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The Royal Family (Broadway Theatre Archive) |
List Price: $24.99
Your Price: $22.49 |
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Reviews |
Features:
Description:
Elegantly written by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber, The Royal Family had more impact in 1927, when its similarities to the Barrymore clan were readily apparent, but this frequently witty drama remains relevant in exploring the blessings and curses of life on the stage. An affectionate portrait of a multigenerational family of eccentric American thespians, the play draws its lifeblood from Lily Cavendish (a perfect role for stage veteran Eva LeGallienne), now in her final days and still yearning for greasepaint and footlights. Her children followed her into theater, but marriage now tempts them away, and flamboyant son Tony (played by codirector Ellis Rabb, channeling John Barrymore) faces legal problems from Hollywood. What's a matriarch to do? Rabb favors Ferber's familial drama over Kaufman's comedic precision, and the play mildly suffers from that imbalance. Still, its purebred pedigree remains intact, and The Royal Family lives on as a celebration of the acting fever that never goes away. --Jeff Shannon
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