Do you know that old Mark Twain quote?  "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."  Well it might be changed around a bit: the reports of The Country Girl's death have been greatly exaggerated."

After several weeks of bad Broadway buzz that ranged from Morgan Freeman not being able to memorize his lines to entire scenes being cut from the show (shocking for a revival of a 50 year old play); people were expecting a train wreck of a production.  The new revival of Clifford Odets' classic play directed by Mike Nichols and starring Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher opened last night in a lovely and affecting new production.  For all the crash gawkers - you can keep moving, there's no train wreck to look at.  You heard me - keep movin'!

All My Friends Were There

I was lucky to attend opening night last evening and let me tell you - it was one crazy star filled opening.  Check out the names of some of the attendees:

Steve Martin

Kirsten Dunst

Joel or Ethan Cohen (I can't tell the difference)

Julia Roberts

Natalie Portman

Tina Louise

Denis Leary

Amy Adams

Lily Rabe

Marsha Mason

Rachel Dratch

Diane Von Furstenberg

It looks like a page from my address book.  That is what's so great about openings - I get to see so many of my closest personal friends.  It was nice to hang out with Joel or Ethan Cohen (I can't ever remember which is which) in line for the bathroom.  Julia Roberts and I caught up outside the theater before the show.  We would have talked more but those pesky paparrazi wanted her pix.  Kristen Dunst and I mingled in the lobby during intermission (I love her, but I told her that is was considered a nice gesture to wash ones hair before attending an opening).  She rolled her eyes.  Steve Martin and I spoke very briefly after the show, he was with Saturday Night Live's producer Lorne Michels (who acted like he didn't know me, even though we have met a million times).  I feel like I can cancel all my plans for this week because I already hung out with my "bestest" friends.  Maybe I will still go to Tango lessons with Julia - she does love them so.

Ok - so I am delusional.  I don't know any of those people.  But, I got really close to all those folks at the theater.  So if proximity equals friendship then I am in their "inner circle".  Seriously, it was remarkable how many stars were packed into that theater!  It blew my mind.  (Shout out to my "date" who arranged for the tixs and made for a lovely theater companion - especially excellent for gossiping about The Broadway).

They Took Me By Surprise

I have to admit that upon entering the theater I had very low expectations for The Country Girl.  I had heard all the rumors and was prepared for the worst.  But I really enjoyed the play.  I remarked afterwards that the piece really "snuck up on me".  I found that by the end of the show I was emotionally invested in all the characters journey's and couldn't wait to find out "what happened next".  I was also impressed by the actors, most notably Ms. McDormand.  I am a huge fan of her movie work, but I thought she was brilliant in this production.  If I were nitpicking (which I am known to do) I would say that I felt that Mr. Freeman did an excellent job in a role that I ultimately don't think really suits him.  I also had a problem with what I called the "never ending curtain".  Many of the scene changes were covered by a red front curtain that moved from stage left to stage right endlessly.  The first time it happened it was interesting, but by the fifth time it was just weird.  I am really quibbling about a very fine production.

The Critics Have Their Say: Train Wreck or Transporting?

It seems most of the reviews arriving this morning mention the poor advance word on the show, but most seem to have greatly enjoyed The Country Girl.  The one dissent seems to be Ben Brantley at The New York Times who posts a very negative review.  Let's take a closer look at some of the notices.

David Rooney - Variety - click HERE to read the full review

Rooney is enthralled with the new production.  He praises Freeman, Gallagher and most especially McDormand.  He also writes....

"Nichols and the actors respect the exacting rhythms of Odets' writing, constructing these conflicted characterizations nuance by nuance, and frequently risking unsympathetic bluntness before whipping away veils to show a larger, more humanistic picture. In a production for which the negative word about detached direction and tentative performances has been emanating loudly through previews, it may be that the gradual coalescence of character evident in the writing was echoed in the staging process."

"...in Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher, Nichols finds three intelligent collaborators capable of investing those characters with their own distinctive shadings."

"However, it's the performances and not the production that are key to elevating "The Country Girl" above its essence of quality soap, and on that count, Nichols and his cast deliver."

Clive Barnes - The New York Post - click HERE to read the full review

Barnes delivers a rave for The Country Girl.  He cites the performers and Mr. Nichols for their wonderful work in bringing Odets' play to life.

"Freeman, who in previews apparently was having difficulties, here seems in full command of the text. He gets every ounce of burnt-out passion from Frank, with the shadowing self-doubts and fears of a shakily recovering alcoholic needing all the help he can get for redemption..."

"Gallagher's Bernie is also more realistically toned down than most, carefully calculating that odd conflict of feelings he has for Georgie, and here the great McDormand, at her finest, delivers a portrayal of shattering quietness and nuanced subtlety."

"These three are all heart-rendingly credible - it's among the finest acting of the season - and transcend the simplistic writing to leap into the reality at which Odets surely, and sometimes not so surely, aimed."

Ben Brantley - The New York Times - click HERE to read the full review

The NY Times seems to break rank with most of the other critics with a mostly negative review; Mr. Brantley places the blame for a tepid and passionless production on Nichols' shoulders.  He feels that the performers are all in different plays. 

"Instead what keeps you vaguely but uncomfortably on tenterhooks is wondering whether three of the finest actors around can make you care, for a single second, about any of these questions before the play ends. Sorry to jump to the last page, folks, but the answer is no."

"Yet passion - and I don't mean just a mechanically raised voice or fist - never makes an appearance here. It's a law of theatrical physics that electricity is generated onstage only when a connection is made: between actors and audience, yes, but first of all among the actors themselves. And for whatever reason, everyone in "The Country Girl" seems to be operating on his or her own isolating frequency."

Not bad, eh?  With these reviews it will be interesting to see how this show holds up during the Tony season.  My guess is that all three stars will pick up nominations and the show will nab a Best Revival of a Play nomination.  It will be a fitting end to this interesting "comeback" story - rising from the dead to snag a bevy of Tonys.  I will start looking for another appropriate Mark Twain quote.

~ See You On The Aisle