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Show Thursday, March 7, 1996 9 twitch Brandon Becker tc&t 'cum- "timer- staged, but Nieman keeps them accessible to all four sides of the Ev effortless performance velous. A master of the audience. Unlike other theaters, Hale genall of its shows; erally double-cast- s the casts then alternate perfor- V q Outside of the family, the play only has two other characters: Victor Groves as the dorky Chris and the person who steals the show; Ben Carling as Bob, whose director David Nieman has done a good job utilizing the tiny space he has to work with. Every so often the actors' movements appear too - - cast has a tendency to waver at times, but their enthusiasm more then makes up for it. g As Sarah, the is Bowen young woman, Jennie of the embodiment hypertension. Though at times perhaps a bit her tantrums are delightpeople-pleasin- have descended into theatrical hell. But then you are pleasantly surprised. Indeed, you do not see a cock fight, .but you get to see a over-energeti- c, comedy in Salt Lake may seem about as unlikely as Babe getting nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, but hey both have happened. In fact, director Nieman and cast have done their research and it shows. The Jewish aspects of the production (and they are many) are handled with care and performed well. It's always great to be pleasandy fully spastic. In the role of her parents, Tamara Adams (with an obnoxious nasally voice) and Sterling Brimley have a nice repore together. The only weak link in the family is Alan Mangum as the brother Joel. He's like an audience member who just he watchhappens to be es everything but never gets fully involved. on-stag- e; surprised when you're expecting the worst With Beau Jest, Hale has done just that in the most unlikely of settings. Heck, it's better than a cock fight anyday! BEAU JEST plays at The Hale Center Theater through April 8. Performances are prices vary. Call information. Mon.-Sa- t. 484-925- 7 at 8p.m., for ticket wonderfully entertaining comedy instead! Written by James Sherman, Cohere are certain times when a person's first impressions can U be very misleading. At first, walking into the Hale Center Theatre is Jike entering a theatrical twilight zone. The lobby is like the interior of a country-styl- e family restaurant, and huge black and white photo's of unnamed old ductions adorn the walls. pro- Entering the theater, one is immediately blinded by the abundance of green: the walls are pistachio green, the carpet is dark green, and lord help us, the folding chairs incorporate both shades of green, Beau Jest is a Jewish comedy that deals with a young woman's attempts to please her picky par- ents. Sherman doesn't break any new ground with Jest, but has craftd ed a comedy in the Neil fun-fille- Simon vein: complicated situations, humorous arguments, and lots of one-liner- s., v , Working in theater iri the round, ails rHiMoY.'jff i is is si I I N CON CERT MARCH 23rd 7: OOP. Ml. OLYMPUSJR.HIGH 2217 East 4800 South - sponsored rbiSElirnii" Tt.rmni3IEiSBsTfci the nylons in part by FMlQp . e, Carling makes even the dumbest line seem funny. Now doing a successful Jewish mances. The pacing of the TuesdayThursdaySaturday Jest too. The stage is so small you're not sure whether you're about to watch a play or a cock fight, and the audience has so much energy you decide it is a cock fight after all. At the beginning of Hale's current production Beau Jest, when they blast Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" over the speakers, you are sure you is mardouble-entendr- MdfMIDnaCMi StMct CfMVpt $10 (801)467-849- 9 |