It should go without saying that seeing Denzel Washington perform live is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. One of the absolute highlights of this year's Broadway season is his 20-minute monologue near the end of The Iceman Cometh. It's, quite simply, breathtaking.
Going with the theme of long plays this season, the run time for The Iceman Cometh is 3 hours and 40 minutes (with two and a half intermissions)...but it certainly doesn't feel like it when you're in the theater. This story of extreme alcoholism and souls hanging onto life by a thread in a 1912 NYC saloon is one of the touchstones of classic American plays, so you can imagine the writing just doesn't get much better than this. That, along with the fact that it's performed by two-time Oscar winners and more than 10 other terrific actors, means the last thing you'll want is for it to end.
Photos: Julieta Cervantes
Special shoutout to David Morse (you'll recognize him from TV and movies, Google him), who plays a guy who really doesn't want to wake up the next day. Another shoutout to Tony-winner Frank Wood, whose performance as a washed-up British officer is hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. And, you won't soon forget the moments when Michael Potts' (The Wire's Brother Mouzone) steals not one, but two, delicious scenes that stun the audience both times.
The Iceman Cometh on Broadway is superb theater that is definitely worth your time.
Runs through July 1.