Mr. Marmalade
In Noah Haidle's outrageous comedy Mr. Marmalade, adult behavior is
interpreted through the characters Lucy and Larry, two very smart children. Lucy has
a precocious vocabulary, killer skills in the kitchen, a husband who spends too much
time at the office, and she's just four years old! Her imaginary world revolves around
a too-busy businessman named Mr. Marmalade who never has time for the child who
adores him.
Cast & Characters: Michael C. Hall (Mr. Marmalade), Mamie Gummer (Lucy), Pablo Schreiber (Larry), Virginia Louise Smith (Sookie, Emily, Sunflower), David Costabile (Bradley)
Related Pictures
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Production Notes
Mamie Gummer, Backstage Magazine, December 2005
"When I read the script, I laughed out
loud. I didn't realize, until I auditioned for the play, how dark it was. Perhaps
it should have occurred to me that this is not the most digestible material, especially
for older audiences. But the play speaks to something in my generation: the feeling
of isolation and the media assault on our psyches, how television and pop psychology
books have become the barometer by which we measure our emotions and understand our
relationships. I'm an adult playing a child playing an adult. I also have to think
about how aware or unaware Lucy is of creating all the drama that surrounds her. I
think Lucy is delusional, but of course she doesn't. She's willing these characters
into being. I looked at small kids and some old home movies of myself, but generally
I did what felt natural. "Just wearing the tutu helped get me into character. I also
spoke in a higher register, and that helped."
Reviews
Talkin' Broadway, November 20, 2005
Gummer most successfully balances maturity and youth, seeming from beginning to end
like a four-year-old going on 35. Her squeaky voice rings with a harsh, knowing edge
that ideally complements her gawky, too-small-for-her-body physicality.
CurtainUp, November 23, 2005
The production is colorful and handsome and the actors do their best to rise above
the material given them. Gummer, if her resemblance to her talented mom can be taken
as an indication, probably has the potential to act a lot better than allowed for by
this role, especially with director Greif doing little to discourage her from
pitching Lucy's squaky little-girl voice as high as possible.
Links & Research
Roundabout Theatre official website
Review by Variety (November 20, 2005)
Review by Talkin' Broadway (November 20, 2005)
Review by The New York Times (November 21, 2005)
Review by CurtainUp (November 23, 2005)
Review by Entertainment Weekly (December 02, 2005)
