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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1986)
D R A M A ........ . ‘ ! ‘Lazarus’: Expressionist look at fearful society The stam* in shirk, with <rude. slick' 11 k;v m:l lo h ' draw ings on the backdrop : "laiXarus huighed" by the American playwright Kugeiie O'Neill.: was written in..l!l2H. ’’during ih«»" Kxpressiomst etii m art It sbuvvs , ;. All the characters except.. • Lazarus wear masks'.. desig i k m I bv Nan I h iff mail. The masks ah* • one .bfjho'high(Miiiits and disturbing, jeaiure* in this (ilavo i'b« .!!%• of masks Is tin* d radiatfc: fultdlined I of. ihr Kx . ‘ pressionl*t" tendency to focus the eve im myriad disparate -parts vvhu h when 'Mowed together-1 emprise a iinilv The inasks ari; . 'papier niai lie,, and represent the tlierne V»( distorted consciousness and emotion, O'Neill was tonterned with presenting a so* i.-i\ out ot hutch. W ith ilsell I lent e re« ill ii-dt. 'siiftine.il laughter is enrphned .is ,t mei h.inisiii to delineate the man ot peat e I .i/arus from those who with h and. i‘mv,( hint Hebrews I ml It common and pr iest I\, (.reeks (tomans alt blame |esus lor raising la/aru> Imm the dead, and all are unable to curtail his Infections, lulls satisfied laughter l,u/urus laughs and everyone on stage (logins to twitch laugh, and grimace l or all the i harat tors exi ept hi/.inis' w ife Miriam and Marv mother ot production., the use of elec ironic laughter creates an almost parii psychological ef fect I aizarus' laughter might be ■ •wn as white magic. and the tablaaotented music Imtween M i'iii's heightens the nnslical flavor l-a/.ams is the animus of the society he inhabits, and of the |> I a v ■ / .'>l).e"a I It ' Death ! Vengeance'" i r\ the Romans and I If lire vy s l.a/,mis answ ers them In telling them for thVfirst of several tunes that All deal’ll, is our invention, so laugh!" „ * Perhaps I .a/.mis' most tmpor taut opponent is Caligula ll‘is° in answer to Caligula's nianu i.iuiings and ntpat urns niitni lion th.it l-a/ams gives us some of his most shining nuggets of philosophy Caligula asks Li/.arus, upon Ci/anis arrival in Koine. "Veil me why I love so to kill?" lal/aruV answer is dev.islating: because y ou tear so much to die." Thus. Caligula represents the psy i hit stale ot .ill tile i haraclers cm ept l.a/arus' In-loyed Miriam and Mary In I hi* second act. Caligula even says of la/anis. "VVe must save death from him'' After the iuleimission, we meet Tiberius ( aesai ( ailigllla's degenerate nut It*. 11101 the ohstai le I>etyyeen Caligula and the Imperial seat. Tiberius wishes to see l.a/.anis bet a use he has heard that Ci/arus might lie able to leslore Ills long lost y outli a lit I y igor ...The use of masks is the dramatic fulfill* ment of the Expressionist tendency to focas the eye on myriad disparate parts, which when viewed together comprise a unity.... lesus, lat/nnis' peaicnt minil is •i threat Kven li'iis jtiandtathcr l\1ar\ s l.illii i that is) i.ursrs lesus and l-a/arus and "the (treat hum kum <i> \ 11 whic h l.iu«hs Inmi ht> mouth " I in niediatelx taped laughter lit'Kins ntlsl.iui' and tin* characters twist anti contort their bodies in their desperate < 11nvt■ ■ >Vs to death When "lat/arux I-amdied" opened at the Community Theater in Pasadena. Calif in 1M2K. 400 costumes. 400 masks, and over 125 people were used. There were no tape recorders in use at the time In this modern ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ j SHIPPING * ♦ » ♦ * * * * * * I PACKAGES? SAVE $$$ and Hassle ship with U.P.S. EUGENE } MAIL CENTER .nc * 1430 Willamette » 484-5889 * a/so Federal Express J and mailbox rentals. ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ \\ <* iiImi moot Tiberius* manipulative mistress; she is .1 (it contple mi'iil lu (!.• 11xtiI<i. in her x n iuusness .uni i hameleonlike XOIISO Ilf (Hllilil s 1‘ompeia SIM'S lo it that Miriam mils poisoned food from Caesar*# special plain. Miriam is Ihn only • harm lor (resides l.a/.arns who at i opts iho idea that physical death is not the end ol life, and she oals it \\ illinglv. after ascer taining from (.a/.anis that it is alright to leave his side. Lazarus shows that his strength is human, regardless ol the mirai le ol now Ido which permits him to display it lielore BAMBM m & CHINESE ^ RESTAURANT Oriental Buffet Lunch Downstairs G Try Our Dinner Upstairs Hours: Downstairs MThllOO 7 00; F Sa t! 00 4:3C Closed Sundays Hours: Upstairs Su Th 4 30 10:00 F Sa 5:00 10:30 1275 Alder Street • 683-8886 she dies, learns asks Miriam to call him from beyond death's door Kventuallv. after (atligula and the others think that they have lieaten Li/iifus that death has won Miriam does call him. and Pompeia knows love (or seems to) for the first time in her life She savs that she ( mild weep for Iris defeat The production ol l^/ains lidn'xhed is not always evenly parVrr. .There are places where •actors" .hues run over each ' (Mlier In ihe.first scene, inpar lic ul a r .the \',pi c e s ol the student actors lietrav the voulh of the ■cast. Once one nets used to that, and especially when Ihe dialogue im hides Ihe Komans. the audieni e t an i oiu enlrate on the spiritual lessons and siibtleties of the plot | Kichard Williams, a I hiiver sitv professor of theater, plays I .a/.arus lie has a very mund. melldluoiis voire width ion (lasts sharplv u itli Ihe voices ol even other ill.lie i harm lei hi I hr play Coir llornaday plays several rol«*s. including Caligula Short , with long blttixl hair pro I rutlntg' from lament h hismask. his Caligula reminds one of Ilenry M s petulant son John in “The I doji In Winter" I ho u g h in ii i: h in o r e hint nil hirslv. karen (IIliege does a good, slinky job w ith I’ompeia. I lei mask shows more ol her lace Ilian many of the Hoffman crea lions; the more the ladter. Sandra Wiley has some of the most poignant lines .isMiriam, especially when she is doomed to eat her last meal. She could have spoken up a little more in her final scene, in order to ac centuate her entrance to life, and not her surrender to death. I ’ll i I Dunn, as Tiberius, is suf ticienllv depraved, hut does not sound unite old enough for the role. This is always a problem with student repertory com panies. as most students are 7 voting Ymi can't fault them tor it. Some people have wrongly identified "l.a/.arus Lmghed' as a (deck li.igedy. Rather, it is |or was conceived as) an ex istential. avant-garde vehicle lor universal significances. "l^/.arus laughed" will be plaving at the Villard Hall Arena Theatre tonight and Salurdav. and M,i\ l-.t. Showtime is at H:(H) p in., and admission is $2.a0 The Arena Theatre is not large, and playgoers would do well to pur chase licki'ls and arrive earlv Tickets mav he purchased at the Robinson Theatre box of fice. or by calling i»Hi»—1*1 *» I. Tint Robinson Theatre box office is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 4 p in., and until It: III on perform,tin e evenings. By William Homans The EMU Cultural Forum Presents 3t the 2 Ser Garden i WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 fym T ? i? EMU FOUNTAIN COURT DINING ROOM i ^JJp $1 COVER Get your tickets in advance at the EMU Main desk or at the door. Food and alternative beverages available. I D Required *