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Show The Daily Utah Chronicle, Thursday December 2. Arts Four T H R T A E 1982 E Lab's 'Pediro' uses 0 soap opeira drannma forintelljgehf Michael (Dewey Douglas). Meanwhile, Joe's estranged wife (Louise's mom), Mary (Marie is having an affair with the by Nancy Bauer Chronicle staff Hurley-Newma- n) enigmatic namesake of the play (he never appears), a gardener who seems to be the only person from whom everyone draws some type of Original scripts seem to be in vogue this month. James Tucker's adaptation of "The Big Time" is on display in the Babcock and in the Performing Arts Building Lab Theatre, Pasquale Ferrari's "Pedro," which he also personal meaning. At any rate, once all of this is established, Pedro mysteriously vanishes, and the rest ofthe play is spent looking for him, seeing whether Michelle and Peter will end up in the sack together, and finding out if anyone is going to do anything about it or not. directed, is featured this week. Ferrari, who has written other plays but not produced any at the Unviersity, said it is a departure from his usual style and form. "This play represents an attempt to write within the e, restraints of the realistic three-a- ct in takes a central time in one that play place with and one main he said. It action," setting "deals with what people are doing to survive in the world they look for the answers within their groups as much as possible." well-mad- Despite characters which are stereotypes to the slut with the heart of gold, the liberated woman unsure of what to do with her newly found independence and strength, the their core discreetly charming bourgeois older couple, there are some remarkable performances. Reynolds is something to behold as Peter etc. Pretty ambiguous, which is the reason for the following synopsis: irresponsible, childish and wonderfully natural. His scenes with Jones, brittle and vulnerable despite some hokey lines, are beautifully tense The action begins with Louise and Peter Kinser (Ellen Graham and Roger Reynolds), a reasonably mod couple of intellectuals, being assistant professors at some junior college in the southwest, who are, respectively, hostile and Ormsby's awkward be hip are gently amusing. well-meani- relationship. The views are exacerbated by the fact that lately Peter has been mentioning a mutual acquaintance, Michelle (Nancy Jones), as he sleeps. Ferrari's naturalistic directing is also irritating at times. Characters are blocked completely for long periods of time, and several key speeches are given entirely to one side of the ; audience. attempts to ng amusing due to a few lapses into petulant, wooden delivery. And Graham is at her best when not imposing a blase sophistication which comes across as a total lack of feeling. It only makes one wonder why she is Hurley-Newm- Michelle, incidentally, has just completed an affair with Louise's father, Joe (Bob Ormsby), of the Kinser's good pal, and is the an is less standing by her man when it would be ridiculously easy to throw him out. fe 'BigTlme bog qu estiomi these questions as there really is no point to these constant struggles. The play ends in much the same way as it began, with everyone sitting around and drinking. The play begins with the German and the by John Ned Chronicle staff "The Big Time" is a play that is unique for number of reasons One reason is that "straight" science fiction is almost never a Englishman returning from yet another adapted into play form. Another reason is that there are seldom any premieres of plays in Salt Lake City Ellen Graham and Roger Reynolds in "Pedro," an original play written and directed by Pasquale Ferrari. "Pedro" runs Thursday through Saturday in the Lab Theatre. and balanced. Douglas' laidback energy complements both performances nicely, and ambivalent in their views toward their ex-wi- ' mission against the opposite group. They enter The Place, and the German returns to his "squeeze," a flapper from 1930s Chicago. The Englishman soon strikes up a relationship with ah English girl from around the same period. They and the others are soon joined by a woman warrior from ancient Crete and a creature called a Lunan. The plot becomes more complicated in fact very difficult to follow when the device that allows people to leave The Place is stolen and an atomic bomb is brought to The Place. This massive kink in the general scheme of science fiction or otherwise. For these reasons alone, "The Big Time" deserves at least a look from anyone who desires a night of entertainment If "The Big Time" is taken within its limitations it works quite well. "The Big Time" was adapted from the Fritz Lieber's novel of the same title -- by University graduate student James Tucker. Lieber has won several Hugo awards and is one of the top sic-- fi writers around, and he said he wrote "The Big Time" to explore a few questions about life. The play itself takes place in a bar called "The Place" that is literally an "out of the way" spot. The Place exists outside of time and space. As you can image, the bar attracts a pretty special sort of clientele, including a satyr, a Renaissance Englishman, a World War II German, a Civil War Southerner, and a creature from another galaxy. Who are these people and why are they together? Well, most of them have died and have been resurrected to join a group that things, and the group's inability to battle wages war through time and space, constantly altering the course of Earth's across time and space and change the past to save the future, as well as having their very existence threatened, provides most of the action as well as the plot. Those interested are advised to see the play for no other reason than to figure out the plot for themselves and decide if the questions asked are profound or simply sophomoric. Visually, though, "The Big Time" succeeds. The sets and lighting, designed by Megan McCormick, are interesting and provide an appropriate background for the characters' cosmic struggles with themselves and each other. The use of lighting effectively brings out the netherworld feeling. history (such as ancient Rome possessing an atomic bomb, or Nazi Germany winning Generally, the characterizations are World War II). Sound complicated? Well, effective. Lonnie Eschler turns a fine consider that some of the people have died performance as the Renaissance Englishman. more than once, and one hasn't really died at Also notable is Rodney. Montague's ",: all. ' performance of the satyr, whose Scottish And because this group has cheated life, as accent and love of drinking and wenching well as death, they tend to lose a sense of make him one of the play's more enjoyable reality when they constantly change the characters. course of history, and thus have, no real "The Big Time" is a play that you watch lives. of own for the entertaining visuals and characters, if their ' Unfortunately, certainty audience the Time" doesn't "The Big give you're not familiar with the novel, or a sci-- fi fan. much certainty either, with its matter-of-fa- ct references to the constantly changing history, "The Big Time" continues in the Babcock as well as no clear explanation of from where Theatre through Saturday, at 8 p.m. each are what come or these people really they evening. There will be a 2 p.m. matinee on this doomed are to Saturday. For further information call the doing, or why they constant struggle with a group that we never Pioneer Memorial Theatre box office at 1. see.This in its own way may answer many of , dyed-in-the-wo- 581-696- ol However, the deus ex machina conclusion is probably not any less plausible than the deadly weather machine on a certain national program a few months ago. True, "Pedro" is soap opera, but it's a classy, intelligent soap opera, distinguished by Ferrari's very fine dialogue and lack of pretentiousness. Regard it as the that it is, and you should really enjoy yourself. work-in-progr- ess Other problems with the script include the significance of Pedro, who was apparently important enough to have the play named after him, but not important enough to refer to him after a fleeting reference in Act III. And the well-maformat results in an incredibly de contrived ending, a real disappointment in what is otherwise an absorbing, witty, bitchy, domestic drama. "Pedro" runs Dec. at 8 p.m., with a 5 are available at Tickets matinee at p.m. Friday office and box Pioneer Memorial Theatre the in should be purchased advance, due to limited seating. 1- -4 Thogood.thobad,tho truth 'StosY : study in extremes possibly believe they are truly in love. Ball is the by R.A. Hoskins Chronicle staff Inc. has committed the most of theatrical schizophrenia ever crime stunning this witnessed by community. Their production of "West Side Story," currently running at Shire West Theatre, is an excruciating etude in extremes. When it is good it is fabulous, and when it is bad it is painfully ridiculous. I will confine my ravings to three prime categories: The Good News, The Bad News, and The Awful Truth. The Good News is that the staging, choreography, lighting and set design all work brilliantly. Choreographer Jayne Luke knows how to make bodies move, and the effect is exhilarating. Most notable is the prologue to Act One, and, in Act Two, the knife fight. AH the dance sequences, so integral to the general idea of the show, are exciting, aggressive and vibrant. F. Brett Hardy's set design a grim amalgam Walk-On- s, . . of scaffolding, chain-lin- k fencing and a creates graffiti striking backstreet environment. This, in conjunction with lighting by Brent Lefavor, conjures a stark reality where the players stand out in bold believability. Of the cast, the male dancers who comprise the Sharks and Jets are the best feature. Craig Call as Bernardo is true to his character throughout the show and exhibits the most honest acting. Tal Kuhre is thrilling as Diesel in the "Cool" number. Jared Davis', mean portrayal of Schrank is so real it is frightening. The Bad News is that the musical director Mark Ogden, and the conductor David Hunt, are apparently unaware of the fact that "West Side Story" is a musical. Ogden should be taken out and shot. Hunt should be sent to a reformatory for unworthy wielders ofthe baton. The "orchestra" is so abominably bad, so embarrassingly inadequate to the score, that it should be hunt en masse at dawn, and Leonard Bernstein should preside as chief 13-pie- ce executioner. Were the orchestra deaf, the conductor blindfolded, and the musical director severely retarded, the musical aspect of this production could not be more aggravating, grating, or annoying. Kim Blackett's Tony and Tanya Ball's Maria 1 suffer and languish. Their characters are underdeveloped and lack sincerity. We cannot more talented, the better looking and the sweeter voiced. Blackett is too boyish and saccharine. We never hear either of them actually sing well. The fault here is the musical director's. He has done little to strengthen or enhance the latent quality of any of the cast's Jayne Luke blew it when she took on the titan chore of directorchoreographer, and cast in the taxing role of Anita, Her perspective has deteriorated. Her performance grows tired. Too much of what should make this show work has failed due to neglect on the part of an overworked, overexuberant director and an incompetent musical director. As a result, a tremendously talented cast has lost out on what could have been a near perfect success. The Awful Truth involves an incident which ensued immediately after the show. As the audience, after furious applause, began to rise and take leave, a Formidable Gentleman made his way to the corner of the theatre where he approached a young man who had been unable to control his laughter during the rough spots in the show. The Formidable Gentleman asked the Young Man, "Do you attend the theatre often?" The Young Man replied, "Yes, Quite often." And the Formidable Gentleman spoke thus: "On behalf of the cast; the director and the management of this theatre, you are never welcome in this theatre again." A minor uproar ensued when a yoiing woman intervened thus: "Theatre is meant to evoke a response." The four or five intelligent audience members still in the vicinity cheered her on. I extracted myself from the scene as the argument began to simmer and boil. herself It is my contention that the Formidable Gentleman was out of line, and that his imbecile macho tactics have no place in a free society. His affiliation with Walk-On- s, Inc. can only be detrimental. If he wants to police audience response he should have electrodes installed in the seats of his theatre, and he can push a little button to evoke only those responses he, the cast, the director and the management desire to assuage their fragile vanity. Man has the right to live by his own law, to think as he will, to act as he will, and to laugh or ' cry his bloody guts out in any theatre in this world, especially if the antics on stage warrant it. ' ' ' |
