The print., March 06, 1985, Page 3, Image 3

The Arts
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^IVIC s “The Bat“ suffers misdirection
By D. Dietrich
Of The Print
“The Bat” opened Friday night with a
misdirected flight pattern on the Mainstage of
the Portland Civic Theater. This 1940’s mystery
[is a culmination of whodunnit plots through the
decades and the title hosts the nickname of a
rampaging psychotic without fangs.
Sound funny yet? Well it’s not, but it should
be. At least more often than not, which is the
glaring error in this sluggish rendition. The
storyline is innately filled with tongue-in-cheek
situations and cliche’s, which are handled with
an inconsistent mixture of melodrama and sar­
casm.
The best performances were given by the ac­
tors who tried to put a surrealistic or refreshing
touch to what is without effort a tired plot.
Although she began with promising .style,
leading lady Miss Cornelia Van Gorder, played
by Mary Marsh, too soon takes on shades of
Katharine Hepburn and a staidness that doesn’t
fit the colorful eccentricity that the dialogue
refers to.
Van Gorder is accompanied by her faithful
secretary and companion of 20 years, Lizzie,
who tries to give that needed exaggerated
character; but her efforts only tend to highlight
the less energetic flow of the remaining cast
(butler excluded). Claudette Webster plays Liz­
zie as a slightly frumpy, yellow-hearted sidekick
with a classically recurring need to be slapped
out of semi-hysterical states.
The play is based around Van Gorder, a
mystery writer who is trying to get some work
done by retreating to a creaking, Victorian-style
house on Long Island for the summer. Soon the
plot thickens with the discovery that the house
formerly belonged to a bank president who
recently died after his bankjwas the victim of a
million-dollar embezzlement.
Immediately the fact becomes obvious that
someone doesn’t want Van Gorder in the
house, as she receives not-so-subtle warnings to
vacate the premises. These threats only serve to
whet her mystery-writer appetite, however, and
she begins a personal investigation with the aid
of a police detective.
Through “The Bat,” the feeling is that the
cast is trying to take themselves too seriously,
instead of playing the show with the kind of
kooky attitude needed to keep it from
stagnating.The few moments that did come off
with the right kind of light-heartedness seemed
too accidental to be appreciated.
“The Bat” will run Thursday, Friday and
Saturdays at 8 p.m. through April 13. A Special
Actors Benefit will be held Sunday, March 24 at
2 p.m. Tickets are $7.50 adults, $6.50 students
and seniors.
College ‘‘whodunnit'opens
By Julie Miller
Of The Print
Opening night for the
Agatha
Christie
play
“Towards Zero” is set for
Thursday night, March 7 at 8
p.m. in the McLoughlin
Theater.
Tickets cost $2 for students
and $3_for adults. “Towards
Zero” is Clackamas Com­
munity College’s winter term
theater production and is
scheduled to run March 8, 9,
15 and 16 at 8 p.m., with a
special 2:30 p.m. matinee
showing on March 17.
The play is directed by guest
director Merril Lynn Taylor,
an idea that came from Com­
munications and Theater Arts
Chairperson Jack Shields.
“When the idea was given
to me a couple of years ago to
have a guest director, it sound­
ed great and it still does. This
cast has had an opportunity to
ouring dress rehearsal, Superintendent Battle (Marlyce Baird) and P. C. Benson (Dennis
(Roy Osborne), Inspector Leach (Joe Schenck), Poore’) put on finishing touches. The College’s
[Mathew Treves (Jim Nicodemus), Kay Strange production of “Towards Zero” opens March 7.
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work with a talented director
with different styles and pro­
cesses other than my own.
That can only turn out better
in the long run,” he said.
“We were very lucky to get
Merril Lynn Taylor at this
time. She is very busy profes­
sionally,” Shields added.
Shields said opening night
shoüld be “smashing. Things
are coming along beautifully.
Every production has its pro­
blems and one never knows
from what direction one will
get blind-sided. This one is un­
commonly trouble-free and
smooth. The production will
be sterling,” he said.
Shields is also satisfied with
the cast of the play. “The cast
is very strong and artistically
well-prepared. We have a
good balance of the more- ex­
perienced actors with the less-
experienced ones,” Shields
said.
X
X Music groups showcase talent
?
WE CATER LUNCHES
AND DINNERS
Cafeteria located in
the Community Center
To find out more,
call 657-8400, ext. 265.
Wednesday, March 6, 1985
“We will be performing
*♦* traditional and contemporary
music spanning 300 years,”
Gary Nelson, music instructor
and wind ensemble director
said of the upcoming
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lege wind ensemble and Col-
F lege chorale concert.
March 10 is the date set for
this traditional end-of-the-
> term performance, which will
*♦ be held at the Portland Art
Museum.
“The show will exhibit the
culminated talents of the
students involved,” Nelson
said.
Nelson expects a mixed au-
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dience at the concert. “It
should go well. We have a
varied program of well-
prepared material,”he said.
The performance will also in­
clude a march written by
second-year student Kevin
Maxwell.
After the performance the
two groups will travel to the
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
to open for the Oregon Sym­
phony.
“I think that it should go
well. We will present a good
sampling of Schubert,”
Choral Director Lonnie Cline
said of the upcoming perfor­
mance.
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