8 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 5, 1994 Don't miz this production of 'Les Miz' By MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO The 400-some voters who give outTony Awards forBroadway shows are rarely wrong. Barring that unfor- tunate episode in 1988 when they awarded six Tonys to "The Phantom of the Opera," they have a very good track record. When "Les Miserables" Les Miserables Fisher Theatre December 15, 1993 opened in 1987, it won eight, includ- ing Best Musical, Book, Score and Direction. And it deserved every one. The third national touring company is currently taking Detroit by storm, and is a testament to the greatness of this mammoth musical. The plot is simple. After 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean (Donn Cook) is paroled and because of the kindness of a be- nevolent bishop decides to become an honest, upstanding Frenchman. The rest of the show chronicles the people with whom he comes in contact as well as their own struggles. While Valjean's story runs throughout the show and receives the most attention, authors Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg (and Victor Hugo, who wrote the novel) dedicate substantial stage time to other fascinating characters. The polished representation of these characters is probably the most impressive aspect of this production. All the actors - many of them "Les Miz" veterans - attack their roles with unbridled ar- dor, making the most of their stage time. Donn Cook is incredibly moving as Valjean, with a full, clear voice and a presence that moves easily from brutal and anguished ("What have I Even if you haven't read the book, "Les Miz" stands on its own as a powerful, vividly emotional musical and an accurate musicalization of (Victor) Hugo's France. done") to benevolent and kind ("Bring Him Home"). His enunciation is es- pecially impressive (considering the Garth (Dana Carvey) is enticed by Honey Homee (Kim Basinger) in one of the few funny bits in "Wayne's We 'Waye's World leaves a bad taste BY MICHAEL BARNES "Schwing." "Wayne's World 2" passes us by and like a good post New Year's Eve hurl, tends to leave a bad taste in your mouth. In many ways, the sequel to the blockbuster hit Wayne's World 2 Written by Mike Myers and Bonnie & Terry Turner, directed by Stephen Surjik, with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey "Wayne's World" is similar to vomit. Most of Wayne and Garth's gags derive from the refuse pit of pop culture. They mock dubbed sequences from martial arts films, steal bits from good movies ("The Graduate") and bad movies ("Jurassic Park") and pay homage to mystical popstars like Jim Morrison all while giving pelvic thrusts to whatever delicious babe comes their way. In the end, viewing "Wayne's World 2" is like mixing up scraps from bad cable movies, some funny one-liners from an obnox- ious comedian and then swallowing this trash with a chase of tepid farce and spewing it all forth on the ground in front of you with the energy that comes from exorcising poison. Like the first movie, "Wayne's World 2" is more or less a series of skits-some funny, some not. Wayne and Garth want to put on a rock festival they dub Waynestock after one of them has a dreamy encounter with a version of Jim Morrison, minus acid. The boys recruit road legend Del Preston, a man who has traded piss with the likes of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, from England to help them organize the show. Hot babes like Heather Locklear and Honey Hornee played by Kim Basinger serve as distrac- tions to Wayne and Garth's plans. Christopher Walken is the heavy playing a slick record producer who tries to get the goods on Wayne's rock singer squeeze, Cassandra. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey's portrayal of goofy suburban kids with hip, polysyllabic slang begins to tire after a while. Wayne frequently stares into the camera with an impish, moronic expression on his face which reminds the audience that they are watching a completely unoriginal movie. After a while, you want to decorate his face with Sharon Stone's ice pick. Myers attempts to be funny by being non-logical. At one point in the film, he points out a man in the street who is carrying a large section of Plexiglas. The character becomes nothing more than the guy with Plexiglas. Is this funny by not making sense? Not!Someone should rig Myers up to Dr. K's death machine and let him discover what his attempt at creative humor amounts to. As Garth, Dana Carvey is-less annoying. His Kenny G gag and fling with Honey are the funniest moments in the film. The real stars of "Wayne's World 2" are the bit "Wayne's World 2" passes us by and like a good post New Year's Eve hurl, tends to leave a bad taste in your mouth. characters. Ed O'Neill "(Married with Children") contin- ues to excel in the middle-class, loser genre of acting. He plays a bitter, deranged cook tending shop in Wayne and Garth's favorite hang-out spot. Chris Farley (Saturday Night Live") is hilarious in his reprisal of one of Wayne and Garth's bust-out friends. He is so good at portraying the no-hope, grungy, angst-ridden dirtass constantly look- ing for a fight it appears that any minute he could storm into a post office with an automatic weapon and blow some people away in a deluded I-HATE-LIFE frenzy. "Wayne's World 2" is funny in parts. It is relief to such weighty epics as "Schindler's List" or "Shortcuts." If you're looking to dodge the latest body count on the nightly news, don't want to be subjected to an infomercial or just want an excuse not to write a boring paper, check out "Wayne's World 2." It has maximum escape value. WAYNE "S WORLD 2 is playing Showcase. level of difficulty of his music) and is well-appreciated, since the show is all-sung and the words of the songs tell the story. Strong performances also come from Alice Ripley as Fantine, Bar- bara Russell as Cosette, Angel Pupello as Eponine (who has sinc been replaced by the even stronger Jennifer Rae Beck) and especially David Massenheimer as Javert. (Worth noting: Cook has a very able understudy named Brian Lynch, whom I had the pleasure of viewing at a later performance.) Gina Ferrall and J. P. Dougherty steal scene after scene as the Thenardiers, a couple of innkeeper* gone wrong. They're rude, crude, brassy and morally repugnant crea- tures, but their rollicking "Master of the House" and "Beggars atthe Feast," plus countless other bits add color and humor. Gary Mauer stops the show as Enjolras, the leader of the Student Insurrection. His crown of blond hair was just like the halo Victor Hug described, and his voice ("Red an Black," "Do You Hear the People Sing") was just as angelic. The ensemble brings the show to- gether. Their choral singing and their one-line solos and bit parts create the crux of the "wretched" society repre- sented here. And when the entire com- pany comes together, in "One Day More" and the finale, the theater shakes with intensity. Beyond the performances, light- ing is especially effective in height- ening drama and signifying moods. And you may have heard people jok- ing that the set is nothing but a pile of rubble? Well, that's basically true. But countless bits of scenery are brought on and off, usually carried by a rotating stage floor, which makes scene changes clean and quick. An you'll always know where you are and what year it is, because names of cities and dates are projected onto a scrim. Even if you haven't read the book, "Les Miz" stands on its own as a powerful, vividly emotional musical and an accurate musicalization of Hugo's France. No matter what you have to do - hitchhike, sell valuable belongings, ditch class - just get t the Fisher Theatre. Heck, call me and I'll drive you. You'll be miserable if you miz this wonderful show. LES MISERABLESplays at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit tonight, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., plus Thursday at 1 p.m. and . Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $47.50 with $16 student tickets available at the box office for most performances. Call 872- 1000 for information, 645-6666 or any TicketMaster outlet for tickets. and talent Geronimo once or twice. Director Walter Hill does try to get the warrior in there, but there are too many char- acters to work around. 0 Walter Hill seems like the perfect director for a revisionist western on the great native American warrior, but the film falls flat. The battle se- quences are excellent, but they go nowhere and seem to be there simply tor the sake of violence. The charac- ter of Geronimo also seems to be present simply because the movie is titled Geronimo. After finally mak.* ing a comeback with the criminally underrated "Trespass," it's tragic to see Hill wasting his talent on trash like this. Even though the old Walter Hill themes are present, the script just cannot hold them up to the standards Hill has set. The questions of loyalty and betrayal take place between the white characters and hardly at all witt, the native Americans who are in state of upheaval. Wes Studi is great as Geronimo, but it's impossible not to feel that he could be so much more if he had more screen time. Hackman is Hackman, what else can you say? Duvall makes his character believable which is amazing considering the script. Jason Patric is the real star of the film, which is good for his career, but ba for the movie. The title says "Geronimo: An American Legend." And it is all too America: the native Americans are put down and the white men get all the air time. Is r Donn Cook is incredibly moving as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables.' 'Geronimo' wastes potential By MICHAEL THOMPSON When a film is named "Geronimo" one would expect that it would be about Geronimo. No such luck here. Instead we get a film about a bunch of white guys chasing after a native American ass-kicker named Geronimo. FILM REVIEW Geronimo Directed by Walter Hill; with Jason Patric, Robert Duvall and Gene Hackman and Wes Studi; written by John Milius and some other guy Now, one might. expect "Geronimo" to be good. Gene Hack- man and Robert Duvall, man! And Walter Hill too boot. But something went very wrong before the filming even started. And it was far too late to stop it after the cameras started roll- ing. Many years ago a man named John Milius penned a screenplay called "Apocalypse Now." Wait just a sec- ond before you start praising or damn- ing. Coppola turned the screenplay into the masterpiece we all know. But Milius was forever immortalized as the genius who actually transformed "Heart of Darkness" into a screen- play. Well, as the years passed Milius began to show his real ability, or lack there of. Remember "Red Dawn" or "Conan the Barbarian?" That's right, John Milius. So now lets start talking about the movie this review is supposedly about, "Geronimo." The story revolves around a young cavalry officer and his experiences while chasing after Geronimo. Along the way he meets a bunch of cool, crazy white people. And, oh yeah, he does actually see It's ur Otoo Er PSaa, Why settle for a Yugo when you can drive a Corvette? u 7 - M - s .n..r. At Dollar Bill we put YOU behind the wheel of our high-speed GERONIMO is playing at Show-