Other performances were strong in parts, but didn’t really “land” for me. Again, this take on Lingk – done this time by John Pirruccello – made me wonder if I simply couldn’t get the movie portrayals out of my head when watching this latest revival… but the legendary Jonathan Pryce is a fucking hard act to follow.
That’s not to say that it was bad. Actually it started off really strong and brought this kind of schlubby charm to the role, in place of the kind of slick, “coastal elite” energy that Pryce did in the movie. In the movie, you imagine this is a guy who is a complete drillmaster asshole at work but simply cannot stand up to his partner at home. That’s the essence of the character… hell, it’s why he fucking bought land from a guy in a fucking bar like a fucking moron: “I’ll show you! I DO have control! Ha!”
On stage, Pirruccello’s Lingk is more of a pencil-pusher in his day-to-day. His work-life differs from his home-life in a different way in that whatever power he does have is as a result of there being a book that he follows to a T, and that’s gotten him to where he is today.
Missing, for me, was Pryce’s full-on mental and emotional unraveling in the role of Lingk that was merely just “aw shucks i’m so sorry…” when it’s revealed how badly he gets bamboozled. Not terrible, but not on the same level.