DAN'S PAPERS, February 8, 2008 Page 46 www.danshamptons.com
Entertainment In Town review: come back little sheba...by gordin & christiano
Photo by Joan Marcus
Michael Pressman’s earnest revival of William Inge’s heartbreaking drama Come Back Little Sheba for Manhattan Theatre Club includes a touching performance by television star S. Epatha Merkerson as the central character, Lola. Considered raw and explicit when it debuted on Broadway in 1950, Come Back Little Sheba feels decidedly tame and dated today, although hauntingly so. William Inge’s depiction of Lola, a faded beauty queen trapped in a lonely marriage to an alcoholic chiropractor, may have been the ultimate “desperate housewife” for his time, but that was over five decades ago. Since then, society has provided women (and men) options that divert from the play’s primary conflict. The playwright, nevertheless, launched his career with Come Back Little Sheba, capturing the period poignantly with themes that still resonate today. Shirley Booth’s memorable, Tony-Award winning portrayal of Lola was immortalized in the l952 film, and earned her an Oscar. From that success, Inge would be heralded as a major playwright, and his later plays Picnic (Pulitzer Prize for drama), Bus Stop (directed by Harold Clurman with Kim Stanley), and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (directed by Elia Kazan with Geraldine Page) would also be made into films. His stories have a gritty sweetness that feels period authentic, but his heavy handed melodramatic style and obvious symbolism haven’t allowed his tales to age gracefully. His last big success was the screenplay for the 1960s film Splendor in the Grass, which earned him an Academy Award. His writing, although moving, doesn’t hold up well, and Pressman’s tidy production seems to accentuate the flaws rather than con-
ceal them. The story, set in the Midwest, focuses on the despair of a loveless marriage. Doc, played by Kevin Anderson, married his high school sweetheart, Lola when she became pregnant, thus giving up his medical studies. When a miscarriage destroys their hopes for the future – along with Lola’s capacity to bear children – he turns to the bottle. The play begins 25 years later, when Doc is sober one year through the help of Alcoholics Anonymous. The couple has taken in a boarder, a savvy young college student, Marie (Zoe Kazan), who has two boyfriends. Her presence in their mundane lives will become the catalyst for Doc’s meltdown and violent explosion. Merkerson, who rose to fame through 14 years on television’s “Law and Order,” captures Lola’s damaged quality with a sincere, moving performance, but there
is little shading or nuance to her work. Although Merkerson is an accomplished actress with roots in the theater, she doesn’t go far enough with the character in Pressman’s production. As Doc, Anderson turns in a combustible performance full of bitterness and frustration that infuse his compromised life, but his work is predictable and postured – he is playing the problem. Most disappointing, however, is that the two lead actors have little chemistry. The pictures look correct, if you’re willing to accept an interracial marriage in 1950, but beyond that, Merkerson and Anderson seem to be acting separately with imposed concepts of the characters. There are no real emotional connections and as a result, the tensions necessary to build the play to its devastating conclusion are decidedly missing. The MTC production is curiously interesting as a period piece concerning themes still relevant today – repressed emotions, self-esteem issues, alcoholism, domestic violence, premarital sex and childhood pregnancy, but the ghost of Shirley Booth haunts the evening. Every time I heard Merkeson utter “Daddy,” which is Lola’s pet name for Doc, I could hear Shirley Booth’s voice from the film reverberating in my head and see her pleading for love and acceptance. Come Back Little Sheba opened on January 24, 2008 at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Biltmore Theatre, 261 West 47th Street between Broadway and Eight Avenue. Tickets are available by calling Telecharge.com at (212) 239-6200 or at the box office. Barry Gordin and Patrick Christiano are theater critics. Barry Gordin is an internationally renowned photographer. They can be reached at or visit their website at
Mike Vilensky’s
MINI – MOVIE REVIEWS Fool’s Gold A couple on the rocks hunts for buried treasure, only to find their lost romance in this action/romantic comedy. The movie reunites Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, making it sort of like How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days on an island, only not very funny. The Hottie and the Nottie Paris Hilton stars in a heartfelt romcom about a man who is trying to rekindle the flame of his childhood love, but first must tame her unattractive best friend, who he may also begin falling in love with. With the word “nottie” in the title and a bevy of unfunny jokes in the trailer, you can insert your own joke here. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins A popular talk show host leaves the Hollywood Hills to learn some family values in his hometown in the Deep South. With Martin Lawrence starring, this may be the most interesting of this week’s crop, but that isn’t saying much. Meet The Spartans A film so inane I initially neglected to review it, assuming it would never be noticed and soon forgotten. Instead, this parody of every other bad movie that came out in the past year, ironically a meta-parody of itself starring Carmen Electra with a cameo by Paris Hilton, is the number one movie in the country. God bless America. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus
Best of both worlds concert tour – couldn’t snag the high-priced tickets to see this tween pop star live at the coliseum? No worries, because the GIRL’S ON FILM! In 3D. My best friend Leslie says, “oh, she’s just being Miley.” Or Hannah Montana! Either way,
this rising Disney star is golden with dated moves and synthesized, fun tunes to belt out. Untraceable It’s MySpace gone bad in this film in which Diane Lane plays an FBI agent racing to catch a killer who posts his crimes on the Internet. Was Sandra Bullock busy? This thriller has definitely been made before, but is suspenseful nonetheless. Rambo Sylvester Stallone is back. In Thailand, John Rambo leads a motley crew of mercenaries up the Salween River to a Burmese village after getting word that a group of aid workers he assisted has gone missing. Obviously, all in his path perish in this alpha male action flick. There Will Be Blood Get a head start on the Oscar season and a smartsounding recommendation by seeing this dark, brilliant portrayal of an oil-hungry businessman in turnof-the-century Texas by cult director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights). There will be awards in a country very much for old men of late, cinematically speaking. First Sunday This week’s post-Christmas crop needs no cynicism from me, as the films speak for themselves. This one, starring Ice Cube, is a comedy about criminals who learn the error of their ways from the church parishioners they hold hostage. On second thought, this could become a fan favorite.