Review: Glenda Jackson Gets Her Queen Lear Moment in ‘Three Tall Women’

I didn't care at all for the play because it wasn't a play! No action, no drama, no plot, no transformation. A big bore. Lots of overacting. Some acting gems on behalf of Ms. Jackson, but other than that and Ms Pill's talent the piece did nothing for me.

Three Tall Women is rarely staged well and rarely less than very confusing - until now. Director Joe Mantello has created a world in which Three Tall Women can finally be seen for what it is - Albee's crowning achievement as America's finest playwright of the second half of the 20th Century. Glenda Jackson won 2 Oscars before 'retiring' to become a Member of the British Parliament. Unlike in America where movie and TV stars become politicians, Jackson is now a politician who has returned to acting. She commands the stage like few have done - except for Laurie Metcalf who keeps up with Jackson in an amazing pas de deux. Alison Pill is as good as she has ever been. But all three do something that Three Tall Women demands of its actresses if it is to be a successful production - balancing the multiple lives of a real woman on the slender thread of a theatrical performance, a thread like life itself that disappears as it happens into memory. It is a play that rivals the great portraits of women in movies such as Sunset Boulevard in ballets such as John Cranko's Eugene Onegin or in art such as Picasso's portraits of women. Albee's Three Tall Women lives, to paraphrase "A" , in the here and now. And that is the best place to experience a play - and to live a life. Go to itsjustamovie.com for more reviews.

"You may never have heard a dirty story about a man’s anatomy told as Ms. Jackson does in the second act..." The critic may never have heard this particular dirty story at all, as it memorably takes place in the FIRST act, so is therefore being told to two completely different characters. Do better, please.

I flew to NYC specifically to see “Three Tall Women” and “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” TTW’s incredible ensemble performance was a powerful reminder of why I first fell in love with live theater. I can only hope LDJ comes close to TTW’s perfection. (Not a fan of onstage special effects, but there’s a SPECTACULAR one in the second half.)

For A, hanging on to a sense of identity means maintaining the enamel shell of her narcissism even as she forgets what she once found so fascinating inside it. Fabulous line Jesse!

There’s a fourth role not mentioned in the review. Ben Brantley did, in 1994, “There is, very significantly, an additional wordless part, that of the prodigal son, played by Michael Rhodes, who arrives in the second act after his mother has a stroke.” Today, it’s played by Joseph Medeiros.

Alas, I have to respectfully disagree with this reviewer's (and most commenters') take. Something about this production just seemed to me off; it was as if the direction had rendered a complicated and beautiful play simplistic. The cast appeared to have been encouraged to play for the laughs (Metcalf, especially) and the tears, which overshadowed and detracted from the work's deep insight. I can't help but wonder the extent to which the Times' stamp of approval here is in fact a commendation of Glenda Jackson's commendable career.

Three Tall Women AND Yerma both opening back to back in the same week ! What a treat !

One of the greatest nights I've ever experienced in the theater! I've loved Glenda Jackson since that moment in A Touch of Class when George Segal was lying on top of her in bed and asked her if she could do him a favor and she replied "I thought that's what I was doing!" And Laurie Metcalf was so INCREDIBLE in HBO's INCREDIBLE Getting On, I just had to see her in this play! If you haven't seen Getting On, it's available on HBO. The sight of Miss Metcalf sitting on a commode in a stall of a hospital bathroom clapping her hands to try to get the lights to go back on is comedy genius!!! I too was furiously clapping in the dark when I saw this play last week! I'm thinking M. Night Shyamalan read a lot of Albee in College. Second half was surprising/deeply moving/exhilarating!!!

The acting and staging is astounding--run to the box office! And ask why Albee is less famous than Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams when he is their equal.

Caregiver, not caretaker--that's gardener, handyman, etc.

I went specifically to see Glenda Jackson, and she and the play exceeded expectations. Like much Albee, the play is sometimes pretentious, often insightful, and always entertaining. Three great performances. Thank you for including a link to Dame Glenda's devastating rebuke to tributes to Thatcher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDtClJYJBj8 It's worth watching. The same fiery passion she showed in the House of Commons is displayed on Broadway in service to the task of portraying a character that displays some of the narcissism of the Thatcherism she so articulately deplored. Well done.

Fantastic play. We saw it last night and Glenda Jackson is a force of nature. All 3 performances were great but I cannot get over how that petite woman contains such a powerful dynamic. I could watch her read the phone book and I’m sure it would be riveting. Go see this play!

Glenda Jackson's performance was the best performance I've ever seen in my life...anywhere.

I saw the play in London with Maggie Smith and Frances de la Tour. It was so amazing I returned to spend an evening with Albee and the stars again.

Saw it last week, also saw it at the Promenade Theater in 1994, a better production in my opinion. Marion Seldes as B was elegant and naughty and this time around the role fell flat. Glenda Jackson was cranky without enjoying her crankiness. This production seemed lacking in humor and somewhat cynical overall. But the set is superb.

Any chance one can have to see Ms. Jackson, aided and abetted by Laurie Metcalf and Alison PIll, has to be taken, IMHO. Wow. This kind of opportunity doesn't come along that often. And yes, I'm a big fan of all their work. So, considering travel from the great NW before it ends. Those of you closer to NYC ought to take advantage. Just sayin'...but please save me a seat!

Would it be worth a trip from Portland just to see?

I went to New York and saw this play in previews. Well worth the venture. The review matches the excellence of the play.

Thank you for this well-written, insightful review. Makes me long to see it mightily!

Seems worth a trip to NY from California just to see this play. Love all three women.

This was the most thrilling theatrical experience I have had in years. I feel privileged to have seen it.

I was privileged to see it. We will be talking about Ms. Jackson, and for good reason, for a long time, but the transformation the set undergoes underscores all of Albee's characters' transformations in an amazing and unforgettable way. It matches the best work of Mielziner and Ming Cho Lee--Mielziner especially.

Saw the very last preview before opening night. Dame Jackson is nothing short of astonishing in this role. A flawless performance, never faltering for even a nanosecond and riveting from start to finish.

I have not seen a better production in years. Jackson is phenomenal. I feel for Metcalf and Pill having to balance out a performance of that strength and vigor, but they give it their all. Incredible. See it if you can!

If you can’t get to New York (and boy do I wish I could) to see the play and want to see some very fine acting by Laurie Metcalf, I wholeheartedly recommend two series - Getting On and Horace and Pete. She was amazing in both.

Very good writing (I’m talking about the critic!) I have tickets and can’t wait to see it based on this review. Three terrific actresses in what sounds like an exciting and enthralling play.

I saw it the first week and I sat there totally transfixed for the full play. Felt like I couldn't move a muscle or I would miss some of the brilliance. When it ended, everyone stood up for a standing ovations and I (and many others in the audience) found myself bursting into tears from all the emotions it brought up. Best performances on stage I've ever seen.

One of the best things I have seen in years. Glenda Jackson owns the stage. What a brilliant, ferocious performance. Laurie Metcalf is brilliant too. Allison Pill quits herself well in the least defined and interesting of the three roles. Don't miss this.

GO SEE THIS! Really. Outstanding theatre- shocking, funny, beautiful staging , sets, costumes, pitch-perfect performances. Saw my first Albee in the 60s, downtown. Was astonished, so wrote him a fan letter, which I left at the stage door, I think. And he replied! 3 Tall women is the perfect tribute to this superb playwright. Thanks to you all..

I saw the NY Premiere at the Promenade Theater with Jordan Baker (c), Myra Carter (a) and Marion Seldes (b) back in 1994. Albee was in the wings and took the stage to great applause at the curtain call. A quick aside on Glenda Jackson. In the early 90s I was walking next to her and her husband as we walked down the staircase of the theater where the Tonys were being held. She was smoking and saw a sign that said No Smoking posted. Her husband saw it and remarked to her -- "Oh they don't mean us.". But she put it out. Love to see her in this play.

Absolutely thrilling. Jackson and Metcalf giving two of the season's finest performances. Better than the original, which was pretty great. Cudos to Joe Mantello! Bought tickets to see it again immediately after our first viewing.

Saw this last week in previews. Masterful in a subtle, stunning way. It does not get better than Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalf on stage together-- virtuosic, exquisite. A perfect night at the theater. I feel fortunate to have been able to experience it. Go.

Can't wait to go see it!