The Iceman Cometh

The Iceman Cometh

BAM's Harvey Theatre
February 17, 2015

Photo courtesy of The Goodman Theatre

The last time I read Eugene O’Neil was in college, 35 years ago.  I’d heard many great things about the Goodman production of The Iceman Cometh when it played in Chicago in 2012.  I got on line to get tickets as soon as I read it was going to be at BAM’s Harvey Theatre.  I went into the theatre expecting four hours of deep, moving intensity.  I was ready.  I was prepared.  What I got was five hours, so I have to admit that the last unexpected hour was rough, but great and powerful.  Nathan Lane commanded the stage and led a cast of eighteen actors, all who did a tremendous job of bringing depth and detail to each character and created extraordinary moments exemplifying the human condition.

The first act opens in the dark, shadowy backroom of Hope’s Bar, filled with pain and despair.  Hickey, Nathan Lane’s character, enters, awakening them to the realization that they are stuck in their “pipedreams” waiting for tomorrow.  His desire to stir them into action is infectious.  Act II is olive green and red and bright.  An upright piano is on stage for the characters to play and sing together.  They start looking at themselves based on Hickey’s rant, stripping away one layer at a time.  There are a variety of responses to self-assessment characterized by the assorted group.  Some fight it.  Some give in with conditions.  Larry, played by Brian Dennehy, holds firm, grounding them all in skepticism and obstinacy.  Act III is bright as the stage opens up to show the entire bar.  The sunlight outside the door at the far end of the bar is warm, stark, and harsh.  The characters exit into the light after hesitating, struggling, and wrestling with their own selves.  In Act IV we are back to the dark disillusionment of the first act as we hear the detailed truth of Hickey’s story.  At the end Larry utters, “Thank God there is no hope,” as all the characters dance and celebrate the comfort of their own despair.

I was very caught up in the yearning for change that Hickey brought to the bleak setting.  I believed him.  I wanted each character to face their fear and overcome their past.  Have their “pipedream” of tomorrow become a reality for the present.  Whether it was Nathan Lane’s hutzpah or my ridiculous optimism, I forgot the Eugene O’Neil I studied so many years ago.  The journey of the play brought hope to the inhabitants of Hope’s Bar.  I fell for it… and fell even harder in the final act as the conditions of these character’s lives overwhelmed them and firmly held them down.

Nathan Line in The Iceman Cometh  -  Photo courtesy of The Goodman Theatre

The production is superbly directed by Robert Falls, the Artistic Director of The Goodman Theatre in Chicago.  He has a clear understanding of Eugene O’Neil’s intention and how to get the actors grounded in the reality of the situation and setting.  The sets, by Kevin Depinet, and lighting, by Natasha Katz, give the actors an amazing space to create, explore, and get lost in.

Powerful and moving.  Detailed and intense.  This production is not to be missed.  Go in prepared for a full five hours.  The three intermissions give you ample time to stretch and process the material.  Take it all in and let the journey of the play take you into the deepest part of the soul of Eugene O’Neil.     

Domenick Danza