Theater DVDs

Death of a Salesman (1966), Alex Segal (Director) Lee J. Cobb and George Segal star in this moving 1966 television adaptation of one of America's greatest plays. Cobb and Mildred Dunnock reprise their original Broadway roles as Willy and Linda Loman, giving exceptional performances--their portrayal of the Lomans' symbiotic marriage is remarkable. Viewers more familiar with Segal's comic work will be pleasantly surprised by his excellent Biff, and a young Gene Wilder turns up in a comic and sensitive turn as Bernard.

King Lear / Jones, New York Shakespeare Festival (1974), Edwin Sherin (Director) Brilliant performances from an amazing cast highlight this piece of modern theater history. James Earl Jones stars as Lear in this digitally remastered recording of a live performance in the park. The crowd reactions add a layer to the play by helping to bring the excellent production to life. The direction is vibrant, keeping both a reverence for Shakespeare's work and the importance of entertaining a crowd in mind. The astonishing supporting cast includes Rosalind Cash, Paul Sorvino, Rene Auberjonois, and Raul Julia, and a remarkable performance by Douglass Watson as Kent.

Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten (1975), José Quintero (Director), Gordon Rigsby (Director) Theatrical sparks flew when veteran Eugene O'Neill interpreters Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst joined forces in the celebrated 1973 revival of O'Neill's tender semi-autobiographical drama. In a towering performance, the great Robards portrays a cynical, self-hating alcoholic actor based on O'Neill's elder brother, Jamie. The majestic Colleen Dewhurst plays the earthy, gruff daughter of his scheming Irish tenant farmer (Ed Flanders), with whom the failed actor spends a soul-baring night of guilt-ridden confessions, tenderness, and absolution. Both Dewhurst and Flanders won Tony Awards for their performances.

Les Miserables - The Dream Cast in Concert (1998), John Caird (Director), Trevor Nunn (Director) The 10th anniversary concert video of the international musical sensation Les Misérables might be the best thing to appease fans until a full-fledged movie comes along. Or it might be even better, as feature films are often subject to extramusical casting considerations and this 1995 dream cast is superb.

Into the Woods (1991), James Lapine (Director) Fractured fairy tales of a darker hue provide the remarkable context for Into the Woods, which deconstructs the Brothers Grimm by way of Rod Serling. While the faces and names are familiar, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and company inhabit a sylvan neighborhood in which witches and bakers are next-door neighbors, handsome princes from once-parallel fables are competitive (and equally vain) brothers, and all the stories intersect through unexpected new plot twists.

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