Los Angeles Times - Recommended
"...Tolins' play is very amusing on the subject of Los Angeles and the plight of actors waiting for their big break. Yes, it has its slow patches and weakly finds its dramatic resolution in a punch line (an admittedly funny one, but a cop-out involving throw pillows nonetheless). But it is redeemed by the emerging friendship that it poignantly depicts, thanks to a winning actor and a playwright who ultimately chooses sincerity over easy satire."
LA Weekly - Recommended
"...Part wickedly funny deconstruction of the Streisand mystique, part clear-eyed examination of the seductive grotesquerie of celebrity mythmaking and the reinvented self, the evening ends as a redemptive and vastly enjoyable celebration of the inner Barbra lurking within us all."
Edge - Recommended
"...Michael Urie proves to be a virtuoso clown, a consummate actor, and a force of nature, all rolled into one, in his tour de force solo turn in Jonathan Tolins' irresistible showbiz comedy, "Buyer & Cellar." Under the crackling direction of Stephen Brackett, Tolins' sassy and inventive concoction provides a career breakthrough vehicle for the perpetually charming Urie, who is most widely known for his sublime supporting role in the sitcom "Ugly Betty.""
Stage and Cinema - Recommended
"...On Andrew Boyce's nearly bare white set where location changes are indicated by Alex Koch's useful projections, Mr. Urie, oozing charm under Stephen Brackett's sharp and balanced direction, portrays these characters with an elegant combination of verve and restraint, making them funny but not comical. There is love and compassion in his depictions, which never deteriorate into caricature, making the show a delightful and fascinating experience even for someone whose interest in and knowledge of Ms. Streisand is limited."
The Hollywood Reporter - Recommended
"...Unabashed, confident in its broadness of brush (not least because of the pointillist precision of its observation), and with an unerring command of its comic and pathetic effects, Buyer & Cellar is the sort of heartwarmingly savage show the whole family can enjoy."
StageHappenings.com - Recommended
"...Let's say this upfront: if you are the slightest bit homophobic, this show will drive you mad. Although it's an oddity as a theatre-piece, it's riotously funny, and so well presented that irrespective of sexual (or social) orientation, you'll laugh your fool head off. If you know who Babs is and how one gayman found his way into her house, you'll get the joke that is at the bottom of Tolin's comedy."
Examiner - Recommended
"...Michael Urie of "Ugly Betty" fame is engaging and funny in Jonathan Tolins witty one-man show, "Buyer & Cellar," now at the Mark Taper Forum. Imagine a wanna-be acting friend who is going to entertain you for an evening with a tall tale and you've got the pitch and premise for this show."
BlogCritics.org - Recommended
"...Wicked without being unnecessarily cruel, Buyer and Cellar takes jabs at the cult of celebrity while reminding us why we're so fascinated by it in the first place. Streisand's eccentric behavior is counterbalanced by nice moments of humanity - awkwardly comforting a distraught Alex or revealing a painful childhood secret. But then Barry makes Alex sit down for a screening of Streisand's 1996 ego trip, The Mirror Has Two Faces, to dramatically (and hilariously) demonstrate the extent to which the star is self-absorbed. It's delicious fun."
ArtsInLA - Recommended
"...Buyer & Cellar is extremely slick and, running just under two intermissionless hours, diabolically quick, filled with so many nonstop Friends of Dorothy–inspired references that it begins to feel like Tolins's roots might just have been as a camp follower of the Jewel Box Revue. Ordinarily, this technique can cause massive eye-rolling in an audience, but again, in Urie's capable hands, it all works like gangbusters."
OC Register - Recommended
"...The ridiculous premise for "Buyer & Cellar" is dispensed with right away by the lone actor who embodies all the characters in Jonathan Tolins' raucous, wickedly funny play, a 2013 Off Broadway currently playing at the Mark Taper Forum."
Neon Tommy - Recommended
"...A mixture of Angeleno humor, celebrity mystique, and Streisand trivia, "Buyer & Cellar" does an excellent job of keeping every audience member engaged, regardless of their own personal knowledge of the legend that is Barbra Streisand. While "Buyer & Cellar" is a one-man show, Michael plays a multitude of characters including, of course, Barbra herself. Running approximately 100 minutes without intermission, Michael Urie's stamina is quite impressive as he powers through this high-energy, stand-up routine. Michael Urie delivers his lines with such believability, it is difficult to tell where Michael Urie ends and Alex More begins."
Culture Vulture - Recommended
"...No, there's not a lot of story, and there are a lot references to movie trivia that went over my head but pleased the in-the-know opening night audience immensely. What there is entertains and gently makes the point that, as Alex says, "Relentless good taste combined with a total lack of financial restraint" is no substitute for intimacy, and fame probably ain't what it is cracked up to be. "Buyer and Cellar" first and foremost shows that there can be a play of pure fun without insulting anyone's intelligence. So there, Mr. Curmudgeon; I loved it."
The Stage Struck Review - Recommended
"...The comedy is wry, but often fall-out-of-your chair funny. The insights into the isolation of fame, and into a once-poor young woman's obsession with amassing goods, are sharp and interesting. The awkward balance of confidante, servant, and compatriot required of Alex's job, and the toll they take on his outer life, keep it grounded. But mostly what you remember is complete delight."
Grigware Blogspot - Recommended
"...Go see Buyer & Cellar for the sheer enjoyment that it brings. The nonstop funny patter and Urie's ingenious performance will have you entranced, just as the mystique of Barbra Streisand has been doing these past 50+ years. Just don't take any of it too seriously!"
LifeInLA - Recommended
"...For all of its wonderful components, this play might not work at all without the exuberant and masterful performance of Michael Urie. Mr. Urie is flawless. His nearly two-hour-long, intermission-free, solo performance is a tour de force of brilliant characterizations, heartfelt sincerity, and deft comic timing, all at a dizzying pace that leaves us wanting more."
