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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1999)
4 TI he Q ac I< amas P rínt Wednesday, April 7, 1999 Portland Opera presents mixed take on Caesar SHELBI WESCOTT Associate Copy Editor Opera. The very word floods the mind with images of fat, long-haired, Viking women shrieking and bel- lowing foreign phrases to a crowd of uptight rich people. The majority of Americans don’t associate the words enter taining and opera. And to be honest, operatic music is an ac quired taste and certainly not for everyone. Many Oregonians would be surprised to learn that Portland houses one of the top opera companies in North America. The Portland Opera is ac knowledged nationwide as a leader in producing outstanding visual and musical performances. On March 27 they premiered George Frederick Handel’s his toric portrayal of Julius Caesar, written originally in 1724. Handel’s operas are noted for their vocal virtuosity and not necessarily for story or plot de velopment. This is because dur ing the Eighteenth Century, people attended operas specifi cally to hear the sensational vo cal talent. The artists in the Port land Opera’s Julius Caesar were vocally amazing. Their technique and control added richness to the musical score and libretto. Not one principal character’s performance was anything less than exemplary throughout the show. This was to be expected from this company. One interesting twist to this particular production was the modernization of Roman cloth ing and props. Guards to Cae sar carried Uzis, and wore leather pants and sunglasses. Curio, Caesar’s right-hand man, sported a briefcase. Cornelia, the leading ingenue, sauntered about wearing a mini-skirt and high heels. And in the final cel ebration scene, the principals casually sip their martinis. However, the Egyptian char acters kept clothing and props true to the period. The mix of modem and period clothing was distracting. During one scene, an Egyptian attempts to fight with his sword and a Roman pulls out his sub-machine gun. You can guess who won that struggle. Unfortunately, despite the array of vocal and musical tal ent, the opera fell short of ex pectations. Many audience members found themselves anxiously waiting intermission or the final curtain, and others simply left during intermission and never came back. There are several reasons Julius Caesar failed to capti vate and amaze even the most enthusiastic opera attendees. First of all, the opera ran close to 3 ¥2 hours in length (short ened by from Handel’s original 4 ¥2 hours). And, with the excep tion of a few amusing moments, the staging was droll and dry. Also, director Ken Cazan took the subtle sexual innuendoes in Handel’s libretto and exploited them on stage to an uncomfort able level. His allusions and por trayal of sadomasochistic behav ior, oral sex and rape were (as one review for The Oregonian stated) “immature” and certainly super fluous. Granted, the story re volved around a sexually charged man (Julius Caesar) and an equally sexually charged woman (Cleopatra), but much of the story was lost by forcing the fo cus on that one aspect. There were moments in the op era that were amusing and enter taining. One involves a 7-year- old boy who unknowingly sits on a dead man. The young boy served as a wonderful contrast to the otherwise crude and ob scene performances of his older colleagues. (The actors them selves were not responsible for the production’s faults; rather the responsibility lies with the director.) Overall, Julius Caesar did not accurately represent what the Portland Opera is capable of pro ducing. My only prayer is that first-time opera attendees were not turned away from opera be cause of this performance. Better luck next season, Port land Opera! Buffy steams up the screen ANGIE DASCHEL Associate Editor If you’ve never seen Dangerous Liaisons, then you will probably en joy Cruel Intentions, an update of the novel Les Dangereuses Liaisons by Pierre Laclos. If you have seen the classic film starring John Malkovich and Glenn Close, Inten tions seems like a cheap rip-off. Both films are based on the French novel, but comparing tenistnuchlike comparing apples to or anges. Cruel Inten tions stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (Scream 2) as Kathryn, a rich, coke-sniffing high school so dalite with a love for anything sexual. Ryan Phillippe plays Kathryn’s step-brother Sebastian, an arrogant prep school stud who also excels in the subject of sex. Together, they light up the screen with thick sexual tension and a delight fully snobbish playfulness. Sebastian prides himself on being a major player: when he sets out to bed a girl, he does it, no matter the conse quences. He also keeps a journal, each page containing graphic descriptions of all his conquests. After a while, though, Sebastian tires of sleeping with socialites and decides to take on areal challenge. He finds an article in Seventeen that profiles a young woman, Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon, Pleasantville) who in tends to remain a virgin until she finds love. Conveniently, Annette is the daughter of the new headmaster at Kathryn and Sebastian’s school. Sebastian and Kathryn make a bet on the seduction of Annette. If Kathryn wins, she gets his sports car. ff Sebastian wins the wager, he receives a night ofpassion with Kathryn. Vari ous other sexual favors and plots are also devised by both. All goes ac cording to plan, until Sebastian actu ally falls in love with Annette and she becomes more than a twisted bet. If Cruel Intentions was simply try- ing to be a good, tasteless, nasty romp in the world of teenage sex, then the film succeeded. The characters were vivid and there was enormous shock value from the kiddies from the WB network ( Joshua Jackson, ‘Dawson’s Creek” and Gellar) in nearly every scene. For example, Jackson played a flamingly gay drag dealer,afar cry from his role as Pacey on ‘Dawson’s Creek.” And Miss “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” Gellar gets to yell, in rather vulgar 1 a n - guage, that she wants to havesex and she also per forms a same- INTERNET sex kiss. However, if the film was attempting a remake of Dangerous Liaisons, something was lost in the translation. Important plot events were changed or completely left out, and the ending was almost laughable, it was so con trived. Rent Dangerous Liaisons if you want a good drama with a great cast and powerful themes, but see Cruel Intentions just for the guilty pleasure of it SHELBI WESCOTT / Clackamas Print Juliana Rambaldi, right, portrayed Cleopatra in the Portland Opera's production of Julius Caesar. Corbin Wescott, left, played an Egyptian child. The dog, Hannah, is Rambaldi's. TtfE CI.Acl<AMAS PRiNT The student newspaper of Clackamas Community College We don't sleep with our instructors. 1 PROFESSOR/or E very 15 S tudents . [ Now That's How Yon Get Attention.] At Western Oregon University, you’ll find our students get lots of personal attention from our professors. Plain and simple, your success is their mission. You’ll be challenged and inspired in nationally-recognized programs in liberal arts and sciences as well as teacher education. Choose from nearly 40 degrees such as biology, public administration, music, business, chemistry, speech communications,' computer science, and teacher education. Come see our comfortable, friendly campus just minutes from Salem. If it’s attention you want, picture yourself here. [Yes, still accepting applications for Fall, 1999.] WESTERN OREGON ‘ UNIVERSITY Your success is our mission. Monmouth, Oregon (just minutes from Salem) Toll-Free: 1-877-877-1593 www.wou.edu
