A Delicate Balance

[edjames]

On of the new fall productions I am interested in is Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance starring Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Lindsay Duncan, Bob Balaban, Clare Higgins and Martha Plimpton.

 

You can imagine my delight when I received an email offering this morning from the production offering discounted seats, but then imagine my huge disappointment when the offering was only for mezz seating only at $109-$89. (You see, after intense foot surgery earlier this year, I am very careful about where I sit and hiking up theater stairs is out-of-the-question. I have a cast on my leg/foot and walk with a cane..Oh God! How did I get to be this old????).

 

So I'll have to give this some thought and see if any other offerings appear. It's at the Golden Theater which many might describe as "intimate" but I called cramped and uncomfortable.

 

Thank God I saw a production in London with Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins!!!

 

ED

[+ Gar1eth]

On of the new fall productions I am interested in is Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance starring Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Lindsay Duncan, Bob Balaban, Clare Higgins and Martha Plimpton.

 

You can imagine my delight when I received an email offering this morning from the production offering discounted seats, but then imagine my huge disappointment when the offering was only for mezz seating only at $109-$89. (You see, after intense foot surgery earlier this year, I am very careful about where I sit and hiking up theater stairs is out-of-the-question. I have a cast on my leg/foot and walk with a cane..Oh God! How did I get to be this old????).

 

So I'll have to give this some thought and see if any other offerings appear. It's at the Golden Theater which many might describe as "intimate" but I called cramped and uncomfortable.

 

Thank God I saw a production in London with Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins!!!

 

ED

 

I don't mean to be cruel here. But would having a cast allow you to obtain a handicapped seat?

 

Gman

[edjames]

I have a cast but perhaps not the one you are thinking of. It is not the old plaster of paris model. These days, specialized boots have replaced casts. I spend 6 months in a boot, now my new brace is a custom made lightweight plastic cast that fits into the shoe. It goes almost up to the knee.

Handicapped seats are full-price orch. The Golden is not one of the best theater for handicapped seating. Wheelchair accommodations and seats are available only in the orch. These seats would be full price. I'm not that handicapped...but thanks for the suggestion.

[+ Chris Eisenhower]

Just saw it. Highly disappointing.

[jakeleyman]

Any Albee experts out there? I just ran across a mid century book by a guy named Ben Piazza, A Strange and Very Exact Truth. I noticed that it is dedicated to Edward Albee. Further research shows that Piazza was a young actor and writer in NYC in the mid 20th Century. He died of AIDS. I have not been able to learn the connection with Albee. At one point I wrote Albee to try to learn more about Piazza but of course did not receive a reply.

[RyanDean]

The main connection with Albee that I know is that Piazza was the replacement for Nick in the original Bway production of Virginia Woolf, and that he remained in Albee's circle afterwards. Not sure if Piazza was always gay or bi (he did marry a woman), but the last decades of his life were spent in partnership with a man. My first hit would be that Albee got the dedication because of Albee's impact on Piazza's early career. I don't know his novel, but my understanding is that it wears an emphatic "this is fiction any resemblance blah blah" proviso, which -- in that period especially -- was code for "this is a mildly fictionalized autobiography."

[jakeleyman]

thank you so much for the information about Piazza and Albee.

[edjames]

Sometimes Santa does answer those emails!!! LOL

 

Scored a TDF orchestra seat for Friday's matinee, so no fuss an=nd bother climbing up the stairs.

I agree with Chris's comments. This was disappointing, especially since I saw Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins do a London production a number of years ago.

This was tepid and flat. Loved Martha Plimpton but beyond that I can't say anyone else in the cast was above average.

Glad I saw this on a discounted seat, otherwise I would have been in the nearest saloon to the theater afterwards drowning my sorrow.

 

Oh well, onto the spring season.

 

Happy New Year to all.

 

ED

[+ Topseed]

I saw it today. Unlike the other comments, I think this cast revealed aspects of the play I hadn't pondered in the 4 others I've seen. Was it the "best"? Nope. But the writing is so masterful that any revival of this piece needs to be seen. It sure beats 90% of what's on Broadway now. (I saw "The River" yesterday. Now that's disappointing.)

[goodbeingbad]

Topseed, I have to agree with you on the River. Even with Hugh Jackman to look at, I was bored.