The Great Lillian Hall

Matt Roush says...

Jessica Lange could add new statuary to her two Oscars, three Emmys and a Tony for her unflinching performance as the eponymous Lillian, a revered Broadway diva struggling with dementia as she prepares to return to the stage in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. “I’ve lived my entire life in a place that creates illusions,” Lillian reflects, and the lines blur when she is beset with hallucinations and memory lapses as opening night approaches. (A ridiculous last-minute complication mars Elisabeth Seldes Annacone’s otherwise moving script.) In what amounts to a mini-American Horror Story reunion, Kathy Bates co-stars as her gruff but devoted assistant (shades of All About Eve’s Thelma Ritter), with Lily Rabe as her estranged daughter. Grey’s Anatomy alum Jesse Williams is the hotshot downtown director hoping for a mainstream hit as long as his stubbornly mercurial star makes it to the finish line.

What's Worth Watching (May 31)