It is Matthew Douglas, as Big Daddy’s overlooked elder son, Gooper, who most notably swells in impact, mendaciously scheming to seize his father’s assets while being spurred on by the excellent Victoria Elliott as his prim, avaricious wife. One can see in the fine details of Dacre’s production how the remaining characters are left on the precipice of a void. The critical point is that Big Daddy’s immense presence leaves a correspondingly huge absence. The published text contains the alternative versions of the third act ( the recent West Yorkshire Playhouse revival hedged its bets by incorporating elements of both). The playwright had reluctantly revised the work at the insistence of the original director, Elia Kazan, but was never satisfied with the suggestion that Big Daddy – the crude, bullish cotton patriarch who refuses to accept he is riddled with cancer – should make a conciliatory final appearance.
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