Gillian Anderson & Billy Crudup to star in West End VIRGINIA WOOLF, dir. Marianne Elliott — Page 2

CoffeeBreak said: "Really is a shame. I hope they do bring back a Mantello production with Laurie.

How was Ferran, Tovey and Everett ?"

Everett, I remember feeling "meh" about. Granted, he was a replacement for Izzard, so he had the least time, and fair game; it was a preview, but he felt behind the other performers.

Tovey, I thought, was the best Nick I've had the pleasure of seeing. Nick is usually the role I pay the least attention to. Not that it's underwritten, or the play discards the character, but you pretty much know what to expect; every other character has flashy moments. Tovey made it a meal. Both frustrating yet sympathetic. I've never left a production of Woolf with sympathy for the character as I had with his portrayal. Which carries on to,

Ferran as Honey, who was sublime. Often, Honey, as a character, comes off as an easy mark. The cluelessness and earnestness can enter Pollyanna territory, but Ferran felt like such a real person. Someone sharp, but without the educational references. Her humiliation made my stomach hurt, because it felt like she didn't deserve it.

Metcalf, as always, was spectacular. Within the first five minutes onstage, she redefined the role.

It's hard to put into words, but I've never felt or understood Nick & Honey as much as I did with that revival. And I'm a Who's Afraid enthusiast! I am so sad it didn't get to have a life. I believe after every act, a wall of the very realistic set disappeared, with the final act being performed in a sea of dark nothingness with a staircase.

Peppa222 said: "I have a friend who had the chance to speak with Metcalf briefly and asked whether it would have a future life, and Metcalf emphatically said no. Of course, actors lie about these things all the time. Maybe things change, maybe it was a letting go of the rights issue, but I'm not getting my hopes up. I say this as someone who would love to see it return in some capacity."

I would still love to see this production. A pipedream, but maybe after the financial and artistic success of SALESMAN Laurie would like to join up with Nathan again???

Have always wanted to see it in the round. So you can feel like you’re really IN the living room.

Braggart 😒

I kid, I’m just extremely jealous. Sad to think we may never see Metcalf’s Martha.

Laurie and Joe Mantello have both essentially confirmed that they are done with Virginia Woolf. Laurie said in an interview with Paul Wontorek during LBRR press when asked something to the effect of "no, I think it's gone..." and Joe did an interview (I think with LATimes) that his time with the play is done and that it will one day return to Broadway without him as director. I think the only way Laurie would ever be in this show again is if a brand new production was mounted with her sans Joe Mantello, and I would guess the odds of that are slim. She is aging out of it (although she does read younger) and as we can see with Gillian's production, time moves on and other people look to take a crack at it. Elizabeth McGovern even did a production in the UK during the past few years.