My Brief Thoughts on A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN- Page 2

[mallardo]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 10:48am

Personally I liked Spacey but found Eve Best all wrong physically in a play where this matters. She's young and attractive! It makes a mockery of everything that is said about her and eveything she is. James sees her as a mother-figure, not a lover. In this production that's impossible.

[Shawk]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 11:46am

While Eve Best is not physically what one thinks of for the role, her ungainly body language was great. I was less convinced by Spacey's weird jazz hands, screaming and general flailing. I felt like Best and Meaney were in one show (a better show) and Spacey was in another.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 12:02pm

Isn't it posible that they didn't want anything but Playbills on your lap because they don't want anyone recording the play?
If Spacey was the one requiring that, the ushers wouldn't say it was him who asked for that. The producers wouldn't tell the ushers "Kevin Spacey doesn't want to see anything besides Playbills, they would say that THEY don't want to see them"

[joshy]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 12:11pm

"To American audiences, English/British productions are considered, for the most-part, very cold and emotionless.

Just look at the recent revivals of Fiddler, Glass Menagerie, etc."

Interesting generalisations you're making here! Especially since you're using two Leveaux productions as your evidence, neither of which could be cited as typical 'English productions' due to the fact they were produced with an English director working under entirely American/Broadway conditions. You're saying that because they had an English director they were emotionless?

I would cite the two current productions of the pieces you mention in the UK - an exquisite Glass Menagerie directed by young hotshot British director Rupert Goold, again with Jessica Lange, who finally knows what to do with the role, and Fiddler on the Roof, with Henry Goodman, transferring from a regional theatre to London, and, by all reports, a very moving production.

So those are two GENUINE English productions (as opposed to just having an English director who is of varying quality anyway) which both contain more emotion than the ostensibly American ones you mentioned.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 12:24pm

Don't get me wrong - I wasn't insulting the talent or professionalism of English theater....in fact, I respect English theater a lot more than American many times (would something like Lennon or Good Vibrations ever play the West End?)

Until now, I didn't even think of the fact that Leveaux directed both Menagerie and Fiddler - pretty funny coincidence. The main complaint about those productions was the fact that they took highly respected shows and took all the emotion out of them.

Another perfect example (and it's not a Leveaux show) was the recent West End revival of Guys and Dolls....musical comedy at its finest that was turned into what I've heard called a "dark, seedy production of a show that's anything but." I didn't see it, so I can't judge, but enough people told me the same thing that I can't help but form some kind of opinion.

What I meant was that to American audiences, English productions have the ability be very emotionless and cold. There's that running joke in Mary Poppins (another show that many people called very cold)....something to the effect of "What do you call someone who never shows emotions? An Englishman."

My problem with Misbegotten was the fact that it was a very cold, emotionless staging. It could have been the director's take on the piece, it could have been Spacey's. I just didn't give a damn or feel the least bit bad for them. Updated On: 4/2/07 at 12:24 PM

[Shawk]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 12:33pm

Well, the West End has hosted such high-brow fare as "We Will Rock You," "Daddy Cool" and various Rat Pack musicals.

I think the remoteness has less to do with anything English (although Wild West Connecticut is weird) and more to do with O'Neill's style combined with Spacey not quite working.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 12:37pm

I'm a huge O'Neill fan...especially Misbegotten.

You could be right about Spacey, though.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 1:15pm

I'm no fan of Spacey's -- in my book, he's the most overrated actor in the past 20 years. I saw him in ICEMAN, and he was the least interesting person in the otherwise fascinating company -- Michael Emerson acted circles around him. But this role at least seems right for Spacey, if he can control his mannerisms, his tendency to sneer with his mouth half-open is the most off-putting personal twitch going, next to Kathleen Turner's widening eyes employed to punctuate an ironic moment.

Having seen the Robards-Dewhurst gold standard, and even an interesting semi-misfire (Kate Nelligan's Josie), I'm not tempted to rush to this revival.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 4:06pm

Robards should be up for sainthood compared to Spacey.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 4:15pm

I know that you don't like me, etc. But I remember you posting something before you actually saw the show and it was a little biased with your dislike for Spacey. And I repeat, Isn't it posible that they didn't want anything but Playbills on your lap because they don't want anyone recording the play?
If Spacey was the one requiring that, the ushers wouldn't say it was him who asked for that. The producers wouldn't tell the ushers "Kevin Spacey doesn't want to see anything besides Playbills, they would say that THEY don't want to see them"

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 4:41pm

You could have a recorder under your playbill and the ushers wouldn't notice, so I doubt that's the motivation. And if it's just about recording, then why do they demand nothing be on the floor by the seats and everything be placed a few feet in front of you under the stage?

If Spacey was the one requiring that, the ushers wouldn't say it was him who asked for that.
Why else would they specifically imply that Spacey was the one that required it? So both Yankee AND two ushers are all biased against Kevin Spacey and it's a conspiracy to make him look bad?

[Esther]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 5:14pm

I sat in the front row this weekend (right by the well & proscenium's extension) & was given no special instructions by the ushers; my handbag was on my lap the entire performance, Playbill was inside it. I was never once asked to hide my belongings or put my purse away. I did hear the usual "don't touch or put anything on the stage", "you can't leave that in the aisle" etc comments. I remember clearly hearing the upstairs ushers tell people to take stuff off the overhang which annoyed me because they obviously had to yell (as opposed to walking down to the offenders and telling them face to face) it for me to hear it where I was sitting.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 9:01pm

muscle - Once again, I don't hate you. I may disagree with your opinions many times, but it's not about liking or hating you as a person/poster.

That said, I'm a fan of Spacey's work, (and I actually searched to see what you meant about my disdain for him - couldn't find anything, so please point it out) but was just utterly disappointed here. He was so brilliantly droll in American Beauty, nearly perfect in the Jack Lemmon revival of Long Day's Journey (which, thanks to the DVD, is how I saw it), and I was just flabbergasted about how not good he was.

Now, I don't know if it was just the ushers making it up, but for 2 of them to call it out, I doubt that. Why they said it I don't know and I'll never know.

My assumption: Misbegotten is such a dense play that any slight distraction can make you lose your train of thought, especially if you fixate on someone taking out a throat lozenge in the front row.

Know what I mean?

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 11:54pm

That makes sense to me as an actor, especially seeing the blue light of a cell phone.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 4/2/07 at 11:55pm

Question, I know random, but was there a show curtain, or no?

[Esther]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 12:02am

There's no curtain, RentBoy.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 7:49am

No curtain, just the lovely (and out of place) set to look at.

[Joanne59]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 9:05am

I sat in the second row on Thursday (right behind the student seats) and I was there early. I heard no such instructions either.

And I know I'm going to get blasted here for this, but.....I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this production--especially Spacey. Updated On: 4/3/07 at 09:05 AM

[kooky]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 9:31am

Thanks Joanne59 ..... I totally agree - - - AMEN !

[mabel]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 9:57am

I was at the show on Saturday afternoon as well (next to bjh2114...I thought that was you, but I wasn't sure). I didn't hear any of the ushers say anything about belongings being hidden away, but Yankee, was it more stuff on your lap or in the aisle? You mentioned keeping stuff out of the aisle a couple of times, and I would think that would be standard issue at theatres (like keeping belongings off the mezz/balcony overhang) for safety reasons, not necessarily to keep the show's diva of a star appeased.

Anyway, as far as the show itself goes, I definitley agree that the set was impressive in its own right, but it really did seem to be more "Moon for the Misplaced Prairie People" than anything else.

And while I didn't hate Spacey as much as you guys seemed to, I definitely agree that his very broad performance was more than a little over the top in many places. I was hoping his breakdown at the end would be more effective, and had it been, I think I could have written off the histrionics that preceeded as a character choice (although probably not the best) to show Jim trying to push aside/hide his real emotions by putting on this over the top front. I definitely don't think he succeeded, but I didn't find it laughable either. His performance was definitely a disappointment though (especially having watched 1/2 hour or so of American Beauty the other night, caught it on TBS or TNT). He really does seem to have gone way downhill since then (KPax, Pay it Forward, Beyond the Sea, etc, etc).

With all that being said, I do still think it was worth the $25 to see Eve Best and Colm Meaney's excellent performances, and since I still am a fan of the Spacey of yore, to have seen him on stage having missed The Iceman Cometh. Pity he couldn't have been on par with his costars. That would have made for a truly memorable evening of theatre!

Updated On: 4/3/07 at 09:57 AM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 10:41am

MABEL!!!! I wish you had said hi. I was there with a friend of mine and I guess I was somewhat oblivious to the world around me. Long time no see. It's funny, I actually saw you a few weeks ago at the box office for Translations (the last day it performed), but you didn't see me, lol. I agree that Spacey's performance itself wasn't laughable, but for me it was more the comparison to Best and Meaney, as well as the realization that Spacey used to have talent. He just seems to have lost his way.
-BJH
P.S. "Moon for the Misplaced Prairie People" made me laugh so hard, I almost fell out of my chair!

[mabel]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 11:55am

I thought you looked familar, but I couldn't place you (and you were chatting away, so I didn't want to bother you). But as soon as I saw you post that you were at the matinee, I knew it was you. Funny we missed each other at Translations too. Third time's a charm??

It really is a shame that Spacey seems to have jumped the track somewhere. I honestly felt the worst part (even more than the arm flailing and occasional mugging) was the awkward line readings when Jim quickly changed his train of thought. Spacey's tics in these instances seemed like he had tourettes (with "nix" being swear of choice, rather than some other, more colorful 4-letter word), instead of a more natural speech pattern. I can't really explain, but it made me appreciate Oliver Platt (who's dialogue, in this specific aspect of the role, is the closest I can think of for comparison off the top of my head) and his performance in Shining City much more. I don't remember Platt necessarily blowing me away, but I do remember thinking that his dialogue, as written on the page, must have looked incredibly daunting. It's how a lot of people talk (especially when they're uncomfortable or nervous) but I'd imagine it's difficult to make it sound natural.

[Patty3]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 1:38pm

Eve Best deserves the Best Actress Tony.
Updated On: 6/4/07 at 01:38 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 2:16pm

I definitely enjoyed the production very much, but yes, I'm much more a fan of Spacey from 10 years ago than I am now.

As you said, his performance was really brought down by the numerous awkward line readings and overly broad performance.

If you haven't seen it, get the Robards/Dewhurst version. It's out on DVD and readily available from Netflix....THAT is how this show should be performed.

[AC126748]

Posted: 4/3/07 at 2:20pm

I can't speak about Spacey's performance as I have not seen it yet (I'm going Thursday), but when I heard he was cast, I was a bit surprised. (Well, not surprised really, since he runs the Old Vic). He seems all wrong for the part--there is no naturalism in his acting whatsoever. While that works for other parts he's played (Uncle Louie, Hickey, Lester in AMERICAN BEAUTY), I never imagined the younger Tyrone as over the top.

Gabriel Byrne was perfect several years ago. I'm mainly going for Eve Best; I caught her Hedda when I went to London two years ago, and it was pretty darned special.