Hello Beautiful People,
I had the pleasure and privilege of attending the final performance of Orphans at the Schoenfeld Theatre yesterday.
And yes, I said pleasure and privilege.
Perhaps bitter critics of Orphans are a bit confused as to what makes great theater. Perhaps they do not understand the depths of humanity. Perhaps one needs to be stabbing someone onstage in order for the concept of rage and violence to be understood. Some people need things spelled out for them in bold-faced print. Other people are able to comprehend subtle body language and the finesse of Kessler’s words.
There is a reason why Tom Sturridge was nominated for a Tony Award. He. Is. Outstanding. Absolutely outstanding. Watching him as Philip was mesmerizing, he kept everyone quite literally on the edge of their seats. Yes, he was clearly mentally disabled, but it is with Philip where we get the moments of light, the moments of purity, the moments of hope. In the dark sea that is the world of Orphans, Philip is the sun that cuts through the darkness.
Tom Sturridge blew my mind, but understand that both Alec Baldwin and Ben Foster were just as magnificent, and the final scene of Orphans ripped your heart of your chest. It was raw. It was real. It was painful to watch, and it was perfect. All three men bring heart, rigor, intensity, to their respective roles. This production was a true example of the meaning of ensemble, as they played off of one another seamlessly and beautifully, a testament perhaps, to the work of Dan Sullivan.
But alas, I digress, for what I really want to talk about is Lyle Kessler.
Mr. Kessler, your words will withstand the test of time, there is certainly no doubt in my mind about that. Yes, this is closing before it’s time, and that’s a tragedy for Broadway. This should not have closed yesterday, but one day, it will return. This is a show that everyone, whether you are a man, woman, father, mother, brother, sister, friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, grandfather, grandmother can learn from. Your words hit home. Your words make those who hear them think of the ones they love, of the ones they have lost, of the ones who have left. Your words will cause people to look inward. To reassess his or her actions. To think before they speak. To think before they act, before they hit, and before they hurt.
Mr. Kessler, your words, your play, this show, it brings people out of the all too egocentric orbit that we inhabit, and makes them think beyond what his or her personal comfort. It makes people think. And that’s what great theatre is all about.
As I watched Alec Baldwin, Ben Foster, and Tom Sturridge take their final bow, I was overwhelmed with sadness. This show should not have closed. It should have played for its entire scheduled run. I hope that one day soon we will realize that as artists, we should be finding ways to support the work of one another; we should remember that daggers of criticism have the potential to ruin entire productions with one flippant phrase, and there is no talent in that. It hurts the entire community of Broadway when shows close before their time.
To the cast, crew, and entire creative team of Orphans – it was a vibrant, rich, electric show. Bravo!
Live, Love, Learn,