The Goat, or Who is Sylvia with Sally Field

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.

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.

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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.

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.