This is star casting, for sure. Bradley Cooper, called by People magazine "the sexiest man alive," stepped into the role of one of theater's most grossly deformed characters, the Elephant Man, at Broadway Booth Theater. Surprising many, is how Cooper forcefully drives his interpretation into the heart with sensitivity and humor. It is a performance to be remembered in a play that is often cumbersome.
The revival of Bernard Pomerance's 1977 play tells of Joseph Carey Merrick, called John in the play. When Ross (Anthony Heald), sleazy owner of a sordid freak show casts him out, Merrick is rescued by a London doctor, Frederick Treves (Alessandro Nivola). Cooper first appears on stage as Merrick wearing only undershorts, standing stick straight. In the hospital, Merrick listens as Treves clinically describes him as being horrendous, unwieldy, misshapen with fungous skin growths, using a stick to drag his body around. Listening, Cooper's stance slowly shifts. He contorts his body sideways into a slumping stoop and walks on his toes, his mouth turns into a circle and he strains his voice in guttural grunts to somehow communicate the thoughts in his elephantine head. Later, he admits, "Sometimes I think my head is so big because it is so full of dreams."
Cooper becomes Merrick without makeup or prostheses and remains always believable. This second revival of the 1977 play is directed with a firm hand by Scott Ellis on Timothy R. Mackabee's austere set lighted by Philip S. Rosenberg's design. However, the book often feels like pieces of the puzzle are missing as it approaches romance, a Gothic melodrama, and a medical mystery. Nevertheless, Cooper's command of this desperate character, his openness to risk and striving to learn, drives the story through its often plodding segments. This is the show that Cooper claims he always wanted to play and, charging into it, he grabs hold of Merrick's emotion and humanity.
The engaging Nivola provides the multiple facets of Frederick Treves, the London doctor who rescued him and guaranteed his security until Merrick died at 27. While Treves is compassionate and dedicated to his patient's safety, his conceit resolves to make Merrick like everyone else. He introduces Cooper into the upper echelons of London Victorian society. Cooper develops his communication skills, charming the elite with a guileless wit and viewpoints. Ironically, Merrick is as much on display for the aristocracy as he was in the freak show.
It is also through Treves that Merrick meets a wealthy actress, Mrs. Kendall (Patricia Clarkson). Clarkson, in Victorian elegance by Clint Ramos, portrays Mrs. Kendall's sublime grace and stature that extends to welcoming Merrick into her world. They become close friends and Cooper and Clarkson are indelible in communicating their mutual understanding and the depth of their feeling. Although the characters were drawn from life, Merrick never actually met Mrs. Kendall. This is one deviation from Pomerance's text, but their relationship certainly adds to the dramaturgy. Notable performances by supporting actors include Anthony Heald playing dual roles as the repugnant freak show owner and the priestly Bishop How. Watching the hospital’s bottom line is Carr Gomm, played by Henry Stram. Each wants to direct Merrick's path in the hospital his own way, faith versus fund-raising. Treves suffering by his part in Merrick's life is played with eloquence and meaning.
Bradley Cooper shares the curtain call with the talented ensemble, not stepping forward himself. Nevertheless, kudos to him for a grueling, demanding performance, as honest and natural as it is polished.
