Mike Coppola/Getty ImagesIf you can, you must get yourself to New York and see Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield in the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman.
It is friggin' amazing!
Hoffman and Garfield are genius. My jaw dropped countless times as I watched these two men take on Arthur Miller's classic about a Brooklyn stockings salesman in the 1940s struggling to survive as he and his family fall apart.
Hoffman is said salesman, Willy Loman, while Garfield plays his eldest—and favorite son—Biff.
Forget about acting, because the production—directed by Mike Nichols—becomes so real you forget you're watching a play. Hoffman delivers Willy's disillusionment with a sweetness that's also as fragile as a stick of dynamite sitting next to an open flame. His occasional outbursts are sad as well as scary.
It's hard to believe that this is Garfield's Broadway debut. He owns the stage. At first he plays it cool, but I dare anyone not to shed some tears during Biff's final and most gut-wrenching blowup with Willy. It makes us want to see his portrayal as the web-slinging superhero in The Amazing Spider-Man even more.
Linda Emond plays it straight as Willy's good wife trying so hard to keep her husband from falling. Fran Kranz offers some needed lightness as Biff's nerdy high school friend.
Bravo to all!
While in New York, I also had the chance to see Ricky Martin in Evita. The singer doesn't fail to impress playing Che opposite vocal powerhouse Elena Roger in the title role as the late—and very controversial—Eva Peron.
Martin's singing and dancing is showmanship in full force, but he's also just so yummy to look at it. Martin's smile and eyes will have you at hola!