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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2004)
8 • T he C lackamas P rint AjOSj^J^NTERTÄINMENr F ebruary 18, 2004 '36 Views' bigger than Mt.Fuji beliefs and how even the employ name by 19 th century Japanese ees can become the employers. artist Katsushika Hokusai. For example, during a/scene in In a famous series called Portland Center Stage’s smash- act two, Claire Tsong,/an inde “Thirty-Six Views of Fuji,” ingly brilliant production of “36 pendent art restorer, stands center Hokusai painted three dozen Views” opened last weekend to a stage speaking to John Bell, assis images of Mount Fuji from as full house and the audience was tant to Miles, about the discover}' many viewpoints. Similarly, the not let down; this drama is a per- of a rare pillow book. While talk playwright describes every possible fec. addition to the 2004 line-up of ing, Tsong changes out of her t- angle of what humans are like and plays in Portland. shirt and jeans into a formal dress. how life is not a one-dimensional The play is a very modern pro At first I viewed this as a random screen print. duction, leaving the norm behind act, but then I realized the symbol “What we thought was . the and adventuring into a new world ism. The wardrobe change repre truth changes, Our perceptions of stage performance. Most of sented Tsong’s transition from an shift. And it’s complicated. the time, costume changes average worker to a person of dig People are complicated,” said occurred right on stage, causing a nity and power. Iizuka about her reason for writing sense of chaos, and yet the action The closing scene was the best “36 Views.” flowed smoothly. representative of the modernism In just under tivo hours run When the actors were not per of this production, changing the ning time, the pace of the produc forming, they sat just off stage, rules of how plays are done. tion never slows down, thus keep-, but still in view of the audience. The backdrop rose, exposing ing the audience engaged. This was a wonderful change to backstage. Enter two actors, but Portland’s Newmark Theater is the monotonous stereotype of they are out of character. They are perfect for such a production. It is how a play should be. reviewing the play as if they were an intimate venue that allows all The show opened with a line spectators out in the lobby. The patrons to be no more than 60 feet from lead actor Darius Miles statements they make, however, from the stage, making audience standing center-stage, speaking make orie question their legitimacy. members feel like they’re in the directly to the audience as he Torn between fantasy and reality, middle of the action. The set is announces “This is a true story.” the audience can only sit and watch simple, causing imaginations to From beginning to end, “36 their conversation unfold. This work a little harder. Views” enthralled the audience brought to an end a play that was Curtain rises at 7 p.m. Tuesday members, taking, them on a psy magnificently directed and acted. and Wednesday, 8 p.m. Thursday chological . trip through the The tide itself causes a person through Saturday nights and Japanese art-dealing world. to wonder and question everything Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. through The greatest thing about the that is going to happen during the Feb. 29, so be sure to catch this play was the subplot exploring the play. The playwright Naomi Iizuka wonderful play that sends the audi concept of how people can be named the production “36 Views” ence face-first into the world of contradictory at times to their own based on paintings' of the same Japanese art. Cory Price Co E ditor - in -C hief For tickets, call the box office at (503) 274-6588. Depending on the day and seat location, pricing varies from $23.50 to $51, but for those under 25 the cost is only $16 any day of the week. Sandler stays true-to-form in latest masterpiece Jeff Sorensen T he C lackamas P rint INTERNET PHOTO Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler’s latest movie is far from a remake as the two friends co-star in ‘50 First Dates.’ True to Hallmark holiday form, Valentine’s Day marked the flagship weekend for Adam Sandler’s appropriately brilliant new film “50 First Dates.” Sandler and his good friend Drew Barrymore pair up once again for a movie about a doctor at a marine life park in Hawaii. Sandler has a pretty serious com mitment problem and enjoys the pastime of taking advantage of women visiting the island from the mainland, but things turn around for him when he falls for a girl he meets in a diner (Barrymore). This girl is a little out of the ordinary, however. She has been in a car accident and diagnosed with short-term memory loss. Every night as she sleeps, her memory resets to the day of the accident (conveniently also her father’s birthday) and she wakes up every morning to the same routine, thinking it is Sunday morning. Sandler shows some serious restraint this time around, waiting a full five minutes before diving right into the bathroom humor that only Adam Sandler can deliv er. He really revives the old coach ing adage of not showing off and sticking to what you know. While Sandler holds to his own brand of humor, his usual friends follow suit. Rob Schneider man ages to stay away from his “You can do it” line, but instead intro duces a delightfully crude new character with a passion for swim ming with sharks. Even Dan Akroyd (who plays Barrymore’s doctor) gets in. on the fun with references to “Big Tom Callahan,” his auto parts competitor from the movie “Tommy Boy.” The big star of the movie, sur prisingly, is Barrymore herself. Most scenes take place on a new day,' where Barrymore’s character, Lucy, must realize the Truth of her life and her condition over and over again. Dealing with this truth for the first time, however, would prove difficult for anyone to swallow, and Lucy is no exception. Barrymore portrays Lucy’s emotional progress from anger to denial and all the way to accept ance in scene after scene with all the professionalism of a truly “A- List” actor. Barrymore delivers a surprisingly stellar leap from her days with “E.T.” and even a big step beyond her Work as recent as “Charlie’s Angels.” When “50 First Dates” gets released to DVD, make sure to save a .spot for it in the Sandler collection. Everyone in Hollywood has their ‘Bulletproof” and their “Punch Drunk Love,” but Sandler’s latest is 100% raw Adam and definitely worth the time and money. Be sure to have a nice shower wait ing, just in case. Zen Corner A rich man asked Sengai to write something for the con tinued prosperity of his family so that it might be treas ured from generation to generation. Sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote: “Father dies, son dies, grandson dies.” The rich man became angry. “I asked you to write some thing for the happiness of my family! Why do you make such a joke of this?” “No joke is intended,” explained Sengai. “If before you yourself die, your son should die, this would grieve you greatly. If your grandson should pass away before your son, both of you would be broken-hearted. If your fam ily, generation after generation, passes away in the order I have named, it will be the natural course of life. I call this real prosperity.” 101 %en stories available at www.thesegoto! 1 .com
