Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 5, 1985)
¡1111 WB Play Review*** Insightful “Nuptials” breathes life in debut pal from a commitment that he didn’t fully realize. The main drama shifts somewhere in the middle of the play and focuses on the relationship between Julia and Deanna. Kuntz gives an excellent per formance as the more liberal-minded woman who finds Deanna’s need for marriage more pitiful than sentimen tal. By D. Dietrich Of The Print Since June is the month typically known for numerous weddings with blushing spring brides, it seems only fitting that the play now running in Clackamas Community College’s McLoughlin Theater is titled “Nup tials.” With refreshing realism, the script, laden with comic relief, takes the cast to complete turnarounds through the course of preparing for a wedding. Set in the basement of a church, playwright Joette Rose, a former Clackamas student, shows a behind- the-scenes viewpoint on the wonders of matrimony. The selection of family characters on stage brings out the differences in moral views toward marriage and the expectations they can breed. Such views are seen primarily from the woman’s perspective. Rose consciously aimed her discussion of marriage because, in a note from the playwright states, “for the first time in history marriage is no longer a woman’s soul means of livelihood. It has become an option. And as such, some of the tradi tions, myths and misconceptions about marriage, and specifically marriage for women, need to be examined.” Important to note is that this is not merely a feminist play in which men play the ignorant partisans. It is a very human, insightful drama, full of real characters that come to life on stage. The College is lucky to be able to claim the debut of this innovative produc tion. The audience is introduced to the bride as she sweeps into the church basement in final preparation for her wedding. Lissa Diane Calder carries the lead as bride-to-be Deanna Rourke with a natural exitement and in nocence. Her background is somewhat Julia is living with her boyfriend but doesn’t see any definite plans for mar riage to him or anyone else until she is settled in her career. The argument that ensues between the two young women explores the reasons and fulfillments for their differences without making a preference to either. Bride-to-be Deanna Rourke(Lissa Diane Calder) is comforted by Rev. Thomas Forsythe(Walter E. Whitney) upon learning of the groom’s absence. tragic, with a history of being moved from relative to relative to escape a bad home life. Her aunt and uncle with two daughters have become her family, but not without complications . Coreen and Vernon McVey (Patricia Lawrence and Rolland K. Grubbe) are her adopted parents who love her like a daughter. Their daughters Julia (Linda Kuntz) and Alyssa (Lynda Hale), however, haven’t always loved her like a sister. The real crisis arrives with the announcement that the groom has not arrived, for reasons yet to unfold, anouncement that the groom has not arrived, for reasons yet to unfold. When the chips are down the real emotions come out, for better or worse. On the worse side is the snob bish disposition of the groom’s wealthy parents, played by Marlyce Scherrie Baird and Ian Byington. In a more traditional characterization we see a shrewish mother-in-law-to-be, who is sure that Deanna’s motive is money, but, of course, we know better. While the tension is high, the real reason for the groom’s absence is discovered in a stairwell scene between Vernon and Mark (Joshua Collins), the groom’s best friend. Mark is the catalyst for the groom’s misplacement. Without meaning to hurt anyone, Mark just wanted to save his childhood When the crisis is over the important event is not the marriage but the growth and self-knowledge of the peo ple involved. Rose shifts the emphasis of the play around to give, not just a black-and-white perspective, but a whole spectrum of colors, including the rose-colored glasses we’d all like to look out of. The set of the play is nothing if not realistic. One can even smell that familiar musty scent of a church base ment. Denomination notwithstanding, the walls are complete with condensa tion stains and priceless crayoned art by schoolchildren adorn the walls. . The play originated with the playwright but cast made it come alive as the characters breathed their first breath in the actors portrayals. Direc tors Jim Nicodemus and Jack Shields are to be congratulated for an effective and lively production of a close-to-the- heart play. Performances will continue on June 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. and June 9 at 2:30 p.m. Theater week celebrated Portland area theaters are check your local calendar uniting in an effort to support listing for plays produced this President Reagan’s designa tion of June 2-8, 1985 as Na summer. Artists Repertory Theatre tional Theater Week. In a campaign to honor live theater (223-6281 ext. 213), Columbia Theatre Company (232-9901), and its artists, participating theaters will take $1 off their Firehouse Theatre (248-4737), ticket price with a ticket stub Interstate Firehouse Cultural or box office receipt from any Center (243-7930), Lake other participating theater Oswego Community Theatre (635-3901), Musical Company through Labor Day 1985. For the entire summer, (235-4551), The New Rose theaters will support the Theatre (222-2487), Oregon Theatre cooperative program brought Contemporary about by the Theatre Consor (295-5917), Portland Civic tium, a “unique group of Theatre (226-3048), Sirius directors and managers of Theatre (224-9481), Storefront local live theatres who regular Theatre (248-0199), Summer ly meet to solve problems and Festival Company at PSU create new ideas in a (229-4612), Sumus Theatre Ensemble (220-0651), cooperative manner.” A list of participating Willamette Repertory Theatre theaters follows. Call them or (224-4491). CCC Cafeteria The Cafeteria will be öpen during the summer session from 7am-3pm
