The Goat, or Who is Sylvia with Sally Field

[Rypm25]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 2:11pm

I was looking through some old playbills and came upon my playbill for The Goat. I saw the original cast and really loved the play. When Sally Field took over I wanted to return to see it again with her in it but never made it back. I was wondering if anyone saw Sally Field in it and what they thought of her performance. On a side note..I always thought the play would make a great vehicle for an HBO movie...

[redmustang]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 4:37pm

I too saw The Goat with the original cast. Then when I read that Sally Field was going into the show, I scheduled an emergency trip back to NY to see her. Thought she was every bit as good as Mercedes Ruehl, perhaps better. And she was so gracious at the stage door, signed Playbills, posed for pictures. One guy at the stagedoor had his mother on his cell phone and asked Sally if she'd say hi to her. Sally grabbed the phone and said: Hi, Mom.......yeah, this is me.

I too had hoped that someone would film this with Sally Field, but alas, like most of Albee's stuff, it never happened.

[redmustang]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 4:46pm

Forgot to mention that at the very end of the play, as the wife is dragging the bloody bag on stage, the look on Ruehl's face was very scary, the look on Field's was terrifying.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/6/12 at 11:54pm

I thought Field actually took the role to another level, because she made the journey somehow more harrowing and fuller; the comedy in the front of the piece was effortless and lay the groundwork for the devastating collapse that followed. You could believe she was this particular woman in this impossible-to-accept circumstance, whereas Ruhl, brilliant to be sure, seemed more in control, more self-aware, maybe made us more aware of an actor giving a calculated if wonderful performance. Field just exploded until she had nothing left. It was funny, scary, sad and yet sized appropriately, i.e. in every way theatrical. I wish she'd come back. I think she would've brought something intriguing to the Channing role in OTHER DESERT CITIES.

[Sas cuyvers]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 6:29am

I saw it with Sally Field in september 2002. She certainly was a worthy successor to Mercedes Ruehl, but I have to say the real revelation for me in that play was Bill Pullman's successor, Bill Irwin. He's also very approachable and easy to talk to. Had a nice chat with him a several occasions. I truly regret not being able to go and see him in Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf in 2005.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 8:42am

Although I've been a big Albee fan forever, did not get to THE GOAT until Sally Field came in. She was remarkable in a very difficult role. Wish I had seen her in DC in THE GLASS MENAGERIE. Anyone see that? Heard she was great.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 2:29pm

Funny you mention OTHER DESERT CITIES, Auggie27- I always thought Field and Mercedes Ruehl would have made a dynamite Polly and Silda opposite one another.

Updated On: 7/8/12 at 02:29 PM

[xxdrewboy85xx]

Posted: 7/8/12 at 2:39pm

I saw it with both Mercedes and Sally. I thought both were wonderful in their own right but thought Sally was remarkable and had a slight edge on Mercedes.

Also thought Barbara Robertson was brilliant ( as always) in the Goodman production in Chicago- though that production on a whole was a hot mess and the direction was just wrong.