—
‘The Glass Menagerie"
Oregon Repertory Theatre
Tiny animals of colored glass fill the life of
Laura. f> shy crippled girl who has separated
herself from the world of reality to the world of
fragility in "The Glass Menagerie,” an Oregon
Repertory Theatre production of Tennessee Wil
liam's play of hope and despair
Laura, portrayed by Rebecca Proctor, is a
frail wallflower Self-consciously averting her
eyes and quivering like a frightened rabbit when
attention is focused upon her, she retires into her
world of delicate glass animals and an old Victrola
phonograph the two pasttimes that fill the void of
in her life since a high school illness left her
slightly crippled
Proctor's otherwise convincing portrayal of
Laura is flawed slightly because she just isn't
wispy or breakable enough to bring off the “han
dle with care fragility Laura's character
demands
Laura's mother, Amanda (played by Jacquie
McClure) an aggravating busybody whose hus
band left her six years ago. genuinely cares for
her two children, but her obsession with finding a
suitable husband for her 24-year-old daughter,
who has never had a single gentleman caller,
traumatizes her shy daughter and irritates her
cynical son
Wondering how many gentlemen callers"
will visit Laura one evening Amanda doesn't
hesitate to tell her children for the umpteenth time
that your mother once received 17 gentlemen
callers in a single afternoon Laura, as usual,
receives not a one
Amanda’s character portrayal would've been
more believable had McClure exuded a hard-bit
ten attitude toward life s bitter twists A woman
coping with life s ironies could elicit more
audience sympathy for her desperate actions,
Ken Hof, Jacquie McClure and Rebecca Proctor
star in the ORT’s production of “The Glass
Menagerie."
done only out of desire for a better life for her
daughter
Ken Hof is superb as Amanda's son Tom, the
narrator and sensitive — if not cynical — poet
His dry wit and knowing chuckling under his
breath at Amanda s eccentricities give way to
quick fits of anger when he can endure his
mother's incessant badgering and hounding no
longer
Disturbed that he must work in a shoe factory
to support his mother and sister, Tom, often in a
huff, escapes — much to Amanda's dismay and
Laura's anxiety — to go to the movies,” The trips
continued on page 6B
Ballet, folk, modem genres
‘Dance ’82’ combines styles
"Dance 82", an impressive program of var
ied dance selections, opened to an enthusiastic
audience Friday night Although the dances were
skillfully performed, it lacked a sense of co
hesiveness and emotional impact that would have
given it a much stronger punch
Marking its 21st anniversary, "Dance '82 ' is a
cooperative venture between The Concert Dance
Theatre and the Dobre Folk Ensemble, and is
co-produced by the Department of Dance and the
University Theatre
Two classical ballet pieces with modern
movements that stand out especially — "An
dante" and "Ribbons” — are finely crafted works
"Andante" is a moderately slow pas de deux
plus one of carefully constructed sensitivity It
examines the flow of love relationships, and is
performed by David B ,-rkey, Catheriene Guerin,
and Caroline Schell
Choreographed by Susan Zadoff, "Andante”
lends a sweet sadness as a lone dancer intricately
follows the movements of a couple beside her
Sometimes they intertwine, but more often, she is
alone The resolution of this piece is moving and
beautifully done
"Ribbons," choreographed by David Berkey
ano accompanied by Pachelbel's wistful “Canon
in D, " is a springtime dance of frills and frivolity, of
gentility and growing up
Four dancers, Barbara DeSassie, Louise
Green-Mare^, Deanna Livsey and Susan
McFadden, cive a spritely and enjoyable perfor
mance in a pastel and pretty look at adolescence
Unfortunately, many of the other perfor
mances lacked the emotional intensity of "An
dante” and "Ribbons.” Many were too controlled
and needed enlivening. "An Evening at the Cock
& Bull” was one such performance
For the 18th century piece, the Dobre Folk
Ensemble did a fine job of constructing a phy
sically authentic pub atmosphere of that time
period with its use of costumes and set
However, the pub-goers were too restrained
Some on-stage banter would have added greatly
to audience enjoyment, with hoopla and general
shouts of good cheer — basically, the involvement
of 18th century people having fun Since dialogue
was already introduced, the ensemble could have
gone further, built characters and added time
period believability
With the exception of Susan Wheeler, who
provided a particularly lively solo, the ensemble
needs to develop its stage presence to better
show off its historical dances.
Though the skill of the artists is undeniable
and the quality of the work is quite evident, it
would have been a great benefit to "Dance 82"
had there beer, a general theatrical director to tie
the dances together Between the distraction of
constant intermissions and the distinctly different
flavors of the different dances, the program
lacked continuity, making the program flow less
smoothly than it might have
In general, relationships between the
dancers could have been better explored in
several pieces to give that added polish — that
extra something — to the finished product. An
overall theatrical director could have helped
provide that extra punch
On the whole, "Dance ’82" is a delightful
evening, and the audience appreciated it.
"There's Love In Them There Hills", an energetic
jazz-funk number choreographed by Caroline
Schell, left the audience cheering
The cast of “Dance ’82" deserves this ap
preciation. For those who respect the arduous
training and discipline of a dance, "Dance ’82” is
a good example of the beauty and elegance that
most can only aspire to in dreams
by debbl roberts
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