The Associated Press: Harrelson and MacLachlan win strong reviews for London debut (08/08/2002)
Woody Harrelson and Kyle MacLachlan received some rave reviews Thursday for their London stage debut, joining the growing numbers of American movie stars who have impressed London's theater critics. Harrelson, 40, and MacLachlan, 43, got a standing ovation Wednesday at the first night performance of "On An Average Day," John Kolvenbach's study of two brothers meeting for the first time in 15 years. MacLachlan's character returns home to find that his troubled younger brother, played by Harrelson, has retreated into a bizarre private world and is facing prison after pushing a gay man out of a moving car. Reviewing the play for The Independent, Jonathan Myerson said the pair "acted their socks off." "Harrelson's performance as Bob is magnificent, rambling and ranting, talking nonsense and making it sound credible, jiggling and trouser pulling, avoiding cliche but implicitly conceding that weirdos can be a little predictable," Myerson wrote. The Daily Telegraph reviewer, Charles Spencer, agreed, calling both men "terrific stage actors" but noting that Harrelson had the showier part. "Harrelson offers wonderful entertainment as Robert. The character is clearly barking mad and dangerous, yet the actor also makes him strangely lovable, suggesting a loneliness and an emotional need, which is deeply affecting," Spencer wrote. "For much of the play MacLachlan merely has to act as straight man to this motormouthed sociopath, but in the closing moments he reveals a depth of guilt and pain that is overpoweringly moving," Spencer wrote. Benedict Nightingale of The Times was less impressed with the stars. They "only occasionally, fitfully" make the audience care about their loneliness, and "neither of them strummed my heartstrings much," he said. Spencer praised young American playwright John Kolvenbach, whose writing, he said, "combines humor, sadness and the possibility of redemption in a manner that is all his own." In the audience at the Comedy Theatre was Glenn Close, who will appear next month in "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Royal National Theatre. The American invasion of the West End has been largely welcomed by critics with stars like Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, Matt Damon and Hayden Christensen receiving positive reviews. Madonna did not fare so well _ she was deemed to be out of her depth in her performance as an ambitious art dealer in "Up For Grabs". - Jane Wardell, AP Worldstream, 2002-08-08 Copyright 2002, AP News All Rights Reserved