Did anyone see THE WAKE OF JAMEY FOSTER?

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 3/1/13 at 6:59pm

Stephen Tobolowski talks about its failure on Broadway with humor, heartache, and a little bit of philosophy in a GREAT podcast, dated 2/26/2013. Anyone who loves the theater should listen to it. He also talks about the death of its star, Susan Kingsley.
DEFINITELY listen to this

[egghumor]

Posted: 3/1/13 at 7:11pm

I saw it and LOVED it! I'm not a huge fan of Beth Henley's plays, and while CRIMES OF THE HEART is the better play, I didn't care for the Broadway production. I remember thinking the production of JAMEY FOSTER was superior, because of the direction and the stellar cast. I have not yet listened to the podcast you posted, but yes, Susan Kingsley would have had a major career, had she lived. Prior to JAMEY FOSTER I saw her in Marsha Norman's GETTING OUT and she was beyond amazing! An indelible performance and the one for which she received so much attention.

In JAMEY she was one member of an ensemble. I also remember being shocked how negative, vitriolic the reviews for JAMEY FOSTER were at the time. I just remember having a great time and marveling at the alternation of pathos and humor. Not sure if Tobolowski mentions her but my favorite performance in the play came from Belita Moreno. Holly Hunter was also in the cast. What was it, thirty years ago?

Which of the 11 podcast files is the one where Tobolowski discusses the failure of JAMEY FOSTER?





Updated On: 3/1/13 at 07:11 PM

[egghumor]

Posted: 3/1/13 at 7:44pm

Beth Henley outside the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (1982)




" > Updated On: 3/1/13 at 07:44 PM

[Joviedamian]

Posted: 3/1/13 at 7:53pm

No, but would love to WAKE up next to Ben FOSTER!

[bobs3]

Posted: 3/1/13 at 8:09pm

A good play that didn't deserve such a quick demise. Patricia Richardson (pre-Home Improvement) was in the cast but the play was stolen by an unknown actress named Holly Hunter who played Pixrose.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 12:20pm

I also recall Hunter in the play, looking nothing like the woman we now know. She lost herself in the role of Pixrose, and made an indelible impression. The play was wildly erratic, hysterical one minute, earnestly entreating our emotional investment in another. At its center was Susan Kingsley, giving a heartfelt, luminous performance in a role that just didn't quite earn an evening's attention. Reminds me of another worth-seeing miss done in the same era, PASSIONE, with Jerry Stiller, Angela Paton and especially the great, one of a kind, Sloane Shelton as a kind of cow girl, hysterical from start to finish ("Pardner, do you wanna sc-REEEEW me?" I'll never forget her line reading!)

[egghumor]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 12:24pm

Auggie, I also saw PASSIONE and enjoyed it tremendously -- especially the performances from Sloane Shelton and Angela Paton. Thanks for triggering memories of that show.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 3/2/13 at 5:22pm

Before this thread disappears into the ether, I would like to make one last plea for everyone--especially actors--to tune in to Toblowsky's podcast. I didn't know he was this great of a storyteller. In fact, I didn't know about his reputation as a storyteller, period. He veers from actor advice to philosophy to true stories of being propositioned by a professional hit man to kill Frank Rich.

His stories are great, definitely on the level of someone like Garrison Keilor or David Sedaris. I'm glad I discovered this podcast.