The Iceman Cometh again...this time as Jim Tyrone

Jen and I took in the revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten last night at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. I hadn't seen the show before and wasn't particularly familiar with it, aside from of the familial/biographical themes O'Neill favors. The first act was slow--at least for me--but the second act packed a little more of the needed emotional punch. One of the evening's big disappointments for me, though, was the performance given by leading lady Eve Best. Though the reviews I'd read were mixed overall, Best garnered rave upon rave. I went in expecting to see a powerful, memorable, and nuanced performance. Best, instead, seemed to be playing 90% of her scenes to the back of the house. Here's a tip for Ms. Best: shrieking your lines does not make for nuance. I suspect she was trying to compensate for her slight frame, given the many, many references to her character's hulking size. Her physicality (much stomping and wide-spread legs) worked to some extent; in the end, though, she felt miscast. Bringing more star power to the stage was Kevin Spacey, who, while good, did not blow me away. Colm Meaney (best known for his Star Trek days) rounded out the trio with a very solid performance.