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, U 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 I I I S U I S Announcing the Ott1itE£dtian &uijjs 1996-1997 Spring C Student ommencement Speaker Entries Ci I IN 2 4' 2 Get the low down. on. } 1 2 ,kx; ~ < .2 'A 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. F :;::. :::<:: 2'*< '222 4 2~ 44 Check out the Michigan Stadium The student speaker mus bereceiving bachelor's degree during Winter Term 1997 or Summer Term 1997 y. i F i Po I24 a.4 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 "2 I- I I