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| James Earl Jones,, Patrick Hines. |
THE ICEMAN COMETH [Dramatic Revival] A: Eugene O’Neill; D: Theodore Mann; S: Clarke Dunham; C: Carrie F. Robbins; L: Jules Fisher; P: Circle in the Square; T: Circle in the Square Joseph E. Levine Theatre; 12/13/73-2/24/74 (85)
This was the second major revival of O’Neill’s great 1946
barroom drama—the first (also produced by the Circle in the Square) starred
Jason Robards, Jr., in 1956—about the value of pipe dreams versus the harshness
of reality. Unlike the earlier revival, memorably directed by Jose Quintero, the
present one had superb design elements, but only intermittently distinctive
direction, with a hodgepodge company of name actors that nonetheless lacked the necessary ensemble quality. Even the star presence of the red-hot James Earl Jones
failed to find wide approval.
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| James Earl Jones. |
Walter Kerr found the work in serious need of cutting,
especially because the prolix, four-and-a-half hour play tended to dissipate the
impact of the central character, Hickey (Jones), when he was offstage. John
Simon thought the work miscast and poorly acted, Edwin Wilson felt the
direction was “mechanical,” and Martin Gottfried griped about the lack of
coordination among the disparate elements. One of the few who thought the show
worked was Douglas Watt, who called it “an absorbing revival of an enthralling
play.”
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| James Earl Jones, Walter McGinn. |
Watt was especially strong in his defense of Jones’s Hickey,
which he called a “superb” performance of one of modern drama’s most demanding
roles. This was Jones’s “most striking performance to date,” he crowed. Wilson
felt similarly, and was astonished at how easily the black actor stepped into a
role written for a white one, although this was something Jones already had
done on a number of significant occasions. “Mr. Jones is so magnetic and
dynamic a performer that he totally transcends any question of color.”
Unfortunately, the majority of reviewers felt otherwise. T.E. Kalem thought
Jones’s Hickey “overwrought, a manic-morose-evangelist given to bouts of
hysterical joviality.” Jack Kroll said “he jackhammers the role into a shrapnel
of moments and mannerisms.”
Michael Higgins stood apart from the rest of the company for
his universally praised portrayal of Larry. On stage with him were respected actors such as Walter McGinn, Patrick Hines, Joseph Ragno, David Margulies, Stefan Gierasch, Arthur French, Stephen McHattie, Jack Gwillim, George Ebeling, Tom Aldredge, Rex Everhart, and Lois Smith (as Cora).
Carrie F. Robbins walked off with a
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Designer.
