Classic

Kristen Chenoweth tells Jeremy Piven, "Stop eating fish. Do not ever sign on to do a Broadway show, my friend. It is haarrrd."



Thanks, Leonard!

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!

Speed-the-Plow

Things I liked about Speed-the-Plow, in preferential order:

1. Raul Esparza's fiery and funny performance. He is far and away the best part of the show. Somebody give this man a Tony for chrissake. This is worth seeing just for him.
2. Elizabeth Moss and Jeremy Piven, who are both also phenomenal, if not as absolutely pitch-perfect as Esparza. Piven is strong as always. Moss completely demonstrates her talent as a first-rate actress, but suffers from a character who is the least compassionately - or skillfully - drawn in the play.
3. The direction, which maximizes the biting energy of the play and creates a thrill ride for the audience.
4. The play itself. The above elements make for fun theater, but ultimately, the play is a little anemic and spends far too long indulging in (and mocking) hippie-dippy philosophy. Also, David Mamet's distaste for women reads a little too loudly in the script. Nevertheless, it's fun theater that's very well acted.