Tonight I saw Deuce, the new Broadway show starring two living Theater legends. Angela Lansbury and Marion Seldes. When someone like Lansbury takes to the stage you can say several things. They are as follows:
"I saw her in her first ever Broadway musical." — Most of these people have passed away.
"I have seen her when she played in ________ and she won her Tony." — These people are still living, depending on which show you refer to.
Lastly, and this is the case I fall into:
"I saw her final show."
It's slightly unfortunate that I probably saw Angela Lansbury on stage live in perhaps one of the most mundane plays ever. I am MORE than grateful I saw the two on stage, in their twilight years they still have amazing stage presence! It was the second preview so I turned a blind eye to the obvious forgetting of lines and such.
But when the entire show is just watching them talk, you can't help but notice when they forget lines. But Angela is 81 years old and hasn't been on a Broadway stage in 24 years, so once again it's forgivable!
Terrance McNally is to blame in my opinion. Granted he is a great writer. I love Masterclass more than I can say, plus Love! Valor! Compassion! has a character my life is based off apparently...minus the HIV. But nowadays he's sort of Blah, but he has such renown he can write anything and a theater will put it on. Aren't we learning our lesson? In a couple weeks I'm seeing his other Off-Broadway show titled Some Men. It's about gay marriage and we shall see. If that is also awful I'll be able to fight more. Since I've only seen a couple of his shows I can't judge.
Chita Rivera's The Dancer's Life doesn't count as a legitimate show of his. It was Chita's story!
It's just upsetting. Here you are giving these two amazing theater actresses their last hurrahs. I mean we don't want to believe that this is their last time on the stage, but honestly...I'll be honest. I mean McNally was honest.
Throughout the show a minor character keeps saying, "Look at these women...they are the real thing. Look at them now...look at them...LOOK AT THEM!!"
He might as well just say, "Look at these women, you might as well because they'll be DEAD soon!!"
It was nice to see two great names up close and doing what they can do. I just wish the play content was severely different.
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