• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Monday, April 1, 1996

By Jennifer Richmond

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Of all the people who could play famous film and stage star John Barrymore, none are more deserving or could have played the part more magnificently than stage actor Nicol Williamson.

In his new one-man show at the Geffen playhouse, "Jack: A night on the town with John Barrymore," Williamson recounts the actor's shining star on Broadway and follows him as that star dims during his years in Hollywood.

Like Barrymore, Williamson has had his share of bad run-ins with press and fellow actors alike. Five years ago, Williamson, who was playing Barrymore in Paul Rudnick's "I Hate Hamlet," received some bad press over an unchoreographed stab he fed a fellow actor that sent him running off stage never to return. This spontaneity, integrated with Barrymore's classic personality make "Jack" a delight.

Williamson's portrayal of the actor is also delightful. He is so passionate, so energized and so in tune with the character, it's impossible to decipher where Williamson ends and Barrymore begins. The two are like one person both in acting and in real life.

One night, during a performance of "Hamlet," Barrymore got incredibly nauseated during the "To be or not to be" soliloquy due to some heavy drinking. So, he trotted off stage and threw up. One critic described the action as the best staging he'd ever seen because it clearly showed Hamlet's pain.

Although not nearly as painful, Williamson had a similar ordeal on opening night. The sound had some technical difficulties and Williamson stopped in the middle of the show to reprimand sound and apologize to the audience for the inconvenience. While neither Barrymore or Williamson's actions were staged, they both worked to make the performance even better.

Williamson also had on this night a little bit of trouble remembering his lines during the show. But Williamson's stumbling only works to create a more accurate portrayal of Barrymore. His flubs are so natural they seem like they were specifically written for the character because Barrymore, especially when he started drinking, had the same problem.

The play features a time during Barrymore's Hollywood years, after his career had started its downward spiral, when he was asked to do a screen test for the lead in "Hamlet." Although appalled he had to do a screen test, he has no fear that he will nail it on the first try. Unfortunately, the audition doesn't go so well.

Impaired by his incessant drinking, Barrymore fails the monologue once, twice, three times and runs off stage to find solace in himself and his alcohol. After giving himself an uplifting pep talk, Barrymore walks back onto the sound stage to give it another go. Rooting for him all the way, the audience is just as disappointed as Barrymore when his drinking proves to have gotten the better of him and he fails yet again.

This scene alone is worth the price of admission. But it's just a taste of the astounding performance Williamson gives over the course of the two-hour drama.

There are very few shows currently out there that can floor an audience. Nicol Williamson's "Jack" has proven it's one of them.

STAGE: "Jack: A Night on the Town with John Barrymore." Starring and written by Nicol Williamson. Through April 13 at the Geffen Playhouse. Performs Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday at 8 p.m. Matinees Saturday, Sunday at 2 p.m. For more info call: (310) 208-5454.Nicol Williamson stars in "Jack: A Night on the Town with John Barrymore,"currently at the Geffen Playhouse.

Comments to webmaster@db.asucla.ucla.edu