Page 8- The Michigan Daily - Monday, December 7, 1992 Trapped in the 'Wells' 'U' playes transcend a problematic Victorian play 0 Buck R.E.M. loses more than religion by Nima Hodaei "Automatic for the People" is weak, and proves that R.E.M. (much to the dismay of many a college ra- dio fanatic) are mortal. Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and the rest of his Athens, GA buddies have run out of ideas, and this time, there's no "Losing My Religion" out there to save them. What ensues is pretty bland, boring, and altogether lifeless music. Whether this album is a reaction to the overwhelming mainstream R.E.M. Automatic for the People Warner Bros. popularity of last year's "Out of Time," or not doesn't seem too im- portant. One can't help but notice a little bit of an attempt by the band to regain some of that mystique which surrounded them back in the days of "Reconstruction of the Fables," or the glorious "Life's Rich Pageant." What R.E.M. fails to consider is that those albums are now well behind them, and efforts to reproduce them, will be met with harsh comparisons and criticism. I truly feel for this group. After all, R.E.M. today are the reference point of countless American bands. With that amount of pressure riding atop your shoulders, it's difficult to come out with music that still sounds fresh and innovative. Maybe it's too soon to call it quits, but it's time R.E.M. returned to one of the fundamental things that made their music so appealing for so many years - playing it for fun. by Laura Alantas Arthur Wing Pinero obviously belonged to the "too much is never enough" school of thought. The evidence for such an assertion is the University De- partment of Theatre and Drama's production of his play "Trelawny of the 'Wells."' Pinero wrote the play in 1898 as a retrospective of the theater world during the early 1860s. "Trelawny of the 'Wells"' dramatizes the evolution Trelawny of the 'Wells' Power Center December 4, 1992 from broad, obvious acting to more natural, realistic acting. Scripts originally contained very didactic language, but playwrights eventually began to re- flect real people's conversations in their scripts. "Trelawny" dramatizes the effect of all of these changes on the actors and the need to accept the act- ing profession as a legitimate one. The need for tol- erance among all people was presented as well as the virtues of being true to yourself and the benefit of chasing your dreams. "Trelawny" had a lot to say. Too much, in fact. These problems, however, are ones that are in- herent to the script, not ones that rest with director John Neville-Andrews' production. On the contrary, Neville-Andrews and his company did an admirable job capturing the brilliant comedy associated with the personalities of the characters and the mood of Victorian England. The manner in which Neville-Andrews presented the show, while in keeping with the trends of the time period, were original and fresh for today's au- dience. Stationed at opposing ends of the stage, two capable pianists (Richie Keen and Jody Madaras) opened the show with a lively overture and played during certain scenes to emphasize the action. Dur- ing the scene changes, members of the cast enter- tained the waiting audience by singing songs from the era. These details made even the transitions in the show enjoyable to watch. "Trelawny" revolved around vivid, diverse char- acters and the actors all made strong choices that effectively captured their own character's sensibili- ties. From Anthony Giangrande's remarkable prankster Augustus Colpoys to Aaron Tishkowski's timid but. lovable Arthur Gower, a full range of per- sonalities were presented. Particularly noteworthy was Clinton Bond Jr.'s energetic portrayal of Tom Wrench. Every one of Bond's movements and man- nerisms thoughtfully forwarded his character's de- velopment. The weight of the show, however, rested on the capable shoulders of Erich John Jungwirth and Stephanie Fybel. Jungwirth's Vice Chancellor Sir William Gower, with a resonant voice and promi- nent belly, effectively intimidated everyone on stage. Sir William, however, was not a one-dimen- sional character. He learned to accept Rose and her unique ways, and Jungwirth was able to soften Sir William's hard edges during such tender moments. Fybel's Rose Trelawny also underwent many changes throughout the show. Beginning as a wild gypsy and ending as a responsible lady, Fybel's transformations were subtle, yet definite. Her greatest moment on stage was the opening of the second act. The Rose that entered was not a flamboyant Rose, but a subdued Rose who had real- ized that the theater world was not "the" world, but merely "a" world. This new, mature Rose was beau- tifully captured by Fybel. The picture of Victorian England was made complete with detailed sets, appropriate costuming, beautiful lighting and Neville-Andrews' intelligent staging. There were so many positive elements of the production of "Trelawny of the 'Wells'" that it made you wish that Pinero's play had lived up to the presentation. c Quentin Tarantino praises Harvey Keitel for his "cold-ass toughness" in Tarantino's stunning directorial debut, "Reservoir Dogs." KEITEL Continued from page 5 Keitel stars as a trapped man. The son of a low-rent loanshark, Keitel's character is part shake-down muscle, part struggling pianist. Like his Charlie, this character is doomed by his split identity. This is Keitel's show all the way. He leaves the audience torn between disgust and genuine empa- thy. "Fingers" gives us the best glimpse of what we're missing in not seeing Keitel in more starring roles. But there has been a vindication of late. Keitel's new clout has provided audiences with two treasures this year, "Reservoir Dogs" and "Bad Lieutenant." As Mr. White in Quentin Tarantino's stunning first film, Keitel provides "Reservoir Dogs" with its dramatic backbone. While other actors in the film (Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi) shine in showy roles, it is Keitel's quiet, almost kingly take on a veteran criminal that gives "Reservoir Dogs" its surprising depth. Director Tarantino, in the latest issue of Film Threat, makes the point that Keitel is of a brand of actor rarely found anymore: "Harvey.is really the only actor who, like the early Robert Mitchum, can walk in with this cold ass toughness." But Keitel's Mr. White is far from the standard action hero tough guy. Keitel imbues his character with the cunning ambiguity at which Keitel is a master. A taut mix of wired violence and personal honor, his Mr. White lives by a code which inspires a puzzling respect, even admi- ration for him. It is a true testament to Keitel's talents that he can make such an egregious character so winning. So why should such a respected character actor, with a newly broadened choice of roles open to him, opt to bare himself (literally and figuratively) as a drug-taking, sexually out-of-control, corrupt cop in Abel Ferrara's "Bad Lieutenant"? Keitel, in recent interviews, has talked of personal risk-taking, of fighting the falseness of the family values agenda, of exploring a person's loss of God. Whatever Keitel's personal rationale, however, we all profit from his commitment to such ground-breaking performances. Keitel's characters plumb the depths of human ambiguity. He makes his heroes partly villains, and his villains half-heroic. Even his failures, the roles which waste his time and talents, are all valuable in shaping the complex body of experience Keitel draws from with each new role. Keitel has often said he came to acting with a sense of awe, even fear. And while he is now a master at his craft, that fear-tinged reverence gives his performances the grit and the edge unique to today's actors. He is con- stantly testing his skill, and the audiences. Movies need someone who takes such risks. 0I WHO WHA [WHERE i WHEN~;i1'1I Erich Jungwirth (far left) gives the "gypsies" a piece of his mind as Sir William in "Trelawny of the 'Wells."' GIFT CERTIFICATES IN ANY AMOUNT ARE SURE TO PLEASE! Un-hushedly ushed As wonderful as the Choral Unionwas singing Handel's "Messiah " Saturday night, we can't help but be annoyed with the ushering. As we see it, ushers are supposed to stop talking during a performance, not exacerbate it. Granted, the ushers were over- whelmed by the masses of the annoyingly tardy, but did they really have to brief the late-comers as to the best way to get to their seats in annoyingly un-hushed whispers during the music? A bit of Tiff But enough about our foibles. In our never-ending quest to inform and entertain, we talked to our friend, Amy (below) and she said you ought to stop by the Museum of Art and see the Tiffany Exhibit (also pictured - you know, the peacock behind her). We can't think of a better way to forget about uncouth ushers. 0 6 6 0 L i COPIES 4 REG. COPIES 20# White, 8.5x11 (I 60m .............. .TH.E. .. DA ILY- CLASFEDS I 3 An _ _ .. .. .. . .. .. . riirr.w rrrrirrrwrrrT4 ® 11I f1 EXE'[hif dhYf ikk ' e ' " . . . - .. _____. .