The Rundown:
Nathan Lane stars as retired Schick razor salesman Irving Sultan in the Broadway stage adaptation of Larry Sultan’s photo memoir Pictures From Home. First published in 1992, Sultan revisited old family films of his childhood and juxtaposed them with staged images of his aging parents. Playwright Sharr White transforms these themes into a Death of a Salesman 2.0 minus the ethereal dream sequences but still heavy with intergenerational drama and a dismantled American Dream.
Zoë Wanamaker plays Irving’s wife, Jean, and Danny Burstein, appearing in his 19th Broadway show, portrays adult son Larry. Set in the couple’s San Fernando Valley tract home and showcasing a breadth of Sultan’s real-life family film stills and photographs projected on scenic designer Michael Yeargan’s avocado-colored walls, Pictures From Home stumbles down memory lane rather than strolls, punctuated by three nuanced performances that challenge the meaning and value of family.
No Tea, No Shade:
In its opening moments, Larry speaks to the audience, setting up the theatrical convention of his parents’ lives. “This project will become one of my hallmark achievements — I know that’s not a modest thing to say,” he says. “Regardless, this isn’t about me, it’s about them.”
But in truth, Larry’s obsession — mostly ill-received by his father and ambivalence from his mother as she maintains a stressful real estate career after her husband’s premature lay-off/retirement — is reflective as he draws connections between how we convey our lives and the more complex truths (or fallacies) revealed when the film is developed.
The threesome banters and argues, Lane masterfully delivering zingy one-liners that would give Billy Crystal a run for his money. But that sharp, occasionally cutting humor provides a thin façade for the uncomfortable tension between father and son. Irving speaks of his mid-century migration from a 4th-floor Brooklyn walk-up to sunny California to establish new roots for his young family, the weight of financial responsibility a constant burden and source of stress.
Irving and Jean exhibit moments of forgetfulness, a theme explored in White’s previous work, The Other Place, but at other times are razor-sharp as their son’s work calls into question the traditional roles of husband and wife. At 1 hour and 45 minutes without an intermission, the trio holds attention despite the play’s cyclical family squabbles.
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Let’s Have a Moment:
Though not literal in LGBTQ+ themes, one queer-adjacent moment is sure to resonate with audience members. After Irving’s brother and sister-in-law move west, the father of two young boys is faced with a momentous decision: whether to stay in New York City or risk a new life. He recalls working at a British clothing store, where he was asked to change his name because it sounded too Jewish.
“You have no idea about prejudice until you pass yourself off as somebody else. As one of them. Irving Sultan was a Jew, but John Sutton wasn’t. The stuff I’d hear people say about Jews was hard to believe and even harder to take,” says Irving. “I wanted to punch people right in the nose, but where would that get me? I had a wife and two kids. So I had to accept their stupidity. The whole thing made me sick.”
Jean recalls a dinner shortly after with friends, where someone says, “Cut the talk. If you think it’s so great out West, do something about it.” Irving quits and buys a one-way train ticket to California to begin a new life for himself and his family.
The Last Word:
Lane, who came out publicly in 1999, has been a force onstage since his Broadway debut more than 40 years ago. “They’re all fighting to tell their own story, and certainly Irv is fighting to protect this fantasy of his success,” Lane told the New York Times of his current project.
But the 67-year-old’s success is no fantasy for fans who have watched his career evolve from high comedy (The Producers, It’s Only a Play) to emotionally charged drama (Angels in America). This latest chapter in a storied career that has also encompassed television and film, while not picture-perfect, offers audiences another opportunity to witness one of the great actors of our generation.
Pictures From Home plays on Broadway at Studio 54 through April 30, 2023.
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