James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson Shuffle Emotions in ‘The Gin Game’
Charles IsherwoodOctober 14, 2015: Weller Martin and Fonsia Dorsey, residents of a modest retirement home and the sole characters in D. L. Coburn’s 1976 play, “The Gin Game,” have withdrawn from the world, willingly or not, and await the inevitable end with minimal protest. By contrast, James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson, who are playing these roles in the excellent Broadway revival of Mr. Coburn’s flinty comedy, still seem to be in their glowing prime, actors with long and distinguished careers behind them who nevertheless keep seeking further heights to scale. Scale them they do: Mr. Jones, 84, has appeared on Broadway a remarkable six times in the past decade. Ms. Tyson, 90, won a well-deserved Tony Award just two years ago for her luminous performance in “The Trip to Bountiful.” Although it won a Pulitzer Prize during a fairly lean period for American playwriting, Mr. Coburn’s play cannot exactly be called an Everest of contemporary drama. Still, it proves a sturdy, humming vehicle, its gentle comedy undergirded by dark emotional coloring. Onstage for virtually all of its two-hour running time, Mr. Jones and Ms. Tyson draw out all its nuances, as Weller and Fonsia bicker and make nice over a card table. These two superlative performers establish beyond doubt, if we needed any reminding, that great talent is ageless and ever-rewarding.
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