Saw Lithgow's early rendition in a small theater in Whitefish, MT, his vacation home, our full time home. Spellbinding. A magical evening.
Saw the show last Saturday night. Besides being a wonderful actor, and having a face as expressive and pliable as warm clay, Lithgow has that special 'it' quality of warmth and likeabiliy. Touching and true.
We attended the performance a few days ago, and it was very memorable. John Lithgow held the audience’s attention from the moment he walked onto the stage. One of the best stage plays I have attended in years.
As a long time Roundabout subscriber, they continue to provide quality theater at a reasonable price.
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Saw this delightful show a few years ago in Buffalo. Hard to believe that it's even better now as it was excellent back then.
My wife and I were in the audience for the second of John Lithgow's shows in London in October 2009. A rollicking evening, a lovely man. Go to the show if you get a chance!
Such a great article from my very favorite actor.
Lithgow's essay is a master class in our lives and works our most frequent yearnings for the power of theatre in a vapid time
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My wife and I love John Lithgow’s acting, but the show, which we saw in previews, was terribly disappointing. The Lardner story he recites is boring, dated and mocking of women and the mentally disabled. Many audience members left at intermission.
The Wodehouse story is better, but not worth the ticket price.
He is charming on stage, but needs much better material.
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That's unfortunate to hear. Does he have a top notch director to work with, or is winging it on his own? What you say reminds me of a great piece of theater I experienced in my youth - Dick Shawn Is The 2nd Funniest Man In The World. The first half of the show is Dick Shawn on the set of what looks like his dressing room. He confides in the audience and talks about the show he's about to do. He does the material of the show and he's absolutely hilarious. He then tells us he needs to rest before the show and he literally takes a nap during intermission. After intermission, a curtain falls and he does the show, the exact same material, but the comic timing is completely wrong and the material lands with a thud.
The second half of the show becomes full of dramatic irony and deathly funny, as we know funny Shawn and the material is, but we see the difference between truly having the feel and timing of the material and not.
So perhaps Lithgow, as charming as he can be, needs a better director, and needs to get a better sense of the material.
Or, as in the second half of Shawn's show, he was off the night you saw the show.
Mr. Lithgow is a master at his craft. His timing is perfect. He mimes the barber shop with such precision and accuracy one can almost smell the barbasol. His speech is impeccable. Crystal clear. Everything one can love and admire about him is on full display. But it really is the material. The P.G. Wodehouse story is hysterical and Lithgow does it great justice. However, the Lardner story is dated, somewhat boring, and didn't seem to go anywhere. It makes for a good short story as a slice of life in a bygone era of American history. But as a stage piece it lacks a plot to get from A to B, which is perhaps why it fell a bit flat.
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What a pleasure to read John Lithgow's personal perspective on his one-man show. We saw Lithgow about a year ago at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL, and were utterly charmed...AND impressed. He is a treasure. Don’t miss this show if it comes your way.
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