Hello Beautiful People,
It’s been almost one week since I went to the Broadhurst Theatre and my mind blown by the entire cast and crew of LUCKY GUY. For those of you who don’t know, the outstandingly talented Nora Ephron was once a reporter for The New York Post before she started to pen screenplays and stage plays. LUCKY GUY, written by the late Nora Ephron, is about the scandalous and somewhat seedy scape of New York of the 1980’s and ’90s, as told through the story of the larger than life, controversial tabloid columnist Mike McAlary, who won the Pulitzer Prize shortly before his untimely death on Christmas Day, 1998.
I first heard of this show when the talented Brian Dykstra, was so gracious to participate in our Actors & Actresses Q&A Series. Brian mentioned how Nora had given George C. Wolfe permission to change things in the script should problems arise. Dykstra also stated that, “Nora left us a really wonderful working script, and if there were changes, they were cosmetic and they were done with her blessing. Everyone is doing this play is truly doing it out a labor of love for the story, for the craft, and for those who knew her, they’re doing it for Nora.” The minimal changes are truly a testament to her unending skill as a writer – the play is that good.
There’s a reason it’s nominated for six Tony Awards: Best Play, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Tom Hanks), Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Courtney B. Vance), Best Direction of a Play, (George C. Wolfe), Lighting Design of a Play, (Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer), and Scenic Design of a Play, (David Rockwell). If there were an award for Best Ensemble I have no doubt that Lucky Guy would be nominated, as the entire cast is a well oiled machine. They are seamless in their interactions, in their chemistry, and in bringing these characters and the newsrooms of the 1980’s and ’90s to life.
Deirdre Lovejoy does an exquisite job of bringing Louise Imerman and Debby Krenek to life. I hated Louise. I adored Debby. If that’s not the work of theatrical mastery, I don’t know what is.
Tom Hanks is delightful in his portrayal of Mike McAlary – you just love to hate him, and yet, there are moments of tenderness, moments of utter sincerity, moments confirm his rightful status as one of the greatest actors of our time. My favorite scene, by far, is when he and Courtney B. Vance are both getting chemo. From the dialogue, to the delivery, to the lighting, to the scenic elements…it’s what great theater is all about.
I have no idea who Alice McAlary was, I never heard her speak, I’ve never seen a picture. But she was a woman married to a difficult man, whom she loved, despite his rather undesirable behavior at times. She was the mother of four children. She was a fighter. She was the McAlary Family anchor, and Maura Tierney did a brilliant job of bringing her to life onstage. Brilliant.
To the amazing cast – Tom Hanks, Maura Tierney, Christopher McDonald, Peter Gerety, Courtney B. Vance, Peter Scolari, Richard Masur, Brian Dykstra, Michael Gaston, Dustyn Gulledge, Andrew Hovelson, Deirdre Lovejoy, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Stephen Tyrone Williams, Paula Jon DeRose, Joe Forbrich, Thomas Michael Hammond, and Marc Damon Johnson – I am in awe of each and every one of you. I am inspired by each and every one of you. The Broadway community is better because of each and every one of you.
Nora touched on a beautiful thing with LUCKY GUY, forcing us to ask ourselves – what has the “news” become? When we open the paper, when we turn on the 11 o’clock news, when we tune into CNN or FOX – what do we see? Is it news? Is it sensationalism? Is it, as Michael Moore would say, Disaster Porn? Have the networks and newsrooms lost sight of their purpose, and sold their souls to reality television and tabloid media?
These are the questions that popped into my head, and the ones that peppered my dinner conversation afterwards.
That, dear friends, is what great theater is all about – IT MAKES YOU THINK.
To the cast, crew, & creative team of LUCKY GUY, it was an honor to see the show, and to meet (almost) all of you.
Live, Love, Learn,