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Friday, April 22, 2011

The Friday Five, April 22, 2011

The great Lee J. Cobb as Willy Loman
in Death of a Salesman

Dramaturgs "r" us
Five plays ripe for a local revival
By Estelle Rosen and Gaëtan L. Charlebois

Late one night, we had a back-and-forth email exchange about plays we haven't seen in a long time. They're works which mark the more recent history of theatre which we felt should be reminded back to audiences - especially new audiences - every so often. We limited ourselves to five works (though we reeled off a list of 20 or so in no time flat). Criteria included that they had not been mounted professionally in our critical memories and, also, that we could do some basic casting. We also wanted to get you talking and we've noticed, through various Friday Fives, that nothing generates discussion like proposing a best of...

Death of a Salesman - Father/son conflict plays are always relevant and this great, great Arthur Miller work says it all. We can see Roy Surette directing this one with the great Tony Nardi as Willy (though he's too young). Joanna Noyes would be a heart-breaking Linda and we know our colleague Joel Fishbane could do Biff in his sleep.







Katherine Hepburn as Amanda in The Glass Menagerie

Glass Menagerie - Tennessee Williams is a favourite here but this one is waaaaay overdue. It's haunting, poetic, even magical. Bryna Wasserman could lead this movingly and Paul Van Dyke was born to be the Gentleman Caller. Amanda? Joanna Noyes (because she should be working way more than she does). Now you give us a Laura...


Three Sisters - Where has Chekhov gone in MELT?!? Look at the cast of the upcoming Book Club (Johanna Nutter, Paula Costain, Alexandria Haber, Paula Jean Hixson), import to this play, done! Three sisters and Natasha.

The Caretaker - Alexandre Marine could helm this seminal Pinter play - full of spookiness and hilarity - to a capital-t.

On the Job - David Fennario's first play might have seemed like old hat a decade ago, but in the current financial climate - where bosses can fuck over their employees with impunity - this story of working class Joes vs. The Man is more important than ever. It's funny, it's sad and we see Guy Sprung directing it and Michael Rudder as the older worker with no place to go. (Rudder's probably too young, but he's got that wonderfully endearing aura; like Griff Brewer had in the original production at Centaur.)

3 comments:

  1. I say Joanna Noyes and Michael Rudder in everything.

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm fucking dying to see, be in or direct "The Lion in Winter"! What a fantastic play! The text is so quick, smart and ripe with nuanced tension. It would require extremely intelligent and gifted actors. (I'm looking at you, Marcel Jennin as the King) It was an amazing film too!

    What about "The Elephant Man"?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Saw Rudder and Noyes together in a lovely production of Frankie and Johnny. Chemistry all over the place. And Lion! Oh yes.

    ReplyDelete

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