I ENTERTAINMENT

I GOING PLACES I

WEEK OF July 1-7

SPECIAL EVENTS

TOLEDO ZOO
2700 Broadway, Toledo, pandas
Le Le and Nan Nan, through
August, admission. 419-726-3272.
ANN ARBOR SUMMER
FESTIVAL
Today, Lubovitch Dance
Company, Power Center;
Saturday and Sunday, Wild
Swan Theater, Mendelssohn
Theater; Saturday, Sarah
Vaughan, Power Center; Tuesday,
Copley Dance Company, Power
Center; Wednesday, Uncle
Bonsai, Power Center; Thursday,
"Songbook Cabaret;' Power
Center; admission. 747-2278.
OAK PARK FUNFEST
Shepherd Park, Oak Park, Steve
King and the Dittilies, plus
fireworks, Sunday; "Art in the
Park," Independence Day parade,
Eric Rosenow Orchestra and
Wind-Chill Factor, Monday.
547-4000.

COMEDY

Since "Good Morning, Vietnam," Robert Wuhl's face has become familiar to audiences.'

Pool of Talent

Robert Wuhl didn't need a film to make
him successful, but it didn't hurt

RITA CHARLESTON

Special to The Jewish News

ou may not be familiar
with his name yet. But
wait. That's bound to
change now that actor/
comedian/composer/di-
rector/producer Robert Wuhl has a
featured role in Barry Levinson's
highly successful film, "Good Morn-
ing, Vietnam."
Wuhl backs up the Robin
Williams character playing fellow DJ
Marty Dreiwitz. And although Wuhl
says his career had been moving
along at a steady and predictable pace
even before the film captured the
hearts of audiences everywhere, he
does admit that "when you're in a
$100 million hit movie, it does tend
to open up a lot of doors?'

Just how did Wuhl get the juicy
role?
"Barry Levinson had known me
and was always very complimentary
toward my work," Wuhl says. "I had
auditioned for "Diner" a couple of
times, and even though that didn't
work out, Barry always kept me in
mind for future parts. I was the only
guy besides Robin for whom "Good
Morning, Vietnam" was developed. I
only had to audition once for the part
of Dreiwitz, and I heard about two
weeks later that I got it and was go-
ing off to Thailand where we made
the film."
According to Wuhl, it's a
misconception that Robin Williams,
or any other cast member, just ad-

libbed their lines as they went along.
"In fact;' he explains, "we all had a
script that was followed pretty close-
ly. There was structure and that
structure changed very little
throughout the film. What did change
was the interior of the scenes,
dialogue switches and things like
that. Most of Robin's material that is
improvised is basically the on-the-air
stuff. The other parts, where we're all
jamming together, is structured
although we were all allowed to play
with it. Barry Levinson is great at
that sort of thing. The director is the
captain of the ship and if he says no,
it's no. But Barry encourages creativi-
ty, and for that, enough credit can't be
paid to him?'

COMEDY CASTLE
2593 Woodward, Berkley, George
Wallace, today and tomorrow,
admission. 542-9900.
COMEDY CASTLE AT
PUZZLE'S
29900 Van Dyke, Warren, Eddy
Strange, today and Saturday;
Bruce Baum, Tuesday through
July 9, admission. 751-6010.
WESTIN COMEDY CASTLE
Westin Hotel, Detroit, Diane
Ford, today and Saturday; Tom
McTigue, Tuesday through July
9, admission.
HOLLY HOTEL
110 Battle Alley, Holly, Andy
Jentzen, Richard Chassler,
Lowell Sanders, today and
Saturday, Eric Champnella,
Chris Jakeway, Norm Stoltz,
Thursday through July 9,
admission. 634-1891.

THEATER

BIRMINGHAM THEATER
211 S. Woodward, Birmingham,
"Girl Crazy," now through July
10, admission, 644-3533.
SHAW FESTIVAL
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario,
"You Never Can Tell," and
"Dangerous Corner," now
through Oct. 15, "Hit the Deck:'
now through Oct. 16, "War and
Peace," now through July 31,
"Peter Pan:' now through Oct.
16, "Geneva:' now through Sept.
24, "The Voysey Inheritance,"
now through Sept. 25, "The
Dark Lady of the Sonnets,"

THE DETRQII.JEVVISH NEWS 53