Wililam H. Macy in Speed-the-Plow — Page 2

The previous comment reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask: I only had a chance to see this production once, when it was still in previews. At the performance I saw, Piven played almost all of Act 2 with his back to the audience, sitting on the sofa facing Moss. I found it rather distracting after a while as I missed seeing his reactions. I assumed that the director staged it that way to put most of the focus on Moss, but I felt it was overdone. I was just wondering if they kept that staging once the show opened?

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Don't you think they can USE Macy's age to add more to his being guiled by her? The fantasy of an older man being of interest to a younger woman? I think it's MUCH more plausible actually.

I may be changing some plans to see this again.


Weighing in my mind: Guys And Dolls in previews....STP with Macy????

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I wasn't sure, frankly, if the staging had changed as much as the actor's choice was changed. When I saw Piven, he seemed to spend a lot of time with his downstage shoulder raised or with his hands around his face. I took it to mean he was retreating and unsure but it certainly withheld a lot of information about Bobby's actual reactions to Karen's "pitch." When I saw Norbert Leo Butz, his facial expressions were a lot more accessible, so I saw rather than inferred Bobby's reactions. I, too, found that the second scene seemed shorter and more interesting. Nice when both actors in a two-person scene give you something to think about.

In the interests of full disclosure, when I saw him in October and again in November, I didn't dislike Piven's performances. But I had never seen this play before, and I think I didn't know what I was missing. Butz was a revelation, and I appreciated his professional courage and enthusiasm. I look forward to seeing Macy for the same reason, plus the benefits of his long association with Mamet.

I had to add this to my rather lenghty list of shows to choose from for an upcoming trip---now to narrow it down to 4 or 5....

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Saw the matinee today, and just want to add my two cents to the thread.

Saw it in November with Piven and felt it didn't work all that well- Raul appeared to be the complete star of the show and when he wasn't on stage the whole show seemed to drag (certainly not a good thing for a Mamet play). What a difference a new cast member makes.

Macy is amazing. Truly amazing. I felt like I was seeing a whole new play. The scenes flow wonderfully. While I still think Moss isn't quite right for Karen, she gives a much stronger performance with Macy than she did with Piven (who seemed to spend the whole second scene waiting to speak rather than listening to her). And the final scene is stunningly well done. You can believe that Bobby was taken in by a younger woman who has convinced him to change his mind- which makes the final moments all the more strong.

And, cglaid said, Macy was completely lovely at the stage door, signing and taking pictures whenever asked. He even took time to stop and chat with nearly everyone there. Felicity Huffman was there as well and was also a complete doll.

The show isn't perfect, but getting to see Macy and Esparza together on stage is totally worth the ticket price. I'll certainly be heading back again.

I saw the matinee today, and thought Macy brought tremendous subtlety to the role. His age (damn he looks good!) was not a disadvantage. It makes *SPOILERS* his capitulation to Karen's enthusiasm look like vulnerability to her youth and Moss plays on that a lot more than she did with Piven or even Butz. When Charlie gets Karen to admit *MORE SPOILERS * that she wouldn't have slept with Bobby if he didn't agree to make the film, it is even more cruel because Charlie is willing to win his argument by attacking his "friend's" virility and personal attractiveness. Even the setting up of the bet seems tremendously insensitive with the age difference between Bobby and Karen.

Macy has a way of delivering Mamet's dialogue that is so fluid and natural that most of the first scene seemed like spontaneous conversation. I heard nuances in some of the dialogue that I had not heard before, and when he says he is lost, he sounds it. His slower delivery and hint of world wearinesse provides Raul with a real contrast - Raul's character seems exceptionally driven, desperately happy and then desperately angry. And Moss is so improved from early performances - she has created an arc now from the ineptitude in the first scene to the almost evangelical quality in the second scene to the bitchiness of the last scene. The part is still awkward and under-written but she is finding ways of dealing with it.

I have closing day tickets but I want to see this again before then. Bravo, William H. Macy, and welcome back to Broadway!

Updated On: 1/21/09 at 11:47 PM

"Was Felicity Huffman there?"

When I saw it (Saturday night), she came out the stage door with Macy, immediately moved against the theater wall letting him take center stage, but graciously took photos and signed autographs when asked.

As for the show, boy what a difference a leading man makes. Rather than Esparza outshining everyone and dwarfing their performances, creating an imbalance, now everything works perfectly. Macy and Esparza work in tandem with one another, creating a rapport that the latter and Piven never had.

And perhaps most notably, Moss is so, so, so much better than she was when I saw her three months ago. When I initially saw her, she didn't seem to know what to do with the character (to be fair, that part confounds most actress), here she seemed like she had a great understanding of her tricky complexity, and was feeding off of Macy's energy and inhabitation. Her "I don't belong here" at the end verges on the heartbreaking.

Sorry to gush, but I really couldn't believe this was the same production I saw in october; it's gone from serviceable/adequate to a great night of theatre. Try to catch Macy if you can.

Wife saw show last night, and said Macy was great !

(Also said theatre was empty !- She was in Orch, Row A (TDF)

Very sad... On another note, I saw "Billy Elliot" Tues night, and the theatre MIGHT have been 60% full.

Has Macy been reviewed yet? I haven't seen anything.

Also was Elisabeth Moss out today, as she is at the SAG awards tonight?

I caught Friday night's performance, and I was BLOWN AWAY.

Wonkit, in the earlier posting, hit the nail on the head.

While I didn't see the show with Piven, I've seen lots and lots of Mamet over the years (including the original and replacement casts of the original production)... and i have to say, this a damn-near perfect cast for this first-rate production.

I thought Macy's age plays into the story really well, for all the reasons that are mentioned above. I also think Piven's youth and looks would work AGAINST the story, in the same ways that Macy's age works for it. And on a personal note, Macy didnt look particularly "old" to me. He looks great.

If you're considering checking out StP... i would DEFINITELY encourage it.

i was at the evening show today at i totally agree with WAT. macy is great in the role. i also agree that when norbert was in it they played like they were cokeheads but i loved that so much. macy was alot different then butz, but still great none-the-less. i havent seen the show with piven so idk about his performance. still not sure about karen. i'm not really too fond of the character. and the show was also pretty packed. there were like 5 empty seats in the last row of the orch.

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William H. Macy came out and signed and took pictures with everyone waiting. He could not have been nicer. My friend and I were too cold to stick around for anyone else...