Linda Lavin

[JoanBennett]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 10:15am

Couldn't find a thread on her, so get the wood ready to burn me at the stake...

Saw her show this week and she is a study in how to do everything right. If you're an actor, get a ticket just to watch her.

I think it was someone here who said that all she has to do is turn the page of the magazine she's reading and, not only is it funny, but you can't take your eyes off her. It's true. She's great.

[After Eight]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 10:21am

^

I agree with you.

But on an earlier thread, someone found her turning the magazine pages too studied.

[JoanBennett]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 10:23am

My mistake. Thanks.

[Miranda3]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 2:46pm

On the SMASH thread, Linda posted that she was in TECH and therefore could not commit to unstudied page-turning.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 3:14pm

I am a huge fan of Linda. In my book she can do no wrong. She is an exceptional actress. That being said, she is also a very mannered actress. It might have been her training or background. Like many great actresses, including Jessica Lange, who is also very mannered, Linda uses her hands and body alot in her characterizations, often in similar ways.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 5/4/12 at 11:50pm

Had my first Linda Lavin experience last night and was blown away. Mannered, maybe, but I think it works very well for Rita in The Lyons. That monologue....perfection.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/5/12 at 8:50am

I haven't seen The Lyons but everything I've read makes me believe that Lavin's character - as she has quite intelligently created it - is "mannered."

Isn't it possible that Lavin's performance is mannered precisely because she is portraying a woman whose every moment, every shifted glance, is calculated for maximum effect?