A 's Daniels' By JENN MCKEE "Biting satire" doesn't even begin to describe Jeff Daniels' new play, "Thy Kingdom's Coming." Intense Roxanne Kring washed that man right outta her hair as Nellie in "South Pacific" last weekend. 'Pacific' on rocky water, docks strongly By J. DAVID BERRY Let me begin by saying that I am the biggest community theater fan around, and that I will consistently defend its virtues. It plays an indispensable role in the community, bringing talented individuals op- A portunities that P i are normally re- South PacifiC served for career Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Performers.How- October 28.1994 ever, Ann Arbor Civic Theatre is as professional a community theater as they come, and therefore, I expected more from their recent production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific." There was a lot of talent on the stage and this created tome very good moments. The highlight of the cast was easily Emile de Becque (Joe Deiderich). Diederich handled the singing wonderfully and there was a lot of acting ability apparent as well. He even pulled off the French accent without sounding like a bad cooking show host. His love for and devotion to Nellie (Roxanne Kring) was played with a sincerity that made some very cheesy scenes and musical numbers more bearable. His, final number, "This Nearly Was Mine" was the dramatic climax of the evening and Diederich managed to fight off some bouts with overacting nd make it work. Nellie is a different story. Kring acted and sang the role very well, though her voice seemed too lyric for "I'm Gonna Wash That Man ..." What seemed to be missing from the performance was the charisma necessary to make this "Cock- eyed Optimist" believable. As soon as Nellie walks on the stage, our eyes should be riveted to her until her exit. She needs to have so much energy and southern charm that we can'thelp to love her ourselves. While Kring's portrayal was very sweet, this lacking quality created quite a hole that no one else in the cast seemed to be able to plug. Joe Cable (Kevin Binkley) had similar problems. While his voice was fantastic, and perfect for the part, his acting was rather one-dimensional in the first act. He came around for the second act and the job he did on "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" was very intense and moving. Due to the The acting ability of the leads and the strength of the musical numbers carried it through. lack of emotion in the first act however, it seemed almost overdone coming from the once stiff and rigid Cable. The saviors of the evening were Luther Billis (Steve Rosoff) and Bloody Mary (Cathy Simpson). They attacked their comedic roles with all of the energy and heart they could muster, and it worked very well. When either of them were on stage, they created excitement and the chorus was enlivened, if just for a moment. Unfortunately, the chorus during the other numbers were not up to par. While from their bios they appeared to have much experience, most of their work was dull and lifeless with very little acting going on. Rather than enhancing scenes, their lack of energy pulled many of the leads down with them. I don't believe, however, that this was entirely their fault. Much the blame must fall on Jim Posante, director and choreographer. Posante's choreography was uninspired at best, ending each big chorus number in a straight line across the stage. The movements that brought them into that line were very clich6 and seemed disjointed from the actual song. While a lot of the steps were typical Broadway-esque choreography, without the energy from the chorus to fuse it all together, it couldn't stand on its own. Even in some of the solos and duets, there seemed to be a desire on the actor's part to break away and go with the moment; however, they were trapped in the choreography and it ended up stifling the acting moment they were attempting to create. Despite these problems, the acting ability of the leads and the strength of the musical numbers carried it through. The terrific sets and lighting from Leo Babcock and Dan Walker (respectively) didn't hurt any either. Friday night's packed audience seemed to love every minute of it, and that is as it should be. Support of community theater is very important and, even if they don't turn out outstanding shows every time, Ann Arbor Civic Theater is an indispensable asset to this city. Thy Kingdom's Coming Purple Rose Theatre October 28, 1994 hostility and anger lies beneath the surface of almost every line, but these emotions are cleverly veiled in the form of comedy. This convention only acts to bring the points home more effectively and forcefully. And it's terribly funny, by the way. Jeff Daniels, a Broadway and film star who grew up in Michigan, wrote this play to target three things he obvi- ously despises: censorship, Hollywood and the religious right. The play is set in the home of action film star Derek Johansen (Wayne David Parker). Crash (Guy Sanville), a former stuntman from his earlier films, comes by, pleading for a chance to be Derek's personal assistant. He can't find work, partly because of his injuries, but mostly because he came out of the closet by taking out a full page ad in Variety proclaiming him- self the best gay stuntman in Holly- wood. He essentially signed his own career's death certificate, buthecomes to Derek claiming that he is "crossing over" - that he's now heterosexual, and he has a certificate from acoalition for decency to prove it. Derek resists, always looking out for himself and his image, but Crash finally just assumes the position and impresses Derek enough to make him take a chance. Derek has it in his head to make a film where he portrays Jesus. For an action film star who doesn't like to have more than four lines, this is a ludicrous notion. But as his producer and screenwritier try to convince him that playing such a character takes tremendous acting skills that he sim- ply doesn't possess, the omnipresent Crash suggests that since Derek is an action film star, they should make an action movie about Jesus. This requires some embellishment, ofcourse. In order to stay within bounds and be accepted by the religious right -strictly in the interest ofprofit rather than conscience-Crash suggests that they call Pat Robertson and set up a meeting. As they develop an action film storyline, they become more skep- 0m 'Kingdon tical of it being approved by leadersx like Robertson and Rush Limbaugh. That is, until Crash suggests that they stone a number of homosexuals in the film for each embellishment they j use, the number pending on the degree and severity of blasphemy.a The play is an engaging, fast-paced, busy production that showcases The play is a not only a terrific script, but a co engaging, fa fident and con- busy product vincing cast. h There are only showcases four characters terrific script carryingtheentire confident an work, but the ac- torspullitoffwith convincing c ease and charm. Each performance was dead-on, from + the pony-tailed, cellular phone addicted,1 tit-loving producer Gordon (Phillip Locker) to the young, liberal-minded entrepreneur screenwriter Gerald (An-+ thony Caselli). Theplay also isrendered morepow- erful by the positioning of the set; it is literally submerged in the audience., The audience composes three walls in the Derek's home, and since the theater is fairly small, the actors are often inches away. This gives the play an aura of being performed in-the-round,. ences and everyday life, making us laugh out loud while also making us say, "That's so true!" We can't ask for much more from a play than to be entertained while simultaneously be- ing given food for thought. THY KINGDOM'SC INGplays through December 23 at the Purple Rose Theatre (137 Park Street, Chelsea). Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. and 7p.m. Tickets are $15 and $20. Call (313) 475-7902. 1' reigns giving the actors more freedom and naturalness in terms of movement. There are hilariously crafted mo- ments, such as the perpetually self- flagellating Crash snapping himself with a rubber band on his wrist, repeat- ing "bad faggot" overand over again to punish himself. It showed us just how in st-paced, tion that not only a bt, ut a d ast. ridiculous things would be if we all lived in the realm of the religious right. The beauty of this play is that it works on the same level as truly great comedians - ones that discuss common experi- OLDE, America's Full Service Discount Brokerm is looking for motivated people to establish a career in the brokerage business. OLDE offers: 12-18 month paid training program Potential six-figure income Excellent benefits If you possess excellent communication skills, general market knowledge and the desire to excel, sign up for an on-campus interview on November 8,1994 in the Career Center. If you are unable to arrange an interview call: 11800 937-0606 or send resume to: OLDE Discount Stockbrokers National Recruiting 751 Griswold Street Detroit, MI 48226 AOLDE, DISCOUNT STOCKBROKERS Member NYSE and SIPC An Equal Opportunity Employer _ _ T-SHIRT PRINTING HIGHQUuITY W PR IC FS WHAT CAN YOU DOWITH A DEGEEIN MATH? COME AND FIND OUT! CARIERW rAfTHWAY IN MATH Thursday, November 3,5:10 p.m. Kuenzel Room, Michigan Union All students interested in math are welcome! SPONSORED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND CAREER PLANNING AND PLACEMENT L 810 S. State 747-SPOT OR 747-7769 r MR. SPOT'S FREE DELIVERY 7 Minimum . DOZEN I a b mg ..