Chris Pine Can Act!

I loved Star Trek when it came out a couple of months ago, and I thought Chris Pine was great as Captain Kirk. Does that mean he’s a great actor? Not necessarily. Put an actor on a stage, though, and it’s generally easy to answer that question. Chris Pine is on stage right now at The Geffen Playhouse, and let me tell you, that guy is an ACTOR.In Farragut North he plays a 25-year old political genius who’s working as the communications manager for a governor who’s making a run for the White House. Chris Noth (I know him from Sex And The City – you may know him from Law And Order – Criminal Intent) is the savy campaign manager. I thought Chris Pine might have some trouble holding his own against Chris Noth. Noth has done a lot of stage work and if you check his resume, the guy’s been working non-stop for years and years. But Pine owned the stage last night. He’s one of those actors you can’t take your eyes off of, and every single word and gesture rang true.

Farragut North is a fascinating political drama and trust me when I tell you, you’ll never be able to figure out how this ends until the very end. It’s one of my favorite shows of the year. And Chris Pine isn’t too hard on the eyes, either.

Farragut North at The Geffen Playhouse in Westwood. Runs through July 26. http://www.geffenplayhouse.org