Mish Mash of Albee on Broadway

One of the topics of my blog will be my mini-reviews of current theatre.  My first for 2014 is "A Delicate Balance" which is currently on Broadway directed by Pam MacKinnon and starring Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Lindsay Duncan and Martha Plimpton.  I will start by saying that I really appreciate a good production of Edward Albee.  Recent tour de force productions have been Steppenwolf's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" which was perfection and Signature Theatre's "The Lady From Dubuque" which was close to.  I did not have great expections with respect to "A Delicate Balance" due to the star-studded cast (always a sign of disaster IMHO) but having obtained TDF tickets was willing to give it a shot.  My throat was killing me so I came equiped with Nyquil, a bottle of water and a sack of mentholated cough drops all of which were necessary for this 3 hour 2 intermission play. I have never been a huge fan of Glenn Close and I anticipated an over-the-top actorish performance from her.  Not so!  I was actually blown away by the subtlety and delicacy of her performance. You may ask, "Can a performance in an Albee play be subtle?"  Well, yes...  She glided through the play hitting all the right notes and not a single diva turn among them.  She perfectly embodied the part of Agnes. I have now officially joined the Glenn Close fan club. John Lithgow, I'm sorry to say, did not fare as well.  He hammed his way through most of the play which is awkward considering Tobias is a weak and retreating soul.  I would have liked to have seen the understated brilliance Tracy Letts would have brought to the part.  Lindsay Duncan, always a consumate actress, was moving and irritating in equal measures as the alcohlic Claire. She is so chamelian like that I didn't even realize it was her until midway through the first act.  I was thinking, "She's terrific.  Who is that?" and then checked my program. She's certainly not looking like she did in "Birdman" although in both roles she has a drink in her hand. Unfortunately Martha Plimpton who I generally greatly admire was miscast as Julia and shrieked her way through the play.  Bob Balaban gave a characture of a performance as good friend Harry possibly due to the absence at this performance of Claire Higgins as his wife Edna.  I'm inclined to be kind to understudies but in this case the less said the better.  The set(Santo Loquasto) and costumes (Ann Roth) were perfection with the exception of Martha Plimpton who looked like she was wearing cheap, ill-fitting knock-offs of Ralph Lauren (what happened there, Ann Roth?).  But I do recommend seeing "A Delicate Balance" for Glenn Close.  She will break your heart.