What should have been a thrilling theatrical event falls flat, mainly due to the one note performance of Gillian Anderson. There is no spark, no fire to her Margo Channing. I cannot imagine anyone standing in the rain nightly to see this Margo on stage. Adding a foolish song for Margo sing during Bill's party brings what little action there is to a standstill. Showing Margo resting her head against the rim of a toilet bowl filled with vomit is a huge mistake.
Birdie, Miss Caswell, Max, Bill, Lloyd, Karen and especially Addison are all miscast. The only person who comes off well here is Lily James as Eve.
Lastly, the humor doesn't play well. The script is funny, the humor subtle, but again it falls flat. The cast unable to put the humor across.
PJ Harvey's score, which plays under the entire production is intrusive. It works against the dialogue.
Never at anytime do you feel any empathy for Anderson's Margo. A better title for this mess would be "Who Cares About Margo?"
Birdie, Miss Caswell, Max, Bill, Lloyd, Karen and especially Addison are all miscast. The only person who comes off well here is Lily James as Eve.
Lastly, the humor doesn't play well. The script is funny, the humor subtle, but again it falls flat. The cast unable to put the humor across.
PJ Harvey's score, which plays under the entire production is intrusive. It works against the dialogue.
Never at anytime do you feel any empathy for Anderson's Margo. A better title for this mess would be "Who Cares About Margo?"