8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 11, 1997
'WASP' satirizes stereotypes of
the '50s in a modern comedy
By Christopher Tkaczyk
Daily Arts Writer
The American family of the 1950s is no longer being rolled
out under the generic cookie-cutter that defined the charac-
ters in such television shows as "Leave it to Beaver" and
"Donna Reed." With "WASP," a one-act play by actor/come-
dian Steve Martin, the American family is transformed into
one of the funniest and extremely wacky families that could
easily be found in today's normal house- _
hold. R
The play's title is a shortened version
of the term "White Anglo Saxon
Protestant," which has been popularized "
in describing the average American fam-
ily of the '50s. The play can be drawn to
represent modern families as well as the
sickening vision of the '50s represented by the Cleavers, but
the American family cannot be confined to just WASPs, as
our society has been vastly changing over the past 40 years.
The grotesque family presented.in the Basement Arts pro-
duction of "WASP" was perfectly portrayed by comedic
actors who turned the play into a great 30 minutes of enter-
tainment. The seven-member cast was directed perfectly by
Kevin R. Stahl, a junior in the School of Music. Stahl's inter-
pretation of Martin's hilarious script was excellent. Even bet-
ter was the selection of talented actors chosen to portray the
kitschy, demented family whose lives and inspirations were
projected into the face of an entertained audience.
The role of the father was hilariously portrayed by Joshua
Parrott, who turned the character into a sadistic man greatly
feared by his family. In an excellent performance of the char-
acter's final monologue - in which he philosophizes about
li'fe and his role in the family, Parrott explains perfectly the
meaning of love. While he contends that love is something
4ifferent for every person, he states that there are three
stages of love: attraction, desire and need. In what was one
of the more serious moments of the evening, he explains that
what makes his character different from the rest of his fami-
ly is his inability to achieve the final stage of love. His lack
of need for devotion is what separates him from his family,
and he is symbolically cast aside later in the scene when the
family shows its neurotic identity as an English upper-class
clan that has been charading itself as a silly team of related
freaks.
.,Elizabeth Kohen's depiction of the mother was nothing less
than perfect. When her family fails to feed her positive com-
ments concerning her home-cooked meals, she begins to
wail. Her screams subside when the family provides "mmm"s
and "ah"s to sequester her back into a calm state. Kohen's
cartoonish mother seemed to be a cross between Donna Reed
and "Married with Children"'s Peg Bundy; on the outside,
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she looked like Betty Crocker, but had the sex drive of
Marilyn Monroe. Kohen's character became fully round when
she called for the "voices" which helped her to determine her
future. The voices presented her neurotic side, and also
brought about the awareness of her sexual appetite, as she
longed for her husband to have the sexual agility often stereo-
typed in Italian men.
An excellent performance was given by Greta Enszer who
played the family's 16-year-old daughter.
Enszer's maniacal side of Kathy was
E V IE W hysterically presented in another mono-
WASP logue that came about during her choral
practice. Pink lights turned on and off as
Arena Theater Enszer's character jumped from her sur-
Feb. 8, 1997 roundings to the world of her conscious
mind. Enszer's true character came
about when she revealed that Kathy was driven by sex and the
need for a fulfillment in her life's purpose. Enszer's dream
was to become the non-virgin mother of Jesus, possibly a
need to produce a lasting effect on the world, as she imagined
herself as the world's only true hero.
The best performance of the evening came during the
scene in which Craig McEldowney's 14-year-old boy tran-
scended into the psyche of his science fiction/sexual fanta-
sy world. As McEldowney used his short-wave radio to
tune into the wavelengths that connected him to alien con-
tact, Jason Lindner, as the premier of the alien race,
emerged draped in purple spaceman garb. Lindner's stiff-
but-crazy alien added to the brilliant staging of the scene,
which was only heightened by McEldowney's reaction to
Lindner's recounting of a sexual-yet-nutty fantasy.
McEldowney, wearing only pajamas and covered by a
gaudy colored sheet, began to masturbate as Lindner
increased the lusty narration of an out-of-this-world story.
The depiction of the boy as an immature youth who con-
fuses his childhood fantasy world with his adolescent fan-
tasy world was wonderfully executed by McEldowney, and
Basement Arts audiences can only hope to view more of his
comedic splendor.
The rest of the talented cast cannot be ignored, especially
since they helped pull off the production quite nicely. Serving
as the voice which guides the mother, Dana Dancho provid-
ed even more comedy to the evening. Also appearing in the
production was Mark A. Smith, whose slight appearances in
two separate roles (as the daughter's Choirmaster and the
Butler to the family's alter-ego English personas) did not fully
illustrate his potential as a comedic actor.
Whether it is the family of the '50s or the '90s, no one is
safe to assume that any family is normal. "WASP" presents a
look at ourselves, as well as an outside look at the neurotic
tendencies that families of all races experience.
Feel the power of love with Luther Vandross in Detroit
Luther Vandross. What
more needs to be sai?
Any man whose R&B
career has been as long
and fruitful as his and can
make audiences go wild
just by moaning Into the
mic needs no introduction.
Promoting the fairly recent
release of his newest
R&B/ballad CD, the plat-
inum "Your Secret Love,"
Vandross will perform
three shows at the Fox
Theatre In Detroit this
week. And could you hon-
estly think of a better
vocalist to take that spe-
cial someone to see on
Valentine's week?
Vandross' first show Is
tomorrow night at 8 p.m.
He will also sing to your
heart's delight and tap out
superb accompanying
melodies on the baby
grand on Friday and
Saturday nights, also at 8
p.m. Tickets are available
through Ticketmaster at
(810) 6456666.
*a
Challenges for the 21st Centui:
A review of the national conversation on race and gender equality
Pofessor
ChRISTOPHER EDLEY
Harvard Law & King/Chavez/Patks Visiting Professor
Former Specisl Council to the President, White House Affirmative
Action Review Board
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11
7:00 IPM
As part of African American Hertige Month
"The Legends of Our People
Sponsored by African American Programming Task Force,
the Mack Law Student Alliance (MLA), Black
Undetg adute Law Asscation (BULA), and The Law School
FOR MORE INFO CALL:
MULTI-ETHNIC STUDENTAFFAIRS
1JE1 313.763.9044
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Announcing the
Ott1itE£dtian &uijjs
1996-1997
Spring C
Student
ommencement
Speaker
Entries
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Get the low down. on.
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The Office of University Relations is making a
Call for Entries for a Student Speaker
at Spring Commencement
the who's who of the
salary charts...
Saturday, May 3, 1997
9:30 a.m.
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Check out the
Michigan Stadium
The student speaker mus bereceiving
bachelor's degree during Winter Term 1997 or
Summer Term 1997
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Salary- Supplmennt,
available
Now I
NOW!!!
Submit
" Curriculum-Vitae (or resume)ihighlighting U-M
scholarship and campus leadership
" Typed draft of speech (no more than 5
minutes in length)
" Audio cassette tape of yourself reing
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