Rondi Reed in August today- Page 2

[BruceWayne5148]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 10:03pm

It was definitely an awesome surprise to see the insert in the Playbill.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 10:09pm

What a performance today!! I literally let out an audible squeal when I saw the understudy board with Rondi's name on it. She was fantastic as always, and got possibly the biggest laughs of the afternoon. Amy Morton was, no surprise, stunning. While I was really impressed with Phylicia, I still liked Deanna's take better overall. That isn't to diminish from Phylicia's performance which was still awesome all around. John Cullum was FANTASTIC. I wish he had originated the role. I am glad that I got to see Dennis Letts when I had the chance, but Cullum really made the most of his scene. While I didn't care for Anne Berkowitz as Jean at first, she really grew on me in Act 3. Overall the entire cast was amazing and performed the show with great energy. The only person I didn't care for was Frank Wood as Bill. I still think Jeff Perry was fantastic in the part. And while I missed Ian Barford as Little Charles, Michael Milligan did a really great job. I was so fortunate to see this performance today. Very sad to see this show go.

[Kevn520]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 11:26pm

This is probably a stupid question, but if Elizabeth Ashely called out sick, shouldn't her understudy have gone on?

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/28/09 at 11:29pm

I think the idea is that they didn't want to let down the audience on closing day with an understudy. A lot of people bought tickets specifically for closing, and to see an understudy go on in place of a name like Ashley's would have been a let down for many people. But getting Rondi to do it was both a real treat and a great solution to the problem.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 12:17am

That was an amazing performance. It was my first time seeing the show, and it was thrilling. It was so excited to have Rondi there. I was amazed how smoothly she worked with the cast. I think she only stumbled on one line.

Amazing performance.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 1:07am

Yes, and it was only a pronoun. She ended up saying "my brother in law's funeral" but first started to say "his brother in law's funeral" instead of "his uncle's funeral". Otherwise flawless.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 1:14am

^ Yup, that was it. It amazed me how she managed to have great chemistry with Rashad and Guy Boyd.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 1:27am

God this sounds like a fabulous evening, I saw Reed's replacement twice, the second time she was a lot better, but I can only imagine how great Reed was.
How was Amy Morton's Act II closer?

[mikem]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 1:28am

A wonderful send-off today for an amazing production. I was a little surprised that Tracy Letts didn't get brought on stage at curtain call since he was in the house, but maybe he is shy. Did he sign at the stage door? I didn't stay after the show.

Today was the first time I had seen the show since, coincidentally, Rondi Reed's final performance in the show on Broadway a little over a year ago. I was incredibly impressed with how much the original cast's characterizations, which were pretty incredible already last year, have really deepened, especially the "Weston sisters." Rashad gives an EXTREMELY different but equally valid interpretation to the role than Deanna Dunagan's. Rashad's Violet really seems to believe that she is put upon and misunderstood, while Dunagan's Violet knew perfectly well the havoc she was wreaking. Violet therefore IMO seemed less the central character than before -- combined with Amy Morton's stunning performance today, it seemed more like Barbara's story than Violet's. And I agree that John Cullum was really excellent in his part.

Reed's characterization today seemed much more subdued than before, which is neither good nor bad, just different. (BTW, two things I noticed today that I don't remember from before -- does te actor playing Reed's husband deliberately leave his coat behind for her to pick up after their big confrontation, or did he just forget it? And does she usually call her son a "goofball -- you big goofball" after he drops the casserole? I didn't remember either incident from before, but it was a year ago.)

Updated On: 6/29/09 at 01:28 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 1:41am

"-- combined with Amy Morton's stunning performance today, it seemed more like Barbara's story than Violet's."

I was really feeling that way as well, but Rashad's final moments (which were unbelievable) made it equal for me.

Morton's act 2 closer was sensational, what a GREAT moment for someone who had not seen the show before.
Updated On: 6/29/09 at 01:41 AM

[Kungaloosh1937]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 4:05am

IMO, it's ALWAYS been Barbra's story. While Vi instigates many of the events, it is Barb who both holds the family together and ultimately tears them apart.

The entire arc of the story is that Barb turns into Vi, and right before she completely makes said transformation, realizes what she's about to do and leaves. Vi is basically the same person at the beginning and end of the play. Barb is not. She has a complete arc, and when you see her turning into Violet, it's horrifying.

On a separate note, while I think Dunnegan was thrilling in the role, this is the reason why I think Morton should have won. She was just as spectacular, but also had more to work with. From dutiful daughter to monstrosity...

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 7:27am

Is this Awake and Sing rumor true? I loved the last revival but so soon!

[morosco]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 8:44am

Typo in the broadwayworld.com article...

...called in to replace star Elizabeth Ashley, who was not feeling ill and was unable to perform.

Not feeling ill?
Tony-Winning Cast Member Reed Returns

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 8:56am

Did John Cullum do the curtain call yesterday? (he usually doesn't)

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 9:15am

Yes, he did. He has in the past for matinees, but at evening shows he would go home or to Heroes.

It really was amazing how Rondi Reed slipped right back into the show. She was definitely more subdued than she was originally, but it worked well. Nobody plays the big reveal as well as she does. And Amy Morton brought the house down with the Act II closer.

I really was pleasantly surprised by Phylicia Rashad. She was excellent, and honestly the only Violet who genuinely appeared to be high. I always felt Parsons and Dunagan were "acting" high to an extent. Rashad wasn't overdoing it and playing it up. Updated On: 6/29/09 at 09:15 AM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 9:42am

Figures I would go to the one Matinée Cullum didn't stick around for.

[lvpblues]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 1:52pm

Having Rondi Reed play the final performance was a totally pleasant surprise, though I do hope Ms. Ashley is feeling better.

The performance was one for the ages, just as tight as it was when I saw it on opening night.

I offered a full report of the closing experience on my blog:
"And Then It's Gone..."

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 2:40pm

I saw the show for the final time on Saturday and could not have been more thrilled with the closing state of the company.

Having seen every Violet to come through the cast (including Susanne Marley,) I found Phylicia Rashad to be the most powerful by far. What's interesting is that each woman brought a distinctly different quality to the role, which speaks for the brilliance of the creative team's casting choices.

Dunagan was the most "fierce", but she lacked an emotional vulnerability and humanity that made you feel for her amidst her acidity. Parsons was less calculating in her destructiveness, but the lack of fire in her passiveness robbed many of the "big" scenes of the fire that Dunagan nailed in spades (though both performances were equally effective.) Marley was a good amalgamation of the two, but I didn't see a lot of originality in many of her choices (which can obviously be attributed to the fact that her job is to cover the performances of the principal she's understudying.)

Rashad, however, found a balance between all those traits that packed the most stirring punch out of the woman that preceded her. Her Violet was genuinely maternal and seemingly good intentioned (like Parsons,) but still threatening enough to turn on a dime at any given moment and become genuinely menacing (like Dunagan.) As others have said, she also managed to make Violet appear genuinely lucid from her medication while still acting very decisively.

Her final moments following Barbara's departure were absolutely jarring. She wrung things out of that portion particularly that no one ever came close to before. As she walked from room to room and discovered the emptiness in her house and her life, you genuinely felt her personal destruction come to a final, stunning blow. Her "...and then they're gone" closer left me in tears of disbelief, which was the first time that moment possessed that much of an emotional impact for me.

The rest of the cast remained as terrific as they've always been.

I am excited to see the show live on as a staple of American drama for years to come. It's beyond wonderful to see a play provide such resonance for audiences in this day and age!

Updated On: 6/29/09 at 02:40 PM

[alightinthedark23]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 2:49pm

I also saw the show yesterday. It was my first time seeing it and I was blown away. It was a great send off. I also thought that it was more of Barbara's story than Violet. Rashad put on a fantastic performance. I honestly believed she was addicted to pills. Her final moments gave me chills. I also thought the end of Act2 was chilling as well.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 6/29/09 at 3:58pm

I agree with kingaloosh...I've always thought it was Barbara's play. Hell, it IS Barbara's play. She is the character written to get our greatest sympathies, she is the every-woman, the heroine of the piece. I don't say that to diminish Violet as a character for size or difficulty, or even to suggest that Barbara is the "better" character, but it is HER story--I believe--in the end. Even when Dunagan was playing Violet, it was Barbara's play.

somethingwicked, I have to disagree with the Dunagan/Rashad comparison. I think the small edge Dunagan had on Rashad was her fragility. I really thought Deanna Dunagan's Violet was so terribly pathetic sometimes. Though I really think Rashad was splendid.