Gugino

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I caught the B'way production of Eugene O'Neil's Desire Under The Elms last night, and was 90% floored. For me, Carla Gugino's Abbie seems like a revelation because she's never had a role as searing in a film. She's eye-popping, breathtaking. I know she has a fair amount of stage experience but it still felt like one of those "where did this come from?" performances.

Carla Gugino, Pablo Schreiber.

Actors are generally ill-served by Hollywood in that their the roles often seem limited and familiar, and the kind of acting they're asked to deliver is limited and familiar. A good Broadway play, however, lets them expand their souls and really rip into things and show what they're made of. This is what's happened between Gugino and O'Neil and director Robert Falls.

Gugino has been fine in numerous films (I especially liked her in American Gangster ) but she's awesome in Desire -- on fire, earthy, heavy-breathing, planted, a backbone of iron. I feel as if I've seen her work for the first time. I've told the show's publicist I'd like to interview her before leaving for France on Monday...silence. Whatever.

The play, I've read, began as part of an O'Neil series at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. The amazing production design is by Walt Spangler. Gugino's costars are Pablo Schreiber, Brian Dennehy, Boris McGiver and Daniel Stewart. McGiver and Stewart's performances as a couple of grimy and smelly Clem Kadiddlehopper work animals seemed too broad. I kept wishing they would get off the stage, which is why I said my reaction was 90% positive.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 8, 2009 at 1:17 PM

comment #1

rr3333 says ...

She was also in another Euguene O'Neill play about 5 years ago called 'After The Fall'. She was excellent in that as well. She played a fictional character based on Marilyn Monroe.

Posted by rr3333 at May 8, 2009 1:59 PM

comment #2

Moises Chiullan says ...

rr3333-
'After the Fall' is Arthur Miller.

Posted by Moises Chiullan at May 8, 2009 2:09 PM

comment #3

Edward says ...

O'Neill's plays are brilliant. Miller, to me is not quite in the same ballpark. I wish I was on the East Coast to see this.

Posted by Edward at May 8, 2009 2:13 PM

comment #4

Joel says ...

Interesting, this kind of got slammed by the Chicago media when it premiered.

Posted by Joel at May 8, 2009 2:15 PM

comment #5

Kristopher Tapley says ...

Plus she's hot.

Posted by Kristopher Tapley at May 8, 2009 2:26 PM

comment #6

jse33 says ...

I watched Sin City the other night on Blu-ray. Damn her rack looks sweet in HD. yum.

Posted by jse33 at May 8, 2009 2:38 PM

comment #7

lipranzer says ...

I've been a fan ever since she was on "Karen Sisco," one of the few movie-to-TV spinoffs that worked.

Posted by lipranzer at May 8, 2009 3:51 PM

comment #8

GiveMeTheMapScott says ...

I couldnt stand her in Snake Eyes (a rather underrated movie, but not a great one) and was annoyed by her in the first season of Spin City......but the last few years have been kind of a renaissance and she has showed me things I wasn't expecting from her (no nudity jokes please) and so now her name attached to something evokes something other than utter disdain, i think only jake gyllenhaal has achieved this kind of transformation as far as my opinion of him goes

Posted by GiveMeTheMapScott at May 8, 2009 4:13 PM

comment #9

ben says ...

So great to give this devastating production some heat. Ever since his great run on The Wire, Schreiber has been on a tear, even in random Law and Orders. As amazing as he is, you can't stop looking at Gugino.

Posted by ben at May 8, 2009 4:49 PM

comment #10

BurmaShave says ...

Snubbed by the Tonys?

Posted by BurmaShave at May 8, 2009 4:52 PM

comment #11

Phatang! says ...

"A good Broadway play, however, lets them expand their souls and really rip into things and show what they're made of."

First of all, is Jeff just realizing that theater is a better medium for actors? Also, a good "Broadway" play, as opposed to a good play? Does Jeff somehow think Broadway represents the best of the theater world? This is a very rube-like observation on his part. He must really be judging himself for it.

Posted by Phatang! at May 8, 2009 6:51 PM

comment #12

actionman says ...

awesome in snake eyes. awesome in watchmen. awesome in sin sity. incredibly sexy in Entourage. loved karen sisco. really wanna see elektra luxx. i think she was also in the center of the world, which was a nifty movie as I recall. Gugino's EXTRA HOT.

Posted by actionman at May 8, 2009 7:13 PM

comment #13

rr3333 says ...

Oops. Arthur Miller.

Dennehy was also in Miller's 'Death of a Salesman'.

Dennehy really reinvented himself as a theatre actor after the movie roles dried up. I give him a lot of credit for deciding to do theatre instead of resting on his laurels.

Posted by rr3333 at May 8, 2009 7:37 PM

comment #14

Doug says ...

Jeff's right about how many actors never get to show how good they are on TV and film.
Years ago I saw a small theater production of "The Disenchanted" where Jack Coleman (I think that's his name) played F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was brilliant. On screen he's best known as the guy chasing after Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno's Hulk and always showing up a few minutes too late.

Love Carla. Gave her one of her early sitcom jobs and made her a recurring character. Sweet girl.

Posted by Doug at May 9, 2009 12:59 AM

comment #15

Cadavra says ...

Agreed, Wells. I would never have thought she was capable of a such a towering performance. That Dennehy lets her take the final bow at the curtain call speaks volumes about both of them. And yes, the lack of a Tony nomination is simply unfathomable.

Posted by Cadavra at May 9, 2009 9:37 AM

comment #16