(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Lincoln Center Theater's lavish 75th anniversary production of this Clifford Odets classic is now in previews at the Belasco Theatre. The cast of 19, directed by Bartlett Sher, features such stalwarts as Tony Shalhoub, Danny Burstein and Jonathan Hadary, whose topnotch performances were, for me, the main reason to see the play. Lucas Caleb Rooney, Dagmara Dominczyk and Michael Aronov are fine as Joe Bonaparte's brother, sister and brother-in-law respectively. Anthony Crivello is appropriately menacing as Eddie Fuselli. Yvonne Strahovski (Hanna on Dexter) makes an impressive debut as Lorna Moon. Danny Mastrogiorgio seemed a bit shaky as Joe's manager. And then there's Seth Numrich as Joe. Let me just say that he is not an obvious choice for the part. He is too big to be plausible as a welterweight, he doesn't look remotely Italian and his acting is outclassed by his fellow cast members. It is a tribute to the overall excellence of the production that this weakness does not seriously harm it. Michael Yeargan's multiple sets are excellent and Catherine Zuber's costumes are superb. I was surprised that the play did not seem as dated as I had expected and that Odets had managed to keep his usual sermonizing mostly in check until the third act. The ending is rather flat. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the evening more than I expected to. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes, including two intermissions.
Showing posts with label Seth Numrich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seth Numrich. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Yosemite *
(Please click on the title to read the full review.)
The set, by Raul Abrego, is a lovely scene of northern California woods in winter. Unfortunately, the set is the highlight of Daniel Talbott's new play at the Rattlestick Theater. The set is populated by two brothers and a sister who live nearby in a trailer. Jake (Seth Numrich), the eldest, is digging a hole in which to bury their infant brother, whose death is vaguely blamed on their troubled mother. (If you are foolish enough to attend after reading this, don't sit in the front row or you may get covered by flying dirt.) The three siblings exchange inane chatter until their mother arrives with her shotgun. After a lively exchange, she leaves and you can guess the rest. It seemed to last for hours, but it was only 70 minutes. The younger sister and brother are played by Libby Woodbridge and Noah Galvin. The usually interesting Kathryn Erbe misfires as the mother. Numrich displays a prodigious talent for shoveling; why he left a good role in War Horse for this is a mystery. Director Raul Abrego is unsuccessful in hiding the vacuity of the proceedings.
The set, by Raul Abrego, is a lovely scene of northern California woods in winter. Unfortunately, the set is the highlight of Daniel Talbott's new play at the Rattlestick Theater. The set is populated by two brothers and a sister who live nearby in a trailer. Jake (Seth Numrich), the eldest, is digging a hole in which to bury their infant brother, whose death is vaguely blamed on their troubled mother. (If you are foolish enough to attend after reading this, don't sit in the front row or you may get covered by flying dirt.) The three siblings exchange inane chatter until their mother arrives with her shotgun. After a lively exchange, she leaves and you can guess the rest. It seemed to last for hours, but it was only 70 minutes. The younger sister and brother are played by Libby Woodbridge and Noah Galvin. The usually interesting Kathryn Erbe misfires as the mother. Numrich displays a prodigious talent for shoveling; why he left a good role in War Horse for this is a mystery. Director Raul Abrego is unsuccessful in hiding the vacuity of the proceedings.
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