Act Three - The Reviews

I never doubted for one second that Langella would shine.  In its American debut at Manhattan Theatre Club, The Father, by Florian Zeller is a master class in acting and story telling.  Frank Langella (Andre) is aging and it's not pretty.  He's losing his mind - or has he already lost it?  His daughter, Anne (Katheryn Erbe) stands by his side watching his decline, painfully enduring what it brings.

There is brilliance in Mr. Langella's performance, but perhaps more importantly there is brilliance in Doug Hughes' direction of Mr. Zeller's work.  The vignette blackouts, the shocking strobe light, the stark lights up on the next, often conflicting scene - all effects that heighten the impact of the material.

What Mr. Zeller does so brilliantly is bring the audience into the world of confusion and uncertainty of Andre by repeatedly swapping actors for the same character - to which the audience in addition to Mr. Langella must react and process.  He juxtaposes dialogue that is similar but with entirely different outcomes.  He repeats segments of dialogue between the same characters but offers different emotion and conclusion.  The jolting effect to the audience is what a man in Mr. Langella's condition must experience in his condition.

Mr. Langella does most of the heavy lifting here, and his performance is transcendent. This is one play you won't soon forget - even tho the play itself is all about forgetting.

Ironic that just two days ago I saw a another off-Broadway play in which a wealthy wall-street type was driven to self-destruction.  The plot was certainly a different time and place but essentially a similar tale.  Man and Boy is one of playwright, Terence Rattigan's, early successes in the 1960's and rings as true, if not more-so, today.

Taking the helm at the American Airlines Theatre in the Roundabout Theater Company's revival is the consummate, Tony award winning actor, Frank Langella (Gregor Antonescu - i.e. "man").  Adeptly supporting him is the always dashing and polished Adam Driver (Basil Anthony - i.e. "boy").   Supporting ensemble cast members include Michael Siberry (Sven Johnson), Virginia Kull (Carol Penn), Zach Grenier (Mark Herries), Brian Hutchinson (David Beeston), and Francesca Faridany (Countess Antonescu).

The plot follows an approximately continuous 2 hour timeline in the Autumn of 1934 in the basement apartment in Greenwich Village of Basil Anthony, whom we quickly come to learn is the estranged son of international financier and power broker Greor Antonescu .  We quickly come to learn why Basil has fled his family 5 years ago and through a series of cold and calculated maneuvers, why his brilliant and domineering father may just be the world's most callus and wanted financial crook the world has ever seen.

Mr. Langella commands the stage with every breath and step.  Mr. Driver embodies the ethos of a 1930's young American socialist while at the same time cannot make the emotional break from his dirty dealing father.  The entire cast brilliantly supports the two leads.  Of special note is the comedic relief provided by the accountant, David Beetson (Mr. Hutchinson) and the steadfast dedication Sven Johnson (Mr. Siberry), personal assistant to Mr. Antonescu.

Man and Boy may take place during the 1930's depression era but is as relevant today as it ever was.  With the recent echos of Enron and Bernard Madoff not far behind us - this play hits as close, if not closer to home, in these currently difficult global and economic times.

Frank Langella holds court at the American Airlines Theatre in Roundabout's revival of A Man for All Seasons.  A history lesson of the best kind  - powerful, enlightening, and educational.   A top notch supporting cast and crew make this a tour de force evening in the theatre.

In 2007, you're bound to find more than few people alive that have no or very little knowledge of Richard Nixon, his presidency, and Watergate. I was only 3 at the time, myself. This play focuses on the story of the David Frost/Richard Nixon interviews - the first ones granted by Nixon after his infamous resignation. The Nixon camp assumed that the almost washed up Australian talk show host David Frost would be a pushover and Nixon would use the interviews as a way to get back into the public favor. The Frost camp, as you would imagine, thought the same thing but with respect to David Frost.