The Iceman Cometh
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Cititour.com Review
A dozen alcoholics gather in a bar. Yes, it could be a set-up for a hoary joke, but it is actually the set-up for Eugene O’Neill’s epic 1947 drama, “The Iceman Cometh,” which is getting yet another revival, this time at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. And for 70-plus years, this groundbreaking work has inspired debate among theatergoers (and critics): the play is considered a masterwork by many, while others (including this writer) think of it as an overwritten (running around four hours) examination of the not-always-quiet desperation of the disillusioned and despairing.
Still, no matter one’s feelings about the play’s quality, it inarguably requires a great production to come to full-blown life. But the only truly great thing about George C. Wolfe’s mostly traditional one is that the (color-blind) casting of superstar Denzel Washington in the lead role of glad-handing salesman Theodore “Hickey” Hickman will likely introduce this play (and perhaps even the works of O’Neill) to a whole new cadre of theater lovers.
What’s not-so-great about Wolfe’s rendering, most importantly, is Washington’s somewhat disappointing performance. While Washington’s Hickey initially appears to be the life-of-the-party his fellow barmates describe -- entering with a broad smile and the quicksilver charm typical of the best salesmen – the actor goes on to strike a single, too-solid note for most of the play. (Yes, the character’s is a preacher’s son, but, in Washington’s hands, Hickey’s preachiness is more annoying than inspiring.) More surprisingly, this great dramatic actor is surprisingly underwhelming in delivering the character’s magnificent, should-be-searing fourth-act monologue, only occasionally moving us to shock or tears.
Of course, to some audience members (especially those unfamiliar with the play), the biggest shortcoming of “Iceman” is that Hickey/Washington doesn’t even arrive onstage for a full hour. Instead, we spend that time awaiting his arrival for the 70th birthday of the bar’s often cantankerous but often kind owner Harry Hope (a very fine Colm Meaney). As that hour unfolds, we slowly learn the backstories of the bar’s many regular denizens, most notably the unhappy former anarchist Larry Slade (the great David Morse, in the evening’s finest performance), who appears to be the sanest inmate in the asylum.
When Hickey does finally walk through the door of the barroom (simply designed by Santo Loquasto), it’s little cause for celebration. He is (for the first time) stone sober, having supposedly found contentment in facing the truth of his existence (which proves to be far darker than we initially realize) without the help of the bottle. Moreover, like any good salesman, he is determined to essentially convert all in his presence to his will, which means giving up their long-held “pipe dreams” as well as their alcohol. It’s an experiment with great potential, as well as potentially deadly and dangerous consequences.
Part of my longtime problem with “Iceman” is that one is supposed to care whether Hickey is successful in his mission, which is a hard goal for any production to achieve considering how many characters we are asked to invest in. Perhaps Wolfe believed using a few top-notch actors, including Bill Irwin, Reg Rogers, Frank Wood and Dakin Matthews, in some of the smaller roles would solve that problem. But without real characters to play, these superb thespians fall back on familiar mannerisms, gestures, and (in one case) an atrocious British accent, rendering them shockingly superfluous.
Instead, it’s some of the less well-known performers who make the strongest impression: Michael Potts hands in a tremendous turn as bar employee Joe Mott, an African-American who is sometimes tolerated but often hated by his fellow white drunkards (and vice versa); Danny McCarthy is very good as the hot-tempered bartender Rocky, who refuses to admit he’s really the pimp to two local hookers (played well by Carolyn Braver and Nell Grollman) rather than just protector of their earnings; Tammy Blanchard is surprisingly moving as another lady of the night, Cora, who is planning to marry the rather despicable Chuck (a fine Danny Mastrogorgio); and Austin Butler makes a fairly impressive Broadway debut as Don Parritt, an unhappy young acquaintance of Slade’s who has come to the bar seeking his own sort of refuge.
But even with a few good performances, my own pipe dream that this production of “Iceman” would make me reconsider its place in the theatrical pantheon remains unshattered. Better luck, next time?
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://icemanonbroadway.com
Cast
Denzel Washington, Colm Meaney, David Morse, Bill Irwin, Tammy Blanchard, Carolyn Braver, Austin Butler, Joe Forbrich, Nina Grollman, Thomas Michael Hammond, Neal Huff, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Dakin Matthews, Jack McGee, Clark Middleton, Michael Potts, Reg Rogers, Frank Wood
Open/Close Dates
Opening 4/26/2018
Closing 7/1/2018
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 3/23/2018
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Jacobs Theatre
242 West 45th Street
New York, NY 10036
Map
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