Saturday, May 14, 2005

IndieLondon reviews Philadelphia Story

IndieLondon's unwieldy headline, "Ehle and Spacey deliver dynamic performances that make The Philadelphia Story worthy of acclaim", is redeemed by their glowing review of Jennifer Ehle's performance:
Miss Ehle is very much an actress in the same mould [as Katharine Hepburn]; an attractive, vigorous persona who first came to my notice as a strong and very persuasive Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC’s version of Pride and Prejudice.

As Tracy Lord, she gives the same powerful performance, dominating her mother, a rather subdued, in every sense, Julia Mackenzie, and trying to control her wilful sister while fending off the insidious advances of her former husband.

It is the performance which saves the play and her relaxation into feminity in the last act was quite delightful, especially as she made you realise that the tigress may have put on the mantle of a lamb, but she was still a tigress nonetheless.

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