I saw Common the day before and the male lead whipped out either his own dick or a good fake and pissed on the stage so I find it hard to believe the National said no. though neither Garfield or Tovey do the full frontal (sorry if this was discussed somewhere else). He's trying to wrench an award out of every line.
But he's doing Bill Hurt in Kiss of the Spider Woman. He's trying really hard and is huge step above Justin Kirk.
They know how to run the gamut and they need to be able to do bitchy when bitchy is written for them. Which made me think - the show should only be cast with gay men, or gay men who have lived out. So is Russell Tovey as a twisted stillborn kind of Joe (cute little bald spot as well). I think the Ron Leibman was perfect as Cohn the way we all imagined him, but Lane brings something extra to him. Lane as the other Prior Walter is pure joy and he, not surprisingly gets the nastiness of Cohn just right. His breathy affected sobs are among the worst. That said, Garfield's fight scenes are some of the best. It would be so much better if it were played seriously rather than for effect. I know there seems to be an 'accepted' portrayal of Prior as on this melodramatic, ethereal road to prophecy but I've never seen anyone pull it off. Saw Andrew tonight in the two-part single day run of Angels.
