PICNIC Cast Announced

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Reed-Birney-Maggie-Grace-Sebastian-Stan-and-More-Set-for-PICNIC-on-Broadway-Full-Cast-Announced-20121018

Ellen Burstyn!

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Good cast! This is a fave play of mine (the film doesn't do it justice, IMHO) but has had some lackluster revivals, from Roundabout as well. I hope this is worthy of the play. (I wish some of Inge's other plays would be revisited--including his strange 60s flops, but his hit Dark at the Top of The Stairs seems forgotten--the film with Lansbury has never even been on video--and deserves to be seen).

Have any fans seen or read Inge's later revised version, Summer Brave? I've always wondered how it compared. (I've also always been curious about the flop musical version).

Great cast for a great show! I had so much fun with this one in college

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Saw the SUMMER BRAVE revival, done in the 70s. Wonderful cast, but it didn't quite coalesce, or feature memorable turns except Jill Eikenberry's Madge, who reminted the role and made a persuasive case for the early draft. The ending was powerful, without the satisfying romantic denouement. Biggest disappointment: Alexis Smith as Rosemary. You'd think she'd nail it in her sleep, but she couldn't find the pathos, couldn't get very Kansas. It was an intelligent, thoughtful take, but she remained Alexis Smith. Hal was played by Ernest Thompson, pre-GOLDEN POND. Strapping and effective, but almost too muscular and too obviously cast to exploit same. Peter Weller was quietly effective as the pal.

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I am imagining Sigourney Weaver replacing Amy Morton in Virginia Woolf...

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James Wolk *is* pretty (though so is Stan), but I can't see him playing Hal, a character with more edge. He could be Hal's college friend back in town (Alan, who Paul Newman originally played until he replaced Meeker as Hal mid-run) though, if we want more Political Animals cast members on stage...

I just hope Roundabout doesn't treat this as blandly as they sometimes do with their classics--the play is so great, and also quite powerful, but can fall victim to being played too safe (as I think--somewhat--Josh Logan's not bad but not great film does). William Inge in general has sorta grown a reputation as being a softer, even second rate Tennessee Williams, which I don't think is fair at all. A couple of years back Cromer did an acclaimed production in Chicago, that was meant to transfer to NY by Roundabout--I guess it fell through.

Auggie, thanks for the Summer Brave thoughts! I take it Madge doesn't go after Hal in the end? Inge himself said he doubted audiences would like it as much, but felt it was more honest, I think...

The last revival had (as they said in the Forbidden Broadway parody of "big")...

"SUSAN STROMAN CHOREOGRAPHY - AWESOME!!!"

Yep, director Scott Ellis brought in his pal Stro to stage the big dance number with Ashley Judd and Kyle Chandler.

Provided she doesn't jfall into schmacting, this will hopefully be the role that finally lifts Elizabeth Marvel to the same level of respect as Chery Jones.

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I really wanted Melissa Leo to do this, but this cast seems like a pretty good mix of people. I thought Stan overacted all of his scenes on POLITICAL ANIMALS, but it's hard to complain with a cast that includes both Ellen Burstyn and Elizabeth Marvel.

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"You gotta marry me Howard!"

^ It's always good to know that whoever writes these things for BWW knows the authors of some of the better known plays...

I didn't realize they revived The Dark--I guess they weren't a Broadway group back then so it's not on ibdb.

Despite the mixed reaction to 1994's Picnic, apparently it was filmed and shown on Showtime--but I've never been able to find a copy or any clips.