Two-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook) returns to Broadway in Bernard Pomerance's Tony Award-winning classic THE ELEPHANT MAN. Directed by Tony nominee Scott Ellis, THE ELEPHANT MAN is one of the hottest productions to emerge from the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival, where it had theatergoers lining up hours ahead of time in the hopes of securing a ticket. This extremely limited engagement also stars Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Patricia Clarkson ("Six Feet Under") and Alessandro Nivola (American Hustle).
Based on the real life of Joseph Merrick, THE ELEPHANT MAN tells the story of a 19th-century British man (Cooper) who became a star of the traveling freak show circuit. When the renowned Dr. Treves (Nivola) takes Merrick under his care, he is astonished by the man's brilliant intelligence, unshakable faith and, most of all, his resounding desire for love and understanding. He introduces Merrick to the beautiful actress Mrs. Kendal (Clarkson), who is deeply touched by this pure and genuine soul. As a complex friendship blossoms among the three, Treves and Kendal struggle to protect Merrick from a world of questionable intentions... and so begins a story of love as unique as "The Elephant Man" himself.
The Booth Theatre is one of Broadway's most intimate venues and seating is limited.
Advance purchase is highly recommended.
There's nothing subtle about the conceit, but it still works four decades later. And the credit for that belongs to Cooper, who was nominated for Oscars for 'Silver Linings Playbook' and 'American Hustle.' To reflect Merrick's physical ravages, the Hollywood A-lister twists and holds his body in punishing positions. For two hours, he forges his mouth into a misshapen O and labors to speak. Grim stuff. But the production boasts ample humor, largely due to Cooper's delivery.
As Peter Pan is traditionally portrayed by a gamine actress, and Hairspray's Edna Turnblad by a chunky actor, theatrical tradition dictates that John Merrick, the grotesquely deformed title character of Bernard Pomerance's The Elephant Man, be embodied by an extremely handsome, seminude star eager to demonstrate his stage chops. (Among those who have played Merrick on Broadway since Philip Anglim created the role in 1979 are David Bowie, Mark Hamill, and Billy Crudup.) In the new revival, based on the 2012 Williamstown Theatre Festival production, Bradley Cooper more than qualifies: He is extremely handsome, he is seminude (at least part of the time), and not only demonstrates but proves those chops.
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