Posted: 7/20/22 at 9:09pm
Has anyone seen this? I have, and I have some thoughts.
First of all, if you are going to produce a nearly 3-hour play in the middle of the summer, maybe have an air-conditioner that is more than simply operational. It was hotter than hell in there, which does not make for pleasurable viewing.
Second, please do not cast an actress with no stage experience to play Maggie. Per her credits in the playbill, she is some sort of a dancer and she’s been in a few movies but no stage credits are listed. As one guy put it when the lights came up after Act One, “She’s no Elizabeth Taylor.” I would be much harsher but I’ll leave it at that.
Third, the director has apparently decided to set this in modern day for unknown reasons. There are cordless phones, modern dress, and Brick has tattoos all over his body as well as a modern foot brace instead of a cast. I have no idea why he did this.
The guy who plays Brick is actually wonderful and so is Alison Fraser as Big Mama.
The guy from The Young and the Restless is fine as Big Daddy, I guess, but physically he is miscast.
The set is ok. The lighting is fine.
I hope they fix their air conditioning but I don’t know if they can fix some of the other problems, especially an extremely miscast Maggie.