The Oregon Repertory
Theatre’s production of Tobac
co Road is somewhat like a
mattress: good and solid yet
nice and bouncy, with a slight
sag in the middle
The first act was a delight
Fast-paced and powerful, the
first act was hilarious as the cast
stretched humorous segments
out to their fullest potential and
then closed them gracefully as a
ballet dancer landing from a
jump
It was a shame that the
second act couldn't quite reach
the high standards set in the
first act The pacing slacked,
the cast lost its earlier spirit, and
as a result, much of the scene’s
tension was crippled
After the intermission, how
ever, the cast found its second
wind and proceeded to deliver a
finale so powerful that the
audience was bowled over in its
wake
Tobacco Road is the story of a
dirt-poor farming family in the
rural tobacco country of Geor
gia After generations of tobac
co farming has exhausted the
land, the Lester family barely
scratches out a living during the
hard years of the Depression
Douglas Schroeder and Pris
cilla Lauris turn in excellent
performances as the lazy, thiev
ing Jeeter Lester and his whin
ing wife Ada After the first fif
teen (or so) of their children
have married and left their turn
ble-down shack, they are faced
with the possibility of losing
their home and field and getting
sucked into the industrial life of
the big city
It wouldn't be difficult for such
a scenario to lead to a dry, de
pressing story, but director
David Lunney and his high
powered cast turn the play into
a triumph
Will Shindler is fantastic as
Ada and Jeeter's snotty teen
ager Dude He shows open
contempt for his folks, yet does
so with enough style to keep
from alienating the audience
The "Casting Call of the
Year" Award should be given to
whoever cast old-timer Bud
Winstead as Grandma Lester.
There was a ripple of laughter in
the auditorium when he enters
and the audience realizes that
Grandma's really a he
Winstead is amazing Without
speaking a word he creates a
truly memorable character who
is easy for the audience to like
and the Lester family to kick
aside Indeed, when Grandma
disappears out in the fields,
Jeeter says he’ll have to go
looking for her — "one of these
days "
The cast is all so talented, it's
hard to pick favorites Rebecca
Proctor is wonderful as Ellie
May, the daughter with a cleft
palate and a healthy desire for
males.
Jody McCoy is perfect as Sis
ter Bessie Rice, a home-styled
evangelist who claps her hands
to get God’s attention when she
prays for the Lesters, who she
reckons are "jest about the
most powerful bunch a sinners
in the world.’’
Watch for more from Alan
Rosenberg, who plays the role
of Lov Bensey with the con
fidence and vitality of Bruce
Springsteen. With his facial ex
pressions and powerful stage
presence, he provides much of
the force needed to carry off a
production such as this
The technical side of the
production is as good as the
acting. The set builders
somehow constructed a shack
that looks convincingly old and
Continued on Page 8B
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57 W Broadway • tugene Downtown
‘Wind’ revival a University treat
If the Carnival Theatre s revival of Inherit The
Wind is anything like its summer show. University
audiences are in for a real treat this weekend
Inherit The Wind is the story of the clash
between two legal heavyweights — Matthew Har
rison Brady (Tom Lasswell) and Henry Drummond
(Bob Friedman) — in a legal battle over the
teaching of evolution in public schools
The play, written by Jerome Lawrence and
Robert E Lee, is based on the Scopes trial, where
Williams Jennings Bryan and Henry Drummond
met head-on in a similar case
There is far more to the play, however, than the
legal battle Relationships between characters
and the right of an individual to think become
central issues of the play
Director Grant McKernie and his cast have
done an exceptional job in bringing the past to
life Lasswell is incredibly powerful as he rages in
righteous fury against "evil-lootion" while Fried
man wryly pokes fun at the bias of the town and
the unwillingness of the townspeople to examine
the ideas of "this Charlie Darwin fella ”
Although their characters compete with each
other, the players never do Lasswell and Fried
man play off each other in a way that brings out
the best in both
Many of the other members of the cast also
shine Jerry Walker, who plays the overzealous
Reverend Jeremiah Brown, puts in a phenomenal
performance as he rants and raves as only a
southern preacher can His energy and delivery
are as intense as the audience can handle
Robert Barton, in the role of journalist E K
Hornbeck, provides a fine balance of power and
humor as he matches his cynical barbs with
perfect timing His eloquence is surpassed only
by his ego as he hog-ties the townspeople with
ropes of words
The University Theatre is presenting “Inherit
the Wind" for two niqhts only Friday and Satur
day at the Robinson Theatre Tickets are $4 50 for
the general public, $2 75 for University students
and senior citizens, and $3 50 for other students
*For reservations and ticket information, call the
box office at 686-4191 between noon and 4pm
By Matt Meyer
jmu
cultural forum &
double t«c productions
presents
an evening with
f=RflnK ZflPPfl
sundaq. October 4. 1981
8 p.m.
macarthur court, u of o campus
• special amphitheatre seating •
reserved seating — $9. $8
tickets available at :
• «mu main desk • meter 6> frank
• cvcrijbodij s records (eugene. Corvallis, alban^)
ticket sales subject to handling charge
listen to kiel 96 for details
280081231
Oregon’s first (and only) generic rock
band — “ROCK BAND”! If you heard
them at the EMU Beer Garden last Fri
day. you know how good they are. If you
didn’t, now’s your chance.
PLAYIN' TO DANCE, TUESDAY
THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHTS, THIS
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MROCK BAND" is just possibly the
greatest collection of musical talent to
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“ROCK BAND” is Steve Myers and Tom
McCauley (formerly with “Scandal” and
“Hot Whacks”. Nol TYusty (formerly with
“The Hotz") and Monte Admunson,
Eugene’s premiere guitar player.
Don’t miss “ROCK BAND” this week at
O’Callahan’s.
O’CALLAHAN’S
221
>*)
a*** Coburn Road. Eueene
Phone 343-1221