A fabulous ensemble guides this videotaped production of the 1980 Broadway revival of the 1939 flop play that became a surprise hit Maureen O'Sullivan, Elizabeth Wilson, Teresa Wright and Kate Reid are four aging sisters who have always seemingly gotten along and three of them in supposedly happy marriages. But for four women in their 60's, their years hide a lot of secrets and resentments, and with one of the family offspring planning to get married, what better time for all that to come out?
I saw the 2002 Broadway revival of this, with the equivalent of four other superb Broadway theater stars, so to discover this version is a treat. The single set (the backyard supposedly of two adjacent houses where three of the sisters live, two with their husbands, the other a spinster) has them all together for nice evenings out, but birds chirping and sunshine are not properly representative of the issues going on.
Russell Nype, as O'Sullivan's uppity professor husband, pops in for one of those evenings, and announces that as owner of their house down the street, he's kicking his estranged wife upstairs and demands that when the sisters visit, they keep their voices down. Other major issues ensue, and it's obvious that this family is endanger of permanent estrangement.
Solid performances by the great ensemble introduces me to some Broadway character actors I sadly never got to see. It's a shame that the Showtime on Broadway series didn't last long because they chose shows that were most likely not going to get filmed. The family homes remind me of those classic Country Time lemonade and Pepperidge Farms commercials, with the type of drama most families like this desperately tried to hide in their backyards. The opening credits includes a song that includes the line of my intro in its lyrics. Bittersweet but nostalgic, and thankfully preserved forever.
I saw the 2002 Broadway revival of this, with the equivalent of four other superb Broadway theater stars, so to discover this version is a treat. The single set (the backyard supposedly of two adjacent houses where three of the sisters live, two with their husbands, the other a spinster) has them all together for nice evenings out, but birds chirping and sunshine are not properly representative of the issues going on.
Russell Nype, as O'Sullivan's uppity professor husband, pops in for one of those evenings, and announces that as owner of their house down the street, he's kicking his estranged wife upstairs and demands that when the sisters visit, they keep their voices down. Other major issues ensue, and it's obvious that this family is endanger of permanent estrangement.
Solid performances by the great ensemble introduces me to some Broadway character actors I sadly never got to see. It's a shame that the Showtime on Broadway series didn't last long because they chose shows that were most likely not going to get filmed. The family homes remind me of those classic Country Time lemonade and Pepperidge Farms commercials, with the type of drama most families like this desperately tried to hide in their backyards. The opening credits includes a song that includes the line of my intro in its lyrics. Bittersweet but nostalgic, and thankfully preserved forever.
