| I saw Our Town on Sunday. | |
| Last Edit: DanielVincent 12:06 am EDT 09/27/24 | |
| Posted by: DanielVincent 11:57 pm EDT 09/26/24 | |
| In reply to: Any early word on Yellowface and Our Town? - DistantDrumming 02:04 am EDT 09/26/24 | |
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| Perhaps the production is still finding its footing, but I didn't feel like Leon had a strong "take" on the material, other than streamlining it for momentum's sake and introducing some anachronistic elements to (presumably) make an argument for the piece's timelessness. His lack of specificity seems to trickle down to almost everything in the production. No one suffers more from the production's lack of a point-of-view than Parsons. It's a master class in...neutrality. I don't think he or Leon have an idea who their Stage Manager is...unless the point is that it's just Jim Parsons speaking very nicely and demonstrating his command of a room. Billy Eugene Jones, Richard Thomas, and Katie Holmes all do very fine work...that totally lacks distinctiveness. On the other hand, Zoey Deutch, while very charismatic, makes her Emily quirky in a way that feels labored; in fact, it's a performance that constantly seems to want you to notice how hard the actor is working. Only Ephraim Sykes successfully delivers a case for this revival's existence. Since seeing him in Hairspray Live!, I've thought, "He's about to become a big star!" For reasons I can't understand, it hasn't happened yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if this production does it. He's funny in a way that feels as effortless as Deutch is effortful. He's understated when he needs to be--the way his eyes shine looking at Emily genuinely reminded me of falling in love. He's boyish in one scene and sexy in the next. He even convincingly manages to appear grief struck and pull a bit at your heart strings, even though the cuts have made it hard to care about Emily and George's relationship as much as you should. Lastly, his work is grounded in such utmost sincerity, it feels perfect for Wilder. If my reactions to the senior members of the cast had me saying "too little," and my reaction to the production's leading lady had me saying "too much," at least Sykes's performance as George gave this 40something gay male Goldilocks the opportunity to say "just right." |
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