THE HOMECOMING- 4/4- Now with pictures!

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 4/4/08 at 11:56pm

So I'm on the third day and the fourth show of my NYC trip. I plan on posting a full review of my entire trip later, but I just wanted to leave a few words about THE HOMECOMING, which I saw and very much enjoyed tonight.

So first of all, I must say that I have mixed feelings about the Cort. I mean, the interior architecture is beautiful, and the proscenium is really intricate and nice, but the theatre seems odd to me. It's a small theatre, yet it has an orchestra, mezzanine, AND orchestra, and parts of it (namely the bathrooms) are really dated. Still, it's a comfortable and pleasant place to see a show. (The crowd was great tonight as well, almost full capacity.)

So, first of all, the set was great. Very realistic, and it did a good job of expressing the middle class financial situation of the family. Props to set designer Eugene Lee. The lighting was also great. You could see the light flooding in from outside the door, which I thought was really cool. It was a technically sound show.

The writing, needless to say, is brilliant. Every character is very specific and very unique, and the dialogue is serious when it needs to be and funny (often hilarious) when it needs to be. The direction was SUPERB. Daniel Sullivan knows his way around a piece of theatre, and he managed to make the play very enjoyable, constantly compelling and mysterious. Being that it is a Pinter play, I came in expecting some brilliant moments of silence. I wasn't disappointed. Especially in those scenes involving Lenny and Max, the silences were breathtaking and filled with dramatic tension. Everyone did a great job of saying the most when they weren't speaking.

****WARNING: POSSIBLE (MINOR) SPOILERS BELOW****

Now, on to the performances.
Ian McShane (Max)- Wow. This guys is a pro, a real professional and a master of his craft. He didn't have the deepest characterization (and probably didn't need one), but his delivery was on point. Simply listening to him deliver that brilliant dialogue was a treat. He was also hilarious at moments, and had a brilliant moment where he spit in Raul's face. You could feel the contempt. (And his spit flew a good six feet. That's really far!)

Eve Best (Ruth)- Except for a few moments, when I thought her actions were unmotivated (mostly at the end), I thought her performance was excellent. Many of her character's actions are baffling, but she did a great job of clarifying and making a clear and understandable character. She did a great job of showing, from the beginning, that she and Teddy were in a bad state.

Raul Esparza (Lenny)- I remember Yankeefan posting a few weeks ago that he thought Raul was overacting, trying too hard to sell. I was afraid he might, but this was not the case. I thought, at the beginning, that his accent was a bit contrived, but realized that he was using such an accent to express mockery or contempt. He was excellent, and it seems that Daniel Sullivan and Raul have really worked to bring out the humor in the play through Raul's character. I can totally see how Raul would overact this part, but tonight he was spot on. He was seductive and controlling in his scenes with Ruth, and he did a great job of relating to his family members. He even managed to really bring out his relationship with Joey, which I thought they would never address. He was solid, it was a really nice performance.

James Frain (Teddy)- He was good, although I felt his tone of voice was a bit stereotypical and cartoonish at times. I never quite got some of his emotions, but his ability to remain so calm at all times was great. He could have used some more emotion, but the lack of emotion really worked for his character and the piece. No problems here with his performance. I would, however, like to see it again, so I could focus on how he reacts to the events happening around him.

Michael McKean (Sam)- This was one of my favorite performances of the night. He had the most natural English accent of all the Yankees in the play, and he did a great job of playing the one seemingly "normal" character. Especially at the end, he really seemed to take issue with what was going on around him, and I liked that. I was very surprised with his ability to be dramatic (given his history with comedy) and was very satisfied with his performance and with the layers he brought to his character.

Garreth Saxe (Joey)- It took me a while to warm up to Joey. Garreth plays him like a boorish brute, almost like a physically retarded man. At first, it turned me off and kind of upset me. HOWEVER, he did a good job of establishing his character that way (his physicality was excellent) and the juxtaposition of his emotions at the end (I won't say what happens at the end, but if you saw it you should know) with his emotions at the beginning really redeemed his character for me. I thought that, in the end, the choice was a smart one.

****END OF (MINOR) SPOILERS****

Overall, it was a really great production of a classic play. I would give it an 8.5 out of 10 and would definitely recommend that anyone who can see it before it closes in a week and a half. It was funny, dramatic, and a great character study. This production is a must for any aspiring actor or anyone who can appreciate great performances.

I stage doored after the show, and met everyone except for James Frain. Michael McKean was really nice, as was Ian McShane. Garreth Saxe was super nice, and seemed to be generally flattered by all of our comments. He's a great guy. Eve Best was so humble, and was clearly still not used to stagedoor fans (there aren't too many in London). I FINALLY met Raul, and he was THE NICEST actor I have ever met. I told him that I was from Miami, he asked what part and related stories about theatre in South Florida. He asked my name and shook my hand, he was a really great guy. The stagedoor was really rewarding. I would post pictures, but honestly I'm not really sure how.

Updated On: 4/5/08 at 11:56 PM

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:04am

Updated On: 5/7/09 at 12:04 AM

[bestinshow2]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:13am

or use http://imageshack.us, easy as pie!

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:16am

Updated On: 5/7/09 at 12:16 AM

[bestinshow2]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:25am

LOL!

I just want to see the pictures!

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:26am

Updated On: 5/7/09 at 12:26 AM

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:28am

Ok, I'm setting up a photobucket account right now.

I might black out my face, though. (Privacy issues).

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:30am

Updated On: 5/7/09 at 12:30 AM

[aliciag]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:37am

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I thought the performances in this play were great too! And I'm so jealous that you got to meet pretty much everyone at the stage door... I was with friends who weren't too keen on waiting when I saw it.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:52am

This one is Ian McShane.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 12:55am

Updated On: 5/7/09 at 12:55 AM

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 1:02am

Hey, no problem, just dont use the pictures to hunt me down and murder me. =)

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 1:05am

Updated On: 5/7/09 at 01:05 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 1:21am

Thanks for posting your pictures! I'm glad you liked it.

[bestinshow2]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 1:23am

Tres cool, scaryclowns, thank you so much for going through the trouble!!!

[misschung]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 1:40am

Amazing picture with Raul. That jacket is smoking.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 9:29am

Excellent, detailed review!

Glad you enjoyed it!

[keen on kean]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 10:26am

Wonderful pictures. Ian and Raul both look good for the last week of the run. Your comments about the performance were excellent. Thank you for taking the time to share all this with us.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 10:29am

Great review. I think I might have to see this for real before it closes. I did see the run-through at New World Stages and enjoyed it thoroughly.

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 10:31am

Frogs,

There were people there the other night who saw the run through and they couldn't stop saying how much it had grown, and how cool it was to see the characters' evolution.

I would see it if you can, especially because attendance hasn't been great and a ticket shouldn't be too difficult.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 10:37am

I was there last night too! I was at the stage door talking with the girl about the run-through.

Oh, and the mezz. was half empty so student rush should be very easy to get.

[jordangirl]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 10:40am

Glad you enjoyed it. Great shots! Thanks for the review.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 10:40am

Ok I'm convinced. Next Saturday's matinee it is.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 10:48am

Yeah, it's improved by leaps and bounds since the run-through.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 4/5/08 at 9:29pm

Thanks for the great review & photos. I miss the show today & just wasted my $31.00 TDF tix. I hope I catch it before it closed or else I would really be disappointed!

J*