Hudson Theatre, New York
November 30, 2017

Despite the recent, swift expulsion of Kevin Spacey and question marks over its future, few would deny that – aside from the daily spectacle of Trump’s White House – House of Cards is the political drama of the last decade. The Netfix hit was the brainchild of playwright and film producer Beau Willimon, whose work as a volunteer and intern for Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaigns, plus the presidential tilts of Bill Bradley and Howard Dean, furnished him with a truckload of experience in the wicked ways of the Swamp. Somehow, while masterminding the dirty doings of the Underwood campaign, Willimon found he had enough leftover insights into power, passion and politics to pen The Parisian Woman for its first outing at South Coast Repertory back in 2013. Now his play has found its way to Broadway, boasting a starry cast and with added Trump. But can it ever measure up to Francis and Claire?

Josh Lucas as Tom and Uma Thurman as Chloe in The Parisian Woman. Photo © Matthew Murphy

Perhaps that’s an unfair question given the play’s origins. Back in 1885, Henry-François...