Even when she is only standing still, not speaking a word, or crouching alongside the porch steps, or even hiding underneath that very same porch, Celia Keenan-Bolger is communicating to the audience. The love and worry for her family, for her friends, and her anxiety over what is happening to the world about her, are so brilliantly conveyed physically by this gifted actress it is like watching poetry at work. And when she speaks her mind, through Aaron Sorkin's dialogue, she becomes the voice of the audience, and it is as though Harper Lee was standing right behind her.
Which is by way of saying that Celia Keenan-Bolger gives the outstanding performance of the season. In years to come, those of us lucky enough to have seen it will talk about it to our youngsters, much as our elders talked to us about seeing Patty Duke onstage in "The Miracle Worker," or Susan Strasberg, in "The Diary Of Anne Frank." Celia's is that kind of performance. She carries it from start to finish, and I cannot imagine it without her. It is a career making performance, and as a Celia admirer, I felt privileged to have witnessed it. I urge you all to.
She goes from childhood to adulthood effortlessly. But so does Gideon Glick, whose performance took me completely by surprise. He plays Dill, whom most know is based on
Truman Capote, and I had heard gay, or fey, gestures, had been inserted to make audiences aware of his burgeoning gayness. I feared homophobia, but Gideon incorporates everything so naturally, I was not aware of anything but that he was Dill. And for the first time, I saw myself in Dill, I take my hat off to Gideon; when he and Celia interact, it is like a childhood pas de deux.
I must also mention two others--Jeff Daniels as Atticus, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson, as Calpurnia. Daniels' take on Atticus is fierce; while still a man of conscience, the anger that Gregory Peck allowed only to simmer, boils over into outright combat, such as during the jail scene when one of the crowd lunges at Jem, or when Bob Ewell, before the children are attacked, confronts Atticus, who locks him in a deadly bear grip, threatening to break his neck. It is interesting to see that side of him, because, really, how much crap can Atticus allow himself, or his children, to take? Jeff nails a different side that in no way infringes on the character we all love. In fact, some may come to love him more. I had a new admiration for Atticus, that I never had before.
As for Calpurnia, well, I always felt the story could have done more with her. She is the real mother figure of these children, and her sparring with Atticus is just right; after all, she is treated by the Finches as family, so she deserves the right to express her feelings. And she does, and when Calpurnia asks Atticus the questions he needs to hear, I was thankful an actress of Miss Richardson Jackson's skill was delivering them.
There are so many moments of perfection in this show, it hurts me to say, I have some quibbles. While Celia and Gideon transition easily between childhood and adulthood, Will Pullen, as Jem, does not. He is dressed too maturely, and looks so, or lacks the skill of the other two to make me believe him young. Consequently, he comes off like a much older brother, home from college for the Summer, rather than a contemporary of the other two.
Bob Ewell, and Mayella are two of the show's juiciest parts, but either Bartlett Sher's direction or the performances and conception of them by Erin Wilhemi and Frederick Weller (who was a superb Leo in "The Little Foxes," back in 1997) falls short of what they should be, which is poor white trash. Wilhelmi looks too groomed, too polished, too Laura Ashley as Mayella; displaying none of the hardness, not even dirt on her face, which one would expect from trash living near a dump, suggesting what this girl has been through. Same with her father; he is too young, robust, well groomed, and both display too many court histrionics, with both of them flinging themselves at Atticus. There is no underlying menace in these two; unfortunately I got the impression they were simply acting, rather than inhabiting, their characters, as the aforementioned quartet does.
Then there is Aaron Sorkin's script. He writes some great speeches for Atticus and Scout, and even a stunning moment in Act Two for Dill, but I thought the children finding the hidden gifts in the tree down the street was rushed, as was the Bob Ewell attack, which is not enacted, but told to, though brilliantly, by Scout. The impact of this moment is destroyed, as we see neither the attack, nor the "mysterious person" carrying Jem. Or do we? On that last one, I am not sure, so much was going on. But I wondered.
One thing I was afraid of was Sorkin would dishonor Harper Lee. He does not, though I question the mentioning of Mayella's father sexually abusing her. I do not question its credibility, nor its probability. I question whether it needed to be there, as Harper Lee was not interested in exploring that.
As I said, these are quibbles that don't mar an enjoyable time in the theater.
It is extremely ironic that this show is playing at the Shubert Theatre, where "A Chorus Line" achieved its record run. Because Bartlett Sher stages this play conceptually, using some of the tools Bennett used in his show. I could not help noticing that the key to when the actors are children or adults is how they are placed. Mostly, they are front and center, or on the porch, when children. In court, where they stand or sit silently, or go behind another character, as Scout does with Mayella, they are adults. I thought it was brilliant, but I wanted to alert those who might not catch on.
And I guessed correctly where the children's entrance from the back of the theater came. What other place could there be for it?????????????????????
But, first, and last, the show belongs to Celia Keenan-Bolger. There is always some bit of business she does on stage that clicks with me, and makes me wonder how she achieved that effect, and made that choice. In "The Glass Menagerie," it was the way she walked as Laura; here, it is the moment, when Heck Tate comes to the house, pleading with Atticus to take the Tom Robinson case. He tells Scout to go inside, but she comes back out, forgetting a book, goes back inside, and through a passageway the audience can see, does a side skip down it that I have never seen anyone do. A testament to a brilliant actress; how does she come up with these things?
Oh, and the moment when she joined hands with Boo Radley tore my heart out. I dissolved in tears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When the show ended, and the actors took their bows, the audience, as one, collectively, rose to their feet. As Celia stepped forward, the applause, as expected was thunderous, yet something was missing. The front seaters should have risen as one, flocking to the foot of the stage, as pilgrims at Lourdes, according Celia as the Divinity Of The Stage. For, to witness Celia, is to witness divinity on the stage.
Her performance will stay with one, for weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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