I saw the show last night.
These comments are making Vi look more politically correct than a presidential memo! If you've seen the show, you know that we are introduced to Beverly the patriarch first, then Violet and then the girls. This allows the entrance of Ms. Rashad as Violet to be soft and un-alarming. With the slightest stretch of the imagination one could imagine the ever-light-skinned Phylicia Rashad and John Collum producing fairly anglo-looking children. If that doesn't work, one can always remember that they are seeing THEATER and not reality TV.
Now, I had known going in the familial structure and about Rashad's presence, but my mother with whom I saw this for Mother's Day (ha!, right?) did not. She turned to me just before the dinner confrontation and said "We're just supposed to ignore the fact that she's black and the remainder of the cast is not, right?" It did not derail her enjoyment of the performance at all and none of the jokes or awkwardness of the Native American jokes fell flat as a result of it. I can't believe people on this board don't think it's possible for a Black American to be racist against a Native American. Just because people have been racist towards them, does not mean that they do not have the right to be racist right back!
Phylicia Rashad was an absolute revelation. It's as if she read all the threads nay-saying her presence in the production and came out to give a big "F-U!" to all of them. It's hard to pin-point what was so great about a performance like this, especially with a character like Violet who is so complex and is offered so many shades of crazy to purvey.
I had originally seen Estelle Parsons in the role and was afraid that Ms. Rashad's performance would be much like others we have seen from her: cool cat, smooth voice and sexy. I attempted to prepare myself for a Violet that is less manic and more silently cutting but Ms. Rashad was crazier than a ****house rat and then some. She had perfect chemistry with the rest of the cast and made a equal opponent to Barb's bitchiness. Amy Morton in her return to the role was of course amazing as well and has an opportunity to really shine against a fabulous actor like Phylicia.
The entire show Amy and Phylicia built against each other with such amazing fervor that the audience was audibly aghast with each new revelation in the 2nd and 3rd acts. Although the 4th wall was entirely present, the audience was completely engulfed and involved in the performance. This shocked me as this was a primarily elder audience on a 7pm Tuesday performance.
Elizabeth Ashley was great as Mattie Fae, she plays the role quite large and tends to chew the scenery, but I feel that is justified with this character. Her confrontation with Charles created a stark change in her character and she really impressed me in the role. Sally Murphy seemed as though she has been playing the role for so long that she was now shm-acting much of it and I really did not enjoy her performance this time around. Anne Berkowitz as Jean was also less than a highlite and paled to Madeleine Martin.
Updated On: 5/27/09 at 11:48 AM
