Oscar E Moore

Like the proverbial old gray mare, A isn’t what she used to be.  She is worse.  A is wealthy and ailing.  A is 92 insisting that she is 91.  A is disgruntled and demanding.  A is incontinent, independent and irascible.  A still attempts to stand tall despite her shrinking spine.  A’s thoughts are muddled.  A’s memory is failing and yet A is what some might call a bitch.

A is holding court in her luxurious bedroom.  It is neat and clean.  The bed has beautiful linens and pillows.  The lampshades are silk.  The furniture French.  And yet A rambles on about her horses and husband and the estrangement of her homosexual son and the Jews and everything else that has made her life unbearable.  Or has it been so terrible after all?  When all is said and done and one stops what does it matter?

A is embodied by the incomparable Glenda Jackson and it is a performance not to be missed.  A is cared for by the 52 year old B (Laurie Metcalf) who is eternally at A’s beck and call.  She has seen and done it all and her frustration is just about to reach its peak.  Shuffling cards and reading a book calm her but both her eyes and ears have to be on 24/7 alert to A’s demands.  Also attending is C (Alison Pill) a 26 year old feisty lawyer sent to help with unpaid bills and such.

A is based on the adoptive, socialite mother (in name only) of Edward Albee, the author of this two act, no intermission 1994 Pulitzer Prize winning drama that at times is a deeply funny comedy in the hands of director Joe Mantello.  Be especially eager to hear A’s story about her naked husband and a piece of expensive jewelry that is priceless.

A suffers a stroke at the end of the first part when unseen theatrical magic takes place.  First by the very clever Albee and second by the very clever set designer Miriam Buether, making THREE TALL WOMEN one and the same person – each reflecting on their life at different stages.  Each reflecting back on the past.  Each beautifully dressed in shades of lavender by Ann Roth.

The adjustment to the set startles at first, but it is brilliant – enabling a mysterious figure to visit A through the looking glass.

A wonderful theatrical production with superb acting by Glenda Jackson.  Through June 24^th at the Golden Theatre.  www.threetallwomenbroadway.com

Photos:  Brigette Lacombe

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