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| The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 08:27 pm EDT 06/20/18 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 08:23 pm EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| For me, is the Parsons Michael. At the matinee today, he had moments, the sharpened Crowley retort, the initial very precise attack on the telephone game dynamic. I see flashes of a potentially cohesive performance, scenes that have a stinging clarity. But he doesn't really get inside this man. His central relationship in the play isn't with Donald, of course, to whom he confesses a great deal; it's with Harold. But he never connects fully enough with Quinto. Quinto, to be fair, channels a lot of iconic Frey, but doesn't take the role much in his own direction. He smokes a lot of cigarettes -- as many as Midler smoked in the same house as Sue Mengers -- and lands most of the zingers in a basso pitch. But that telling moment when Michael and Harold find themselves with real emotional intimacy -- when he opens the framed photo -- is too quick, and without the underpinnings. We should feel overriding stakes in the Michael-Harold war. These men need one another, despite everything. They are the George and Martha in this play. But that dynamic disappears as soon as it surfaces. Everyone else is fine, and De Jesus far more than that. Emory emerges as the heroic character for me, oddly enough. We see the bruised boy who has endured a lifetime of bullying and cruel teasing. Yet he's a real adult, and he owns who he is. The Emory portion of the telephone game could easily lapse into bathos. De Jesus makes it a kind of stand: Emory takes full ownership of his emotional life. The entire Booth house leans forward to listen to his backstory, and the attention is earned. De Jesus offers the performance of this production. The staging overall has strengths, Mantello has managed to make the seamless, uninterrupted playing work wonderfully. And the play feels sturdy and honest for the era in which these men lived (we have to remember: they were born circa 1940). if anything, the play is more remarkable now for its unwillingness to tie everyone up in a neat bow. And what I learned: no one allows Michael to get away with projecting his own well of unworthiness onto them. If only we had compelling protagonist to drive the evening, who might make Michael's inability to stop himself from brutalizing others terrifying and moving. It just feels bitchy here, and then slightly self-indulgent. To me, Michael's offensive acting out is always about not knowing love. He creates a game that exposes the hole in Michael, no one else. I wanted Harold's exit line to finally show us how tethered these men are to one another. But it feels too late. Missed opportunity. |
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| When asked who I thought is the ideal Michael... | |
| Posted by: Delvino 04:09 pm EDT 06/21/18 | |
| In reply to: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" - Delvino 08:23 pm EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| I realized: Kevin Spacey, maybe as recently as 15 years ago. In his day, he would’ve nailed it. Of course, in a way he is Michael. | |
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| re: When asked who I thought is the ideal Michael... | |
| Posted by: Thom915 06:39 pm EDT 06/21/18 | |
| In reply to: When asked who I thought is the ideal Michael... - Delvino 04:09 pm EDT 06/21/18 | |
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| I think that David Drake in 96 was the best Michael I have seen. | |
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| re: When asked who I thought is the ideal Michael... | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:17 am EDT 06/22/18 | |
| In reply to: re: When asked who I thought is the ideal Michael... - Thom915 06:39 pm EDT 06/21/18 | |
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| David Drake was excellent as Michael, and David Greenspan was phenomenal as Harold, in that production. | |
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| re: David Drake and David Greenspan | |
| Posted by: Dale 08:33 am EDT 06/23/18 | |
| In reply to: re: When asked who I thought is the ideal Michael... - Michael_Portantiere 11:17 am EDT 06/22/18 | |
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| Saw that production twice! And got to repeat my praise to David last March while waiting for the C train after we both saw "Frozen" Greenspan was terrific again at the Lucile Lortel Theater in "Coraline". |
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| re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 10:19 am EDT 06/21/18 | |
| In reply to: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" - Delvino 08:23 pm EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| Believe it or not, i've never seen "Boys in the Band" the film, and I've never seen it staged. So I'm gonna be going in COMPLETELY BLIND when I finally see it. I skimmed your review here to avoid spoilers, but I'm super curious how this one will resonate with me. I'm a child of the 80's, and I remember seeing figures like this as I was becoming aware of my sexuality, and I remember how jaded and embittered they all seemed to be. It turned me off from thinking that being gay would make for a good, fulfilling life. I'm curious if I'll see glimpses of that within this famous story. Anyway. thanks for posting -- I'll try to post something after I see it! - GMB |
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| re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" | |
| Posted by: Delvino 10:57 am EDT 06/21/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" - GrumpyMorningBoy 10:19 am EDT 06/21/18 | |
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| I hope you'll post a detailed and (if the spirit moves) personal response. I believe the play's impact on other generations beyond boomers is important to hear. The production was loudly cheered yesterday, with that leap to the feet that was almost like the one for "Three Tall Women." I was frankly surprised it seemed so heartfelt. To anyone knowing the film, it's hard to shake the original line readings (and Quinto and Hutchison employ them). That's not the production's fault, but it's a kind of era- and genre-defining film; its lines are part of the culture, LGBTQ and straight. Looking forward to your responses. |
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| re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" | |
| Posted by: TMGnyc 01:32 pm EDT 06/21/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" - Delvino 10:57 am EDT 06/21/18 | |
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| While Quinto is similar to Leonard Frey from the original, if you go back and watch the movie, he is very different due to his state of mind throughout the play. Hutchison, on the night I saw the show, was nothing at all like Peter White. He was much more aggressive in his line readings and even displayed a bit of anger at times. | |
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| re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" | |
| Posted by: Delvino 09:04 am EDT 06/22/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" - TMGnyc 01:32 pm EDT 06/21/18 | |
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| The Hank - Alan exchanges sounded eerily like the film to me. Even the way Hutchison says "attractive fellow." But it's not a big deal comment. I just find the original cast iconic, and sometimes, perhaps, it takes more effort to discard the original line readings. | |
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| re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" | |
| Posted by: Pokernight 02:57 pm EDT 06/21/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" - TMGnyc 01:32 pm EDT 06/21/18 | |
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| IMHO, Quinto comes across like a character out of Mary Shelley's fevered brain and he made me uncomfortable at times. Kudos to Matt Bomer for doing the most with the least. Cowboy doesn't register, but, all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed everyone else in this production. As I mentioned earlier, the set is ridiculous. I can't imagine anyone, with the possible exception of Mariah Carey, living in it. | |
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| re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" | |
| Posted by: theaterisok 10:13 pm EDT 06/20/18 | |
| In reply to: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" - Delvino 08:23 pm EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| Your critique is fantastic and exceptionally written. My only comment is that at the performance I caught early on (an energetic Saturday night) Parsons was shattering in his portrayal. This was before the Times reviewed the show, though. I wonder if anything has changed since? He was clearly the center of everything and his party game was so clearly driven by his lack of love, or need to bleed. Jesus was also fantastic as you mention. But it really was Parsons night when I saw it. Harold’s exit line was such a relief because you just wanted some hope that Michael wasn’t going to bleed himself to death, as it were. I don’t know why I forgot to post my rave after seeing it. I loved everyone and everything, especially the set. |
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| re: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" | |
| Posted by: lordofspeech 09:34 pm EDT 06/20/18 | |
| In reply to: The hole in the middle of this "Boys in the Band" - Delvino 08:23 pm EDT 06/20/18 | |
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| Great writing. And your intelligent criticisms left me wanting to see it. Thank you. |
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