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Show . 4 'The Exile' fails in attempt to interpret history -The Exile" - Babcock IWr. ni vc , ...-.. . . 1 " MIU1VI J ! -1 he hxile - Babcock Theatre play ' by WILLIAM LONON SMITH Entertainment Writer It appears that recently the medium of drama has become an outlet to bring back the past, and history. It is true, the theatre attempts to make history live, but it fails so often that it's a shame it still attempts. In recent years the theatre has strived to recreate historical his-torical figures or events with such rlrnmas as "A P.itrif makes an historical subject such as this one fail as exciting theatre? There are essentially two aspects to this drama that present problems. Firstly, the idea that historical events need beautiful language to survive and advocate its significance more strongly; and secondly, that historical figures and events should be dealt "with simply. The first attitude is totally untrue and dramatically unfeasible. unfeas-ible. In this drama, "The Exile," McDonough has completely fo'r- seems extremely naive. This is unfortunate, un-fortunate, for had theplay-wri-ht been more accomplished in handling handl-ing his action we miaht have understood un-derstood why Trotsky did the things he did. McDor.ough also seemed unsure of his attitude toward Trotsky The view becomes confused, for the conclusion of the play reveals that Trotsky was thought of as a Christ-figure in Mexico!" However, according to the playwright Trotsky Trot-sky was also a ridiculous fool who had little understanding of his followers. fol-lowers. It is fine to include both aspects of Trotsky's personality in the play, but it would have been much stronger if McDonough had emphasized one side more predominately pre-dominately throughout his drama. Even the technical approaches "i 'his play had problems. The slide projections, though nicely executed, did nothing to enhance the action or How of the play. Even as compliments to what was going on around the world during j , i 1 World War II. it did very little, for many of the events written in the news-clippings were not even remotely re-motely mentioned in the play -m dialogue or action. Robert Hyde Wilson directed this drama as il he didn't know where to put his actors, so he had them move stillly troni one raised elevation to the next. More imagination and styhation could have been utilized uti-lized to give this drama more life; unfortunately this play had neither. , - - iui mc, "The Deputy," and "Soldiers," each making a statement on our present society and usually missing miss-ing its central target. Now the University has tried its hand at history, in Gerald M. Mc-Donough's Mc-Donough's "The Exile" about the final months of Leon Trotsky in ! Mexico City currently playing at the Babcock Theatre through Dec. 6. But failure is written in bold letters throughout this drama (if one can call it drama). Why? What guucu mat nis central figures were at one time "people". . .net beautiful language written in newspapers or history books. He has not made his characters "live" through the intimate medium of drama, rather he has shut them up in cages of language where they can neither speak or react like human beings. Certainly, language and diction are important; but is that drama? No doubt it is not! Keith Miller, who has the difficult diffi-cult assignment of playing Leon Trotsky, is given some magnificent magnifi-cent verse to recite and he does it very nicely. However, to recite is one thing and to act and feel the part is another. I realize many of the actors in this drama are not fully trained, but perhaps it would have given McDonough's verse more reality had his "interpreters" "interpre-ters" been more fully accomplished. accom-plished. It must be remembered that speaking with a foreign accent doesn't make a character. In his drama, McDonough has greatly simplified events in history in order apparently, to more fully understand his characters. Unfortunately, Unfor-tunately, neither technique works. He has simplied his actions to a point where character motivation becomes severely limited and his approach to historical actions |