0 0 0 THEATRE Oh where, oh where can Ramona's All-local production ponders the boundaries of theatre and the definition of reality, life, and love reality be? By Linda Gardner What 'is real? Perception of reality or reality of perception dominate Oh, Ramona!, the new play by University graduate student Naomi Saferstein. If traditional realism is your answer to the question of what drama should be and experimental theater disturbs you then you may not want to attend. On the other hand, if you don't mind your personal perceptions of reality being distorted and distracted in six directions at a time... Ramona Stone (Johanna Boor- man) lives a constant game of let's- pretend in a world all her own, a sit- uation which gets sticky at times as .Celationships dominate her life. Ra- mona is too caught up with her self, and this frustrates the two men vy- ing for her attention. She flits be- tween elderly gentleman Henry Horowitz (Professor arwulf arwulf) and teenage rap artist Luther Hanks (Mike Rubin). She runs from Luther's basketball court to Henry's house only to be pulled away by the trio of "girls" - and just who are these "girls" anyway? Jennifer Lynn, Megan Hickey, and Ingrid Fey play the high-heeled, high-voiced, neon-clad women who invade Ramona's life at the most inconvenient times. The play begins peacefully as Ramona addresses the audience from the safety of a wooden stool. But enter "the girls," and the stage becomes a three-ring circus. "We're having a party!" they an- nounce as they take over the the stage, carrying huge boxes. "Don't you wonder what's in this box?" they ask as they smile and scatter. The "girl" at the front purses her lips to the audience while Ramona blows soap bubbles in the air. And who is Henry Horowitz? A birdwatching grandfather, he pa- tiently plans out Halloween cos- tumes for himself and Ramona and at one point squeezes McDonald ketchup containers into a 32 ounce Heinz jar. And Luther Hanks? A basketball- dribbling, long-haired teenager who can't get dates "because girls can't see my face." He's going to region- als - rap regionals, that is - and -II Ramona has promised to go. But it's the same day as Henry's Halloween party. "Oh, Ramona!" But the most important question remains: who is Ramona? Her ram- bling monologues hint at the real self. During one she breaks into "Go tell Aunt Rhody" and relates stories about airplane rides: "The absence of sound, the pressure of being sur- rounded by nothing - that's what I think about when I'm in planes." Any detail can show up in her off- beat way of thinking. "If God were a man, I bet he'd be a lot like Albert Einstein... the Albert Einstein who was only happiest when his toes could breath." Her monologues also introduce an imaginary seventh character, Seymour Glass, from J.D. Salinger's short story "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" (recommended reading before the show). These long (but interesting) so- liloquies alternate with knotted spurts of action. Two scenes often compete for your attention at once. Should you watch Henry Horowitz talking to himself about birdwatch- ing, or should you concentrate on the Dating Game with Luther, Ra- mona and "the girls"? The choice is yours, but no matter what you de- cide, you may end up with a sense of having missed something. But that's the point. In real life it's hard to fo- cus on everything at once, and the dual action on stage underscores this. But the last third of the play makes all the head scratching worth while. The emotional conflicts cul- minate in complete confusion for Ramona. Distracted by "the girls," she finally flings herself and Henry around the stage in an ecstatic loss of control - only to stop in sudden silence as a dose of reality slaps her across the face. Luther demands her honesty, but how can she "have memories and make memories at the same time?" Oh Rapona demands effort from the audience when it presents two simultaneous realities, but the voices and movements reach a musical unity at times. Don't you Y N J .z 0 Y W -W I I iX XK XK XK XK iX XK XK XK XK XK XK XK XK XK X X X XXK X X R EK~K ' 'K'K'KXXK'XX X?$'KX S C - STAIRWAYTO-HEAVEN 340 S. STATE' f UPSTAIRS FROM TICES S Open 7 Days 994-3888, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XK XK iX XK XK XK XK 'K XK XK 'K X XK XK XK X 'K sometimes have problems cutting through the fog of everyday life or think that, you hear voices in your head? It's not realism, but Oh Ra- mona attempts to show a reality - and very often succeeds. "I want to Johanna Boorman plays the title role in 'Oh Ramona.' The Nation's Oldest Drive-Thru Since 1935 303 N. FIFTH - 996-9683 ---- - (across from Kerrytown Farmers' Market) A Moment in History: 1988 - $10.99 Get a case of MOLSON, LABATT'S BLUE, MILLER, LITE - $11.99 Get a case of BUDWEISER be real!" she cries. But is it all just a dream? Oh Ramona debuts on Thurs- day and runs through Sunday at the Performance Network on 408 Wash- ington St. Performance time is 8:00 p.m. with a 6:30 p.m. Sunday matinee. Tickets are $7 for general admission, and $5 for student and seniors. Call 663-0681 for more in- formation. WEEKEND MAGAZINE Fridays in The Daily 763-0379 PAGE 14 WEE KENAPRL8 1988 WEEKEND,'APRIL8 1988,