Kurt Weill's operetta "The Firebrand of Florence" was doomed by an inadequate cast and a lackluster staging when it opened on Broadway in March 1945.
While the names of Mr. McPherson and Mr. McDonagh have lighted Broadway marquees, New York audiences have previously seen Mr. Roche only seven years ago in a lackluster Off Broadway staging of his poignant play "Poor Beast in the Rain".
Another top newspaper, The Herald Sun, said "King Kong" was "an eye-popping spectacle designed to appeal to 21st-century audiences that demand relentless action, color and movement in their entertainment," but found fault with "lackluster dialogue" and some stage action laden with special effects that were "overwrought, busy and dizzying".
Last week's vacuum of economic data, along with traders enjoying the last few days of summer vacations, set the stage for lackluster trading; daily volumes dropped to some of the lowest readings of the year.
This time, however, Mr. Adrover had drawn the ire of the fashion world by staging a lackluster show in tumbledown quarters on the Lower East Side.
For the 65th Emmys show, that tactic seems to have gone a long way to redeeming what was otherwise a show of lackluster comedy bits and awkwardly staged "In Memoriam" tributes.
"Danny Daze and Matrixxman taught me a lot about the 808," they'll disclose mid-Veuve Cliquot swig in a green room, adding, "The sizes of the Sunwaves stages this year were totally lackluster".
While France has been lackluster, tame and meek during the pool stage, England has had a couple of embarrassing off-field dramas for manager Martin Johnson.
To be sure, some of the lackluster humor can be attributed to the staging.
As for the possibility of a late-stage correction following Facebook's lackluster post-IPO performance, O'Neill remains pretty bullish.
