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Show Page B4 Thursday, November 20, 1986 Park Record 'The Tavern' is balanced on by JOHN KIN CH Record contributing writer Director John Flynn is balancing his production of "The Tavern" on a tripod. The play itself has three dramatic ingredients that are not often combined: com-bined: comedy, mystery and melodramatic farce. Flynn said his job is to make each leg of the play as long as the others and come up with a play audiences will find entertaining. "All of these will balance if I do my job right." Flynn said at the Egyptian Theatre before a Park City Performances' rehearsal. "And the audience won't have to think about it." Flynn explained that George M. Cohan's 1920 play (not a musical) has confounded audiences and directors direc-tors alike over the decades because of the melodramatic farce. "I saw a production of "The Tavern' and 1 think people were confused con-fused because it was played like melodrama. And that's wrong. I think I'm being faithful to Cohan. He wanted to play it straight and have the comedy sneak up behind you." Flynn said. fi-' ; i Vl Reduced r "Rates k$L Jj? h- J We still have miens to lean at reduced rates. Between now and December 31st, First Interstate Bank is clearing out real money for instalment loans reduced up to 1 below cur already low bank rates. Money for whatever you want: a new car, a vacation, home improvements, college expenses or even the orthodontist. Talk to one of our officers today. You'll find our service fast and friendly, and our loan rates competitive. Come get your share while the supply lasts. A rrcnDer o the Diane Englert, left, Lachlen French, David Melvin and Clyde Nelson will appear in "The Tavern," a mystery-comedy-farce which opens at Ttie Egyptian Theatre, Friday night and runs through Dec. 13. Our Clearance Sale Ends First First InterSaie system wh assets of mote f r ' J- '-J V! -v, ' - Loan Soon Interstate Bank than S9 Wot Mem be' FD:C Eaja Opportunity Lender comedy, I S I 7 J LCNOCR mystery Cohan's "The Tavern" is based on a melodrama written in the early 20th Century that was so awful that Cohan turned it into itself and created a farce, Flynn said. That is why the play has elements of melodrama and farce a play within a play, of sorts. The element of mystery figures into in-to the play because of the plot. A wide cross-section of American stereotypes: a vagabound, governor, gover-nor, sheriff and others end up in a late 19th Century tavern while a storm rages outside and strange events happen inside. Earlier in the evening the governor and his family had been held up outside the tavern and everyone suspects everyone else. "Who are these people and what are they doing here?" Flynn said. "That's the mystery." The vagabond character (played by Cohan on Broadway in the 1920s) like the Fool in "King Lear" offers insights into the goings-on and the most laughs, according to Flynn. "He'll say, 'Wait! This is a very dramatic moment,' to the audience during a dramatic moment," Flynn said. "He's always talking about the theatre, reflecting Cohan's philosophy." Cohan wrote a half dozen plays that were not musicals but Flynn feels "The Tavern" is unique in his body of work. He said the play parodies melodrama but not the charactrs who are drawn very warmly. Tirnvna Tesit Winner Joe Bruggman gets the (snow) drift We couldn't snow Joe Bruggman with last week's Trivia Test. The assistant supervisor for snow removal at the Park City Ski Area plowed to the head of the class to win a free sandwich from that purveyor of Trivia rewards, the Main Street Deli. Joe knew that Francis and Freelan Stanley invented the Stanley Steamer automobile in 1897; that Andrew Jackson's home near Nashville, Tenn. The Hermitageis Her-mitageis open to the public as a national shrine; and that the prolific Thomas Edison invented, among many other things, the Wall Street stock ticker and the Dictaphone. If you want to prove that the day of the free lunch is not over, just answer this week's quiz and rush your replies to The Park Record at 1670 Bonanza Dr. (behind the Dairy Queen in Prospector Square), or call us at 649-9014, before Tuesday at noon. 1. A company in Georgia, started in 1932. is the world's largest manufacturer of school buses. What is the name of the company? THURSDAY NIGHTS! run CTli SEAFOOD BUFFET -IT See "Simon's at the Homestead" Ad on page tor details. HOLIDAY VILLAGE MALL II Art Wed-Ladies & V Thurs- Men & r coMfor with mart and f V STEVEN SPIFl RFRfi00 845 " S iSltt T'"8UM: 1:20, 3:20, 5:20, 7 "44-40 DAI u utv.au - L i - SOUL MAN ilill -VMM III I I lOTaMMKM and farce 'He wanted to capture a vibrant picture of a cross-section of Americans," Flynn said. Another character added to the play is the storm. The production crew has invested a lot of time and effort into the special effects and the set, Flynn said. With sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning during dur-ing key moments Flynn hopes to create the sense of the storm as a character. The set has been designed by Erica Zaffarano, who tried to create lots of interesting areas on stage for the actors to climb over, under, through and around. "I think the set is important because this is such a physical show," Zaffarano said. Flynn added, "The sets for the last two shows have been fun but not particularly par-ticularly ambitious. This is ambitious." am-bitious." Because of the success of the summer's sum-mer's "Pumpboys and Dinettes" "The Tavern" was bumped from an August opening to Friday night, Nov. 21. Flynn is hoping that "The Tavern" will make it three successful suc-cessful plays in a row at the Egyptian. Egyp-tian. "I think it will be interesting for the same reason someone rents a Marx Brothers or Chaplin movie," Flynn said. "Good farce never goes out of style." "The Tavern" has a special half-price half-price preview showing on Nov. 20. It will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights through Dec. 13. For reservations call 649-9371. He's no flake: Joe Bruggman Brug-gman is a Park City Ski Area "snowman" and a Thursday morning trivia whiz. 2. Vaudeville entertained America for 100 years, peaked in the '20s and died when movies began to talk. The most famous of vaudeville theaters opened in New York in 1913. What was its name? 3. Radio station KPCW's new television simulcast has a big New York competitor for morning viewers: "The Today Show." The KPCW show appears on what UHF channel? - PARK CITY - 649-6541 Seniors $2 SENIORS Seniors ALL OTHER TIMES WHOOPI 5 GOLDBERG DAILY: 7:10 SAT.-SUN.: 3:10, 5:10, 7:10 l&ui - pg.i3iF;- r ( 1 v - ' ItM, SAT-SUN: 1:15, 3:15, I 5?g-3:18. 7:15. 9:15 J I |