing his assistant, Carson.

Al Pacino Most Notable Stage Work

Mickey is excited about marrying a much younger fiancée and flying off in a new private jet. However, his plans hit a snag when a phone call reveals serious legal problems. He spends most of the play on the phone, trying to fix these issues. He talks to his lawyer, his fiancée, and several other characters. These conversations show his tough and often ruthless personality. The play explores themes like power, money, and corruption.

China Doll received mixed reviews from critics, with a number arguing that they found the play slow and lacking in action. They felt that the plot was too focused on phone conversations and not enough on interactions between characters. Pacino’s performance came under fire as well, with reviews saying it was “distracted” as well as “narrow.”

Bruce Willis’ Illness Impacted His Performance In Stephen King’s Misery

Al Pacino’s China Doll debuted on Broadway in October 2015. In that very same month, Bruce Willis played the leading role of Paul Sheldon in a stage adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Misery. Unfortunately for the actor, the health issues that would eventually push him into retirement had already started to have an impact on him.

The play, as the source novel, follows Paul, a famous author of romance novels set in the 1800s. His main character is Misery Chastain. After a car accident during a snowstorm in Colorado, he is saved by Annie Wilkes, a middle-aged, former nurse who calls herself his "number-one fan."

However, Annie's love for Paul's books becomes dangerous. She keeps him captive and forces him to write a new novel called Misery's Return. Paul's situation becomes a fight for his life as Annie's obsession grows more deadly.

According to a report in The Guardian, Willis’ portrayal of Paul in Misery was described as “drowsy,” as he was fed lines through an earpiece. This would of course come to make sense later, after the actor was diagnosed with dementia.

Misery Was Bruce Willis’ Final Stage Performance Before His Retirement

Via Instar

Having started to feel the effects of his illness, Misery would turn out to be Bruce Willis’ last performance on stage, although his eventual retirement from acting would not be for another few years. Before that, the Die Hard actor had been involved in two other major stage productions.

Bruce Willis on Stage

In the very early years of his acting career, he was an understudy for the role of Eddie in a production of Sam Shepard’s Fool for Love. He returned to play the part again in 1997, and also doubled as a producer this time around. In 2002, Willis starred in another of Shepard’s classics, as Lee in True West.

On his part, Al Pacino was back on stage in 2017, portraying Tennessee Williams in the Dotson Rader play God Looked Away at the Pasadena Playhouse. Regrettably for him, the reviews were no kinder this time than they had been for China Doll.

The Los Angeles Times titled their review of the production, “God Looked Away, and so should you.” As of May 2024, Pacino had not returned to stage again, despite remaining very active on both the big and small screen.