Regarding LINDA, SARAH, and UTA

Linda Lavin received some truly spectacular reviews for "Collected Stories" this morning, the best of her career, perhaps. While it's encouraging to see justice done, sadly, Sarah Paulson's work was not properly lauded. Most critics know so little about the art of naturalistic acting, if an actor doesn't bring out the lit batons, they take little notice of it. The fact is, Sara Paulson enables Linda Lavin's performance by her moment to moment unselfconscious honesty and her listening--OMG, the listening! You have but to look at Ms. Lavin's face at the curtain call to be aware of the gratitude and awe she holds for her brilliant scene partner. That's one heck of a duet up there, which is why the play in this incarnation works so much better for me. In the UTA production, you couldn't take your eyes off the magnificent creature for one minute. Who knew or cared who was playing the young protege. The other interesting difference is that while Uta was devastated by the betrayal, one felt she'd eventually get over it. Uta, strong like bull. Lavin, on the other hand, is destroyed, decimated and it is clear this heartbreak will push her smack into senility and result in her ultimate demise.

I think part of it is that the audience naturally sympathizes with Ruth, not Lisa. In the first scene, Lisa comes across as an over-eager, somewhat annoying college student, and by the end of the play, when the betrayal occurs, the audience has very little sympathy for her.

Updated On: 4/29/10 at 10:12 AM

Or, as a friend of PJ's who once worked with her dubbed her, Uta Quit-Hagen-the-Stage.

She is, and I don't mean this unkindly. I grew up on her books; she was god to us when I was in college.

But I was astonished when I finally saw her onstage at what a big ham and cheese sandwich she was. Great, great fun, but she certainly didn't seem to be practicing what she preached.

I'm afraid we threadjacked unintentionally (though I'm a little unclear about the OP's original point).

Carry on.

I wasn't intending to dump; sorry you took it that way.

I was just surprised, as I what I saw in "Mrs. Warren's Profession" and "You Never Can Tell" didn't coincide with my expectations. But they were certainly grand, theatrical performances, and I relished every moment of them.

Her Martha is on my short list of "If I had a time machine . . ." performances.

Retire by all means if you feel the need. But don't do it on account of one man's different experience of Uta Hagen.