The Best Man - Spotlight on Plays - 10.14.2020

Spotlight on Plays is presenting an online reading of Gore Vidal's The Best Man tonight at 8pm EST. The cast includes Morgan Freeman, Phylicia Rashad, Matthew Broderick, Katie Finneran and Elizabeth Ashley. Tickets are on sale here: https://www.todaytix.com/x/nyc/shows/22422-Gore-Vidal-s-The-Best-Man

I missed the 2012 Broadway revival but recently watched the 1964 film. The script has aged very well. Will folks here be watching?

Updated On: 10/14/20 at 04:56 PM

Watching now but something unfulfilling about watching a reading of a play on Zoom. The content of this play is certainly quite timely. It’s also supporting a great cause so it’s all good. The cast is top notch and they’re doing a great job under the circumstances.

Dear god, I forgot how boring this play can be. And a play like this, which requires crackerjack timing, really highlights the flaws in the Zoom format. The entire endeavor was shaky and there was no real chemistry among the cast.

Malkovich, unsurprisingly, gives an impossibly weird performance; he's miscast. Freeman is shaky in his lines but gets by on presence. Quinto is better than I expected. Rashad is oddly muted. The best performances, IMO, were Finneran, Williams and Broderick. Loved Julie Halston's little cameo.

I agree with Goodlead. Had a lot of fun watching this, the Vidal dialogue sparkles and what a cast. I thought Malkovich was excellent and Phylicia Rashad was delicious as the committee woman. The confrontation scenes between Malkovich and Quinto (also formidable) packed a punch. And Morgan Freeman was just right as the folksy ex-President. It's worth catching...I streamed it on demand tonight (Broadway's Best Shows) and I think it's up through Saturday. Looking forward to the next entry "This Is Our Youth"...

Really liked it...one of the best Zoom readings I've seen. And that cast: Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, John Malkovich, Phylica Rashad, Katie Finneran, Zachary Quinto-- pretty fabulous. Vidal wrote some pretty nifty zingers. Both Presidential candidates this year could have definitely used his style and wit as a speechwriter. I highly recommend catching it.