Eugene O'Neill was America's greatest playwright even before he wrote his four last masterpieces, beginning with The Iceman Cometh. A Touch of the Poet, now on Broadway starring Gabriel Byrne, is one of those profound, brilliant explorations of the human soul, and what a pleasure it is to hear his words.
In this production, directed by Doug Hughes on the huge stage of Studio 54, all of O'Neill's amazing flow of language is there, and most of the performances shine -- Emily Bergl as the feisty daughter lights up the stage; Dearbhla Molloy as the long-suffering wife will tear your heart out; the luminous Kathryn Melisle fills the theater with her radiance as an upper-cruster, Byron Jennings gives a powerful rendition as the friend of the play's central character, an abusive drinker with delusions, and the actors in all supporting roles are excellent.
The weak link for me in this rendition of the play is the leading man, Gabriel Byrne. He is playing a man who assumes a grande manner, but it is played all surface, with the lines sung very hammily -- he almost never talks like a human being -- he declaims even in conversation. He doesn't ever stop acting, and so even towards the end as a part of him is to be reclaimed, it was himself he moved to tears. And then came some major rug-chewing; bombast as he switched personalities which may fool some people into thinking they are seeing a good show. The best I can say is that he said all the words and didn't bump into the furniture. Whether the choices were those of the actor or the director, the performance I saw, while strong in volume and displayed emotion, was mostly monotonic and boring. Santo Loquasto's rural tavern set gives proper atmosphere, and his costumes fit the play perfectly.
Lighting by Christopher Akerlind -- the subtlety of his changes and mixes -- is some of the best in town and beautifully enhances the production. The touch of Irish music by piper David Power helps to flavor the atmosphere.
O'Neill's words, acted with human feeling by most of the cast, are reward enough for me to ultimately enjoy the power of the great playwright. But I wish...
