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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1986)
subservient subservient to their masters, their parents, society at large, and, of course, men. D om inating the play is Bem arda Alba, im pressively played in the current New Rose Theatre production by Merril Lyn Taylor. Bem arda is the im perious and severe m atriarch of the leading landow ing family in the village. Her husband has just died and she and her household are go in g to stay inside in m ourning for eight years, because that is what w as done in her father’s house and in her grandfather’s. T his is a great frustration to her five unm arried daughters, aged 2 0 to 39, w ho long to be married and out of their m other’s control. It is the daughters' ob se ssion with young men, in particular with the handsom est m an in town, Pepe el Rom ano, and Bem arda’s refusal to see the grow ing tension that brings about the final tragedy. T h is is a fine production, with a very good and quite large all-female c a st It is a rather grim show. The cast brings out their indi vidual frustrations very well, which creates the overall tension of life in the villages that Lorca aim ed to show. T he life-long tension of having to do what is “right and g o o d ” has proven too m uch for M aria Josefa (Bem arda’s m other) w ho has go n e crazy. Jacqueline K. W illis is excellent as M aria Josefa, her ravings are always c o n sis tent and fascinating. Bem arda has her under lock and key so she will not em barrass her, but still she m anages to get loose and wreak havoc in the house. T he play is full of sym bolism . There are m any references to dirt, the servants work hard to keep the house clean, but it is never e n o u gh for Bem arda, and outsiders keep co m in g in and tracking up the floor. The dingy, bare settings by Jo h n W. Garth accentuate the starkness and denial of the w om en’s lives and the decay of the family and village fortunes. T he crazy grandm other is a sym bol of what will happen to feeling people in this society. T he constant references to what the nighbors will hear and be saying about the family pro vides constant pressure to conform and keep em otions under tight rein. M ichael G riggs, the director, has done a fine job, although I thought the relationships between the daughters could have been clearer. T hey were very well differentiated as characters, but I w as never quite sure what they felt about each other. Also, Martirio’s physical im pairm ent w as unclear and tended to disappear occasionally. But these are m inor th in gs in an otherwise im pressive piece of work. The H ouse o f Bemarda Alba plays at New R o se Theatre in the M asonic Tem ple down town, W ednesday through Saturday, at 8:00 and S u n d a y at 2:00 until Novem ber 22. out but kind of haphazardly thrown together a s rehearsals progressed. The neo-classical French thought of him as a barbarian be cause his work didn’t follow the unities of time, place and action; his plays jum p about in setting and are littered with sub-plots. W hat Shakespeare was good a t however, w as reaching the audience. He not only reached the Elizabethan audiences, but he continues to reach audiences today. The scene described in the first paragraph is right from Rom eo a n d Juliet which is now being given a vivid and m oving perform ance by the New Rose Theatre w hose particular niche is perform ance of the classics. Before seeing Romeo and Juliet, m y pri m ary concern was that I would not be able to relate to it at all. M y own personal connection with the dram a beam e clear as im ages of m y very first relationship were conjured up. D u r ing the perform ance I couldn’t shake the m em ories of how m uch I was disliked by m y first lover’s family. Although I doubt that the Mitchell’s nephew would have slain m y cousin in the streets of Dayton, Ohio, the parallel between that situation and Romeo and Juliet w as clear to me. Anne had to sneak away to spend time with me, call m e from phone booths at odd hours and meet m e at tim es when her parents thought she w as at school or band practice. I im agine that m ost of us have had sim ilar experiences. Will Shakespeare knew this, too, and that’s what m akes this play such a hit That’s what m akes everybody so teary-eyed w hen Juliet m akes that proclam ation that she loves som eone, in defiance of what her soci ety dictates. Sh e loves som eone: “W hat’s in a n a m e ?” she a sks in reference to the M onta gu e that sh e ’s sup osed to hate with all her heart, “That which we call a rose, by any other name, still smelleth sw eet" The Primary Domain ....... NEW FALL MENU--------- ENTREES Cholca ol Soup or Salad CASHEW MUSHROOM STROGANOFF Touted Caihiwt ind souteed mushrooms In i sour craam end herb sauce; toued with egg noodles 5.95 ARTICHOKE TART Arlichoks Hum . tomatoes. Feta cheese, black olives In an olive ell and garlic dressing. Baked In a Pastry Tart shell. ENCHILADA DOMAIN 5.75 5.75 4.95 Chicken and Cheua. Chous, olives and onions. BROCCOLI AND MUSHROOM STRUDEL Broccoli and mushrooms, pot chouo. and herbs; wrapped and baked In Strudel luves. CALZONE Italian Hot and Mild sausagu. Mariana Sauce. Menarella. Provo!one. and Parmesan ch e ua in a Pull Putry triangle. CHICKEN PARMESAN Whole Chicken breast In a Mushroom. Walnut. Psrmuan and Garlic Sauce. FILET MIGNON 10 ez. Filet with Butter whipped palate«. FILET ♦ FETTUCCINE 10 k . Filet Mignon with Fetiuccina Alfredo. PASTAS A la Cane J© : FETTUCCINE ALFREDO Parmesan. Cream. Wine Garlic and Herbs. PASTA EXQUISA Mushroom. Peppers and Scallions Sttl€8. ( 0 3 - hi a Cream Heriaradith 4.95 CHICKEN PESTO Chicken Brsut and Braces!I Taps with a sauce ef Bull. Garlic. Parmesan and Olive Oil. Teased with Spinach Fettuccine. 5.95 SEAFOOD PASTA Shrimp. Seal lap«. Tamstee end Scallions with Cream and Whita Wine. Surprise the travelers on your gift list with something wonderful from POWELL’S TRAVEL STORE! 4.95 7.25 Plcase Examine our Display Case for Oesserts from: EXECUTIVE SWEETS. THE CHOCOLATF RASPBERRY. THE LAST ACT BAKERY. Events Thursday, 20th That which we call a rose by E . Ja n e Westlake R o m e o and Juliet by W illiam Shakespeare. Directed by Linda K. Czajkowska. New Rose Theatre. Second Year Anniversary Party Super Specials to introduce the Terrible Twos M ONDAY N IGH T FOOTBALL Largest selection of travel books west of the Mississippi! Gay Guides, too! Maps for destinations worldwide; atlases, globes, relief maps and more! A New Special with every Touchdown 7:00-10:30PM T U E S D A Y N IG H T P O O L T O U R N A M E N T Wednesday, 12 th Rem em ber back to that party you crashed: and although you were greeted with a certain am ount of enm ity by the hosts, you saw som e one for the first time who m ade you drop your potato chips into the Perrier with lim e held by the person standing next to you. Perhaps this som eone noticed you, too, and then m aybe you spent every m om ent you could together, in secret, because for som e reason people around you thought this in volvem ent w as disgraceful. Well, go o d ol’ Will Shakespeare has done it again. True, he was not a well-educated sort of fellow. His plays were not logically planned Just Out. November. Hunter Davis Blues & Womens Music 8 PM $5.00 Unique selection of travel accessories & other nifty things! Gift certificates available Open 9 am - 9 pm Mon - Sat 11 am - 6 pm Sun Pioneer Courthouse Square 6th & Yamhill. 228-1108 Double Elimination 7:00PM T H U R S D A Y N IG H T R E G U L A R S P E C IA L S 50c draft 50c off on all bottled beer The P D n o w has D l m u sic e ve ry Tuesday through Sunday , 8 : 3 0 P M 'til clo sin g C O M I N G IN D E C E M B E R D ied re M cC a lla 1033 N.W. 16th 224-4135 19