Thumbs Up! Betty Buckley & the Spirited Cast of The Old Friends Ignite Horton Foote’s Drama

The drinks are flowing at off-Broadway’s Pershing Square Signature Center, and The Old Friends is one party you’ll definitely want to be invited to. Horton Foote's never-before-seen family drama, which opens on September 12, adds a darker dimension to the late playwright’s vast body of work. And what a fabulous bunch of alcoholics he has assembled! The magnetic Betty Buckley, almost never seen on stage without a highball glass in her hand, manages to be both vile and surprisingly sympathetic as a conniving, needy socialite who throws tantrums, makes false promises and otherwise manipulates everyone she sees. Veanne Cox is delightfully snotty as Buckley's frenemy, a rich and bored housewife who taunts her drunken husband (Adam LeFevre) and flirts with any man in sight. Hallie Foote, who usually plays catty characters in her father's plays, is the level-headed voice of reason this time around, paired with Lois Smith as her mother-in-law. As always, Foote's language is truthful and quietly riveting, and director Michael Wilson makes the complicated family dynamics clear. Don’t miss the chance to see Buckley's triumphant return to the New York stage in The Old Friends, now through October 6.