rOcKS @ 'Exit the King'

I tend to not particularly enjoy absurdist theater, but every now and then, there is a production that comes along of an absurdist comedy that makes me question my stance. I thought that production could possibly be GODOT; it wasn't. I loathed it, unlike many other BWWers. The answer to my dilemma of not enjoying absurdist comedy is the fantastic production of EXIT THE KING that is currently playing at the Barrymore.

What a production; truly. I had never read or seen EXIT and Ionesco's text is really brilliant and wildly unique and this production certainly highlights that, but it also makes it oddly accessible. You feel, very much, for these characters and you relate. That final sequence with Sarandon telling Rush to let all of his baggage go before he dies is extremely cathartic.

Neil Armfield's direction is, overall, stellar. He handles the drama just as well as he does the comedy; both come off exceedingly well. The lights, the sets, the costumes, etc are all gorgeous.

And, with the huge task of tackling this odd, challenging piece, the ensemble exceeds splendidly. I thought Sarandon was absolutely fantastic; didn't find her to be the weak link at all. In fact, I thought the weak link in the cast was Lauren Ambrose. She just didn't do it for me and I'm not sure why, to be perfectly honest. Andrea Martin is a riot.

Of course though, the main reason to see EXIT THE KING is to take in Geoffrey Rush's astounding performance. What a tour-de-force in every way. Without a doubt, the best male performance onstage this season. His performance is, much like Alice Ripley's in NEXT TO NORMAL, one that defies definition or explanation. It just simply must be seen.

My only real quibble with the direction was that the middle of the first act sagged a bit in terms of pacing and I had problems with Ambrose's performance, but this is one wonderful production. The entire second level of the mezzanine section was empty and I saw two people leave at intermission...don't know why. This is a fantastic production with an incredible lead turn. Go! It was robbed of a Best Revival nomination.

***1/2 out of ****

Updated On: 5/6/09 at 04:59 PM

Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind, but this was one of the worst experiences I've ever had in a theater. The fact that the audience around me (especially the boisterous woman next to me) was loving it didn't help the fact.

It seemed to alternate between highly predictable, sophomoric puns or sight gags and absurd non sequitors. Then, the painfully morose points didn't contrast the absurdist comedy, they just seemed out of place.

It was trying to be both fanciful and deep simultaneously, and in my opinion it failed at both. While I "got" it, I found myself, at any given moment, feeling that I wasn't immature enough to appreciate the humor, or wasn't smart enough to get the hidden layers. I don't know, maybe both. I laughed maybe 3 times the entire performance, and was totally unmoved.

Considering the people whose opinions I usually agree with enjoyed this, I was very surprised to dislike it so much. Wish I had chosen Norman or Blithe instead.

I saw this production last month and thought it was amazing. While Geoffrey Rush dominates with his performance, I thought the rest of the cast gave him great support and allowed his performance to shine. I've read negative comments about Sarandons performance, but I thought she played the character exactly as required, in a non-showy way, as a great counterpoint to Rush's hyperactive monarch.
I also found Ambrose to be a beguiling younger queen, making me believe that she loved Berenger with all of her heart.
The supporting cast also played their part, introducing laughter throughout the first half of the play. And whilst the second half was a lot slower than the first, and with a lot less laughter; it did bring the play to a poignant conclusion.
All in all, I found it mesmerising and if Rush dosen't get a Tony then I'll be mystified.