#51
Posted: 11/22/04 at 1:35pm
The story of Philip Anglim and The Elephant Man was that he found the play in an off-off West End Theatre and recognized that it would be a good fit for him. His family's $$$ got the rights, and he then took it to Crinkley who produced it first off Broadway and then moved to the Booth where it stayed 2+ years and had a couple of road companies and countless regional productions. Anglim (or his family and under a corporate name) was a major investor in The Elephant Man and Tintypes which Crinkley produced but Anglim was not in. If you want the corp name, find the credits for the latter. ("in association with...")
The Elephant Man was considered a foreign play in NY even though the author was an American living in London and that the play did not have a major production there until after the NY one was open.
Anglim's performance as the reserved, shy, deformed man received very good reviews and a Tony nom.
It was only after his performance a couple of years later in The Scottish Play that critics took a second look and realized the man had no passion. He was perfect as the Elephant Man, heartbreaking in fact, but when it came to That Role in That Play, he was woefully cast. There was no there there.
John Simon, never a favorite of mine, wrote to the effect that casting needed to be done in a theatre and not in the bedroom since Anglim's BF was widely known as the producer at Lincoln Center for that one season. For once no one accused Simon of homophobia of which he was and is guilty.
The production and his performance was such a disaster that Anglim never set foot on a NY stage again and that is what, 23 years ago? Sarah Caldwell never directed a play in NY again either. That's a whole other story.
The great character actor and two-time Tony winner Hiram Sherman said, "I love the theatre. It's show business I can't stand." Small wonder after a back story like this.
The Elephant Man was considered a foreign play in NY even though the author was an American living in London and that the play did not have a major production there until after the NY one was open.
Anglim's performance as the reserved, shy, deformed man received very good reviews and a Tony nom.
It was only after his performance a couple of years later in The Scottish Play that critics took a second look and realized the man had no passion. He was perfect as the Elephant Man, heartbreaking in fact, but when it came to That Role in That Play, he was woefully cast. There was no there there.
John Simon, never a favorite of mine, wrote to the effect that casting needed to be done in a theatre and not in the bedroom since Anglim's BF was widely known as the producer at Lincoln Center for that one season. For once no one accused Simon of homophobia of which he was and is guilty.
The production and his performance was such a disaster that Anglim never set foot on a NY stage again and that is what, 23 years ago? Sarah Caldwell never directed a play in NY again either. That's a whole other story.
The great character actor and two-time Tony winner Hiram Sherman said, "I love the theatre. It's show business I can't stand." Small wonder after a back story like this.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
