All That Chat - Newsday's mixed take on McKinnon's "Delicate Balance..."

HOME ALL THAT CHAT ATC WEST COAST SHOPPIN' RUSH BOARD FAQS

LOGIN REGISTER SEARCH FLAT MODE

not logged in

Newsday's mixed take on McKinnon's "Delicate Balance..."

Posted by:	Delvino 10:09 pm EST 11/20/14

"Although the play still dazzles with wit, gorgeous writing and the lurking terror of mortality, we miss the accumulating shock he gave to the characters' lives of cozy self-satisfaction. Director Pam MacKinnon...spells things out here instead of letting Albee toy with us through suggestion and suspense...Albee...challenges actors with tyrannical syntactic demands -- mouthfuls of polysyllabic, unforgiving, grown-up paragraphs that require virtuosos to make them sound like speech. Lithgow is droll and manor-born as the retired Tobias, though we never believe he is as ineffectual as Agnes claims. Oddly, Close, who has three best-actress Tonys, seemed daunted at a recent preview by Agnes' exhilarating but Olympian monologues. Stumbling over the words is a special problem for a silver fox who fancies herself the fulcrum of the family's equilibrium...instead of upsetting the balance of self-satisfied old money, the scene screams ostentation. Nothing, alas, is delicate." Linda Winer, Newsday

reply \|

Previous:	The Times leaked its BALANCE review early, then withdrew it. - Delvino 10:20 pm EST 11/20/14
Next:	Richard Pasco obituary Classical actor with a prolific repertoire, authoritative stage presence and ... - Neilfrombrooklyn 08:26 pm EST 11/20/14

Thread:

All That Chat is intended for the discussion of theatre news and opinion
subject to the terms and conditions of the Terms of Service. (Please take all off-topic discussion to private email.)