THE HANGOVER REPORT – Broadway royalty ignites THE GIN GAME revival

IMG_4516Yesterday, I caught the Broadway revival of D.L. Coburn’s 1977 Pulitzer Prize-winning The Gin Game, starring two titans of stage and screen, James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson. The play takes place on the porch of a ramshackle retirement home, where two retirees, the cantankerous Weller Martin (played by Mr. Jones) and the seemingly demure Fonsia Dorsey (Ms. Tyson), face-off over a series of increasingly aggressive and revealing gin games. Although Mr. Coburn’s play is slight in stature and depth, it’s a wonderful vehicle for two more mature actors to show their chops.

And boy, do Mr. Jones and Ms. Tyson run with it. From the get-go, Mr. Jones commands the stage with his booming voice and intimidating presence. However, before long, we realize that his Weller is a peacock – all fluster and talk. In Mr. Jones’ portrayal, it’s hard not to fall completely in love with the man, and it’s easy to understand why Fonsia is drawn back to him time and time again. Ms. Tyson, so petite and fragile as Fonsia, at first seems to be swallowed in Mr. Jones’s presence. It’s a testament to Ms. Tyson’s beautifully-calibrated, slow-burning performance that her Fonsia’s steely side takes us (and Weller) by surprise.

Director Leonard Foglia has done a fine job of naturally building the stakes beat by beat until the hilariously explosive final moments. His design team is tops, as well, particularly Riccardo Hernandez’s detailed, towering set.

RECOMMENDED

 

THE GIN GAME
Broadway, Play
John Golden Theatre
2 hours (with no intermission)
Through January 10

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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