Two extraordinary actresses return to Manhattan Theatre Club in a vibrant new production of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes.
In a thrilling coup, MTC will present three-time Tony Award nominee Laura Linney (Time Stands Still, Sight Unseen) and Tony winner Cynthia Nixon (Rabbit Hole, Wit), who will alternate playing the roles of Regina and Birdie in Lillian Hellman's legendary play about greed and ambition.
Set in Alabama in 1900, The Little Foxes follows Regina Giddens and her ruthless clan, including her sister-in-law Birdie, as they clash in often brutal ways in an effort to strike the deal of their lives. Far from a sentimental look at a bygone era, the play has a surprisingly timely resonance with important issues facing our country today. Tony winner Daniel Sullivan (Proof, Rabbit Hole) will direct.
The play doesn't shift radically from one cast list to the next to the next. Mr. Sullivan's confident production doesn't deny melodrama, but it prefers psychological and social detail over Southern gothic fripperies. (Scott Pask's fraying, elegant set and Jane Greenwood's shrewd costumes, with ruffles for Birdie and a sleeker silhouette for Regina, also reflect this emphasis.) It asks both actresses to make the roles more than villain and victim, which the play allows. You might wish that Hellman had written the faithful retainer parts with greater breadth, but Charles Turner and particularly Caroline Stefanie Clay play them with nuance.
Nixon, though best known as Miranda in Sex and the City, has a rich stage pedigree and won a Tony in 2006. She invests Regina with a ferocious sense of ambition and heartlessness. She wins a business victory over her brothers but loses much more when she allows her husband to die and drives away her only daughter. Linney, in this iteration, has a much smaller role as the fretful Birdie, but she also reveals her stunning chameleonic abilities, downplaying her natural radiance. Daniel Sullivan's finely calibrated production, played out on Scott Pask's handsome drawing room set, isn't just a vehicle for these two fine performances, it's also a glorious ensemble production that crackles with tension and there are terrific contributions from Richard Thomas as Regina's husband and Michael McKean and Darren Goldstein as her two brothers.
1939 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1967 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1981 | Broadway |
Broadway |
1997 | Broadway |
Broadway |
2010 | Off-Broadway |
New York Theatre Workshop Production Off-Broadway |
2017 | Broadway |
Manhattan Theatre Club Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
West End |
West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | BroadwayWorld Awards | Best Featured Actress in a Play | Cynthia Nixon |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Laura Linney |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Play | Jane Greenwood |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Daniel Sullivan |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Cynthia Nixon |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play | Justin Townsend |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | The Little Foxes |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair | Tom Watson |
2017 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Laura Linney |
2017 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Cynthia Nixon |
2017 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | The Little Foxes |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Laura Linney |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Play | Daniel Sullivan |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Richard Thomas |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play | Cynthia Nixon |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | The Little Foxes |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical) | Scott Pask |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Play | Jane Greenwood |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Daniel Sullivan |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Richard Thomas |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play | Cynthia Nixon |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Laura Linney |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Play | Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes |
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