| She may have been perfect in a different production, but Danner doesn't seem to have the addled, manic pace that Zaks used as the production's engine. She may have been closer to Bishop's characterization, which was lovely but not able to make the show a dazzling comic event. Channing, though to the manor born I believe, seemed almost as much an outsider in her interior life as the other lead figure, Paul, was on the outside. While Danner, like Bishop, would likely have communicated Ouisa's loneliness, Channing was temperamentally one of "us" in the audience, trying desperately to be "in" with the cool crowd. This, combined with her energy, was all-enveloping and thrilling. When has Danner create sensational thrills on stage? She has many talents but not perhaps what this production needed. |
