Page 8-The Michigan Daily- Monday, April 13, 1992 Reitman, Grodin . . join the doghouse Beethoven dir. Brian Levant by Michelle Phillip The state of the economy has put Hollywood in dire straits. It's really a shame that money-grubbing pro- ducers like Ivan Reitman can un- leash all kinds of crap onto an un- suspecting public. But what's even more of a shame is that Reitman can waste talented actors. Whatever hap- pened to the concept of the starving artist? Charles Grodin goes whoring for dollars in Beethoven, the latest piece of fluff from the Reitman crap fac- tory. Grodin is George Newton, an average middle-class guy with an average family. One day, his chil- dren find a cute puppy. George doesn't like pets, yet the kids beg and plead with him to keep the puppy. George agrees, but only until the puppy's rightful owners are found. As you've guessed, Beetho- ven stays with the Newton family and grows happily into a 185-pound St. Bernard. After this (ten minutes of the film), Beethoven collapses, because every joke and sight gag revolves around Beethoven getting into ev- erything George likes. George likes chocolate chip cookies; Beethoven Student actors and playwrights get their kicks in Playfest '92 by Rona Kobell .6Sometimes you really need to hear that your work is good. And sometimes you really need to hear that it sucks," states senior Steve Kleinman, an actor in Play- fest '92. In a course titled Theater 427: Playwriting Towards Production, student writers, actors, directors and pro- ducers are the feedback they really need. This class, which is co-taught by Theater professors Oyamo and Kate Mendeloff, offers selected students a unique op- portunity to put their words into action. Prior to registration Winter term, many aspiring playwrights submitted manuscripts to Oyamo. He chose only seven students. In addition, the two teachers sought seven appropriate directors. Other members of the class are involved predominantly in acting or pro- duction techniques, but each student invests more than the average credit hour in the class. Their concerted efforts paid off last week at Playfest 92, a week-long festival in the Arena Theatre. The pro- gram showcased the final productions of the seven pol- ished plays. "The final product is about collaboration," explains Mendeloff. "There is a lot of commitment on the part of everyone involved." Senior Sara Margulus, publicity director for the class, agrees. She says that the students rehearsed their parts well into the early morning hours on some days. "This course takes dedication and commitment that extends way beyond time actually spent in class." Although playwriting and production encompass a majority of these students' waking hours, they don't seem to object. "It has been a lucky break," says senior David Slater. "I'm glad I got Oyamo a script." Slater's talent may gamer him another "lucky break" this fall - the Buckham Alley Theatre in Flint is considering pro- ducing his philosophical comedy Gods and Cats. While Slater and other writers concentrate on one discipline, other students fluctuate between acting, di- recting, producing and technical work. Theater 427 has allowed sophomore Jason Frank to combine all these ta- lents. "This has been a great opportunity to see all facets of theater production," Frank says. His own play, Pick a Line, is about a recently deceased man who must blindly choose, between one line bound for heaven and another leading into Hell. "(The Playfest) has been the highlight of my four years," says senior playwright Will Curl with a smile. Curl's Get Your Kicks hit the public stage last Tuesday. The script, which is full of riveting one-liners by the two main characters, tells the story of a young man named Mike who becomes enchanted with the possibil- ity of taking off to find perpetual bliss on the never- ending highway known as Route 66. The problem, as Mike's girlfriend (played excep- tionally well by senior Jessie Bernard) explains, is that Curl agrees that there is an implicit tension in Mike's quest for the nonexistent road, as well as in the cultural manifestations of the American dream. Route 66 doesn't exist anymore. It has been replaced by the choppy Interstate, on which you're "going, going, going, and never getting anywhere you want to be." Kleinman plays the non-practical Mike. His perfor- mance captures the essence of the American dream and one's inability to attain it. Although he seems at ease in this role, Kleinman sees some tension between Mike's ideas and his own. "Mike is fundamentally confused. He wants to leave but he can't go alone. Alone is the only way I would go," he says. Curl agrees that there is an implicit tension in Mike's quest for the nonexistent road, as well as in the cultural manifestations of the American dream - the quin- tessential "go West, young man" Westerns of the classic Hollywood cinema. "Mike is searching for the America that used to be but never was," Curl asserts. "Route 66 may have been the lifeline of America, but it was not the best of roads. Mike has a romantic vision, just as many of us have a romantic vision of America." Will Theater 427 be the end of the road for Curl and his fellow playwrights? Will their visions of success dwindle, or intensify? Based on the arsenal of talent students have displayed during Playfest '92, it is quite possible that we'll meet them on a bigger stage some- where down the road. Oh Charles Grodin , how low you've sunk. You've acted with Bobby De Niro, with Goldie Hawn. You coulda beena contender. Forget it now, you dog. eats his cookies. George wants to go to sleep; Beethoven is in his bed. And on and on. Actually, some jokes could have been funny, but for some reason, screenwriters Edmond Dantes and Amy Holden Jones seem to think that we won't laugh unless the dog plays an integral part in the joke. Beethoven does try to exhibit a serious side. Dr. Herman Varnick (Dean Jones) is an illegal animal re- searcher, who wants to do testing on dogs. Guess what? He wants to give Beethoven his serum. But this side plot doesn't add any depth to the film. Jones's evil grinning and goofy faces just compound the cartoonish quality of the film. A sad footnote: Beethoven is the number three film in the country. I guess Reitman's conspiracy is work- ing. BEETHOVEN is playing at Briar- wood and Showcase. who what where when Ultimate rock 'n' roll bad-ass The Detroit Film Theatre's wards End (May 8-10, May 15-17), poseurs Guns N' Roses have stiffed 1992 season is winding down. Some another E.M. Forster adaptation, this Detroit once again, canceling the of the films of distinction comin' up time from James Ivory and Ismail concerts scheduled for tonight and include Where Angels Fear to Tread Merchant, the team behind A Room tomorrow night at the Palace of Au- (April 17-19), an E.M. Forster With A View. Call 833-2323 for burn Hills. Apparently, Axl Rose, adaptation from the creator of times and info. wanted for inciting a riot in St. Brideshead Revisited starring Judy We were just kidding about the Louis, fled after several deputies at- Davis; Proof (April 24-26), an ac- exclusive Axl Rose interview. He tempted to arrest him in Chicago. claimed Australian film. about a wouldn't really talk to us. In fact, "They just don't fuckin' understand blind photographer and his erotic he's challenging music editor me, man," Rose sobbed in an exclu- housewife; A Woman's Tale (May 1- Annette Petruso to an arm-wrestling sive phone interview with the Daily. 3), another Australian film, Roger match in a sequel to "Get in the "Nobody fuckin' understands me!" Ebert's favorite of. 1991; and Ho- Ring." Student artists explore boundaries Transcending Boundaries Union Art Lounge Rather than projecting teenage angst and self-indulgent reflection, the best of Transcending Boun- daries, a student art exhibition in the Union featuring photographs, paintings, sculptures and multi-me- dia projects, translates a feeling of mature introspection. The works' conflicts - and there are many - range from architectural and physi- cal boundaries to internal and emo- tional divisions. Repetitive themes include sex- ism, prejudice, oppression, racism and the all-encompassing unifica- tion of people in search of peace. Some students turned their art into clich6d, not fully developed view- points. The stronger pieces in the exhibition focus on these themes as well, but investigate the conflicts behind these issues in greater depth. They offer concise and thought provoking insights which lead the viewers to investigate their own conflicts about these bound- aries. Karen Pearson's striking unti- tled photograph of an androgynous person who is smoking a cigar tests stereotypically sexual roles. Her accompanying explanation is simple: "Am I boy? Am I girl?" Pearson forces the viewer to exam- ine what qualities of a person are male or female; in what ways is it taboo to break the social role? The model, whose hair is shoulder length, is an image of neutrality. Similarly, Dennis Lembree's painting "Nympho" investigates the ambiguous issue of sensuality and curves. Hints of body curves are depicted by colored arcs across a predominantly white canvas. Lembree examines what it is about curves that are sexual in opposition to straight lines. His explanation is equally concise; "Hide behind the wall of tear / It is the eye of lust not of fear." Lembree successfully challenges the viewer to connect his commentary with the piece. It is clear that all of the students have spent a lot of time and energy. on their work. By creating some- The stronger pieces in the exhibition ... offer concise and thought- provoking insights which lead the viewers to investigate their own conflicts about these boundaries. thing tangible, the artists have tran- scended abstract concepts and come a little closer to understand- ing human nature. Transcending Boundaries will be exhibited in the Union Art Lounge through April 18th. - Erik Barmack ii 0 NEED AN APARTMENT IN CHICAGO? 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