| A slew | |
| Posted by: aleck 07:07 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Off the top of my head without referencing any old programs, I can list: Bernadette Peters as Dainty June in Gypsy Josh Hamilton and Brooke Shields in a terrible play called Eden Cinema. Josh Hamilton again with Mark Ruffalo in This Is Our Youth Josh Hamilton yet again in a play at the New Group with Paul Dano, Peter Dinklage, and Zoe Kazan. And speaking of the New Group, I saw the first play that Scott Elliott ever directed. It was called Andrew After Dark. I knew I was watching something from a very talented director. Despite some missteps, Elliott has a certain touch with certain types of plays that no one can match. (Anna Shapiro has that touch as well but in a different way.) I saw Calista Flockhart magnetize a staged reading of a poor adaptation of Le Ronde by Warren Leight. Flockhart walked onto the stage and I knew I was watching a star. I remember seeing Robert Sean Leonard holding grip on the audience in Speed Of Darkness, but I fear he hasn't lived up, for me at least, to that early promise. Jude Law in Indiscretions -- with full frontal nudity. Hard to forget that entrance. The recent death of Katherine Helmond reminded me of seeing her in Great God Brown, which was one of the most thrilling theatrical experiences ever. I ran into John McMartin, who was also brilliant in that production, on the street shortly before his death and stopped him to express my admiration for his work in that production. I think he was truly touched and moved that someone remembered. Then, there's Paul Rudd in Last Night of Ballyhoo. Which sparks a memory of the ORIGINAL Paul Rudd in Streamers and Henry V in the park along with Meryl Streep, who I also saw in Secret Service. There were some stinkers, too. I saw the woefully miscast and charmless performances of Penny Fuller and Tony Roberts as replacements in the original Barefoot in the Park. Happily, Mildred Natwick was on hand and when she came on stage she lighted the mood and showed everyone how it's done. Perhaps my most obscure claim for an early star sighting was Donna McKechnie in the Broadway tryout tour of A Joyful Noise. She got replaced by Susan Watson, but I remember a spectacular dance she did with a pair of men's pants. These pants were from the male character lead (a too-old John Raitt) and expressed her desire for him. I remember it as a exuberant and sensual number, with McKechnie performing with an abandon that I had never seen before and rarely since then. I think the part ultimately was not a dance part. But I'd say that that dance was more thrilling than the dance she did 10 years later in Chorus Line. (Michael Bennett did the Joyful Noise choreography) Compared to the spontaneous-seeming truthfulness of the Joyful Noise dance, the Chorus Line number always seemed to me to be too self-consciously "show biz." By the way, that original Joyful Noise cast included Tommy Tune and the recently deceased talent machine JoJo Smith in the chorus. Leland Palmer, James Rado and Swen Swenson had featured roles. I remember the music as being great and the choreography even greater. Had never seen anything like it before. Along with the performers who went on to great success, there is also a flip side to this. Great performances of actors who you never heard of again. I remember most vividly the electrifying original New York production of Killer Joe headed by what I thought would be a star-making performance by David Mogentale. I also knew that the playwright (Tracy Letts) would be going somewhere. I saw that production four times. I wanted to see if they could do it again. The later off-Broadway production with Scott Glenn paled in comparison. That production, however, featured a young Michael Shannon. But whatever happened to David Mogentale? And so many others? Did they all give up and move back to Dayton to work in their father's used car dealership? So many, many more. How about seeing Adam Driver in a play at Rattlestick? He was literally too large for the stage, but you could tell he had a special quality despite the unusual looks. |
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