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