The Arts
Theater department
and Dame Agatha
present ‘The Hollow’
By DeAnn Dietrich
Of The Print
Beginning rehearsals for
Clackamas Community Col
lege’s theater production,
Director Jack Shields is en
thusiastic about the cast and
crew for Agatha Christie’s
“The Hollow.”
Following a College tradi
tion, the selection of the play
was decided by students at a
meeting for all interested par
ticipants, from several choices
presented by the director. In
cluded in the five choices was
Langford Wilson’s, “The
Mound Builders,” with a cast
of seven, and a play entitled,
“Crimes of the Heart,”
hosting a cast of six. The
reason given for the selection
tradition is “Becaus.e I have no
notion of who will be here, in
terms of numbers, interests,
and competency levels,”
Shields said.
Creating the choice of
plays, Shields considers pre
vious performances. “I try to
present to students and au
diences as wide a range of
dramatic styles as possible,”
he said.
Approximately 35 people
auditioned for the show, one
of the largest turnouts ever,
allowed an ease in casting a
crew of twelve. The healthy
show of interest confirmed the
increase of awareness in the
existence of the theater depart
ment within the last decade,
Shields said.
The stage crew personnel
were also selected during the
audition. David Smith-English
has returned as set designer.
He will function as a carpenter
and supervise scene construc
tion.
Taking his responsibilities
personally, Shields sees his job
as, “Functioning as a teacher
and a coach, but I also wear a
director’s hat to ensure public
enjoyment.” He also works
closely with each individual,
“By, halfway through rehear
sals, I feel close to everyone,”
he said. Even though com
petency levels may vary, he
maintains that, “The urge to
communicate is a primal and
natural instinct to humans. I
try to break the inhibitions
and bad habits to let the in
stincts come out.”
In “The Hollow,” as in
most Agatha Christie stories,
there is a murder. Through the
play the audience attempts to
second-guess the murderer
before the final scene arrives.
Not only is there a murder, but
the audience will witness the
death scene, complete with the
last gasping words of the dying
man.
Is Shields worried about
pulling off such a demanding
scene? Apparently not, “I
trust the instincts of even the
first-time person on stage,” he
said.
Special effects for the
death scene are downplayed to
technical accuracy. In deciding
what the wound should resem
ble, great care will be taken to
research the calibre of the gun,
the range from which it is
fired, and the location on the
body to ensure those last gasp
ing moments.
Realistic quality is a focal
point for costumer Lynn
Myers. Researching the styles
for the time and the area,
Myers also considers per
sonalities and contrasts of
characters in her selections.
Set in England, the play
was given no specific date but
was merely termed “the pre
sent.” Myers was given the
authority to decide thr date
within the parameters of the
forties and fifties. Myers chose
the early fifties because “we
have more costumes on hand
from that period.”
Rehearsals for the play
will attain a total of 110 to 130
hours before the play opens on
Dec. 1. This is considered ade
quate time to develop a high
quality show, Shields said. “If
one can get over a hundred
hours, it will be as good as it
can get.”
Appearing in “The
Hollow” will be: Jeanine
Kryza as Henrietta, David
Harvey as Sir Henry, Maggie
Bragg as Lady Lucy, Vonnie
Davis as Midge, Neil Hass as
Gudgeon, Patrick Sterling as
Edward, Cindy Brown as
Doris, Lynn Myers as Gerda,
Cast, director make ‘Chill’ year’s best
By J. Dana Haynes
Of The Print
First, put down this paper
and go see “The Big Chill,”
which is playing all over town.'
The rest of us will wait here
for you.
Back? Okay, good. For
those of you who took my ad
vice, you have just seen the
best movie so far, of the year.
Those of you who didn’t
—well, you got to read The
Print. A no-lose scenario.
“The Big Chill” is far
and away the best written, best
directed, best filmed, best
edited and best acted film tc
hit town it too long a time
The creation of writer/direc-
tor Lawrence Kasdan, it is the
story of an American genera
tion.
The show begins with the
suicide of “Alex,” a troubled,
30-ish man whom the audience
never meets. His death brings
together his girl friend and the
seven friends with whom he
shared a house while attending
the University of Michigan in
the sixties. Back then, the
eight friends had been the
archetypical college crusaders,
trying to change the world for
the better.
Now, it’s more than a
decade later. The group in
cludes a rich running-shoe
magnate and his physician
wife (Kevin Kline and Glenn
Close), a television actor who
could be Tom Selleck’s dop-
pleganger (Tom Berenger), a
“journalist” working ior Peo
ple magazine (Jeff Goldblum),
a disillusioned Vietnam vet
who is deeply into drugs and
Page 4
LAWRENCE KASDAN is the director and co-writer of Columbia Pictures’ new comedy,
“The Big Chill,” starring Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin
Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly and JoBeth Williams. The Carson Productions Group, Ltd.
film was produced by Michael Shamberg.
self-absorption (William Meanwhile, Goldblum is busy very nicely by Don Galloway,
Hurt), a big city public conning himself into thinking
Sgt. Ed Brown of “Iron
defender (Mary Kay Place), he’s still a rebel with a cause,
side”).
and a housewife and mother while “condensing anyone’s
“The Big Chill” is a wild
of two (JoBeth Williams).
life into a page and a half”
ly funny morality play (what?)
The eighth “leading for People.
about life in these United
character” is Chloe, Alex’s
Mary Kay Place now sees
States. Kasdan’s direction and
girlfriend who is in her early herself defending “scum” in
script are flawless, making
twenties (played by Meg Tilly). stead of America’s down each of the eight principals
This is the best cast to trodden and she wants to have
unique and contrasting. In a
grace any movie in some time, a baby (although she doesn’t
word: Human. Kadsan wrote
and I can honestly say there is particularly want a husband).
(or co-wrote) “Raiders of the
not one bad or even mediocre Williams feels unfulfilled in Lost Ark,” “Continental
performance between them.
her marriage and motherhood,
Divide,” “The Empire Strikes
The story is about these while Hurt is hurt, anguishing Back,” “Return of the Jedi,”
eight people, what they feel, over a war injury and unsure
and “Body Heat,” which he
how they have changed, where of where his life is leading also directed.
they’re going and where him.
Like “Heat,” “Chill” is
they’ve been. In hilariously
These seven are counter the story of people in transi
funny and frightenly personal balanced by Chloe, a genera tion, often against their will.
scenes, we learn that Kline and tion younger and somehow
“Heat” was dark and hyp
Berenger are embarrassed by almost alien to their way of notic with William Hurt as a
the amount of money they thinking. They are also slightly unscrupulous attorney
make shlepping shoes and ac countered by Williams’ stuffy,
drawn down by his own weak
ting in a TV private eye series. execudroid husband (played nesses. In “Chill,” we see our
characters also being led by
their strengths and weak
nesses: But laterally, not
downward.
The other heroes of this
film are cinematographer
John Bailey (whose credits in
clude “Continental Divide”
with Kasdan and the monu
mentally moody remake of
“Cat People”), who uses the
lush scenery of Beaufort,
South Carolina and the stately
Tidalholm mansion to op
timum advantage, making this
one of the most picturesque
movies since “The Black
Stallion.” Applause should
also go the editor Carol Lit
tleton (“Body Heat” and
“E.T.”) for making “Chill”
drum-tight and yet well paced.
The last brava goes to
Music Consultant Meg Kasdan
(the director’s wife?) for pick
ing the sound track of the
year. The incidental music in
cludes golden oldies by Aretha
Franklin, The Rascals, The
Beach Boys, The Steve Miller
Band, Spencer Davis, The Ex
citers, Three Dog Night, The
Temptations, Smokey Robin
son and my personal fave
rave, Creedence Clearwater
Revival. However, the best
touch of all is the funeral ser
vices for Alex, wherein JoBeth
Williams drones out a pipe
organ version of The Rolling
Stones’ “You Can’t Always
Get What You Want.” Classic
stuff.
“The Big Chill” is a
must. To miss it would be to
miss the to-date top choice for
Best Comedy. It is currently
playing at the Eastgate, Movie
House and Town Square (in
Beaverton).
Clackamas Community College