Watched the movie again in August. Harold was and is a great character, in many ways timeless, even Frey's still remarkably powerful performance feels like it could be accurate in 2017. Here's a successful self-made man who pays his bills, knows exactly who he is, and even when confronted with evidence that his loyalty isn't entirely earned has room in his life (and heart) for someone far less evolved -- Michael. Harold is the party guest, the fulcrum, and as compassionate critic, Harold gets to deliver the withering indictment of the host. And a kind of life that must end. He's both truthspeaker and as a moral compass, a sage: the voice of the future. The play now reads more as an expose of Michael's paralysis, stuck in the past, and using Alan as a trigger for an age-related meltdown. A production that frames Harold -- in casting and direction -- might be remarkably focused on issues that transcend the era. Just my two cents, but I invite anyone to take a new look at it with this perspectve
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
Updated On: 9/16/17 at 11:05 AM
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