Back to a classic. This seems to be the year for major revivals from the best of American playwrights with Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Three Tall Women, Summer and Smoke and, in a few weeks, a reading of Night of the Iguana. So far, every one of these productions has proven why these plays are classics and last night was no exception.
This is a long play - four acts spread over almost four hours - with a huge cast of several dozen actors. Almost every actor on the stage was one you’d recognize from television and the movies - mostly character actors but all stunning in this show. The production makes a strong case for adding a Tony category for best ensemble. Not a weak performance on the stage! The story focuses on a seedy early-twentieth century bar in Greenwich Village filled with drunks and their pipe dreams. Each character has his own story so it gets pretty complex. The early part of the play is extremely funny but the story takes a series of darker and darker turns until it reaches a gut-wrenching ending.
This show is star-driven with Denzel Washington giving a powerhouse performance. Even though, by the time he breaks the fourth wall to tell his story to the audience you know what’s coming, he still drew gasps from the audience. We’ve now seen 4 of the 5 nominees for lead actor in a play (and will see the fifth soon) and there’s no question, if I were a voter, I’d vote for Denzel. This is one of the toughest categories this year and will probably go to Andrew Garfield but Denzel was really, really good. In the featured actor category, though, we’ve seen all of the nominees and, while Nathan Lane may eventually win, this category really should go to David Morse (yes, St. Elsewhere David Morse!).
It’s a year of long plays (Angels in America, Harry Potter) and they were endurance trials. With Iceman, I’ve never felt four hours of theater go by so fast! Another 10.
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