A Moon for the Misbegotten.A Moon for the Misbegotten A Moon for the Misbegotten is a play by Eugene O'Neill. Set in a dilapidated Connecticut house in early September 1923, it focuses on three characters: Josie, a domineering Irish woman with a quick tongue and a ruined reputation, her conniving father, tenant farmer * Walter Kerr Theatre The Walter Kerr Theatre is a Broadway theatre. It is located at 218 West 48th Street and it is part of the Jujamcyn Amusement Corporation. The Walter Kerr Theatre was built in 1921 by the Shuberts in a record 60 days. It seats 975, and is located at 219 W. 48th Street. , New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. (through June 18) * By Eugene O'Neill * Directed by Daniel Sullivan * Starring Cherry Jones Cherry Jones (born November 21, 1956) is a Tony Award-winning American actress. Biography Career Jones is known primarily for her stage work, including her Tony-winning lead performances in Lincoln Center's 1995 production of The Heiress , Gabriel Byrne, and Roy Dotrice Cherry Jones is one of today's few great performers (and the only out lesbian) whose stardom derives from her work on Broadway rather than in movies or TV. The current revival of Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten was produced specifically to showcase her in one of the prime roles for women in 20th-century American drama. The play, O'Neill's last, is essentially a portrait of his brother, in the guise of James Tyrone Jr. (Gabriel Byrne), a dissolute dis·so·lute adj. Lacking moral restraint; indulging in sensual pleasures or vices. [Middle English, from Latin dissol actor who's drinking himself to death. Josie Hogan (Jones) is an earthy, big-boned gal whose father (the excellent Roy Dotrice) farms land owned by James. She prides herself on being "the scandal of the neighborhood," bragging about sleeping with all the guys, and her job in the play is to offer redemption to James, who, in turn, unmasks the innocent virgin who lives beneath Josie's bluff exterior. The play is stolidly stol·id adj. stol·id·er, stol·id·est Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; impassive: "the incredibly massive and stolid bureaucracy of the Soviet system" old-fashioned in its psychology, running on rigid gender roles and classic Catholic body hatred. And yet, in this honestly acted production, it has a powerfully haunting impact. The long scene in which James lies in Josie's arms and confesses his worst sin--that he missed his mother's funeral because he was holed up drunk with a floozy--becomes a stirring act of sexual healing. Jones is good, if a little squeaky-clean, as Josie. What's fascinating about the production is the added nuance that her real-life sexual identity brings to the character. Not that Jones "plays gay" overtly, but gay viewers can do the math. When James exposes Josie's slutty past as empty boasting, she doesn't seem destroyed but rather liberated to have her secret aired. It's possible for us to recognize her heterosexuality het·er·o·sex·u·al·i·ty n. Erotic attraction, predisposition, or sexual behavior between persons of the opposite sex. heterosexuality as the protective camouflage by which a rural lesbian learns to survive and thrive--an unprecedented interpretation of this classic American play. |
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