OCR Text |
Show V tSSISmMMmiS 1 -r' ; "Joseph" provides food for thought S. Bryce Chamberlain portrays "Joseph ThTTr Seer." ' 6MaH by MARCELLA WALKER As the strains of the last verse of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" fade away and the words "of me thou hast not been ashamed" ring in the ears the audience sits in silence. There is total quiet. Should one clap or should one just sit and contemplate con-template what they have just seen and heard? Finally, the audience did clap but it was almost hesitant as if they I were afraid of breaking the spirit i that prevailed. They had just wit nessed the one-man show by S. Bryce Chamberlain of "Joseph, The Man-The Seer". Bryce begins the show in a rather off-hand way by coming out and talking to the audience for a few moments. He joked a little and then gradually began talking about the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith. He told a few incidents, remarked on the description of the Prophet and then began putting on his makeup, arranging his hair, dressing to look like the Prophet Joseph. All the while he continued to talk about Joseph. When he finished all of this he looked remarkably like the pictures one has seen of the Prophet. Mr. Chamberlain takes a few instances, some well known and others not-so-well-known, that he had found through his research concerning the life, the thoughts and the agonies of this man who was loved my many and cursed by others. He noted in the performance that he believed that the reason Joseph Smith wore his hair combed forward at the temples was to cover some terrible scars he received at the time he was tarred and feathered by a mob. Bryce spoke in the first person through the major portion of the performance, as if it were really Joseph relating some of the experiences, ex-periences, some of the thoughts that he had during the years just prior to his death. Some moments captured were humorous, others were explanatory and some were heartrending, especially moments recounted of his feelings while incarcerated in the Richmond and Liberty Jails. The quiet moments inside the Prophet when perhaps he felt that no one, not even his wife, Emma, really understood, un-derstood, were implied. This show is intent in spots and because of this children may not enjoy it as much as adults. The monologue sometimes becomes a bit involved, emotional, and perhaps is difficult for children to really comprehend. For those, however, who have studied the life of Joseph Smith, or those who have wanted to know more about him, this is a good opportunity to receive more insight into his character. The beginning and the ending of the performance are very different but each in its way makes the experience ex-perience a meaningful one. "Joseph, The Man-The Seer," will be seen Friday and Saturday nights, Oct. 5 and 6. The performance on Friday will begin at 8 p.m. but the one on Saturday will be delayed until after 8 p.m. for those who wish to attend the Priesthood Session of General LDS Conference first. |