Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1999)
8 A WedNEsdAy, OcTobeR 15, 1999 The CL ac I< amas P rint Portland theatre sinks their teeth into Dracula SHELBI WESCOTT Dracula Feature Editor PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHWEST CHILDREN'S THEATRE Dracula, Andres Alcala, seduces his beautiful neighbor, Mina, Val Lundrum. The most famous vampire of all time takes the stage at the Northwest Children's Theatre just in time for Halloween. Vampires, these creatures Of the night that prey upon victims by suck ing their blood, have intrigued Mon ster lovers for generations. Every cul ture throughout time has had its own myths about the legendary “undead.” However, Bram Stoker’s Dracula created the vampire we know today. It is a story of Good ver sus Evil, of Freudian longings and of sin and salvation? Movies and theatre, portraying Count Dracula and his story, have tried to capture the essence and ge nius of Stoker’s novel. Few have suc ceeded. Now, The Northwest Children’s Theatre and School joins the many that have adapted Dracula for the stage. The seemingly rushed story and under-developed characters will dis appoint true fans of Stoker’s novel. One would almost have to know the story beforehand in order to follow the plot lines. This is a great example of what happens when novels, fraught with symbolism, description and characterization, are turned into a 2-hour play or movie. There is no way to capture the true essence of the Dracula story in that short frame of time. The night I saw the show, The Children’s Theatre was having tech nical difficulties with their pyrotech nics and a few other special effects. Granted it was the preview night per formance, so a few mistakes are allot ted. I can imagine (with my vivid imagi- nation) that the special effects would have been a great addition to the show’s ambience. Ambience is one thing this show was not lacking. Director John Northwest Children's Theatre 1819 Everett (Portland) $14 for adults $9 for children under 12 call 222-4480 for more information Monteverde used only gray, black and white (with an occasional splash of red) in his set and costume designs. The lighting was dark and most of the scenes were candle lit, which adds an eerie feeling through out the show. Not to mention, in every scene the Nosferatu (the undead), dressed in long black and gray robes and with their faces painted white, move about the stage as scenery and as Dracula’s hench men. They are already on stage at the top of the show, blending into the scenery, and when they come alive it is a wonderful effect. The performances by the actors were less than exemplary. (Again, I’ll allow leeway for this being a preview night) Vai Lundrum, who plays Mina, carries the show with her natural stage presence and dramatic flair. Also, Erik James, a longtime theatre veteran in Portland, adds an element of comic relief as the goofy asylum attendaht. Andres Alcala is haunting as Dracula, and does the best he can to salvage a weak script. The Northwest Children’s Theatre production of Dracula is nothing special and leaves something to be desired for its audience. Scenes are anticlimactic, most of the acting is dry and long bouts of exposition do noth ing to further the story. Oh well, they tried. Take my advice: read the book. Ideas of morality, art on trial in Gross Indecency ANGIE PASCHEL A&E Editor “Gross indecency”: the Victo rian expression for acts of homo sexuality, which in the late 19th century was punishable by two years of hard labor in prison. Os car Wilde, the successful author of such plays as The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband, was charged with this crime in 1895, and was imprisoned for two years. Now, more than 100 years later, Artists Repertory The atre is presenting Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, which tells the incredible downfall of the flamboyant playwright. Written by Moisés Kaufman, Gross Indecency incorporates trial transcripts, newspaper ar ticles, personal correspondence, interviews and books to tell the Story of Wilde, played by Michael Lasswell, and his affair with Lord Alfred Douglas. Seven other male cast members make up a sort of Greek chorus, in which all seven portray many different characters during the play. The first trial begins with Wilde charging Douglas’ father with li bel for claiming Wilde was á “pos ing sodomite.” Much to his sur prise, Wilde loses the lawsuit and the information learned during the trial leads to his arrest for “gross indecency.” The second trial pro ceeds to trash his reputation, his bank'account and his spirit, but subsequently ends in a hung jury. Wilde is convicted in the third trial and sent to prison, from which he will emerge broken and destitute. A play such as Gross Inde cency requires strict attention to the action on stage; not only .to catch all the character changes, Gross Indecency Artists Repertory Theatre 1516 SW Alder St. (Portland) Now-Oct 17 For tickets and information, call241-lART but also to understand the pow erful, witty and intelligent dia logue. Wilde’s ideas about art and morality take center stage in this play, even though he was being tried for homosexual acts. His century-old ideas in this play still generate controversy. Gross Indecency is so engaging because the plot jumps around fre quently, taking the audience with it. The actors quote from many publications at a rapid-fire pace, yet the play remains understand able and very entertaining because of Kaufman’s excellent synthesis of history and drama. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE Above: Michael Lasswell plays the title role in Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, appearing this month at Artists Repertory Theatre. Lasswell is also the director and the scenic and costume designer for the drama.
