Morning's at Seven
Theater review by Elysa Gardner
It could be argued that Morningâs at Sevenâs enduring charm lies as much in the actors who have appeared in Paul Osbornâs account of four aging, deeply attached sisters as in the play itself. The first Broadway revival, in 1980, made a star of David Rounds, who shared the stage with Nancy Marchand, Maureen OâSullivan, Elizabeth Wilson and Teresa Wright; the second, in 2002, featured celebrated performances by Elizabeth Franz, Estelle Parsons and Frances Sternhagen. For this latest Off Broadway production, director Dan Wackerman has assembled his own posse of stage and screen veterans.Â
The redoubtable Judith Ivey was to be among them, until an eleventh-hour injury forced her to bow out, as Arry Gibbs, the youngest and only unmarried sibling, who lives with her sister Cora and Coraâs husband, Thor, in a house next to the one where Ida, another sister, resides with her own spouse, Carl, and their middle-aged son, Homer. The fourth and eldest sister, Esty, lives nearby in their small town, but has been forbidden to visit by her husband, David, a smug ex-professor who considers his in-laws a bunch of morons. But nothing can keep Esty away when itâs announced that Homerâa reclusive nerd who has inherited Carlâs crippling lack of confidenceâis due to finally bring home Myrtle, the mystery woman he has purportedly been dating for some time.
Myrtleâs arrival proves a catalyst for reflection and confrontation among the senior relatives. While all are en