ARTS
Monday, O ctober 19, 1992
The Michigan Daily
Page 5
'Mice' triumphs with character
Toil, trouble and turgid acting in director Stephen Rayne's "Macbeth."
Macduff lays on the best
in a mercurial ' Macbeth'
by Laura Alantas
The danger in re-interpreting Shakespeare is that sometimes the
modern changes to the centuries-old text don't work. The problems with
South African director Stephen Rayne's adaptation of "The Tragedy of
Macbeth" rested not in the use of post-colonial 20th century Africa as
the setting, but in the fact that the re-interpretation was not consistently
emphasized throughout the performance.
The show opened with a short dramatic scene depicting life in the
war-ravaged counitry. With foreboding drums and a death-knell in the
background, white soldiers appeared and killed or raped the women on
stage. Presented on an all black stage with only a black scrim hanging at
the back of the stage for the set, a picture of destruction and despair was
vividly painted. The setting had been established.
But then Rayne was obliged to start Shakespeare's dialogue, and this
wonderfully original point of reference became lost. The 16th century
language was not always conducive to this modern adaptation, and
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Michigan Theater
October 16, 1992
Rayne often relied on traditional staging techniques that came across as
simply too stiff for the new time period. Too often the characters stood
two and a half feet apart in well balanced groups, the type of staging that
is typical of strict interpretations of the text.
The rigidity in the scenes where the African element was downplayed
in order to forward the story, contrasted with the energy and the freedom
in the scenes that highlighted the African influence on the play. In the
banquet scene, for example, Macbeth (Hakeem Kae Kazim) walked
around the circle of seated guests and presented each of them with a
chalice from which they drank a toast to their host and King. Macbeth
alternately participated in the ritual while he listened to the news of Ban-
quo's murder. This continuous movement around the bare stage gave the
scene energy. When Macbeth then envisioned his murdered friend be-
fore his eyes, he went wild with lunacy, scaring all-of his guests. After
realizing the implications of what he had done, Macbeth then feigned
madness to show his guests that he was fooling, forcing them all to
laugh. This humor breathed life into the scene and loosened up the ac-
tors. Unfortunately, such engaging moments were scarce.
The actors all appeared very stiff, with the notable exception of Jaye
Griffiths' Lady Macbeth. With long flowing hair and similar costumes,
Griffiths played the character as a strong, political woman who was sexy
and charming. The delivery of her lines was passionate, energetic, and
free. Griffiths stole the show.
The final scene where Macduff (Tony Osoba) confronts Macbeth
and ultimately kills him pulled all of the positive elements of the show
together. Kazim's Macbeth - who was notable only at the show's end
when he emphasized his character's madness - squatted down center,
with the body of his dead wife strewn at his feet. He was wrapped in a
full, red cape in front of a glaring white light that cast a monstrous
shadow on the black scrim behind him. In that shadow, though, stood
Macduff with his sword unsheathed. This innovative staging and use of
costumes caused the story of tyranny and revenge to flourish.
Unfortunately, this glimpse of innovation at the show's finale re-
vealed how truly inconsistent the rest had been.
by Jon Altshu;
In an era o o. -production and
contrived melodrama, "Of Mice and
Men" is almost anti-Hollywood.
Bereft of Tim Burton's illusional
wizardry and Penny Marshall's
glitzy sap, it derives its poignancy
from accessible devices: simple
characters, beautiful scenery, overt
symbolism, and an unbeatable story
line.
The film resonates with a bucolic
honesty, introducing us to the gritty
world of pre-WWII Northern Cali-
fornia with a refreshingly benign
charm. "Of Mice and Men" may not
be flashy, but it depicts the unadul-
terated sincerity of the human con-
dition better than any film
adaptation since "Ordinary People".
Indeed, the picture succeeds sim-
ply because director Gary Sinise,
founder of Chicago's Steppenwolf
Theater, makes no pretensions of
outdoing John Steinbeck. Horton
Of Mice and Men
Directed by Gary Sinise; written by
Horton Foote; with John Malkovich
and Gary Sinise
Foote's screenplay is an almost ver-
batim re-enactment of the 1937
novella. This- effect endows the
characters with a realistic-albeit
difficult-medium in which to work.
As a result, the success "Of Mice
and Men" rests squarely on the
shoulders of its acting ensemble.
The story itself, though beaten to
death by every high school English
class, is so basic that it remains
timeless. Itinerant farm hands Lenny
(John Malkovich), a huge yet re-
tarded man-child, and George
(Sinise), his able and taciturn coin-
panion, arrive at the Tyler Ranch
deep in the heart of Salinas valley.
The setting is perfect, boasting
swaying barley fields with rolling
brown hills, the ranch is isolated
enough from the rest of America to
foster a searingly unmolested por-
trait of friendship in a world that
glorifies the individual. Sinise ex-
ploits the natural environment,
imbuing the film with shot after shot
of the rich land. Yet the
cinematography is so simple that the
ranch never upstages the actors, but
instead, orients them with a
mesmerizing grace.
Lenny's life is ruled by his sim-
ple, childish desires. Unable to ra-
tionalize, and inhibited only by
Gary Sinise, Casey Siemaszko and the very great John Malkovich in "Of Mice and Men." Better than cliffs notes.
George's potential reaction, he mar-
vels at the innate beauty of delicate
things. However, his lack of coordi-
nation causes him to destroy all that
he touches. His singular penchant
for small animals reminds the
viewer of the film's underlying
respect for camaraderie.
Malkovich's performance is
heart-wrenching and gutsy. Never
over-projecting, but still painfully
inspired, he reminds the viewer of
the depth which brought him his first
acclaim in "Places in the Heart."
Sinise's part, however, is consid-
erably more subtle. Though gentle
and altruistic, George is not neces-
sarily a multi-faceted character.
Sinise is put in a difficult position:
overacting would disrupt the very
essence of the character, while un-
deracting would only bury him be-
hind Lenny's ominous shadow. j
Sinise, however, finds an inter-
esting compromise. He seems not to
be "acting," but merely reciting his
lines by rote with no superfluous
mannerisms or distracting inflec-
tions. Sinise's performance, though
perhaps awkward and unusual, is
right on. George seems to be a char-
acter without foresight or passion,
who's given up, and is motivated
only by his devotion to his retarded
companion.
"Guys like us, that work on
ranches, are the loneliest guys in the
world," George tells Lenny as they
arrive at the farm. His statement
stings with a rustic authenticity, and
provides an important reference
point for the introduction of the sup-
porting cast. Candy (Ray Walston),
the decrepit amputee, Crooks (Joe
Morton), the hunch-backed lone
black man, and Slim (John Terry),
the concerned foreman, all shine de-
spite their limited roles. They aptly
highlight the inherent isolation of
the working man by endowing
See MICE, Page 8
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