I went twice. Opening night And closing night. Bith times, I breezed into the cancellations line and got tickets easy.
What do I remember? Streep had mastered the final act by the final performance. She had Arkadina’s showy narcissistic center from the git-go, but she found something deeply beautiful at the play’s end. Streep and Hoffman looked like they could have been family: both white-pink faces with hypersensitive emotions.
John Goodman’s work nearly stole the show both times. Walken and Streep seemed to truly love each other as their brother and sister characters. Nathalie Portman’s shallow voice hurt the overall production. It was great to see it all. |