Ellen Burstyn Puts U.S. Acting On Notice

Ellen Burstyn thinks acting in the U.S. has seen better times. She recently told Reuters, "Acting? I think it needs some help... TV has lowered the bar. With quicker schedules everything is rushed, so the quality gets lowered."

Right on! Moxie used to be a superfan of Grey's Anatomy, but can barely even endure an episode nowadays. It's so disheartening to watch fabulous actors like Sandra Oh, T.R. Knight, and Chandra Wilson hurried through scenes, doing the best they can with what is essentially soap-opera material. Their transformative abilities keep the show at the top of the ratings, but it's too bad we can't see them onstage. T.R. Knight wasn't even available for theater for much of last summer because of press for Grey's in Europe.

About the state of Broadway, Burstyn said, "I am appalled. (I saw) a couple of things that were billed as good, but they were shockingly bad. I can't recommend anything on Broadway." Moxie wonders what she saw that was "billed as good," something that got raves, but may well be getting a bit stif and rusty, like Jersey Boys? Or one of Broadway's current best offerings, like Grey Gardens? Moxie's looking for an example of a straight play performance that's quite good, but... ehrm... well aside from Julie White, not much happening in that arena right now, is there? Perhaps later in the season Burstyn can find something she likes, with offerings like The Coast of Utopia, The Year of Magical Thinking, Translations, and The Vertical Hour. There's got to be SOMETHING transcendent this year. Better yet, maybe Ellen Burstyn will come back to the stage sometime soon.