I ended up going to see The American Plan on Broadway by myself today. Before I came to NY the theater I worked at did this play and It was final show I worked on. I went down and didn't think to print out my Playbill page thinking I could just give them the code...Wrong so I thought well this is my favorite play and was so excited so I ended up waiting in the fucking 28 degree 12 degree wind chill at the TKTS line all for the love of this particular Greenberg play $60 and 30 mins later I hit a wall of disappointment. Time out assured me that this was a good show 4 out of 6 stars, not bad. I was Mez. Center preparing to have all kinds of views on my favorite piece, oh boy, I should have seen the lion king.
The play was awful. I almost considered walking out, I was so depressed after the first 4 lines. Lily Rabe butchered that role. I was even more depressed knowing that Kate Arrington (the actress who had played the role when I had worked it) was her understudy, meaning that she must have lost out to this girl. I am convinced that this actress got the role because of her pedigree, she's so & so's kid. I found her Lily Adler a flat mixture of Gena Rowlands Woman Under the Influence, Garbo's Camille, all while doing this strange half assed Katherine Hepburn voice. I loved our version needless to say, more. I tried people, I really tried to think objectively and have an open mind but I couldn't love her Lily Adler and the guy who played Nick, whoa man was he bad too, Ay yi yi I'm not even sure he was even in the theater this afternoon. Let me put it this way the entire first scene with them was "Bullshit, Bullshit, Bullshit---MY LINE" They didn't fall in love like I wanted them to, then, hell they don't seem to be flirting, midway I was like shit look at her tits! give me something it was so awkward.
I want my money back. I believe this script calls for the audience to love Lily and her tragic ophelia like madness, oppressed by her mother who is intricately webbing schemes for what she thinks is best for her daughter, to keep her to herself and "Safe from harm" forever. You want Lily to fall in love, you want to believe she's found her prince the way her mother claims she wants for her. Then the play gets interesting when it all comes crashing down. Mercedes Ruehl was amazing as Eva and discovered things that the previous actress I had seen hadn't, but without Lily being fully developed I could give a shit whether or not her mother hurt her at all, which you couldn't tell either way with that overly erratic detached behavior. There was absolutely no daughter mother connection. This Lily wasn't even convincing enough to be an inpatient in Girl, Interrupted. Look ma I'm crazy I talk really fast, then I scream for no reason in a faux accent, hell it works for Amy Winehouse.
Maybe I am tarnished by the original production I saw but watching this girl go from Zero to Screaming in one second for no reason I can see was infuriating, hell even if my best friend were to do that I'd leave the room. It's one of those shows where the supportive cast (even Gil who shows up after intermission) was stellar but that doesn't make the show. Who gives a fuck if Tybalt and Benvolio are awesome if Romeo and Juliet blow. I love this script, I know it backwards and to hear some of the clever sentences and poetic words just run over as if the kids had to get the show over so they could have a beer after was so so sad. Very good we can tell you have it memorized by now because your giving me a speed through. Broadway give me something, damn it, if I can see regional theater that's better and cheaper, damn.
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