Crudup, Easton, Ehle, Hamilton, Harbour, Hawke, O'Byrne, Plimpton Set for

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 6/19/06 at 11:13am

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/8486

Billy Crudup, Richard Easton, Jennifer Ehle, Josh Hamilton, David Harbour, Ethan Hawke, Brían F. O'Byrne, and Martha Plimpton will star in Lincoln Center Theater's production of Tom Stoppard's award-winning trilogy of plays The Coast of Utopia, which will play the Vivian Beaumont Theater, October 17-March 11.

Updated On: 6/21/06 at 11:13 AM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 5:02am

Updated

Updated On: 6/21/06 at 05:02 AM

[mabel]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 9:09am

Oh. My. GOD!!! I cannot wait! Crudup, Harbour, Easton, Hawke, and O'Byrne! EEEE!!! I'm hearing less-than-great things about Jennifer Ehle in Macbeth, but I've never seen her on stage, having missed both The Real Thing and Design for Living. Martha Plimpton's just kind of "eh" for me, and Josh Hamilton was pretty damn good in Hurlyburly. Man, this is going to be GREAT!

Cannot wait! Thank you LCT for your StudenTix program!!!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 9:15am

O'Byrne is an incredible actor...very excited to see him on stage for the third time. So glad that Martha Plimpton is doing another show! Will definitely be seeing this (but it will be sad to go to the Vivian Beaumont and not see Piazza).

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 9:53am

Ehle was brilliant (and Tony winning) in The Real Thing and properly cast is a terrific actor. I look forward to seeing her as well as Easton, Plimpton, Harbour and O'Byrne (I think). Hawke is grown a lot as a stage actor since his amateurish Broadway debut in The Seagull over a decade ago. He had moments as Hotspur in Henry IV though ultimately lacked the chops to truly capture all the facets of a very complicated character and he gave a fine naturalistic performance in Rabe's Hurly Burly last year. Not sure how he'll fare as a Russian intellectual, but I guess we'll see.

Crudup is a puzzle to me. He was terrific in Stoppard's Arcadia over a decade ago and fine in the revival of Bus Stop, but since then has seemed less and less sure of himself on stage, often giving wrong-headed or -- especially in the case of his Angelo in Measure for Measure a few years ago -- strangely wan and bland performances. It's one thing to be understated and naturalistic (like a film performance), but quite another to lack intensity, focus and project no internal life for a character -- something he has been guilty of in a few performances of his I've seen in the past decade. Perhaps a return to Stoppard will serve to wake him up and inspire him to deliver a performance with passion and commitment.

Updated On: 6/21/06 at 09:53 AM

[April Saul]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 2:46pm

But what about Crudup's Pillowman performance? I thought he was excellent, but then again, I felt that way about the entire cast....

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 3:09pm

I thought it was only OK. I felt he lacked the necessary gravitas and intensity and charisma that the character required. I couldn't understand his nonsensical smiling and general casual air considering the dire circumstance he was in and his storytelling monologues were bereft of the sort of lyricism and passion they should have had. I could easily think of a half dozen actors who would have been far more effective than Crudup.

[Magdalene]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 3:43pm

I liked Plimpton and O'Byrne in Shining City---this is first on my list for my February trip!

[rflpfl2]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 6:03pm

This sounds like the most amazing things EVER. And isn't it written in three parts- spread over three months??

I am really excited to see this show- this is going to be crazy good.

O'Byrne and Crudup are probably my two favorite actors on Broadway.

I don't think I've ever been this excited about a show. What an awesome cast!!

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 6:11pm

I'm SO looking forward to this, ever since it was announced that LCT would undertake this enormous production...