I saw a matinee in LA when I was there for 4 days, and agree with your post. Close's Norma had a vulnerability there I didn't notice as much in NYC*. She used the outre persona to mask it, a brilliant take, so that as she crumbles later in the show, we have witnessed how hard Norma works to sustain the "star" she created. I have heard people say that quality was evident in her big return to the role in London and at the Palace, though I didn't see it.
*Buckley was the only other Norma who fully embraced the grief over the dead monkey. She and Close both made the most of it. |
