Theatre Review: Alec Baldwin Is Unbound At BAM
I love Alec Baldwin. Now, I liked him before but seeing him at BAM’s Unbound: Alec Baldwin, I could not help but love him. From “The Hunt For Red October”, or as his witty mother called called it “The Hunt For Red September”, to the amount of quotes he gave me and my friends as Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock, I truly believe he is one of the best actors. Thus, I was excited to see Anne Sale bring out the humanity of this “celebrity” in a podcast/interview for Death, Sex, and Money.
It is always strangely wonderful to see an actor you like being a human being you would like, as well. Alec Baldwin is a charm and seemed incredibly approachable. The BAM event felt like a recapping with a friend over the highs and lows of his life rather than an actual event. From how long his divorce was to his love for his now best friend/ wife, Hilaria Baldwin, Alec has known rock-bottom as well as he knows Heaven. For a life played out in front of tabloids, Baldwin’s bout of addiction, childhood poverty, the “little pig” incident, and a growing boredom with the film-making process, seemed so casual. All these “issues” feel bigger in listing, and certainly appear so in front-page fodder. As an entertainment lover/ reviewer, admittedly, I, at times, expect celebrities to be as big and grandiose as their presented image. Yet, Baldwin is a grand guy who feels as “small” as the rest of us. He is just a person trying to figure out to be the best person he can be. How Simple!
Seventy-five minutes was this celebration in honor of Baldwin’s new auto-biography: Nevertheless. That near hour and a half went by too quickly especially, because we got to see how he created a character from the caricature that is Trump. From repeating a few “basic” big words to doing his mouth as if he were spitting on those before him, Alec described playing Trump as bitter-sweet. Let us not forget this is our President, to which Baldwin acknowledged that he knew Trump would win and that he is scared for the present and future of America. As he politically quipped, “he never knew white middle-class men were struggling” or oppressed, Baldwin’s wit was quick, intelligent, and oddly warm. He would throw questions back at Sale, in bantering friendliness, and truly felt, as one exiting patron put it, “reachable”. You felt like you could meet him afterwards for drinks and hear him describe, all day, the love he has for his family. Ugh! It was so sweet to see him become so instantly vulnerable at citing their names and their particular quirks. From his loving sister Beth to the dynamite personality of his three year old daughter Carmen, who claims to “protect” chocolate and not eat it, you wanted to learn everything about Baldwin, which explains why the line grew double, after the show, to buy Nevertheless. Click Here For More Information On Alec Baldwin And To Buy Nevertheless.
