I just saw this at the matinee today. I had been looking forward to it for a while, and recently read the play for the first time (I know, I'm not as familiar with O'Neil as I need to be). Let me start by saying that I read the play up until the end of Act III thinking it brilliant, and then that night when I read Act IV I was so disappointed, especially with the buildup of the previous three acts. I felt mostly the same about this production. It was worth it but I had many quibbles with the direction and cast.
The set is gorgeous, which is kind of odd when every character is talking about how run down and cheaply made it is. I loved the moving curtain at the opening and then thought is was overused between every act/scene. Both Michael Shannon and John Gallagher, Jr. seemed to be using "character voices" the entire show and neither seemed particularly suited to the text. Gallagher, in particular, seemed to think he was playing Treplev in The Seagull, bringing a comic hamminess to every dramatic line. His big Act IV monologue about the sea was the low point of the evening, as even he didn't seem to care much about what he was saying. Shannon does his best in his scenes, but he was in so little of the play it hardly mattered. His scene at the end where he reveals he will eventually destroy Edmund was a highlight.
Gabriel Byrne was great, showcasing his skills in his scenes and bringing a great intensity to his monologue about growing up poor and choosing commercialism over artistry. However, even he cannot save the deathly leaden fourth act. Just from this performance, at least a half hour could be cut from it without much notice. The constant quoting is particularly annoying and the more important and interesting parts seemed to be buried in the mire.
Throughout the play characters seem to be wandering aimlessly through the room with no purpose as though they had been given no direction. The fog that swirled outside also swirled inside the dining room, for some reason. Each scene/act gave away its ending by fading the light even as the actors were still speaking, when I feel the last lines would have landed better with a beat before the transition. I feel like most of the low points of the show could have been saved with a better director.
But most of these quibbles can be excused for the ferocity of Jessica Lange's performance. Every time she was on stage, the room was filled with life. Her slow descent was gripping and her conflicting delusions and bitter self acceptance were a thrill to experience. Act III gave her the most room to fully showcase her prowess, her voice high and lilting one moment, and low and rumbling the next. Her many monologues were phenomenal and her scenes with Byrne were thrilling. That was a taste at what the production could have been: two incredible actors fully embodying their characters. The final scene of the play was a bit of a let down, as her monologue was stretched a bit thin by how slow she spoke, and the voice she used when in memory was very hard to hear up in the mezzanine. But the last line gave me chills, and I can't forget her face as the lights faded out.
"I fell in love with James Tyrone and was very happy... for a while."
"Sticks and stones, sister. Here, have a Valium." - Patti LuPone, a Memoir
Updated On: 5/4/16 at 07:32 PM
