PICNIC Cast Announced
PICNIC Cast Announced
Wynbish
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/27/12
#2PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:39pm
Good cast! This is a fave play of mine (the film doesn't do it justice, IMHO) but has had some lackluster revivals, from Roundabout as well. I hope this is worthy of the play. (I wish some of Inge's other plays would be revisited--including his strange 60s flops, but his hit Dark at the Top of The Stairs seems forgotten--the film with Lansbury has never even been on video--and deserves to be seen).
Have any fans seen or read Inge's later revised version, Summer Brave? I've always wondered how it compared. (I've also always been curious about the flop musical version).
#4PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:43pm
Great cast for a great show! I had so much fun with this one in college 
"TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD"- LES MISERABLES---
"THERE'S A SPECIAL KIND OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS SHOW PEOPLE... WE'RE BORN EVERY NIGHT AT HALF HOUR CALL!"--- CURTAINS
#5PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:45pmBurstyn and Stan reunited from Political Animals! ANyway, yeah, great cast
Auggie27
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
#6PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:46pmSaw the SUMMER BRAVE revival, done in the 70s. Wonderful cast, but it didn't quite coalesce, or feature memorable turns except Jill Eikenberry's Madge, who reminted the role and made a persuasive case for the early draft. The ending was powerful, without the satisfying romantic denouement. Biggest disappointment: Alexis Smith as Rosemary. You'd think she'd nail it in her sleep, but she couldn't find the pathos, couldn't get very Kansas. It was an intelligent, thoughtful take, but she remained Alexis Smith. Hal was played by Ernest Thompson, pre-GOLDEN POND. Strapping and effective, but almost too muscular and too obviously cast to exploit same. Peter Weller was quietly effective as the pal.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
#7PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:49pmMore than half the POLITICAL ANIMALS cast will be on the New York stage soon! Bring Jimmy Wolk to me, as well!!!!!
#8PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 1:53pmI am imagining Sigourney Weaver replacing Amy Morton in Virginia Woolf...
I know you.
I know you.
I know you.
Wynbish
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/27/12
#10PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 4:57pm
James Wolk *is* pretty (though so is Stan), but I can't see him playing Hal, a character with more edge. He could be Hal's college friend back in town (Alan, who Paul Newman originally played until he replaced Meeker as Hal mid-run) though, if we want more Political Animals cast members on stage...
I just hope Roundabout doesn't treat this as blandly as they sometimes do with their classics--the play is so great, and also quite powerful, but can fall victim to being played too safe (as I think--somewhat--Josh Logan's not bad but not great film does). William Inge in general has sorta grown a reputation as being a softer, even second rate Tennessee Williams, which I don't think is fair at all. A couple of years back Cromer did an acclaimed production in Chicago, that was meant to transfer to NY by Roundabout--I guess it fell through.
Auggie, thanks for the Summer Brave thoughts! I take it Madge doesn't go after Hal in the end? Inge himself said he doubted audiences would like it as much, but felt it was more honest, I think...
bobs3
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/12
#11PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 5:14pmIn the Roundabout's last production of PICNIC with Ashley Judd and Kyle Chandler, the late Anne Pitoniak stole the entire show as Helen Potts (one would not normally think of that as being a scene stealing role). It will be interesting to see what Ellen Burstyn does with part. Elizabeth Marvel should be a divine Rosemary.
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#12PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 6:21pm
The last revival had (as they said in the Forbidden Broadway parody of "big")...
"SUSAN STROMAN CHOREOGRAPHY - AWESOME!!!"
Yep, director Scott Ellis brought in his pal Stro to stage the big dance number with Ashley Judd and Kyle Chandler.
donte7162004
Understudy Joined: 7/12/10
#13PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 6:24pmThis sounds good.....love Mare Winningham. Would see it just for her!
Borstalboy
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/9/04
#14PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 6:56pmProvided she doesn't jfall into schmacting, this will hopefully be the role that finally lifts Elizabeth Marvel to the same level of respect as Chery Jones.
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
#15PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 7:18pm
"Yep, director Scott Ellis brought in his pal Stro to stage the big dance number with Ashley Judd and Kyle Chandler. "
LOL, and ugh. I remember the production not being that well received--but this is just so wrong. Just because it's a country picnic, doesn't mean you have to channel Oklahoma!
#16PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 7:28pmI really wanted Melissa Leo to do this, but this cast seems like a pretty good mix of people. I thought Stan overacted all of his scenes on POLITICAL ANIMALS, but it's hard to complain with a cast that includes both Ellen Burstyn and Elizabeth Marvel.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#17PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 7:31pmray, I believe Melissa Leo became unavailable when TREME (her television series on HBO) was unexpectedly renewed for a final season.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
CurtainPullDowner
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/4/04
bobs3
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/8/12
#19PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 10:09pm
"Roundabout Theatre Company has a long history with William Inge having produced the last Broadway production of Picnic (1994), The Rainmaker (1999), Come Back, Little Sheba (1983), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1979)."
The Rainmaker was written by Richard Nash not Wil1iam Inge.
Updated On: 10/19/12 at 10:09 PM
#20PICNIC Cast Announced
Posted: 10/18/12 at 11:08pm
^ It's always good to know that whoever writes these things for BWW knows the authors of some of the better known plays...
I didn't realize they revived The Dark--I guess they weren't a Broadway group back then so it's not on ibdb.
Despite the mixed reaction to 1994's Picnic, apparently it was filmed and shown on Showtime--but I've never been able to find a copy or any clips.
