THE LITTLE FOXES Previews — Page 2

henrikegerman said: "
I'd definitely suggest seeing the play first. "

Thank you! I will go in cold. Also, Telecharge let me change the date, so I will be seeing Cynthia as Birdie. Now I am wishing that I could see it twice with the different leads, but I won't be able to do that during the limited run.

I saw the whole thing tonight. And I must say, I really can't imagine Laura Linney as Regina and Cynthia Nixon as Birdie, as they so completely inhabited their switched roles.

http://poisonivywalloftext.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-little-foxes.html

I did TodayTix and got excellent orchestra seats. It's a small theater so there's no bad seats.

Interesting. I saw the reverse cast (Nixon as Regina, Linney as Birdie) and thought they were perfect in their roles. Linney has that sort of fragile charm that works so well for Birdie. And Nixon played Regina as a sociopath from the start. Very little charm or sex appeal -- this was a woman with one love: money. I actually think that reading is more supported in the play. Regina's brothers are deplorable but even if Regina had to fight for her piece of the pie it doesn't excuse her callous treatment of Birdie, Horace, and Alexandra. We see her in the first act not offer Birdie a word of support as she's being browbeaten. In the second act Horace is barely home before she spits "I want you to die!" I really think Nixon's portrayal worked in that way -- it was so consistent.

Thanks for that. Interesting to hear they are only eligible for one of their performances, but I guess the producers really don't want a competition between the two. I confess, I have a suspicion Nixon will snag a nomination (at least), but I have doubts about Linney. I still greatly enjoyed her performance, and In another year, Linney would have been a shoe-in, but this is just such a tightly packed season.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee is meeting at least one more time before the nominations are determined, and I'm sure this will be one of the matters they adjudicate. I imagine that they will follow the opening night performance--Linney as Regina, Nixon as Birdie--but we'll see.

I saw the show over the weekend and enjoyed it. I also thought the revelatory performance was Birdie- as played at my performance by Laura Linney.



In truth I think Birdie is just the more devestating role. I understand why actresses are drawn to the power of Regina, but Birdie is the role audiences respond to more.

A couple of comments as someone looking forward to seeing this, probably twice.

Linney is perhaps trying different things and finding her way. Perhaps by opening night her Regina might hit notes she's not hitting for some now.

Both Regina and Birdie are great roles.

Regina, I would suggest, is a much more challenging role to swing out of the park than Birdie is.

I disagree with Auggie about Regina not being a timeless character. In fact, I think she's a highly topical one. This country is filled with Reginas - and I don't just mean women; far from it!
The last powerful scene between Regina and Alexandra, alluding to Addie's wise words about those that eat the earth and those that stand around and watch them, not only puts Regina in full relief but crystallizes a reality that could not be more on-point today.... focuses on all the Reginas out there.

But making Regina fascinating and individuated, grand and relatable, someone to be both empathized with (to a degree, this is a morality melodrama) and recognized as a symbol and symptom of exactly what this country needs to beware most is a major challenge for any actor. No less a leading lady than Stockard Channing failed to fully realize her in the last Broadway revival whereas Frances Conroy was, as one would expect, a creditable Birdie. (Although I understand Elizabeth Marvel did quite well as the last off-Broadway Regina).

Finally, I would hope that as Nixon and Linney find their very own takes on both roles, they have the generosity and foresight to "steal" from each other when doing so might further actualize their own marks on both roles.

Updated On: 4/5/17 at 11:14 AM

Marvel was extraordinary, but I don't know how she would fare in a more traditional production of the play.

The production that played DC this fall featured Marg Helgenberger as a very creditable Regina, and Broadway regular Isabel Keating as a heartbreaking Birdie. But I agree that Regina is the more complex role--you really have to try hard to screw up Birdie.

If you have never read or seen this play, spoilers below.

I was there tonight and found it to be a solid, if not revelatory production. My only exposure to the play previously was the van Hove production in 2010 which was intense and left a massive impression on me when I saw it. At the end of the play then, I felt like I'd been absolutely punched in the gut. This production is much more traditional and thus I wouldn't expect it to land in the same fashion, but overall it felt a little underbaked. I think everyone on stage could do well to pace themselves a bit more. Given that it's older and three acts, I understand the desire to want to keep things humming, but as the characters exact their cruelty towards each other, it all felt a little rushed. I felt this especially in the tail end of Act Three- Horace collapses on the stairs awfully quickly, and because it happens so fast, the full brunt of Regina's non-action loses a little bit of its sharpness. Similarly, the conclusion of the play, when Xan abandons Regina, doesn't really register- I know the play and it took a second for me to grasp what exactly was happening. I don't think this requires a massive change on the part of the cast, but everyone seems a little too tentative to take their time, and I think it makes the play a little less spiky.

The only person who really didn't have this issue was Cynthia Nixon, who played Birdie this evening. I think a large part of that is because Birdie is flightier than everyone else on stage, so she can afford to be operating at a faster pace, but in her final monologue she takes her time and fully nails it. It's a very moving performance.

Laura Linney does quite well as Regina. I think she understand the ruthlessness at the heart of her, but in her final scene with Xan I think she's a little at sea. She doesn't completely land the difficult switch between cold dominance and fear, but I think she'll find it with more time. Her scene with Oscar, Ben, and Leo was excellent, however. All the rest of the cast is quite good, especially Michael McKean and Caroline Stefanie Clay as Ben and Addie. I was unfortunately not as taken with Francesca Carpanini as Xan, though this might have been because she was often out of view from my seat. Design is all professional, and the set is quite nice.

Overall, it's not an evening of fireworks, but this Little Foxes is a solid production of a wonderful and always timely play, so I'm very happy to see it back.

For a bit more background on this play: I saw the famous Mike Nichols staging at Lincoln Center back in the 1960s, and Anne Bancroft as Regina and Margaret Leighton as Birdie were memorable (as was George C. Scott as Ben). The next major production with Elizabeth Taylor was better than anyone expected (her non-award-acceptance speech at the Tonys was hilarious), and although Maureen Stapleton as Birdie was the standout, Taylor held her own. The last LC production with Stockard Channing as Regina was totally wrongheaded, with only Brian Kerwin emerging with a full performance as the weakling brother Oscar.

Very excited to see this latest production, and may try to see it twice, just to savor these two great actresses.

On that note how is mid mezzanine?