This production was not quite up to par, as far as I am concerned. Mr. Newman's performance was too under stated for my taste.
The character of the "Stage Manager" should be played as a more mystical figure, rather than the corny and sometimes sappy old duffer Mr. Newman portrayed him as.
I think the 70's PBS version with Hal Holbrook was far more in line with the characterization Thornton Wilder was attempting to present. Only my opinion.
I think Jane Curtin was seriously miscast. Her accent was certainly not Yankee, but more a combination of Buffalo and Chicago with that fingers scraping across the blackboard nasally flat A sound. A little over the top at times, too. "This ain't SNL", Janie.
As an actor, myself (many, many rungs below Mr. Newman's stature) perhaps I am overly critical. However, a masterpiece like "Our Town" should leave the audience with a feeling that they have been to Grovers Corners. This didn't!
The character of the "Stage Manager" should be played as a more mystical figure, rather than the corny and sometimes sappy old duffer Mr. Newman portrayed him as.
I think the 70's PBS version with Hal Holbrook was far more in line with the characterization Thornton Wilder was attempting to present. Only my opinion.
I think Jane Curtin was seriously miscast. Her accent was certainly not Yankee, but more a combination of Buffalo and Chicago with that fingers scraping across the blackboard nasally flat A sound. A little over the top at times, too. "This ain't SNL", Janie.
As an actor, myself (many, many rungs below Mr. Newman's stature) perhaps I am overly critical. However, a masterpiece like "Our Town" should leave the audience with a feeling that they have been to Grovers Corners. This didn't!