‘A Delicate Balance’ revival uneven

A DELICATE BALANCE
Written by Edward Albee
Directed by Pam McKinnon
John Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), http://www.ADelicateBalanceBroadway.com/

By David NouNou

The house that Agnes and Tobias have lived in for the past 40 plus years is made out of nothing but glass. Though sturdy looking from the outside, and well decorated on the inside, the people living in it, though resilient on the outside, are about to shatter on the inside. For the framework of the house is built on nothing but fear, loss, loneliness, disillusionment, escape and lots of visits to the bar and drinks.

The latest revival of Edward Albee’s classic is rather uneven compared to the outstanding 1996 production with Elaine Stritch, Rosemary Harris and George Grizzard. Despite a stellar cast, with Glenn Close, John Lithgow, Martha Plimpton and Lindsay Duncan, director Pam McKinnon fails to fine-tune the performances of these well-known actors, and the end result seems murky and scattershot, and that is a problem in a drama with such an ambiguous narrative.

Opened in 1966 with Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn, it was a huge letdown from Albee’s masterpiece Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Although it won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1967, many felt it was a consolation prize for Virginia Woolf not winning it, due to its course language and subject matter. In the ensuing years, it has become mind-numbing to think Virginia Woolf didn’t win, and A Delicate Balance did.

In 1996, Lincoln Center and its director, Gerald Gutierrez, did the definitive A Delicate Balance with Rosemary Harris as Agnes, George Grizzard as Tobias and Elaine Stritch doing a magnificent turn as Agnes’ alcoholic sister, Claire. A formidable cast giving sterling performances. Although the play itself is no earth shaker, those performances were indelible.

DEFINITIVE ‘DELICATE BALANCE’ REVIVAL: The late Elaine Stritch with George Grizzard in the 1996 Broadway production. Photo: Pinterest.com

Agnes and Tobias exist in their home with Claire, who lives with them. They all drink: Agnes to make semblance and order in her world and have control over things; Tobias to relax his jangled nerves; and Claire for the loss of never being married and having children and having to live with her sister. Although she drinks the most, she sees things the clearest.

On this particular Friday night, nothing much happens, everything is said in civility. Agnes claims she is losing her mind and lashes at Claire’s drinking, Tobias tries to smooth things over by being the genial bartender and Claire comes in to heckle Agnes and drink as much as she can. Agnes informs the others that their 36-year-old daughter, Julia, is leaving her fourth husband and returning home again. Just before the Act I curtain comes down, Edna and Harry enter, announcing that they are moving in because they are scared to be in their house, that something is terrifying them there.

Saturday starts with Julia whining that Edna and Harry are in her room and she wants it back. Edna and Harry have locked themselves upstairs in Julia’s room out of fear. The rest of the day is spent having the foursome figure out what to do with Edna and Harry. Sunday is the day of reckoning. Tobias has spent most of the night trying to figure out what would be the right thing to do. Agnes feels that a plague has descended on her house and Julia still wants her room back. All agree that Edna and Harry have to be told to get out. Edna and Harry descend, informing everyone they are moving back to their home. While left alone with Harry, Tobias has his breakdown and insists that Harry and Edna stay because of the duty of their 40-year friendship. Because of that friendship, they have earned the right to be there. When Tobias asks Harry “you would do the same for us, wouldn’t you?”, Tobias’ house of glass shatters at the response, having to face loneliness and disillusionment forever. In the end, as in Virginia Woolf, where George gives Martha the “buck up, tomorrow is another day” speech, in A Delicate Balance, it is Agnes who tells it to Tobias.

Although it has a stellar cast, this version doesn’t have the ensemble feel its predecessors had. Glenn Close as Agnes is stiff arched and enunciates each one of her words almost phonetically. Her trying to be in control of things and keeping things in balance feels contrived and calculated. No one can do stiff upper lip bon ami and then crumble into a groveling mass like John Lithgow can. His Tobias shamelessly grovels and begs.

The best part is Claire. As played by Elaine Stritch, the part was mesmerizing. Yes, she is a drunk, but first and foremost, she is a lady and, although robbed of her pride, she grabs on to any vestige of it. Lindsay Duncan, a wonderful British actress, gives Claire a more bohemian hanger-on attitude (I’m guessing this may have been a directorial choice) than the lady clinging on to her self-respect. Martha Plimpton as Julia is the best looking and sexiest Julia I’ve ever seen; she is controlled in most of her scenes, but can become pitchy, whiny and infantile in others. She clings to that room as someone wanting to go back to the safety of a womb, instead of growing up and trying to work out her marriages.

As Edna and Harry, Clare Higgins and Bob Balaban play the perfect dullards. They are the annoying and unwanted people that you are obligated to keep at least for a weekend but can’t wait to throw out 10 minutes after they arrive.

A Delicate Balance touches on a lot of heady subject matter but it never explains itself. It never explains what that fear is and it’s just inconceivable in any age that one allows people to just move into one’s home. Friendship, or not it doesn’t give the right for anyone to impose himself and herself on anyone else for any period of time without the consent of the owner. Pam MacKinnon fails to bring any focus to this dilemma. What should have been an ensemble piece that hurls a punch to the gut comes across as proficient actors attempting valiant individual performances.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 20, 2014
Reviewed at preview performance