JANUARY 8, 2011 FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS Michael Giltz Freelance writer and raconteur Posted: July 2, 2010 12:10 PM BIO Become a Fan Get Email Alerts Bloggers' Index 1 0 views 0 0Amazing Inspiring Funny Scary Hot Crazy Important WeirdTheater Review: Not So Grand Manner What's Your Reaction: Read More: A.R.</p><p> Gurney , Bobby Steggert , Boyd Gaines , Comedy , Kate Burton , Katharine Cornell , Lincoln Center , Play , Theater , Arts News THE GRAND MANNER ** out of **** By A.R.</p><p> Gurney At Lincoln Center Sometimes, a mildly pleasant night at the theater can't quite be recommended.</p><p> Such is the case, unfortunately, for A.R.</p><p> Gurney's The Grand Manner, a modest little comedy that serves as an ode to theaterin general and Katharine Cornell in particular.</p><p> It features a marvelous cast, some amusing moments, and just the right setting (the intimate Mitzi E.Newhouse stage) to squeeze maximum enjoyment out of very little play.</p><p> The set-up is quite winning.</p><p> Pete ( Bobby Steggert ) steps forward to describe his one and only backstage meeting in 1948 with the First Lady of the Theater, Katharine Cornell, who grew up in the same hometown as Pete, the decidedly unglamorous Buffalo.</p><p> In about four minutes, it's over: he waits for Cornell, she chats with him politely, signs his program and then he leaves.</p><p> MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2Smarter Ideas | More...</p><p> More Dead Birds, Fish Found Across The World Camille Grammer's Porn Past Comes Back To Haunt Her Elizabeth Edwards' Will Revealed Intestinal Parasites May Be Causing Your Energy Slump Rudeness Is A Neurotoxin Should The Leader Of The Free World Dress Like THIS? BECK IN TROUBLE? Dropped From New York Radio Station, TV Ratings Fall Thousands Of Birds Found Dead In Italy John Edwards Spokesman Denies Rumored ProposalLOG IN | SIGN UP SHARE THIS STORY Get Arts Alerts Email Comments Recommend 66K Like 719 Recommend 543 Like 587 Like 7K Like 520 Like 6K Recommend 32K But Pete -- the stand-in for Gurney -- admits the moment had such impact on him, setting the high school student on the road to playwriting, that he can't help embellishing.</p><p> And it starts all over again, this time with Pete dealing with Cornell's assistant (Brenda Wehle) who is determined to keep the star in a positive frame of mind; Cornell's gay husband (Boyd Gaines), who finds the young man comely enough tooffer him a job for the summer that mostly seems to involve skinny-dipping; and Cornell herself (Kate Burton), who agonizes over her performance and feels old hat compared to newcomers like Marlon Brando and yearns to have this boy tell her she still matters.</p><p> The set-up seems to cry out for a larger than life presence, an actress who never stops acting and chews up the backstage as easily as she does the scenery onstage.</p><p> Burton utterly avoids that easy trap.</p><p> Cornell is just as hungry for praise and affirmation as any star, but she's not an egomaniac, not a monster, not evena lovable one.</p><p> That sacrifice of easy laughs allows the play to actually seem like a play, rather than a vehicle for grandstanding.</p><p> Burton is solid.</p><p> Gaines as always is effortless.</p><p> And while Wehle seems more like a good friend than the lover of Cornell she is revealed as, Wehle has a sharp intelligence on stage thatkeeps the smallest of the four roles well defined.</p><p> And then there's Steggert.</p><p> His role is straightforward: the acolyte overwhelmed by his first taste of theater people but someone we must believe will someday take his place alongside them.</p><p> But simple rolesare especially tricky to play, especially when you're playing a nice guy.</p><p> Steggert is so comfortable onstage we're willingly drawn in to this sliver of a story as if it really mattered.</p><p> This actor, who can be as complicated and driven as anyone (see his Tony nomination for Ragtime ), delivers a performance of winning modesty, which is the only way a play as modest as The Grand Manner could work on any level.</p><p> I can't recommend the show, though it might well prove catnip for Lincoln Center's older audience, especially in its current setting.</p><p> But the chance to see Steggert ( next up on Broadway in Yank! ) is always welcome. **** I'm always fascinated by curtain calls: the endless variations on taking a bow, the attitude of actors ranging from shyness to -- my favorite -- the false modesty of those who love applause best.</p><p> In this show, I was a bit astonished to see Steggert be the last to come on stage, when one assumed it would be Burton, even though it's clearly his character's story and he is onstage throughout.</p><p> It was a nice acknowledgmentof Steggert's rising profile.</p><p> And the primacy of the star wasn't completely forgotten: Burton was the last to leave the stage and took one final, grand bow on her own.</p><p> Thanks for reading.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show at Popsurfing and enjoy the weekly pop culture podcast he co- hosts at Showbiz Sandbox .</p><p> Both available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.</p><p> NOTE TO READERS: I was provided with house seats to The Grand Manner during previews with the understanding that I would review the show.</p><p> Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz 1 of 5 Dylan Ratigan Free Market Fraud Sen.</p><p> Jon Tester Tester Pushes to Reform Senate Rules With Greater Transparency, EfficiencyDON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS HOT TRENDS MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW HOT ON FACEBOOK HOT ON TWITTER"black swan" bulimia "james franco" risd chair jpg mads mikkelsen mao's last dancer FOLLOW HUFFINGTON POSTTo Rielle Hunter WATCH: Wall Street Bull Crocheted By Artist Olek 6 Comments BLOG WATCH: Images Of The 'Beautiful Brooklyn Blizzard,' On My Modern Met 2 Comments Above the Fold-In: Al Jaffee Shares His Secrets 65 Comments WATCH: Gustavo Dudamel Appears On Jay Leno To Discuss Classical Music And Bieber's Haircut 7 Comments The Future of Playbills Rests in the iPad 2 Comments Like 4K Comments 0 Pending Comments 0View FAQ Haiku Reviews: Poetry, German Photography, Clay Gurus...</p><p> NYC Artist Olek Crocheted Wall Street Bull As Oscar Approaches, Swiss Filmmaker Wants His...</p><p> David Hockney's iPad Art in FranceRelated News On Huffington Post: ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Violinist Mikhail Simonyan WHO: Mikhail Simonyan, violinist WHAT: Debut as soloist with the New York Philharmonic WHEN: June 29 and 30, 2010 at 7:30pm WHERE:Avery Fisher...</p><p> BALLET: Esa-Pekka Salonen's Violin Concerto At New York City Ballet Since leaving his position as Los Angeles Philharmonic music director last year, Esa-Pekka Salonen has been a regular at New York theaters.Last fall he... 60 Pianos To Be Scattered Around NYC NEW YORK — Consider them keys to the city: Anyone who gets asudden itch to tickle the ivories will be able to play free...</p><p> Around the Web: 'On the Levee' is undermined by rambling structure while 'Grand Manner' has ...</p><p> Homage to Katharine Cornell in 'Grand Manner' Theater Week Theater Listings: July 2 — 8 Said the Playwright to the Young Actor...</p><p> Kate Burton, daughter of Richard, and star of 'The Grand Manor,' reminisces ...</p><p> David Thomson: the importance of supporting actors More in Arts...</p><p> Death & Dying CPAC Katie Holmes Harry Reid Wikileaks Pollster CES 2011 Twitter LA RestaurantsHUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS Advertise | Log In | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ | Contact Us User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc.</p><p> All rights reserved.Recency | PopularityART ED: 10 Nonprofits Teaching Arts Education To Kids Across The Country 5 Comments Comments are closed for this entry View All
