Dividing the Estate - Review
Lincoln Center Theater Broadway Production of Horton Foote's Play
Dec 8, 2008
This production of Horton Foote’s play Dividing the Estate is a simple solution to insomnia. In some ways it seems this sort of plot has been played out. What more can really be said about a family and its secrets, as they squabble about death, debt, and division of assets? Yet, it is not so much the play at fault; rather the production, which lacks stimulating stamina. Also, with the Booth Theater being kept like an ice box, and the odd usherette being nastier to the audience than the stage of family members towards each other, this is not an inviting theater experience.
The Cast
Many of the players are thoroughly uninteresting in their performances, which renders their characters generally boring. Elizabeth Ashley, playing matriarchal Stella, exhibits no timing in her line delivery and very little stage presence.
There are some expections to this lackluster cast. For example, Hallie Foote, as Mary Jo, gives an admirable performance.
But the standout performance is that of Gerald McRaney, who is arguably the only cast member to successfully convey his role completely naturally, causing his character of Lewis to seem like an actual person, while many of the other actors seem uncomfortable on stage, causing their characters to seem weak, stiff, or forced. While McRaney interacts generously with his fellow cast members, his stage presence and strong line delivery causes him to be almost the only player who consistently holds audience attention.
The Set
While sliding in and out of slumber, the audience might enjoy the sight of the sumptuous set by Jeff Cowie. The set successfully recreates an interior which is believable as a southern home. However, the set is not so intriguing as to single handedly prevent the eyelids of audience members from shutting.
The Walk to the Great White Way
The play, written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Horton Foote, debuted in 1989 at Princeton, New Jersey’s McCarter Theater. More recently, the play had a successful Off-Broadway run with Primary Stages prior to the play’s current limited engagement on Broadway with the Lincoln Center Theater, which is also responsible for the current Tony-award winning revival of South Pacific.
This long stroll to Broadway has resulted in one of the more boring productions staged on the boards, but with eight weekly shows, each enduring just over two hours, it is a way to escape the bitter cold of winter in New York.
Broadway performances began in previews on October 23, 2008, opening on November 20, 2008, and the show is due to close on January 4, 2009.
