 To keep it real, I wanted to see Dog Day Afternoon because Jon Bernthal is in it. I became a huge fan after watching him as The Punisher on Netflix. Frankly, he could have been doing a one-man show about a paper bag and I still would have wanted to go. During a lovely conversation over champagne, someone offered me free tickets. BOOM. I was in. Dog Day Afternoon is adapted by Stephen Adly Guirgis from Sidney Lumet's 1975 Oscar-winning film starring Al Pacino. Confession: I didn't remember much about the movie beyond Pacino walking around a lot and robbing a bank. Here's the tea: the play brings the real-life 1972 Brooklyn bank heist to the Broadway stage. Sonny Wortzik (Jon Bernthal) and Sal Naturile (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are wildly unprepared criminals, and everything that can go wrong absolutely does. The police arrive, the FBI gets involved, the media descends, and chaos takes center stage. As the story unfolds, Sonny's true motivations for the robbery are revealed, adding emotional depth to what initially appears to be a straightforward crime story. The critics have been tough on this production, but I suspect many are comparing it too closely to the film. The cast is strong across the board, and Bernthal absolutely delivers. He brings vulnerability, tension, humor, and humanity to Sonny in a way that kept me fully invested. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say this: I'm proud to live in a city where a story like this can be told on a Broadway stage. Representation matters. Stories like this matter. Critics aside, the audience gave it a standing ovation the night I attended. The show closes July 12. If you've been thinking about going, go. ⭐⭐⭐½/5 Get discounted Broadway tickets on Today Tix 
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