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.