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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 2001)
Local theater group gives Shakespeare a go ■The mistaken-identity humor of ‘Comedy of Errors’ comes to the Hult Center By Mason West Oregon Daily Emerald Eugene’s Willamette Repertory Theater breaks new company ground Friday with its first Shake speare production, “The Comedy of Errors.” The production cele brates not only the company’s first stab at Shakespeare, but what is possibly Shakespeare’s first stab at writing. The decision to perform the show was made by company founder Kirk Boyd. He explained that it is impos sible to confirm the play as Shake speare’s first because of confusion over the history of Shakespeare’s writing. However, it is certainly one of his early works. Director Dan Kre mer pointed to the simple structure of the play as evidence. “The Comedy of Errors” revolves around two sets of identical twins who are separated at birth. The An tipholus twins are of the merchant class and the Dromio twins are their servants. By chance, the mas ter and servant twins from Syra cuse have come to the town of Ephyesus, where the other twins reside. The play then unfolds on the driving forces of coincidence and mistaken identity. Kremer said the dialogue of the play also suggests Shakespeare’s young writing, with the use of many rhymed couplets. The lyrical game that the lines wind around the audience emphasizes the play ful nature of the work. Independent of the simple lan guage and plot, which is based on a Roman comedy by Plautus, Kremer said the play has the same depth of character as any of Shakespeare’s other works. Casting characters is always dif ficult when working with a script containing twin roles. But Boyd had the decision made for him when at a party he realized that he had two actors of identical build. He immediately thought of “The Comedy of Errors,” because the works of Shakespeare are never too far from his mind; Boyd worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Fes tival in Ashland for 17 years. “When I came up here, I swore that I wouldn’t do Shakespeare,” he said. “But I just can’t not do it.” From the first decision to do the play, the cast was gradually assem bled from both local and equity ac tors. The Willamette Repertory Theater is the only theater compa ny in Eugene that has a contract with Actors Equity, meaning that it is easier for the company to import talent from out of the area to com bine with local talent. “It allows the community to see actors that they know in a venue that raises the bar on quality,” Boyd said. Two University graduates, Sabrina Bemasconi and Megan Smith, made the quality cut and appear as (respec tively) Courtezan/First Merchant and Adriana, Antipholus’ wife. The cast plays out the script in exotic costumes that are a mesh of modern fashion, with skirts and Courtesy From top left, Jeff Pierce, Stephen Massott, Patrick Torelle and Achilles Massahos play two sets of twins who were separated at birth in the Willamette Repertory Theatre’s presentation of Shakespeare’s ‘The Comedy of Errors.’ sports coats, and Arabian dress, with turbans and robes. These choices were Kremer’s attempt to create a fantasy world for the play to live in. “As soon as you define a time and place, you put into the audi ence’s mind a certain amount of political and geographical bag gage,” he said. “This play isn’t about politics; it is about people’s interactions.” Sparky Roberts, who plays the Abbess, said that the play has been placed in many different settings, including the deep South and even in a circus clown show. But the un grounded approach that is taken by this interpretation gives more credit to the play than other devices. The play runs Jan. 26-27 and Feb. 2-3 and 9-10 at 8 p.m., Feb. 1 and 8 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 4 and 11 at 2 p.m. in the Soreng Theater in the Hult Center. Tickets are $12 to $30 and are available by phone at 682-5000. ‘CrouchingTiger’ leaps into audience’s imagination ■ Chow Yun-Fat’s latest kung fu epic blends incredible cinematography with a gripping story ‘CrouchingTiger, Hidden Dragon’ Sony Pictures Classics ★★★★★ By Lisa R. Griffing Oregon Daily Emerald Incredible kung fu skills, quixotic tension and the story of a lost young woman struggling to be true to her self draw viewers to Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Lee (no, not Spike Lee’s brother) di rected the insightful film. The cinematography is reason enough to see this movie. The lush landscapes and views of ancient China comprise the backdrop for this subtitled masterpiece. But the plot is even better. t “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Drag on” delivers an entertaining, emo tional roller coaster. The acting, im agery and storyline create a magical romance set in feudal China. Two people in love, Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) join together in this kung fu epic to retrieve a stolen sword. The sword thief, Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang), desires to marry the man she loves and live an adven turous lifestyle. This longing is complicated because Jen is at the mercy of a social tradition that al lows her parents to pick her match. Jen’s bitterness causes her to lose track of her virtues, and her scan dalous cravings for karate action and the resulting inner conflict constantly supply suspense. Much of the dialogue sounds like a modern version of Confucianism, which makes each character seem mysterious and intriguing. Li Mu Bai is a disciplined, wise warrior whose perfect timing adds to the rich dialogue. His love and equal in combat skills, Yu Shu Lien, contra dicts tradition. Though she is wise, perceptive, courageous and forgiv ing, her warrior ways guide her into a solitary, daring lifestyle. These two fighters weave in and out of each other’s lives, which pro vides exciting tension. They chase Jen’s master, Jade Fox (Pei-pei Cheng), whose name speaks for her character. Fox is the notorious war ~ rior from Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien’s past. Jen, though, is the most perplex ing character in the movie. Jen’s warrior skills and passion to break free from Chinese cultural stan dards corrupt her. The character development may be rapid, but it never allows a single dull moment. Although “Crouching Tiger, Hid den Dragon” could be mistaken for a contemporary Bruce Lee film, the action did not detract from the emotional drama. Despite the fact that kung fu is displayed in 75 per cent of the movie, there is little graphic violence. Various musical themes heighten the flying kicks, tantalizing dia logue and beautiful scenery. The score was light and airy in mo Courtesy Sony Ang Lee’s kung-fu epic, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,’ premieres at the Bijou Feb. 2. ments, but don’t let that fool you. The instruments suddenly climax and wham! — an intensified reac tion. The effective series of shifting moods produces excitement. The fantasy of performing mar tial arts while soaring over build ings and sailing through trees make this a Chinese “Matrix” without the high-tech gear. It must be seen a few times in order to soak in the depth. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is superb. The movie premieres in Eugene on Feb. 2. at Bijou Art Cinemas on East 13th Avenue. .KOI/. N-iToV-vt. d-fc TKe l^reck friday | jan 26th 17pm-2am free food > free movies 7pm: footloose > 9:30pm: ferris.bueler's day off costume contest > win prizes dress in your 80s finest and play pool for 1/2 price The Break I EMU Ground Floor I 346-371 1 sponsored by the party fund
