ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Short Eyes’ a prison drama on adapting to society
Written in Sint* Sing for
a prison theater project
An escort leads past grim
guards and through a barred
gate into the prisoners' en
trance, The set of the tiny
theater is sprav-painted institu
tional gray with a dark, dingy
overlay of uncleanliness. The
house lights dim and the
prisoners’ roll call is heard from
behind the set.
A capacity crowd showed up
Thursday for the University
Theatre’s ‘‘Second Season"
opening of "Short Eyes.” an ex
hilarating. hot-wired piece of
prison realism. Miguel Pinero
was serving five years in Sing
Sing when he wrote the play for
a prison theater project. It won
the New York Drama Critics'
Circle Award — the only "first
play” so honored.
Cast under the firm direction
of Mark Kuntz, the inmates belt
out their lines with intelligence
and emotion. A missed beat is
rare.
Not so for the hearts of the au
dience. This is a violent, con
frontational play, and it hap
pens almost in your lap. The
precisely timed action pushes
hard and fast.
“This thing’s got to be as ugly
as we can make it," kuntz told
his actors during rehearsals.
The play is about surviving,
about how men adapt and why
some don't. But subtlety and
laughter bring respite from the
heavy theme and densely pack
ed dramatic action.
From the first scene, the
prisoners with their scruffy
clothes and tatoos (costumes by
Jerry Williams) come off as in
capable of dullness. Kamden
Sisco, as the effeminate Cup
cakes, rocks out up on a table to
a Jazzy number with witty iive
talk accompanied by a trash
can-bongo beat that shows off
the versatility of cast members.
You feel the joy of these men.
As Ice. Benin Trotter’s
hilarious pseudo-masturbation
monologue in the second act is
one of the high points of the
show, as is his bug-eyed, “dope
fiendish" gaze early in the play.
Daniel Corona as “El Raheem" and Chris Pinto as “Longjshoe”
are prison ceil mates in the realistic play “Short Eyes. ”
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The message of “Short Eyes" touches on Bill aspects of society, and at times the subject matter
causes the characters to erupt in violence. . • ' 4 ; V
Cooperation and individual
talent make this production
powerful. Even the seemingly
boring character. Javier.' is por
trayed by.Jeff Salazar with just
the right amount .of slow, dnig
blown timidity, making ..one
wonder how. this prisoner had it
in him to commit a crime.
When things get intolerable.
Javier hides under the;table. In ;
contrast. Enrique Arias, playing
Paco, brings penetrating inten
sity to his role as .ah.aggressive,
homosexual. ...
•However, .tjie. dialogue' makes'
some awkward demands oh.the'
character of Clark Day is. a white
prisoner' accused .of child” °
molesting, or. "short eyes'’.'in
prison 'slang'. Davis, played by ■
Rich Cray, is thrown into a cell
with an established grotip of jn- •
mates, mostly black and Puerto
Rican, whose norms he. cannot
comprehend5.'" • ,
Bpt Gray, overcomes • his.
character's obstacles with dei .
cent acting.-He brings tremen
dous refinement, and excellent '
cadences to the lines, allowing
us- to'glimpse a creep’s neeid’to
be- loved, his nervous com
pulsiveness •• and 'his - "what ,
about me”, self pity. .- . ’
In a pivotal scene. "Short .
Eyes" deans.out hiS conscience
and his.'karma, while*. Juan!
played by ChrisCuthrall! cleans
the floor and listens., The
parallel ism makes for a
believable reminiscence, with
Gray actually becoming the self
centered. wimpy Clark who *'
asks for understanding but can
not comprehend the.real suffer
ing of his child victims! ' ■ '
As -|uan-listens, he gives.an-...
arrogant tilt to' his. chin, 'clen
ching his teeth and twitching
his |aw.. With", tight-fisted
restraint, he holds back his rage
when he learns that .'some ofyhe.
victims were Puerto Rican. You
know that in 'spite df 'his revul
*iori,.)uan, recognizes..Chip's
. humanity'behind his despicable,
.•acts. * .-.*• ■ . .. °
\ Daniel ' Corona ’.plays the
^radical B.lgck -Muslim.. ;’E1.
" Ka hue hi., . a philosophical.
•.revolutionary who. adds- a,'
political dimension, to the .ac
tion. Wearing .a°'red beret, he
.' tells- his “brothers”, tol do
because “try- is. a failure/' He*
becomes a victim bf.hi'sown
anger arid frustration when he
comments that', for whites,.*
justice means’ “just us.-" Carlton'
•Miller : brings a . big, honest'
“strength to. the character of
-Omar. You don’t know him but
-. you knoyv-ybu could-.-;-- ——
The cruelest.rnen in'the play
• are' two whites... N.fett,‘the “guard,
uses /his - power - in; .arbitrary
.ways, -never offending- the in-'
mates.-You can't like Jim* Sofra .
in the rble.-but you can respect
• him for his uneasy efforts to lie
cool. . ■ ' ...
Chris Pinto, as j/ingshoe. is
the only other white prisoner in
the cellblock, He doesn't,exact
ly have it.easy but he know*
how to gei by "Longsbo*“ It*
•slang for someone .who. la hip ,
and ha* his.act together. Hut.it
isn't quite true in this case. The
character ■ w<>u Id. be* # lot more
powerful if he were meaner.
Tie's-, not quite • bad", enough or
stupid- enough’ tp do what he
.does., '.V.vV
Whether or not Kuntz suc
ceeded in making things as.ugly
as: possible- the play as a whole
is ugly eriough. forajlnormai
purposes.■'•You cq me a w,a y
. be}i«yihg-ydu know what woulji
happen '.to a.' mixed-upV'baby
rapist'’ Thrown- in with eight
hardened .men. You know that
deeply human values would be
sustained under the most brutal
conditions...
There was only one really
noticeable directing error. At
the end of the second act, dur
f ihg the chaps of- hyperviolence,
- it.'*- difficult tp see around the
fighting; This ruckus .complete
ly ‘overrides Cupcakes! crucial
line, "Is this really us?"
"Short Ryes" continues- its
run .Thursday through. Satur
day,Jan. .30-31 and Feb., 1,.
Shbwtlrhe" is. 8 . p.m,*’ at. the
"University’s Arentf Theater in
Viljard Hall.’ Tickets are $2 50
for. general admission, and are
available . at tho - Robinson
Theatre box "office, .1 * "
Review by Barbara Shaw
Photos by Ross Martin
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