I'm oddly excited about THE MILK TRAIN DOESN'T STOP HERE ANYMORE- Page 2

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 8:34pm

I saw it yesterday afternoon and I think its the best thing the Roundabout has produced in ages. No its not a great play but for those of us who would rather sit through a Tennessee Williams flop than many playwright's hits, you're not likely to see a better production of this loveable lopsided mess.

There's no such thing as too much praise for Olympia Dukakis in this role. She is turning in the performance of a lifetime here. Funny, fierce, touching with just a daub of camp. She's utterly hypnotic and yet doesn't turn it into a self-aggrandizing star turn. This is just a real actress working wonders with a hell of a difficult part.

The other triumph of the production is Michael Wilson's crisp direction, which doesn't fall into the trap of going overboard with the play's poetics or eccentricities.

I rather liked Darren Pettie as Chris Flanders. Granted, Flanders is an utterly thankless leading part where Williams seems to be globbing ideas together rather than making a genuinely compelling human being whose conflicts we sympathize with. He's a vagabond/middle-aged sexpot/poet/philosopher/artist/angel of death...but mostly he's just a literary construction. I honestly can't imagine any actor bringing anything other than sturdiness and sex appeal to the role (Although Kevin Anderson, who played the part at Hartford opposite Dukakis, was reportedly pretty stellar), which thankfully Pettie does nicely. You gotta hand it to any actor who looks solemnly out into the audience and says "Boom!" several times without getting snickers from the audience. Pettie is doing solid work now that I can only imagine will get better through previews.

Speaking of the audience, there were grumbles about the script at intermission, but refreshingly few walkouts.

Note to the Roundabout: More transfers from Hartford and Williamstown, please?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 8:51pm

I can't consider MILK TRAIN a "flop". The plays that Williams wrote after MILK TRAIN are true messes. I mean, anyone who's endured VIEUX CARRE (is that what it was called?) really knows how bad Williams became later in his career.

Updated On: 1/20/11 at 08:51 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 8:57pm

Vieux Carre is being given a brief revival off broadway. It will be at the theater where Frankenstein played a few years ago

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 10:55pm

I'll make sure to miss it.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/20/11 at 10:59pm

Borstalboy--to paraphrase a famous lady, I agree with every word of your post, including "and" and the."

[After Eight]

Posted: 1/21/11 at 8:22am

"Kevin Anderson was reportedly pretty stellar."

I saw the Hartford production, and he was very good. He had more of the poet about him than Pettie.

Re: "Vieux Carré"

I like this play. I like it a lot, and I think it's the best of Williams's later works. I've seen three productions of this play and I've enjoyed them all. It's a moving piece, filled with humanity, poetry, and humor. I hope to see this upcoming revival.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 1/21/11 at 8:51am

I wish I could get to New York to see this. It sounds fascinating. Thanks for the very detailed reviews.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 1/21/11 at 9:15am

I love VIEUX CARRE! I had the pleasure of acting in it a long time ago. Austin Pendleton directed an off-Broadway revival at the York about two years ago which was nicely received.

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/31/11 at 1:08pm

New York Times review:

http://theater.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/theater/reviews/31milk.html?ref=theater&pagewanted=1

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/31/11 at 2:07pm

Isherwood gives a fairly accurate assessment.

Anyone who's interested in Tennessee Williams should see Olympia Dukakis do this role.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/31/11 at 3:41pm

I think he hit it on the head. She's great, but the supporting actors aren't as great. The plays a mess, and the design is pretty much all over the place and a little heavy-handed.

[After Eight]

Posted: 2/1/11 at 5:17am

I think more highly of the play than Isherwood does, but I feel overall that his caveats about the production were sound.

I agree with him about the geisha turn. I thought it was an extraordinary moment, one that fully realized the magic that the theatre can convey at its best.