| The original B'way production featured an extraordinary company, with the great Patricia Elliott taking top honors. She exploded in the play as Luckinbill's ex-wife, and defined the experience for me. But everyone was good, Rose Gregario, so touching, and the unknown Mandy Patinkin, whose meltdown about his lover's imminent death was raw and terrifying. I saw it with a packed house on a Saturday night, and (in my twenties) was shattered by it. The revival felt pale in comparison, but the first staging was hard to duplicate. |
