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. 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