Should've Won the Tony

I love the Tony Awards. Tony Sunday is basically a national holiday to me, and every year I devote dozens of blog posts to analyzing the various races and predicting likely winners. As I point out every year, the person or production that wins the Tony is not always the most deserving, but the right combination of merit, proper positioning, and backstage politics. As with any artistic award (Oscars, Emmys, etc.) we're all at least subconsciously aware of these other factors, and in the grand scheme of things winning doesn't necessarily matter or affect career opportunities. But even knowing all that, the fact remains that Tonys are the most prestigious award in the industry, and it is just irksome when they get things wrong!

Below are a few of the more egregious oversights in the Tony Awards' 66 year history, people and productions that really deserved to win that damn spinning statuette. I want to make very clear that I am not saying the actual winner in each of these races was undeserving. Of all the Tony winning performances and productions I've been lucky enough to witness, I would be hard-pressed to name one that I thought was unforgivably awful. But if I could magically go back in time and alter the outcome of past Tony races, these nominees would be on the top of my list.

West Side Story for Best Musical (1958)

The original cast of the landmark 1957 musical West Side Story, arguably one of the most famous and beloved stage shows in existence.

Actual Winner: The Music Man

Meredith Wilson's The Music Man has many passionate fans, although I am not among them. In each of the many productions I've seen, I've always found Wilson's magnum opus to be a slight work, overlong and lacking in charm, but I will concede that I am in the clear minority and maybe I'm missing something. However, I bet all but the most diehard Music Man fans would hesitate to say the show is unequivocally better than the Arthur Laurence-Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim masterpiece, one of the most important and beloved shows in the entire musical theatre cannon. West Side Story rewrote the rules for what a musical could do, the types of issues it could tackle, and integrated dance into the story better than almost any musical before or since. Almost 60 years after its premiere, it still resonates with audiences around the world as a towering achievement in dramatic storytelling.


Ragtime for Best Musical (1998)

Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell in the near-legendary original Broadway production of Ragtime.

Actual Winner: The Lion King

To be fair, I understand why Tony voters chose The Lion King for Best Musical. Julie Taymor's eye-popping production is one of the seminal artistic achievements of the past 20 years, despite a pedestrian book and songs that range from stellar ("Circle of Life") to painful ("Chow Down"). Ragtime justifiably won Best Book and Score, which meant the only way to honor The Lion King as a whole was to give the show a Best Musical trophy. But just because I understand why the production won doesn't mean I have to agree, because Ragtime is a near-perfect show that also boasts one of the all-time great original casts. In addition to being unabashedly gorgeous musically, the show's observations about race, human nature, and the enduring spirit of the American dream make it a much richer piece that continually reveals new nuances during each subsequent production. The Lion King without Taymor's staging is just the animated film needlessly padded out; Ragtime is a moving and insightful piece no matter who is at the helm, and that is why it deserved a Best Musical win.


Kelli O'Hara in The Bridges of Madison County for Best Actress in a Musical (2014)

Kelli O'Hara in the sublime, underappreciated The Bridges of Madison County.

Actual Winner: Jessie Mueller for Beautiful

Jessie Mueller is a lovely individual who has continually proven herself both talented and versatile; she deserves a long and fruitful career filled with accolades, including a Tony Award or two. That said, she *stole* Kelli O'Hara's long deserved Best Actress statuette for what is sure to go down as one the golden-voiced soprano's greatest performances, Francesca in Jason Robert Brown's The Bridges of Madison County. Setting aside the fact that it is absolutely ludicrous the multitalented O'Hara is still Tony-less after five nominations in the past decade, her transcendent work in this sweeping musical drama was the kind of performance legends are made of. When people look back at her career many years from now, this will be the performance people won't believe she didn't win for, in the same way many people just assume Bernadette Peters won for Sunday in the Park with George (Peters lost to Chita Rivera in The Rink). The one small piece of solace to be found in this situation is that O'Hara publicly stated that if she couldn't win, she was rooting for Mueller.


Danny Burstein in Follies for Best Actor in a Musical (2012)

Danny Burstein during the transcendent "Loveland Sequence" during the most recent Broadway revival of Follies.

Actual Winner: Steve Kazee for Once

Like with O'Hara, the fact that Danny Burstein doesn't already have a Tony Award is one of the great oversights of the Tony Awards' past ten years. One of our greatest character actors, Burstein is equally at home in musicals and plays, whether they are comedic or dramatic, and Follies is arguably the greatest showcase he has ever had. Burstein took the least interesting of Sondheim's four leads and made him a fascinatingly complex and tragic character who remains unable to impress the one woman he truly loves. Burstein's performance was largely on the fringes during the musical's first act, but the one-two punch of "The Right Girl" and "The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" in Act II was revelatory for both the character and the production. Steve Kazee was perfectly charming (if a bit shout-y) as the lovelorn Guy in Once, but his performance was ultimately a lot less interesting and layered than Burstein's superlative work.


While I've got plenty more beef to pick with the Tony committee, my blood's starting to boil, so perhaps I should take a break for now. As stated in the intro, none of this is meant to imply that the actual winners were bad (although I really do hate The Music Man), just that the mentioned productions and performers were ultimately more deserving of Broadway's highest honor.

The Dark and Beautiful Bells of "Notre Dame"

Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Michael Arden leads the cast of Disney's first-rate Hunchback of Notre Dame at Paper Mill Playhouse.

Some readers may find the following statement blasphemous, but I stand by it: Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame is not a good movie. No matter how glorious the score may be (and it is indeed glorious), the animated film embodies a lot of the problems that occur when the Mouse House attempts to bend more complex material to its family friendly house style. Tonally and emotionally, the film doesn't work, either on its own merits or especially as an adaptation of Victor Hugo's dark, morally complicated novel.

Which makes the stage adaptation of that very same film currently running at Paper Mill Playhouse all the more remarkable. This Hunchback fixes virtually all of the problems with the animated film while augmenting its strongest feature, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz's sweeping score. This adaptation may not be perfect, but it is the most thematically interesting piece Disney Theatricals has ever produced, and is quite possibly the company's best musical to date.

Right from the start, the show makes clear it will be a darker, more complex version of this tale. In addition to restoring antagonist Claude Frollo to his position as Archdeacon - the film portrayed him as a judge to avoid being seen as a critique of the church - the musical's prologue also provides us with much more detail about his background. This not only creates a far greater understanding of Frollo's motivations, but makes the character simultaneously more sympathetic and more monstrous, as his often deplorable actions can no longer be written off as the ravings of a cartoon villain.

Frollo raises Quasimodo, the "half formed" hunchback of the title, in seclusion deep inside the Norte Dame cathedral, forbidding his charge from going outside in order to protect him from the jeers and mockery of a callous public. On the day of the Feast of Fools, the one day a year when gypsies are allowed to roam the city streets without punishment, Quasimodo sneaks out of the cathedral only to meet and fall in love with the beautiful Esmeralda, whose kind soul and beguiling ways also attract the attention of Captain Phoebus and the lustful Frollo.

Peter Parnell's book has no problem throwing out large segments of the film in favor of plot points that hew more closely to the source material, almost invariably for the better. Gone are the talking, singing gargoyles that serve as Quasimodo's friends/confidantes in the film, along with most of the movie's more overtly comedic sequences. Parnell does allow some laughs in order to prevent the show from collapsing under the weight of its own seriousness, but unlike most Disney musicals this show is clearly aimed at adults.

Composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz have augmented their liturgical-inspired film score with equally grand new material, all of which sounds especially glorious when sung by the full choir which occupies the upstage portion of Alexander Dodge's multi-tiered set. Menken's richly layered work is occasionally undermined by Michael Starobin's sometimes questionable orchestrations, which can sound bright and cheery when the lyrics and melody are quite the opposite. But overall this Hunchback sounds every bit as epic as movie fans could hope, and there is no denying the score's raw emotional power.

The casting of the central trio of Quasimodo, Frollo, and Esmeralda is pitch perfect, taking already strong material and deepening it through the power of their performances. Michael Arden is a revelation as the partially deaf Quasimodo, his full commitment to the character's physicality and mannerisms completely selling the hunchback's deformity despite minimal makeup. Arden also sounds fantastic, with a rich, full tenor that avoids the shrillness that sometimes plagues contemporary musical theatre actors. His rendition of Quasimodo's anthem "Out There" is particularly lovely, expertly sung and acted with such pureness that you can't help but get swept away by the moment.

Patrick Page and his booming bass were tailor-made to play Frollo, and the actor's unwavering conviction to every syllable he utters is positively transfixing. It's difficult to label his Frollo a villain, both due to the increased understanding provided by the aforementioned prologue and Page's incredibly nuanced performance, but he is often terrifying and the lengths to which he's willing to go to get what he wants are horrific. It's a shame Frollo's big number "Hellfire," easily the film's most memorable thanks to its unsettling chord progression and some absolutely stunning animation, doesn't land with quite the same effectiveness onstage despite Page's best efforts. Starobin's simplified orchestrations remove most of the song's bite, and sound designer Gareth Owen could stand to turn down the choir's mics so that Page's voice is more prominent throughout.

As Esmeralda, Ciara Renee takes a character in danger of becoming a plot device and turns her into a fully formed human being. Beautiful and exotic, Renee oozes confidence and sexuality without ever becoming vulgar or trashy, and she manages to genuinely connect with the men in the show without appearing to manipulate them or lead them on. She is particularly lovely during her Act I duet with Arden called "Top of the World," which solidifies Quasimodo and Esmeralda's relationship and sets up the story's deeply moving conclusion (fair warning: it's nowhere near as cheery as the animated film). Andrew Samonsky is serviceable as Phoebus and Erik Liberman has some nice moments as the gypsies' leader Clopin, but the show ultimately belongs to Arden, Page, and Renee.

Director Scott Schwartz - the son of lyricist Stephen Schwartz - directs the show with a firm hand that keeps things moving without sacrificing character moments; this is the only adaptation of an animated Disney film that doesn't feel unnecessarily padded out. Furthermore, the younger Schwartz's decision to stage the show using only techniques available during the story's fifteenth century setting makes for a refreshing change of pace from the technical wizardry often on display in such big budget musicals. He lets the audience's imagination do a lot of the work, which makes the piece more theatrical and more cinematic, as your mind provides the sweeping vistas and grand visuals Schwartz couldn't possibly achieve onstage. He makes excellent use of Dodge's gorgeous set, which suggests the cathedral and its surroundings without getting bogged down in producing an exact replica of it.

As of right now, Disney has not announced any plans for Hunchback beyond its current engagement at Paper Mill. The show is certainly strong enough to transfer to Broadway; Menken and Schwartz's score deserves to be heard live by as many people as possible, and the central performances are all top notch. But this dark and morally complex tale is decidedly off-brand for the family-friendly company, which means there's a very real possibility the show's professional life ends when this run concludes on April 5th. So fans of the score and anyone interested in seeing what happens when Disney Theatricals puts its considerable resources behind riskier artistic fare owes it to themselves to catch this production before its too late. This show is definitely worth the trek.

An Highly Entertaining, If Slightly Dated, Ride

Review: On the Twentieth Century

Kristin Chenoweth makes her triumphant return to Broadway in Roundabout's lavish revival of On the Twentieth Century.

She's ba-ack. 5 years after her ill-advised stint in the woefully underwhelming 2010 revival of Promises, Promises, pint-sized powerhouse Kristin Chenoweth has returned to Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre Company's big budget revival of the Tony-winning On the Twentieth Century. Thankfully, this musical farce is a much greater showcase for Chenoweth's multitudinous gifts, including her impeccable comic timing and robust soprano that effortlessly fills the American Airlines Theatre. If Chenoweth and her first-rate costars are occasionally let down by material that is starting to show its age, that does little to diminish the overwhelming fun to be had by those willing to surrender themselves to the show's old school charms.

Chenoweth plays Lily Garland, a glamorous movie star who was plucked from obscurity by Broadway producer Oscar Jaffe before trading the bright lights of Broadway for the allure of the silver screen. A string of flops has left the once successful Oscar deep in debt, and the desperate producer hopes to convince box office magnet Lily to return to the stage by offering her the lead in his (currently non-existent) epic about Mary Magdalene. There's just one problem: Lily hates his guts, and Oscar only has the duration of their shared transcontinental train ride to change her mind and get a signed contract from the temperamental starlet.

As Garland, Chenoweth is absolutely radiant, the character's glamorous aura enhanced by Chenoweth's own innate star quality. She seizes on the material's farcical nature and runs with it, delivering the libretto's old fashioned zingers with a pitch perfect rhythm that often makes the lines seem funnier than they actually are. Chenoweth sounds expectedly stellar singing Cy Coleman's score, which offers the gifted vocalist plenty of chances to show off the lush, full tones of her upper register; that she often produces these high notes while running around the stage or dancing Warren Carlyle's high energy choreography just makes her purity of tone all the more impressive. Chenoweth is such a unique talent that other revivals have had difficulty fitting her into roles written for more conventional types, but Lily suits Chenoweth so well its easy to forget the part wasn't written for her.

Leading man Peter Gallagher missed a large number of preview performances thanks to a much publicized sinus infection, but watching him attack the role of Oscar Jaffe you'd never know it. Gallagher is smooth and assured throughout, even if his role as the show's straight man doesn't present him with the same types of opportunities as Chenoweth's more multi-faceted character. It would be nice if Gallagher and Chenoweth generated a bit more heat during their interactions, although Gallagher's truncated rehearsal period and some bizarre directorial choices are mostly to blame. For instance, the pair have been instructed to sing to audience rather than one another during a key Act I duet, which undermines their character development and makes their relationship's arc less satisfying than it could be.

Andy Karl turns the one-note role of Bruce Granit, Lily's marquee idol boy toy, into a veritable comic feast. Karl displays a particular affinity for comic business, whether it's plastering the train car with his headshots, being constantly shoved into doors, or tossing an entirely game Chenoweth around like a sack of potatoes. Mary Louise Wilson also shines in the small but memorable role of Letitia Peabody Primrose, an exceedingly wealthy religious fanatic that Oscar hopes will bankroll his proposed play. And while they have almost zero bearing on the show's plot, a special shoutout must be given to Rick Faugno, Richard Riaz Yoder, Phillip Attmore, and Drew King as the train's tap dancing porters, whose performance of the Act II opener "Life is Like a Train" proves to be the evening's biggest showstopper.

Visually, this is one of the most stunning productions Roundabout has ever mounted, although it does feel like the show has been squeezed into a smaller space than it should have been. David Rockwell's playful art deco sets perfectly encapsulate the evening's tone, and he has come up with some startlingly effective solutions to the musical's many scenic demands. Costumer William Ivey Long has done it again with his period perfect costumes, all candy colored hues and sophisticated elegance. And everything is beautifully lit by Donald Holder, whose creative lighting design helps to supplement Rockwell's sets in a way that the show feels even more expansive than it already is.

Unfortunately, while director Scott Ellis has done a commendable job staging this production, he rarely utilizes his cast or the material in the best way possible. Perhaps Ellis is just exhausted (he already directed this season's You Can't Take It With You and The Elephant Man), but there is a lack of tonal cohesion in this revival that occasionally yields chuckles when it's obvious belly laughs were desired. The gifted cast can sometimes come across as frantic, and Ellis has allowed a few too many contemporary mannerisms to sneak into his blocking. While these often produce laughs, it ultimately comes at the expense of being true to the characters, making some moments stick out for the wrong reasons. At the same time, the material hasn't aged particularly well, and the fact that this production is as enjoyable as it is speaks highly of Ellis' work.

For most theatergoers, the main attraction of this production is the chance to Chenoweth return to the stage after years of film, TV, and concert work. And in that light, On the Twentieth Century is a resounding success, proving once again that given the right material there are few women funnier than Chenoweth (and no musical comedienne can touch her operatic soprano). Roundabout has pulled out all the stops on this production and it shows, from the first rate cast to the beautiful production design. This revival fails to completely overcome the more dated aspects of the material, but there are far worse ways to spend a night in the theatre, and hopefully this production will remind the industry that someone really needs to build a new show around Chenoweth's unique talents. She certainly deserves it.

"Hamilton" Brings a Revolution to the Public

Review: Hamilton

"Look around, look around/At how lucky we are to be alive" in a world that gives birth to shows like the transcendent Hamilton.

Believe the hype. Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda's hip-hop historical opus that has the entire town buzzing, is every bit as good as you've heard. This kinetic, high-energy production fuses old and new with an energy and drive seldom seen in this world of mass appeal musicals, ironically resulting in a show with wider appeal to both traditional and non-traditional theatregoers than 95% of the past decade's hits. A work of singular vision and uncompromising artistic integrity, Hamilton builds upon the promise of Miranda's In the Heights to become a dazzling celebration of American history and the unlimited malleability of the musical theatre, one of the few distinctly American art forms.

At its core, Hamilton is the story of how an orphaned immigrant used his intelligence and drive to not just make a difference but quite literally change the world. Alexander Hamilton was instrumental in founding this county, laying the groundwork for our entire economic system before his untimely death at the hands of former colleague Aaron Burr. The musical breathlessly covers the life and numerous accomplishments of one of America's least discussed Founding Fathers, while simultaneously showcasing the pulse-pounding energy and excitement of the birth of our nation. Despite dense plotting and potentially dry subject matter, Hamilton is never anything less than engrossing, making centuries old events feel both cool and relevant.

Hamilton eclipses Miranda's Tony-winning In the Heights score in every way possible, expanding on the traits which garnered Miranda notice and rewriting the book on the types of music that can work in the theatre. Completely sung-through, Hamilton contains an abundance of rap passages backed by hip-hop beats, dizzyingly deft in their specificity, inventiveness, and poetic nuance. R&B also features heavily in the score, whether its the tight harmonies of "The Schuyler Sisters" (which reimagines Hamilton's future wife and her sisters as a Destiny's Child-esque girl group) or the smooth yet ominous club rhythms of "The Room Where It Happens." Richly textured harmonies and complex syncopation are the score's hallmarks, but for all the musical skill on display the songs remain accessible, hummable, and thoroughly engaging. The rapid fire rhymes sound as natural as speaking, with everything filtered through just enough of a traditional showtune sensibility to keep things from sounding jarring.

As refreshingly unique as Miranda's score is the show's beautifully multi-ethnic cast, a group of supremely talented individuals who inhabit Hamilton's world seamlessly. No one even partially resembles their real life counterparts, but they convey the essence of these historical figures flawlessly. They reflect the ethnic makeup of modern day America, and in doing so drive home the point that our Founding Fathers' dreams are universal. By the end of the show's knockout opening number the unconventional casting fades to the background, allowing the story to take center stage and boldly commenting on race by refusing to comment on it (the casts' ethnicities aren't even jokingly acknowledged). One can only hope the unmitigated success of Hamilton as a piece of theatre triggers an increased open-mindedness among all creative teams when it comes to color-blind casting.

Miranda tackles the title role with aplomb, his natural charisma keeping Hamilton deeply sympathetic even when his actions veer towards the unsavory (the show strikes the perfect balance between acknowledging its subject's flaws without reveling in them). Miranda has smartly tailored the role to his strengths while stretching himself just enough to keep things interesting; he is particularly affecting during a second act scene which finds Hamilton's oldest son wounded in a duel. As Hamilton's wife Eliza, Phillipa Soo has little to do in the show's first act but several standout moments in the second, including "It's Quiet Uptown" and the haunting ballad "Burn." Brian D'Arcy James* has a scene stealing turn as England's King George, who views the newly formed America with all the jealous disdain of a jilted lover. Christopher Jackson is suitably imposing as George Washington, and Daveed Diggs and Okieriete Onaodowan are hilarious in multiple roles.

As Hamilton's friend/rival Aaron Burr, the phenomenal Leslie Odom Jr. commands the stage in a star-making performance of startling depth, breadth, and nuance. Calling to mind Shakespeare's Iago - although an Iago with a bit more substance behind his grievances - Odom makes it abundantly clear he deeply admires Hamilton, even as Burr's career ambitions put the pair increasingly at odds with one another. Odom's full throttled performance of the aforementioned "Room Where It Happens" is an especially memorable showstopper in an evening full of such numbers, and watching his soul-shattering realization of the cost of his ambition during the show's finale is heartwrenching.

Finally, Renee Elise Goldsberry is an absolute revelation as Eliza Hamilton's older sister Angelica, making a character that could easily fade into the background pop every moment she's onstage. Goldsberry is never less than riveting even before her big number, the dazzling, tour de force "Satisfied." Goldsberry provides a play's worth of character development over the course of this R&B stunner, a breathtaking achievement in songwriting and performance that may well be the highlight of the entire evening.

As the ringmasters of this historical circus, director Thomas Kail and choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler have created one of the most fluid and visually appealing stagings in years. While the pair makes excellent use of David Korins' absolutely gorgeous unit set (complete with a triple turntable), they are never reliant on the set to provide visual interest, constantly finding new and intriguing stage pictures and scene transitions. The pair work so well together its nearly impossible to tell where one's contribution ends and the other's begins, with Blankenbuehler's high-impact choreography growing seamlessly from Kail's propulsive staging and then just as organically fading into the background. Most importantly, Kail and Blankenbuehler have imbued the piece with a forward momentum the keeps things moving throughout the show's 2 hour and 45 minute runtime.

Like any new musical, Hamilton could stand a few tweaks before its impending Broadway transfer, but it cannot be overstated how entertaining, informative, and moving this work already is. Lin-Manuel Miranda has written a work of genius that seems destined to join the pantheon of groundbreaking works like A Chorus Line or Rent, one of the rare new musicals that arrives with a lot of fanfare and still manages to exceeds expectations. The show combines contemporary musical styles with historical subject matter in a manner brimming with wit, invention, and razor sharp intelligence, performed by a thrillingly multi-ethnic cast giving the performances of their lives. This is a show that doesn't just need to be seen but demands to be seen, and anyone lucky enough to snag a ticket to the downtown run is in for the theatrical event of the season. For everyone else, I recommend snatching up a seat to the Broadway run when they go onsale March 8th; whatever you have to pay, it will be worth it to see theatrical history being made.



*Note: Since I saw this show, the role of King George has been taken over by Tony-nominee Jonathan Groff so that Brian D'Arcy James can prepare for the Broadway musical Something Rotten.

Epic Drama in Every Sense of the Word

Review: The Iceman Cometh

Nathan Lane (center) and the cast of the epic drama The Iceman Cometh at BAM

The unabridged, nearly 5 hour production of Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh currently playing the Brooklyn Academy of Music isn't for the faint of heart. Director Robert Falls' production, previously seen during a sold out, record setting run at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, is one of the most lovingly crafted and fully realized stagings of this epic length drama you're ever likely to see, and the phenomenal cast headlined by Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy is unlikely to be equalled anytime soon. Which unfortunately means that any slow spots in the production (and there are a few)have to be attributed to the play's Pulitzer Prize-winning author, an undeniably great playwright who's well-known verbosity occasionally crosses the line here.

The play is set in a rundown New York City bar and boarding house, peopled by a varied assortment of drunks and layabouts who all harbor dreams of making something of themselves, although these dreams always seem to take a backseat to the group's desire to drink. The play's many denizens are gradually introduced over the course of the overlong first act, which is beautifully staged on Kevin Depinet's simple but evocative set (simple but evocative is an excellent description of the production philosophy in general). Everyone is eagerly awaiting the arrival of Hickey, a traveling salesman renowned for his jokester persona and generous bankrolling of the gang's alcoholism. But when Hickey finally makes his appearance, it quickly becomes clear to his friends that something has changed, and his previous happy-go-lucky attitude is now leavened with a more sinister undercurrent.

Those who aren't already familiar with Iceman probably shouldn't know much more than that, as much of the play's tension comes from trying to figure out what's motivating Hickey and reconciling the man we've been told about versus the man we actually see. But even those intimately acquainted with O'Neill's script will still find great pleasure in watching the subtleties of Hickey's interactions with the other patrons, especially as expertly embodied by this outstanding ensemble. Nathan Lane brings his sad clown routine to new heights as Hickey, simultaneously inviting and chilling as the enigmatic salesman. Lane is so charming that it makes his emotional manipulation and eventual abuse of the other characters all the more disconcerting, and his tour de force performance of Hickey's Act IV monologue (which takes up a large portion of the play's final hour) is Shakespearean in its scope and depth. Lane is best known for his multitudinous comedic gifts, but Iceman is yet another reminder that he can play grand tragedy with the absolute best of them.

Meanwhile Brian Dennehy, a longtime interpreter of O'Neill's work, is fascinatingly complex and opaque as Larry Slade, a former anarchist and the character most suspicious of Hickey's new attitude. World-weary and obstinate to a fault, Dennehy's Slade is perhaps the most complex and nuanced person in a play full of such characters, whose unassuming demeanor gradually morphs into a quiet strength as the rest of the cast slowly unravels around him. Dennehy completely disappears inside his performance, letting us see Slade in all his glorious contradictions, giving us a character whose outward strength is a mask for a deep-seated doubt he can barely hold at bay.

But Lane and Dennehy aren't acting in a vacuum, and it cannot be overstated how absolutely stellar the entire cast is. Everyone delivers utterly convincing performances, and even when tasked with sitting in silence each and every actor manages to convey volumes about their character's thoughts, feelings, and general state of being. The play's long length ensures that everyone gets several big moments, all of which hit with a conviction and weight so staggering you cannot help but become engrossed. Stephen Ouimette is devastating at bar owner Harry Hope, who endures the brunt of Hickey's mind games with a gradually escalating paranoia that is heartwrenching to watch. Patrick Andrews is excellent as young Don Parritt, a deeply conflicted former anarchist who seeks out Slade in hopes of advice and sanctuary. And as the most sympathetic of the three prostitutes staying at the saloon, Kate Arrington is a knockout.

So complete and convincing is every performance that you genuinely believe these characters have existed in this same bar for years, living richly detailed lives we are lucky enough to get a brief glimpse into. Falls has expertly orchestrated his cast into creating the kind of complete living, breathing world that every stage production strives for but only a select few achieve. This is an expertly executed production that makes a strong case for O'Neill's play as THE great American tragedy, albeit one in need of a few trims. It is a staging that is sure to be talked about for years to come, and those with the patience to sit through nearly 5 hours and 4 acts will find plenty to admire and appreciate. If you're going to make the trek to Brooklyn for theatre, The Iceman Cometh is as compelling a reason as any.