Jeremy Piven, you so crazy! You come to Broadway all serious-actor-like, win rave reviews for your performance in Speed the Plow, and then one day you just stop showing up! And the only explanation you offer is something about having too much mercury in your blood!

A friend close to the production told me that Piven finally learned his lines *just* in time for press performances. Ugh, the hollywood factor makes things so predictable.

Seriously though, the best part is what David Mamet had to say:

“I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury,” Mamet said. “So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.”

Snap!

Review: The Voysey Inheritance

The Voysey Inheritance is one of the most surprising pieces of theater Moxie has seen this season. As soon as you walk into the Atlantic, and behold the ornate drawing room onstage, it's impossible not to think "whoa, here comes the 20-minute nap in Act One, we're in for 3 hours of talking." Instead, Mamet's new adaptation of Harvey Granville Barker's 5 act play now clocks in at 2 hours, and is snappy, zesty, and because of the ferocious performances, downright exciting.


Exceeding expectations once again is Michael Stuhlbarg as the heir to the Voysey legacy, one which happens to be fraught with upper-class crime, secrecy, and deceit. Stuhlbarg's performance is subtle and thoughtful. The wheels of his mind are visibly turning as he tries over and over to sort out legally the illegal misdeeds of his father. Samantha Soule is sharp as a pin and just delightful to watch, matching Stuhlbarg in the ability to let us inside the complexities of their characters' emotions.

So Atlantic has done it again. Moxie must admit, she's never seen a show at Atlantic she didn't really, really like. Tina Howe's The Bald Soprano & The Lesson, Mamet's Romance, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Spring Awakening, and now The Voysey Inheritance. Keep 'em coming!

The Voysey Inheritance runs through Jan. 7th at The Atlantic Theater Company.