Monday, February 4, 2008

An 'All That Chat' survey...the Play Edition

1. The first play I ever saw on Broadway was Noises Off! (July 9, 2002)
2. The play I would most like to see would be the original companies of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Death of a Salesman, Long Day's Journey Into Night, Noises Off (NY & London; for Pat Routledge and Dottie Loudon), West Side Waltz, The Glass Menagerie, The Lion in Winter and probably a slew of others...
3. The play I would most like to see again is The Pillowman, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, the revival of Journey's End. Still running...? AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY!!!!
4. The play I never want to see again is Romeo and Juliet (sorry kids, just don't care for it; West Side Story on the other hand...)
5. The best performance in a Broadway play by a woman I’ve ever seen is... wow this is tough. I've seen Cherry in Doubt, Kathleen in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Frances de la Tour in The History Boys and Judy Kaye in Souvenir; however, I'm going to go with Jayne Houdyshell in Well. (Though the previous divas are all a decimal point away from the title).
6. The best performance in a Broadway play by a man I’ve ever seen is Bill Irwin in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (honorable mentions to Stark Sands in Journey's End, Zeljko Ivanek in The Pillowman, Brian F. O'Byrne in Doubt).
7. The person I wish they never cast was David Barbour in Virginia Woolf. The person they should have cast was Billy Crudup.
8. My favorite Broadway staging of a play was The Pillowman.
9. The line that always brings a lump to my throat is - "I am, George, I am."
10. The stupidest line I’ve ever heard is... hm, I'll fill this in if I can think of something that bad...
11. The first play I had to go back and see twice was the revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
12. The first play I ever walked out of was - I have never walked out of a show.
13. The most under praised and overly deserving play in my opinion is Coram Boy.
14. The most overly praised and under deserving show in my opinion is The History Boys. I mean, I liked it; but, The Lieutenant of Inishmore was a much more satisfying play.
15. The line or monologue you're most likely to quote in every day life: "Life is a banquet and most poor sons of bitches are starving to death!" Auntie Mame.
16. If I could recast any role in a current Broadway play with a performer of the past it would be Uta Hagen as Violet in August: Osage County, Laurette Taylor in Doubt, young Kim Stanley or Barbara Bel Geddes in Proof.
17. If I could recast current actor in a Broadway play that was before their time it would be Cherry Jones in The Little Foxes (with Vicki Clark as Birdie); Margaret Colin in Long Day's Journey Into Night, Harriet Harris in The Desk Set or Come Back, Little Sheba, Mary Louise Parker in Mary, Mary.
18. The show they should never change a word of because it is already perfect is Long Day's Journey Into Night. They've already tampered with Virginia Woolf?
19. The show I'd most like to get my hands on and rewrite is Well.
20. The role I was born to play on Broadway is any acerbic and witty wisecracking sidekick.

1 comment:

Roxie said...

1. The first play I ever saw on Broadway was Amy’s View
2. The play I would most like to see would Doubt, Coram Boy, Importance of Being Earnest @ RNT, Mother Courage and her Children, St Joan,
3. The play I would most like to see again is Festen…over and over again – every night, if I could, it was that amazing – and I’m talking about the London production because the NYC one was crap. Also, Henry V and Blithe Spirit
4. The play I never want to see again is Cherry Orchard (never, ever, ever, ever, ever again!!!)
5. The best performance in a Broadway play by a woman I’ve ever seen is…come on, I saw Judi Dench in something. She wins, hands down, every time!
6. The best performance in a Broadway play by a man I’ve ever seen is - gonna have to leave that one blank because I don't know.
7. The person I wish they never cast was - John C. Reilly in Streetcar (and seriously, did we need to see that again...). The person they should have cast was Marlin Brando. No joke.
8. My favorite Broadway staging of a play was - going to have to skip this one too.
9. The line that always brings a lump to my throat is - "This day is call'd the feast of Crispian” and the entire St. Crispian’s Day speech (And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,/From this day to the ending of the world,/But we in it shall be remembered-/We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;/For he to-day that sheds his blood with me/Shall be my brother;), “I had an Edward” (Richard III)
10. The stupidest line I’ve ever heard is anything from Cherry Orchard…
11. The first play I had to go back and see twice was A Doll House.
12. The first play I ever walked out of was - I have never walked out of a show.
13. The most under praised and overly deserving play in my opinion is The Bald Soprano
14. The most overly praised and under deserving show in my opinion is – I’m not sure
15. The line or monologue you're most likely to quote in every day life: hmmm will have to get back to you with that one.
16. If I could recast any role in a current Broadway play with a performer of the past it would be Ingrid Bergman as Else in Festen.
17. If I could recast current actor in a Broadway play that was before their time it would be Harriet Harris in anything. A younger Joanna Gleason as Grusha in Chalk Circle.
18. The show they should never change a word of because it is already perfect is Festen and Life of Gallileo
19. The show I'd most like to get my hands on and rewrite is Isn’t It Romantic?
20. The role I was born to play on Broadway is…well, I would love to think that it’s something grand and sweeping like Hedda Gabbler or Regina in The Little Foxes or Major Barbara (or even Saint Joan) but who would know.