User Reviews

I had some familiarity with this show before I saw this show.I'm not sure,but I might've caught this as a re-run,but nevertheless,I feel like this show may've been where the light went on for me in terms of thinking this show really was more than good but truly unique.

GUest star Amy Sedaris(an actress I've been in love with since "Exit 57" or at least "Strangers With CAndy")is the sister of Monk's assistant Sharonna. She's an aspiring stage actress,and on the opening night or week of the stage production she's in,she kills the male lead with what she thought was the prop knife she was supposed to attack him with. A case this seemingly closed would seem to be a waste of the brilliant,OCD detective's time. Seems is the operative word.

Directed by Ron Underwood,this show is a fantastic set up of a crime mystery as well as yet another great exhibition of Tony Shaloub's continual building upon the title detective,as well as good supporting turns for the rest of the regulars--Bitty Schramm as Sharonna,Ted LEvine as Styottlemyre and JAson Gray-Stanford as Disher--and a nice buffering guest support from SEdaris,Betty BUckley(As Sharonna and sister's mother)and Melissa GEorge(As the understudy).

To single out any show would probably somewhat of a pointless endeavor for this show. So many of these episodes are filled with brilliant writing and acting,but this show probably really caught my attention for this show. Assuming you enjoy this show as well,what's yours?

'Monk' has always been one of my most watched shows when needing comfort, to relax after a hard day, a good laugh or a way to spend a lazy weekend.

"Mr Monk Goes to the Theater" is not quite one of the best episodes of Season 2 but also of the whole show. It too was one of the episodes that got me interested in 'Monk' in the first place, and one of the few to not have any noticeable deficits. Just as funny as "Mr Monk and the Very, Very Old Man", and with Monk's quirks and OCD even more obvious, Sharona having more screen time and again it was nice to see the two back in character.

One of the best things about 'Monk' has always been the acting of Tony Shalhoub in the title role. It was essential for him to work and be the glue of the show, and Shalhoub not only is that but also at his very best he IS the show. Have always loved the balance of the humour, which is often hilarious, and pathos, which is sincere and touching. It is remarkable here that right from the first episode to when the show ended that one likes him straight away, even with his quirks and deficiencies that could easily have been overplayed, and also that he is better developed than most titular characters of other shows at this particular stage. Who can't help love Monk's brilliant mind too?

He is very well supported by a sharp and no-nonsense but also sympathetic Bitty Schram, whose Sharona makes for a worthy and entertaining partner for Monk's sleuthing and somebody with a maternal side. There is always a debate at who's better between Sharona and Natalie, personally like both in their own way and consider them both attractive though as of now leaning towards Natalie as the better acted and more attentive of the two. The two are so enjoyable together and the best detective duo of any show in recent years from personal opinion.

Also by a very amusing, and sometimes even funnier than that, Ted Levine, what a difference from his Buffalo Bill in 'The Silence of the Lambs', the loyalty, friendship and annoyance towards Monk coming across wonderfully. Jason Gray-Stanford is growing in confidence and comic timing with each episode, as is the chemistry with the other three leads. Amy Sedaris does a great job as Sharona's sister Gail, whose innocence is never in doubt. Liked the involvement of Sharona's mother too, which sees Sharona getting more development.

It's not just the cast though. Another star is the writing, which is also essential to whether the show would be successful or not and succeed it does here. The mix of hilarious wry humour, lovable quirkiness and tender easy-to-relate-to drama is delicately done but extremely deft, of which some of the funniest writing of the whole show is in this episode. The character moments are such a joy with the principal cast are always.

The character moments make the episode, like Monk's awkwardness on stage, Sharona's role at the end, the stuff with the peanut oil and Monk's excellent memory.

Don't worry about the mystery not being as good, nothing could be further from the truth. It's compelling, entertaining and suspenseful, with nothing being what it seems, with a pricelessly ingenious final solution.

Visually, the episode is shot in a slick and stylish way, and the music is both understated and quirky. While there is a preference for the theme music for Season 1, Randy Newman's "It's a Jungle Out There" has grown on me overtime, found it annoying at first but appreciate its meaning and what it's trying to say much more now.

Overall, wonderful and one of the best episodes. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Any "Monk" fan knows the idea is preposterous. Tony and the writers do not disappoint. This one, and "Mr. Monk gets a New Shrink" are my two favorites.

If you put aside the young woman who gets the part after Sharona's sister is accused of the murder and the mystery around it, things become ridiculous. It's the stupid play, first of all. It's heading for Broadway---really. If this were that great, they would have had to beat actors off with a stick who wanted to get that part. When Monk is asked to take the part at the last minute, it would never happen. This is San Francisco. Can you imagine them having trouble finding another actor. It was entertaining, but I couldn't get past the stupidity.

Having watched the entire first season, now into the second, the show is beginning to spend too much time with characters figuring Monk out than Monk figuring out these crazy crimes that no one but Monk could figure out, and the first season so far is much better, better more related to the mystery than the mysterious mystery solver.

By the time these season two episodes reache the "HowDidIt" finale you forget what the main murder was all about. As happens here. By the end it doesn't matter because there was simply (refer to subject to finish sentence)

In his usual way mr moron tries to be funny and fails miserably at it ... he's been added to the cast of a stupid play to solve a murder allegedly committed by sharona's sister gail ... enter the mother from eight is enough, betty buckley who is now sharona and gail's mother... the only thing funny about this episode was it sucked and the brillo pad ended up scrubbed...shram should get an oscar for tolerating this crap.