12 -- The Michigan Daily - Monday, August 14, 2000
Intimate stage helps
By Jaimie Winkler
Daly Arts Writer
HAMTRAMCK - Theater just
doesn't get more intimate than this.
In the Planet Ant Theater's produc-
tion of "This is Our Youth," the
phrase "if these walls could talk"
gets a chance at some real life appli-
cation. The audience literally
becomes two of the walls in the set
and the play will leave you talking.
The set, a college studio apart-
ment, has detail so meticulous that
the radio actually works, the the-
ater's bathroom is incorporated, the
records are real as are the pictures
on the walls.
Audience members line two sides
of the stage in two rows about five
feet from the action. The other two
walls are those of the theater build-
ing and the door to the apartment is
the theater's backdoor.
But the script and the wonderfully
realistic performances, directed by
Michelle Murphy, are what really
make audience members feel like
flies on the wall. "This is Our
Youth," written by Kenneth
Lonergan, who wrote "Analyze
This" and "The Adventures of
Rocky and Bullwinkle," originally
premiered several years ago on the
East Coast. The story follosws three
rear-adults for two days as they deal
Two guys, a girl, and a bevy of na
Kenneth Lonergan's "This is OurN
with just being themselves in th
early Reagan-drenched 1980
Lonergan's dialogue has so muc
bite and originality. Lines such a
"My parents pay for this apartmen
not throw me out of it," are funn
and screaming to be analyzed.
Acting as a long exposition, th
script reveals influences on th
characters lives right up until cur
tain. The two young men in the pla
are hard-core drug addicts. Denn
is a dealer and Warren has ju
'Youth' break wall with audience
a slice of these lives. It comments comfortable. The scene where she
on social issues, such as the decay and Warren meet will remind any
of activism, the rise of conser- college student or graduate of that
vatism, broken families, drug use, horrible hour when sitting in a room
and the dysfunctionality of the with an unfamiliar, awkward
upper-middle class. weirdo.
Such intensity, intimacy and real- Weisfeld's Jessica goes through
ism could not have occurred in any every emotion associated with a
setting without the three phenome- one-night stand with all the grace
nal actors who carry the entire and discontinuity of a confuse
weight of this two-and-a-half hour teenager.
show. Although the plot may be hard Speaking of discontinuity, Dennis
to find at first, these three make (Travis Reiff), is the most obnox-
their characters so believable that by ious college frat boy-burn out
the end everyoneis thinking: What hybrid ever. Constantly changing
will happen when Warren's father emotions so rapidly that it's jarring.
finds out? Will Jessica and Warren Dennis flips from tearing down
get together? Will Dennis ever stop Warren to play wrestling him, from
being a jerk? laughing to yelling. Creating such a
Courtesy of Planet Ant Warren (York R. Griffith) is character makes it nearly impossible
rcotics add to the charm that makes wonderfully awkward. He, like the for Reiff to evoke sympathy for him,
Youth" a memorable production. others, is not stereotyped beyond a but he does. For Reiff, Dennis ar
sense of familiarity. Warren is the. his apartment are like home (cot
ie stolen $15,000 from his father (who guy who wants badly to be liked, be because he designed the set.)
s. is obviously involved in dirty busi- and is, but still doesn't seem coin- Intimacy is a necessary ingredient
h ness) because he threw Warren out fortable around others. Griffith's of the show's success, but it seems a
s of the house for smoking too much character shifts from dealing with shame that the theater only holds 40
t, pot. These guys obviously come off Dennis to his crush, Jessica, to his people and looks like just another
.y as losers. But, revelations about father are amazing. Using his voice tree in the downtown forest. But,
their yuppie parents and their and speaking mannerism he creates that's part of the definition of "hid-
e attempts to sort out their heart- for Warren three different faces and den jewel."
is wrenching lives make theit worth levels. Even in his awkward charac- "This is Our Youth," runs
r- sympathy. ter, through Aug. 27 at the Planet A
.y The script has several thought- Griffith is entirely comfortable Theater in Hauntraiek, tickets are
is provoking, but not in-your-face onstage. His love interest, Jessica $10. Call 313 365 4948 for more
st messages, while also acting to show (Miriam Weisfeld), is equally as injbrmuation.
Game makes 'strides' from original
Well, if it isn't a good two dimen-
sional platformer. When was the last
time you saw one of those on a con-
sole? You even get
the original
Strider in the
Grade: A- package, a fine
looking older
Strider 2 platformer in its
For Playslation own right, if a
generation or two
Capcom behind in technol-
Reviewed by ogy.
Daily Arts Writer It's great to
Ted Watts have two parts of
a series that differ
sastly in their technology. Strider 2 is a
great modern 2d game, with shifiing
angled backgrounds and beautiful cut
scene stills. With some beautiful
scenes, like a cyborg mammoth sub-
boss tableau somehow reminiscent of
Space Harrier, the game does right by
the aging Playstation.
You play Strider Hiryu, a ninja-like
assassin who for some reason is trying
to save the world from a dark force
that seems to be controlling it for the
worse. Hack, slash and brutalize your
way through the forces of evil. It's old
school, in both versions.
Once you complete the mainmis-
sion of Strider 2, you even have the
option of playing as a character you
meet in the game, and play through as
that other character. A good thing,).
since the game is not very long and
there are unlimited continues. This is a
recent problem in Capcom games,
likely a result of people finding play to
be too hard. Well, you can always
choose to limit yourself to the number
of continues you use.
The older Strider (from 1989), is
harder and actually gorier than the new
version. You bloodily cut characters in
half, and the continues send you back
in space. It's good to have this much
game in one little CD case. It even has
a cybernetic gorilla as a sub-boss. It's
nice to see the original and the way it
forms the basis for the new game.
So, you get two solid games that
bridge together to form one big game.
Now if the games had something bor-
rowed and something blue, they could
aet married.
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DON'T HIT YOUR SISTER.
DON'T TOUCH YOURSELF THERE.
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THE FALL.
MEAN IT, STOP TOUCHING YOURSELF.