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Show Page C2 THE DAILY HERALD, (wuAv.HarkTheHerald.com), Provo, Utah, Friday, May 24, 2002 Stampede down to The Arlt' 'Expectations' well played to Martha (Marilee Spencer), who feels she cannot compare in Shem's mind to his own mother. Another son, Japheth (Scott McLean), is inventive and his wife, Sari-a- h (Stephanie Breinholt), is comically materialistic. (Her big number, marred by a quiet Betty Boop voice that doesn't register in the huge Barn, is an amusing reminder to the animals that their sole purpose is to sacrifice their skins and feathers to make her look beautiful.) And then there's Ham (David also the director), the bad son who doesn't believe in his father's prophetic calling. He has married outside the faith, to a black woman named Egyptus (Lisa Estridge-Grayleading Eliza to utter what is still the show's funniest line: "Noah, guess who's coming to dinner?" Cooped up on a boat, the family's issues with each other come to a head, mostly in song (far more palatable than the screaming that erupts at my house). Many things about the show have changed. Songs are gone, new ones are added, and the whole thing's shorter. In previous incarnations, the human characters had animal counterparts whose stories were also told; that element is now gone By ERIC D. SNIDER The Daily Herald LEHI After two runs and as a numerous revisions in between, Michael McLean and Kevin Kelly's "The Ark" has finally arrived. Artists are rarely 100 percent satisfied with their work, but I recommend 'McLean and Kelly step back and let this one go. It's finished, and it's work-in-progre- ss hard-workin- good. It is a pop musical retelling of Noah's Ark, taking place entirely on the boat itself. This staging is in Thanksgiving Point's facility known as The Barn, and it's hard to think of a better venue. (A cruise ship, maybe. Or an actual ark.) The actors use all of the space, including amidst the audience, to tell the story. The gimmick is that we are the animals on the ark, and as unflattering as that may be, y, I m ), the effect is that we feel well-manner- ed Trig-pictur- e' By ERIC D. SNIDER The Daily Herald What "The Ark" When: 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays through July 6; also at 2 p.m. Saturdays Where: The Barn, Thanksgiving Point, Lehi g; Tin-ne- intimately involved with Noah's family and its various crises. We're not merely observers; we're quiet, participants. Noah (Art Men) is the humble, altogether human prophet, supported by his patient wife Eliza (Elizabeth Hansen). Noah forgets how many days the Lord told him it would rain, because that's a detail. "I'm more of a person," he says. Their son Shem (Kevin Odekirk) is newly married IF YOU GO Cost:$12-$1- 8 Info: Call (801) 325-SEAor visit www.ticketmaster.com Running time: 2 hrs., including one intermission completely. But the greatest change is that it has been simplified. Before, it tried to tell too many stories someone can't forgive himself, someand one has low so on. Now it is pared down primarily to Ham's inner turmoil, but with enough attention paid to other characters' issues to give it all some weight. Bronx-bor- n Lisa is the picture Estridge-Gra- y of sass as Egyptus; her "Why Can't We" number at the first act curtain blows the Toof off the place. It is unfair to single her out, though, because all the performers sing and act well. This is a show of great humanity and beauty. It is sometimes uproariously funny, and other times uncommonly moving. See it now, before they change it again. Should you go? By all means necessary. self-estee- Grants available for Utah artists reviews determine funding in the disciplines of crafts, dance, literary, media arts, music, photography, theater and visual arts. Funding for these awards is provided by interest earned on a permanent artist endowment made possible through a 1991 National Endowment for the Arts grant. The Utah Arte Council awards Artist Grants twice annually. Since 1992, the Utah Artist Endowment has awarded more than $216,400 to 334 artists. An Artist Endowment The Daily Herald The Utah Arts Council's Artist Services Program is offering up to $1,200 to artists in all disciplines for professional opportunities. The deadline for the Artist Grants is June 3. Applications and guidelines may be requested from the Utah Arts Council at (801) 236-754- 9. Artist Grants provide professional and emerging artists with immediate financial support to further their artistic careers. Peer fD Campaign is underway to double Utah's Individual Artist and Ethnic Arts Endowments so as to recognize Utah's best artists with fellowships and grants. Grants and fellowships provide support for time, materials and living expenses, in recognition for artists' role as interpreters of our unique landscape and culture. For more information, contact Tay Haines, Artist Services, (801) 19th-centur- : or 236-754- 9 PROVO There are enough minor problems with BYU's production of "Great Expectations" to prevent one from loving it. There are not enough of them, however, to keep you from liking it. Liking it a lot, even. It is appealing in sort of way, an Every-Ma- n theatrical but not stuffy, and it tells Charles Dickens' story with style and energy. Adapted for the stage by Barbara Field and directed by Eric Samuelsen, the play moves quickly, with a few portable chairs and tables representing the y many locales of A England. garden is represented, amusingly, by a single flowerpot, and a rat puppet crawls around Miss Havisham's wedding cake, manipulated by an actor who hrilCATCD lll-4- ,t, barely hides himself. Most REVIEW4 actors play more than one role and also serve as narrators. They also provide sound effects, sometimes. These conventions, however theatrical they may be, do not keep the play from capturing its audience and transporting it to another time and place. Alas, the narration, which is abundant, often has the opposite effect. It is given in American accents, which sound jarring and coarse next to the British heard in the rest of the play. Nearly every time a narrator speaks, it jolts us out of London and back to the Pardoe Theatre. Furthermore, there is not always enough distinction made between characters played by the same actor. It is usually context, not voice or costume, that sets them apart. There is one awkward moment when a fast costume change makes it seem like MA. V ll JAREN WILKEYBYV Playing games: Estella (Amanda Scheffer) still weaves a spell over Pip (Doug Kaufman) when she meets him in the city in"Great Expectations" at BYU's Pardoe Theater. ; Jaggers and Compeyson are the same person, which is not the case. But never mind. If you have not read "Great Expectations" since high school, you may have forgotten how dark it is, and how funny it can be, and how touchingly odd the characters are. Those attributes are in full force in this production, which highlights the evolution of the central characters as much as the intricate plot. Doug Kaufman plays Pip, the orphan boy raised by his abusive older sister (Michelle Gibbs) and kindly brother-in-laJoe (Conrad Pack). Pip is a pawn for the longest time, manipulated by a convict (Robert J. Gibbs), by Miss Havisham (Nola Smith), by Estella (Amanda Scheffer), and by anyone else who can get their hands on him. By the time he begins acting for himself, it is only to be ungrateful and selfish toward nearly everyone who loves him. Then there is growth, refining and, ultimately, redemption all played respectably by Kaufman, who manages to hold his own in a sea of characters more colorful than Pip. Amanda Scheffer's Estella is utterly unlovable, which may be the point: IF YOU GO What: "Great Expectations" When: 7:30 p.m. nightly (except Sundays and Mondays) through June 1 Where: Pardoe Theatre, BYU's Harris Fine Arts Center Cost: $12 general, $9 students and faculty Info: Call 422-432- 2 Running time: 2 hrs., 20 min., including one intermission Pip, our protagonist, isn't that great a guy, either. Dickens wrote two different one where they endings wind up together and one and where they don't this script chooses the out?, come that is, in my opinio, less justified by the events! leading up to it. Among the other performances, Conrad Pack stands out as Joe the his relation-- , blacksmith seems with particj ship Pip ularly heartfelt as does Tony Gunn as Pip's eager friend Herbert Pocket. N. Hess is droll as : the Jaggers, and Nola Smith is down- - . right creepy as Miss Hav- isham. Should you go? It is flawed, but at times it is great indeed. .' : - Ben-jami- n ss , Jennifer Hughes, Endowment Campaign Coordinator, (801) 236-755- 4. n Largest First Place Purse Tournament History in Presented by BRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES I.T. UNLEASHED May 28th Provo Open KUTV Pro-A- m Amateur Competition May 29th May 30th 63rd Annual Provo Open May 31st Final Round Provo Open A-Flig- ht 36 Moles Medal Play & Professional Championship Divisions Professionals must be PGA members or approved players. Professional Senior Division, 50 and over Amateur Championship Division 0-- 6 handicap Guarantee Purse Paid To 13 Of Tournament field Professional Entry Foe orf PGA Members and Approved Apprentices Pro $275 Unaffiliated Non-PG- A 18 Holes Medal Play Amateur Championship Amateurs must have current Gross and Net Amateur Entry Fee Championship Division Amateur Championship For More -3- 73-G2C2 5 Handicap card 1 handicap) $50 $40 (0-- 6 Information, Calli The Reserve At East Bay CO! 7-- UGA C RESERVE AT EAST & BAY Contributions to Children's Charitie v y r Major Spons orsi ctrrv 6 PROVO Buy one pair of shoes, get the 2nd pair of equal or lesser value for ) :. 1 f?NUSKIN to i 12 price. v J Famous $3 Footwear. Brand name shoos for loss or visit us online Q For the store nearest you, call rfWsllotwtw.ua Clearance and gift cards are excluded. Some other exdusians may apply. Selection may vary by ikxe. Promotion valid trough June 1 , 2002. Online prices and promotions may vary. Bonus Buys, |
