'Tomfoolery'

'Emma'

When Lehrer takes on whole
ear, dear Attic. Always
genres
he can be wicked. His bal-
pulling surprises out of a
hat, usually of the saved-at- lad satires — "She's My Girl" or
the-last moment, hanging- "The Irish Ballad," for example,
by-the-fingertips variety. Closing are still as deadly as Brian
down Song of Singapore due to Schulz and Jean Lyle Lepard are
the underwhelming air-condi- deft and lively in rendering
tioning — would you really be them.
These two and Paul Hopper
back in a few weeks?
are carryovers from
Yes. And with a new
Singapore who carry on
show called Tomfoolery,
with aplomb. Paul Hop-
running in repertory
per, especially, shows us
with the well-received
streaks of madness, vi-
Singapore.
ciousness, sneering
Cool.
raised
to the level of art
And what of Tom-
— a crazed smoothie.
foolery? For those who
Joining them is a cute
MICHAEL H.
did not cut their satiric
and bumptious Lyle H.
teeth in the 1960s and
MARGOLIN
Brown,
whose befud-
'70s, Tom Lehrer was a
SPECIAL TO
Harvard professor who THE JEWISH NEWS dled and addled Elmer
Fudd-like hunter ("The
wrote witty, silly, pro-
found cabaret-like songs, which Hunting Song") is hilarious.
Maximum support has been
many of us knew word-for-word.
They were simple satires with given by Russell M. Schramm.
plain-Jane funny rhymes like His set design, props and hand
Valhallas and 200 dollas, misery puppets are good, and his tat-
tered hunk of mauve knitting in
and rotisserie, or
pigeon and reli-
gion. They made
fun of minorities,
majorities, hate
groups and hate-
ful groups. Some
of the songs made
their way to half-
fame on the fa-
bled, short-lived
television show
"That Was The
Week That Was,"
which was, in the
late '60s, sort of a
"Friday Night Left to right, Paul Hopper, Lyle Brown, Brian Schulz and
Jean Lyle Lepard take part in some Tomfoolery.
Live."
So, Cameron
Mackintosh and Robin Ray the Irish ballad is dangerously
adapted 25 of Lehrer's songs for close to performance art on its
a spunky crew of four plus pi- own. Mary L. Kapso has come up
anist (Lehrer's own choice of with some neat, goofy costumes,
self-accompaniment), and the including one brown plaid man's
Attic has hauled it out of the jacket that is wonderfully
hideous. C.J. Nodus tickles the
theatrical trunk. There is a
ivories and mugs when
bit of mustiness to some of
required.
Lehrer's social neuroti-
THEATER
Susan Arnold, who
cisms — the Cold War is
is
Rose
in Singapore,
deader than the Attic's air
was — so several numbers are has directed with enviable in-
exercises in nostalgia. Nuclear vention in the musical venue
bomb threats have given way to style: Take one blender, mix up
several styles, use mops, um-
pipe-bomb realities.
But the four plucky singers brellas and hand puppets, give
have a real nice way with nos- it a spin and make it work. She
talgia and with some of the sen- does. Seeing is believing.
Seeing is best, actually, as
timents that never seem dated,
like the line from the Boy Scout's Tomfoolery and Singapore, or
marching song, "Be Prepared": "Singfoolery," rub shoulders and
"Sliding down the razor blade of bump rumps through Sept. 8.
life." Does downsizing spring to
mind?

Rated PG

TH E D ETR O IT J E WISH NEWS

94

-•-)

E

mma Woodhouse
(Gwyneth Paltrow) is
a meddlesome match-
maker who would
make a yenta wretch. She
pairs apples with oranges,
plaid with stripes, and the
cow-eyed, mooning Harriet
Smith (Toni Collette) with
the "suitable" Rev. Elton
(Alan Cumming).
Though Harriet confides
she already has an "under-
standing" with local farmer
Robert Martin, Emma urges
her to seek a more socially
redemptive arrangement --
you know — status, upward
mobility.
Emma's longtime friend
Mr. Knightley (Jeremy
Northam) is appalled by
Emma's presumptuous in-
terfering. "Better to be with-
out sense, than misapply it,"
he lectures. He knows, Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match: Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow) is on a mission for
thanks to pragmatic mas- the simple Harriet Smith (Toni Collette).
culinity, what Harriet and
farmer Martin already know — is pale by comparison, perhaps by Who will woo whom? And who
they were meant for each other— design of the cinematographer will wind up with whom?
Except for the well-deserved
social class, intellect, interests and who has chosen to mutely light it
with
candles
and
lamps.
putdown
of the prattling spinster
all.
The film's early scenes play like Miss Bates, Emma is an exercise
But no amount of matchmak-
ing can compensate for lack of 19th-century paintings coming in English civility, with no one's
matrimonial qualities (Harriet's) slowly to life. The characters feelings really getting hurt for long
on one side and lack of libidinous speak Austen's pompous period and each character eventually
language, full of literary exacti- latching on to an appropriate
interest (Rev. Elton's) on the
tude and etiquette solic- mate.
other. Henceforth, we are
itous to a fault. All this
If you liked the previous Austen
treated to an Austen-
MOVIES
pretension would even adaptations, chances are you'll
tacious (Jane, that is) 19th-
ruffle Miss Manners' like this one too — only not as
century version of MTV's "Singled
Out," with Gwyneth Paltrow feathers. "Get to the point," she'd much. After all, who can argue
with Mr. Knightley's logic?
standing in for MTV host (former scream.
Director/screenwriter Douglas "Maybe it's our own imperfections
Playmate) Jenny McCarthy.
For me, the bloom is off the McGrath has not modulated that make us so perfect for one an-
Austen rose, picked clean by re- Emma's characters quite so skill- other."
1/2
cent, and better, film adaptations fully as the other adaptations of
Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion Austen's novels. But by now, we
—Dick Rockwell
and Pride and Prejudice. Emma are familiar with Austen's forte:

qs.

'N.NEM AN,

wiee;mr- k

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PHOTO BY MI RAMAX FILMS

D

