A Moon For The Misbegotten at 8pm

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 7:37pm

For any of you who interested in seeing some extraordinary acting (and live in the NY metropolitan area), Eugene O'Neill's "A Moon For the Misbegotten" -- his "sequel" to "A Long Day's Journey Into Night" -- starring the legendary Colleen Dewhurst, Jason Robards and Ed Flanders is on WNYE 25 tonight at 8. This is the famous 1973 revival of the play (filmed for PBS) that won Tonys for Dewhurst, Flanders and the director Jose Quintero. The play wasn't well-received during its original production in the 40's (due, in part to miscasting, but also because it was several years before the premiere of "Long Days" -- "Moon" acquires much greater resonance when considered in conjunction with "Long Days"). It was this production that elevated the play to being considered one of the great masterpieces of 20th Century drama.

Now, I'm not sure whether channel 25 is playing the whole thing or not (the video I have of it runs two and a half hours, but 25 has only allotted 8-10 for tonight's showing). Regardless, Dewhurst and Robards were two of our finest actors (and indisputably, our two finest O'Neill actors), and this is a rare glimpse of the two of them at their peaks, so whatever comes on tonight is well worth watching.

[Testing1232]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 7:49pm

This is a great play !!! Saw it on Broadway a few years back.
I believe it was Cherry Jones in the lead?? Thanks for the heads-up !!!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 8:04pm

Cherry Jones and Gabriel Byrne, both of whom were excellent especially later in the run. Jones got so-so reviews in the beginning because according to her she still couldn't get the ghost of Dewhurst out of her head and it made her freeze up as an actress. She had seen this '73 revival when she was still a student and said it was perhaps the greatest piece of acting she'd ever seen and the notion of stepping into those shoes terrified and intimidated her (she actually tried to quit the production before rehearsals began). It took her several weeks of performances to finally get Dewhurst out of her head and find her own way into the role. By the time I saw her again in the last month of the run, she (and Byrne) were incredible.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 8:17pm

Terrific play, well worth any theatre lover's time, in my opinion.

Good to know, Margo. Thanks.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 8/2/04 at 9:40pm

Jason Robards' performance is towering, a staggering achievement.

[magruder]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 2:23am

The performance that I really remember from the 2000 revival was Roy Dotrice, who won a featured actor Tony. I do remember thinking Byrne rose to the challenge of the great Act Two soliloquy. Where has Byrne been lately, anyway? Haven't seen him in movies or on stage in eons.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 5:01am

When I saw "Manchurian Candidate" last Friday, there was a preview for "Vanity Fair" starring Reese Witherspoon that Byrne figured prominently in.

There's also a film version of Thornton Wilder's "The Bridge of San Luis Rey" co-starring DeNiro, Kathy Bates and Harvey Keitel that'll be out around Xmas, I think.

[bta212]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 7:59am

IMDB has about a dozen films listed for Byrne since 2000. I'm not a huge movie guy, so I don't know if the fact that I haven't heard of almost any of them means that he's been stuck doing bad films or just that I've missed them. I did see him in "Spider", which though difficult to watch was incredible. And Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Richardson were terriffic.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/3/04 at 9:06am

I remember seeing the '73 production w/Robards and Dewhurst. It ranks as one the best ever. It was at the old Morosco theater, razed to make room for the Marriott Marquis.