'Damn Yankees'

E

0

dees." Thanks, Jerry, I needed
that.
Meantime, what's going on is
the swell George Abbott and Dou-
glass Wallopp (book), Richard
Adler and Jerry Ross (music,
lyrics) vehicle called Damn

music and an aching retro sweet-
ness. (It's set in the 1950s.)
It also has heart, as in "You've
Gotta Have Heart," "Whatever
Lola Wants," and "A Man Doesn't
Know," songs which echo some
of the great Adler-Ross
Yankees.
moments from Pajama
THEATER
Yankees is about a mid-
Game. (Alas, Ross died
dle-aged man, the afore-
at age 29, truncating one
mentioned Joe Boyd, who is given of the most promising musical
youth (he becomes 20 years old, comedy creative teams of the last
and is renamed Joe Hardy) and half of the 20th century.)
the opportunity to play for his
But since there are only so
beloved baseball team, the Wash- many plots to go around (here
ington Senators, to defeat their too, the devil's role is borrowed
nemesis, the damn Yankees. In from the Faust legend), the twists
return? His soul belongs to the on the familiar become impor-
devil. As in theater — unlike real tant. Yankees' twists are excel-
lent — nine baseball players in
antic, athletic motion, set up
by Rob Marshall's choreogra-
phy; sets which encapsulate
the '50s in a reverent, stream-
lined way by Douglas W.
Schmidt; and terrific costumes
by David C. Woolard.
Then, too, there are real,
sure talents on stage: Lola the
eternal predator/seducer with
a heart of gold is danced by
Susan Taylor; the manly per-
fonnance of Joe Hardy, base-
ball hero, is brightly sung by
John-Michael Flate; a fine
supporting cast shines, with
a special nod to Dennis Kelly
(Joe Boyd) and Joy Franz
(Meg Boyd).
Then there's Jerry, who
doesn't erase the memory of
Ray Walston's slick, funny
portrayal. He simply super-
sedes it. As I've said, he is re-
strained in playing Applegate.
It's not until Act II that the
Devil finally gets his due: a
solo song. It's a dandy, too,
called "The Good Old Days."
My favorite encore is when
Lewis finishes the song. He
comes back on stage, the prosce-
nium arch lights up with red
bulbs, and slightly abashed,
Lewis does some tapper's moves
with a red cane. And begins to
tell jokes.
After each one — I defy you to
find one that's less than a vaude-
villian's age or isn't funny — he
tosses the cane above his head,
The Devil made him do it: Jerry Lewis, right, performs his shtick in Damn
misses the catch, but neatly
Yankees. He is shown with John-Michael Flate (Joe Hardy), who's sold Mr.
grabs the one tossed on from the
Applegate (Lewis) his soul.
wings. Some ten minutes of
or less, within the confines of the life — there is an escape clause. laughter later, the stage is lit-
The theme is man becomes tered with red sticks and shtick
character.
Well, almost. For Lewis does boy, leaves home, achieves suc- and we are surfeited.
Thanks Jerry, I needed that.
allow us a couple of silly adlibs, cess, yearns for home and re-
a few forays into falsetto and one turns. This is, of course,
•®*)1
Q.k - ) 1/2
drawn-out, high-pitched "LAY- essentially the plot of Big with
the ages reversed. Only this one
Michael Margolin writes about
has funny complications, terrific
— Michael H. Margolin

arly on in the first act of
Damn Yankees, Joe Boyd
says, "I'd sell my soul for one
long-ball hitter." There is a
fiery eruption and, when our eyes
readjust, the legendary Jerry
Lewis is standing on stage.
Nice entrance.
He stands perfectly still as the
audience greets him with a gen-
uine ovation. After a few mo-
ments, raising his eyes slightly,
he just barely acknowledges the
applause. Which encourages it.
And so, Lewis, in what is es-
sentially a character role shared
with two other leads, lets on that
his performance will stay, more

the arts.

'Absolute Power'

Rated R

knows you were there. Not yet,
anyway.
magine that you are a veteran
Intriguing? This is the premise
thief and you are on the verge for Absolute Power, adapted from
of pulling off the perfect heist. Daniel Balducci's best-seller and
You've cased your target, a lav- directed by Clint Eastwood. East-
ish mansion; you know the ins wood also stars as the master
and outs of the architecture, and thief who finds himself on the run
you've calculated the timing to from the president's henchmen
pull off the caper undetected. Now as they strain to wipe out any
imagine that you've foiled the se- trace of evidence that might lead
curity system, made it in-
back to the White House.
side and have located a
Gene Hackman, in a role
MOVIES
vault hidden behind a
that almost fits him too
two-way mirror in the
well, plays the philander-
master bedroom.
ing president, and Ed Harris is
You are in awe of the covert the D.C. detective determined to
riches that an-round you as you crack the case at all costs.
stuff them in your satchel but are
On its surface, Absolute Pow-
alarmed as you see two figures er is a standard political thriller,
a cat and mouse game
with one mouse and sev-
eral cats. The film starts
out with great promise,
g but the conspiracy angle
soon becomes tired and
c) ordinary. It is then that
15
the film explores some of
the other relationships
involved and, ultimate-
ly, these avenues prove
to be the most satisfying
segments of the story.
The relationship be-
tween Eastwood and his
estranged district attor-
ney daughter offers a
subplot that is more in-
teresting, if not plausi-
ble, than the main story
itself. Similarly, East-
wood and Harris share
some scenes where East-
wood displays a depth
and texture in his acting
that has only emerged in
the latter portions of his
career. When the film
shifts back to Hackman
Clint Eastwood directed Absolute Powerand stars
and the crumbling facade
as a master thief who's seen too much and is on
of the presidency, the film
the run from the president's henchmen.
again bogs down in medi-
ocrity.
enter the bedroom, a young
Vacillating between sizzle and
woman and an older man. Flirt- fizzle, Absolute Power entertains
ing becomes foreplay, horseplay but not absolutely.
turns to rough play; you don't
.e00;
know the woman but you recog-
nize the man. Goodness, isn't that
the president? You brace yourself,
— Richard Halprin
uncomfortably knowing that you
are on the verge of witnessing the
most powerful man in the world
commit adultery.
As the scene erupts into vio-
Outstanding
lence, two secret servicemen
burst in, guns ablaze. You've ob-
Very Good
served sin, alright, but not what
you anticipated. No, what you
Good
just saw was murder, and no one

I

Bagel Barometer

Richard Halprin is an attorney

and avid moviegoer.

Fair

No Bagels

Awful