Kristine, lovely Kristine,
Oh, but the phone call scene. The phone call scene. The phone call scene. It’s a rare and lovely thing indeed when an audience hangs on an actor’s every word. When they groan and cheer and laugh along with a character’s foibles and incongruities and… um… hilarious impersonations of British actresses. But that phone call scene. In Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, there is nothing else like the phone call scene.
In the moment when Sonia — after decades of ruminating at home with her brother — finally is asked out on, and accepts, a date, the audience cheered. Whens she nearly turned it down out of fear and insecurity, the audience gasped in horror and dismay. They wanted her to say yes. They wanted her to say yes so, so badly.
Now that’s how to work it, Kristine Nielsen. For that moment — and hell, for that Maggie Smith impression — you win the Tony of our hearts. And you were already near and dear to our hearts anyway, as is anyone who first comes to our attention because they gave a pouty Ben Walker a juice box…
photo: broadway.com
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