A Slippery Slope
Meadow Brook stages Arthur Miller's
"The Ride Down Mt. Morgan.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News
T
choices that we made in the past and
don't want to pay for in The Price-, and
the greed that creates the illusion of hap-
piness in The Ride Down Mt. Morgan."
Directed by Debra Wicks, the
Meadow Brook production stars David
Regal as Lyman, Wendy Barrie-Wilson as
first wife Theo and Carey Crim as Leah.
The revised play did away with the
character of Lyman's father as represent-
ing the figure of death, according to
Mann, who asserts that the name "Mt.
here are two Jewish charac-
ters in Arthur Miller's late-
life play The Ride Down Mt.
Morgan, but their Judaism is
not important to the story line. In the
work about a bigamist looking back on
his life, the issues are contemporary and
beyond ethnic boundaries.
The play, which is being staged March
24-April 15 at
Rochester's Meadow
Brook Theatre, brings
audiences a revision of
what was originally pro-
duced in London. The
Meadow Brook per-
formance marks the first
time Miller has granted
rights to the Drama
Desk-nominated
Broadway version, which
starred Patrick Stewart.
The plot follows
David Regal as Lyman Felt and his two wives, played by
Lyman Felt, a successful
Carey Crim, lefi, and Wendy Barrie-Wilson, right, in the
businessman who drives
Meadow
Brook production of Arthur Miller's "The Ride
his expensive car off an icy
Down
Mt.
Morgan."
road. His two wives learn
about the bigamy while he
Morgan" is to recall the late financier J.P.
is in the hospital, and the confrontations
Morgan. He also points out that the
that erupt explore questions of value.
"Lyman and Leah (the second woman word "Down" in the title is significant to
what Miller intended to communicate.
he marries) are Jewish, but I think
"At times, the play is very funny,
Miller is much less interested in that
and sometimes it's very sad," says
than making a political statement about
Mann, who also references the use of
America," says Bruce Mann, associate
the name Lyman as having the word
professor of English at Oakland
"lie" at the core. "There is something
University. "I think it's a dramatic para-
rather funny in Lyman's audacious-
ble with social and political overtones.
ness, but it's an ironic humor.
Lyman represents the greed that we've
"I think Miller wants to say that
fallen for in the '80s and '90s."
America needs to realize that there are
Mann, who presented the paper
limits and we have to look for what real-
"Teaching Arthur Miller's Plays" at a
ly matters in life." ❑
recent Arthur Miller International
Symposium in Ann Arbor, analyzes Mt.
Morgan in relation to the Jewish play-
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan runs
wright's best-known dramas.
March 21-April 15 at the Meadow
"In each of his plays, Miller tries to
Brook Theatre on the Oakland
create an unseen presence, some force
University campus. Talkbacks with
that is at work in the world, and [shows]
the director and actors are sched-
how his characters respond to that,"
uled after performances March 21-
Mann explains. "It would be the
23 and 25 and April 1 and 8.
American dream in Death of a Salesman;
Call for show times. $21-$37.50.
the secrets that we bury and don't want
(248) 377-3300.
to bring to the surface in All My Sons
(staged last year at Meadow Brook);
Cer THE Zipl
John Tanasychuk, Detroit Free Press, January 8th, 1999
• Pasta Specialties • Pizza
• Steaks* Chops • Poultry
• Seafood • Cocktails
OPEN_DAILY = LUNCH & DINNER
OPEN WEEKDAYS
UNTIL 2 O& AM
WEEKENDS UNTIL 3:30 AM
Italian-American
Family Restaurant
Woodward at 9 Mile • (248) 548-5005
For original, outstanding art you must attend
America's #1 Art Auction
With Over 300
Custom Framed Works
■
■ ■
•Animation • Chagall
• Dali • Durer
• Ede • Goya
• Max • Miro
• Neiman • Picasso
• Rembrandt • Tarkay
• Alexander & Wissotszky
• Altman • Alvar
• Arkady • Bellet
• Cambier • Cambour
• Del Signore
• Dodsworth • Fanch
• Kachan • Kipniss
• Krasnyansky
Fall In LOVE with Art
Pr cc- owed h)
Congregation B'nai Moshe
at
Congregation B'nai Moshe
6800 Drake Road • West Bloomfield, Michigan
Saturday, March 31, 2001
Reception & Art Preview 8:00 p.m.
Auction 9:00 p.m.
PARK- 7i VEST
G AIL ER Y
Contact us at 800 - 521 - 9654 or 248 - 354 - 2343
All major credit cards accepted.
• LeKinff • Martiros
• Medvedev • Mouly
• Nixon • Perez • Picot
• Robichaud • Schiuss
• Schaefer/Miles
• Steynovitz • Treby
• Warden • Wood
and more...
Complimentary CcitJlorf.
Seriolitliouraph. De ,,ert Buffet
S10 donation per p,.rson
For additional information
please contact 788-0600
ti
14
3/16
2001
77