Bradley Cooper is 'The Elephant Man'

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE: Bradley Cooper is John Merrick. (Right) Alessandro Nivola & Patricia Clarkson co-star. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE ELEPHANT MAN
By Bernard Pomerance
Directed by Scott Ellis
Through February 22, 2015
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street,
(212-239-6200), www.ElephantManBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Of the four highly anticipated, star-powered plays that arrived this year and that theatergoers are paying top dollar for, the most satisfying and rewarding would be The Elephant Man. For starters, it’s a fascinating and well-written play. Having Bradley Cooper head the cast is an added bonus, and if anyone was wondering whether Mr. Cooper is a movie star in a Broadway play or an actor performing the part, rest assured he is the latter.

Mr. Cooper is a movie star, hence the buzz around this show. He is not only a recent two-time Oscar nominee, but he is also a damn good actor. To say he was the best thing in his 2006 Broadway debut in Three Days of Rain would not be a real compliment. It was a mediocre play at best that starred Julia Roberts and was the hot ticket of that year. This time around he is the star attraction and it gives the show the opportunity to be seen again.

Set in Victorian-era London, Dr. Frederick Treves (Alessandro Nivola) discovers John Merrick, the “Elephant Man” (Mr. Cooper) on display in a freak show. Treves brings Merrick to the hospital where he works to examine him and the extreme deformity of his body. There is no prosthetic makeup used to indicate any of the deformities. As Treves uses slides to indicate Merrick’s deformities, the actors (and a formidable array of them, starting with the original Philip Anglim, David Bowie, Bruce Davison, Mark Hamill, Billy Crudup up to Bradley Cooper), most of them, and especially Mr. Cooper (being extremely good-looking), portray Merrick’s deformity through physicality and Dr. Treves’ description through the slides, letting the audience imagine what Merrick looks like as the Elephant Man.

The next person who is introduced to Merrick is the actress, Mrs. Kendal (Patricia Clarkson), who at first is appalled by his appearance and then overwhelmed by his intelligence, shows him compassion and promises to bring her friends to visit Merrick for he so likes to chat with company. As Merrick’s fame grows, Treves falls into deeper despair knowing that Merrick will not have a long time to live. The psychological aspects of the show I will leave out, for that is the part that makes the show seem dated.

Mr. Cooper, being the best looking and sexiest Elephant Man yet, has the harder task than his predecessors in this role of convincing us of his deformities. Despite his great looks, we manage to see the gentleness, innocence, and also misery that has befallen this man. Mr. Cooper does it in a quite unobtrusive manner. He plays him as an ensemble character rather than a grandstanding movie star. He brings a serene calmness to Merrick.

Alessandro Nivola has the thankless role of Dr. Treves, the healer. He was so bombastic and passionate in The Winslow Boy at the Roundabout a few years ago, but here he is a total one note of gloom and despair. On the other hand, Ms. Clarkson is stalwart yet compassionate, intelligent and charming. The rest of the cast meander in and out.

Since 1979, when it first opened on Broadway, The Elephant Man seems dated a bit due to the psychological aspect of its narrative and lacks the gut- wrenching wallop of the finale, although its themes of science vs. religion are still topical. Overall, it is still a worthwhile drama to be immersed in, and Bradley Cooper makes it all the more worthwhile.

Scott Ellis lends a good hand in directing his cast, but good God, couldn’t he have created a more imaginative curtain call? Couldn’t he at least have given his three leads separate entrances? After all, you have Bradley Cooper in the cast; let him take an extra bow as that’s what the audience is waiting for.