Will Ferrell's Bush Impersonation Is Criticized

Will Ferrell's first Broadway play features him in one of his most famous roles from Saturday Night Live. You're Welcome America: A Final Night with George W. Bush opened on Thursday. The show features Ferrell as Bush, reflecting on his life before and during his presidency.

Reuters reports that the show was met with praise and criticism. Critics said that there was more of Ferrell's signature low-brow humor instead of theatrical satire, but that it would still do well due to Ferrell's popularity.

Entertainment Weekly calls the show "crude, often hilarious, rarely incisive, and wickedly partisan."

USA Today says Ferrell's "shots overreach and fail to sting," and notes that cultural references intended to shock and amuse the audience didn't do so.

The number of devoted fans to Ferrell will see the show more because of their love for his comedic personality than for a look into the former president's life. "Ultimately this production is less about the legacy of George W. Bush than it is about the comic persona that has been perfected by Will Ferrell," New York Times critic Ben Brantley said, according to Reuters.