PLAYBILL.COM'S THEATRE WEEK IN REVIEW, Oct. 3-9: Royalty, Three Kinds
By Robert Simonson
09 Oct 2009
 |
 |
Carrie Fisher, Jude Law and Rosemary Harris
|
| photo by Joan Marcus (Fisher, Harris) and Johan Persson (Law) | Broadway got a triple dose of royalty this week — the noble kind, the theatrical breed and the Hollywood sort. And, much like actual crowned heads, the subjects were pleasing and respectable, but did not surprise.
The week began with actress and Hollywood royal (at least in lineage) Carrie Fisher's confessional solo Wishful Drinking, in which she explained how one keeps one's head screwed on straight when born to famous people (Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds), married to famous people (Paul Simon) and eternally tied to a famous film character (Princess Leia of the "Star Wars" series). Not that Fisher actually succeeded in keeping her wits. There was plenty of mental illness and substance abuse along the way, not to mention sexual mishaps (one husband left her for a man).
Reviews were good to very good. Some griped that Fisher didn't dig deep enough into her scarred past, but everyone allowed that the lady has a way with an epigram and plenty of personal charm and the entertaining evening was full of laughs.
Soon after, Jude Law opened as drama's royal of royals, Hamlet, in a Donmar Warehouse production directed by Michael Grandage. The staging has been a smash in London. Here, critics were impressed, but not mightily so. Most accorded Law his due as a well-spoken, credible and energetic Dane, while saying the production was speedy, chic and possessed clarity. But some complained that the interpretation was not an overly deep one, that it sacrificed analysis for adrenaline and that no one in the supporting cast could hold a candle to Law. Still, the overall feeling was that, for the time being, this Hamlet would do fine.
Finally came The Royal Family, George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's not-so-subtle send-up of the Barrymores (and actors in general), which opened Manhattan Theatre Club's new Broadway. No reviewer thought the Doug Hughes staging revealed the old play anew, but most critics said the comedy still had plenty of charm, and was particularly favored by the excellent performances of Rosemary Harris and Jan Maxwell, who play mother and daughter.
***
Off-Broadway, Second Stage staged the return of theatrical chameleon Anna Deavere Smith, who presented her examination of the body and its health in Let Me Down Easy.
Critics thought the work Smith's best in years, an engrossing, thoughtful and vital (not to mention timely, given the health care debate) study of how we take care of ourselves and our well-being. Reviews mentioned that the piece was more sprawling and less focused than earlier works, but no less compelling.
***
Producer David Richenthal, whose Finian's Rainbow is on Broadway (it started previews Oct. 9), has William Gibson's The Miracle Worker on his Broadway agenda, according to a casting notice. Kate Whoriskey will direct a new Broadway production of the American classic about feisty Irish-American teacher Annie Sullivan who teaches a deaf and blind girl named Helen Keller to connect with the wide world around her. The inspiring play based on the young life of the internationally-known Keller famously starred Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke, on stage and film.
The roles of Annie and Helen have been cast, according to the Equity casting notice.
Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy
Send questions and comments to the Webmaster
Copyright © 2009 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|