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Theater
Fusing elements of epic theater and soap opera with an historical treatment of the Reagan era, Kushner's sprawling two-part spectacle bravely questions sexual, political and religious doctrines. (Part One: Millennium Approaches runs at the UO Theatre through June 9. Part Two: Perestroika is scheduled for November.) As one might expect from a work subtitled "A Gay Fantasia on National Themes," it contains -- amid flights of fancy -- lurid material likely to offend; be forewarned. Yet unlike the "shock-art" with which the NEA unfortunately has become synonymous (to wit, Serrano's "Christ Piss"), Angels in America is anything but frivolous. Even as he critiques it, Kushner presents an understanding of Republican ideology which, in contrast to the millenarian anxiety oppressing his characters, can seem alluringly confident. The play begins with a funeral. Louis, whose grandmother lies in state, gets more bad news when his partner, Prior, develops the first of what will become many lesions. While grieving in a men's washroom, Louis meets law clerk Joe Pitt, a devout Mormon who voted for Reagan ... twice. Joe has problems of his own: His wife, Harper, is a shut-in, obsessing over the end of the world, consuming "wee fistfuls" of Valium, and chatting with an imaginary friend, Mr. Lies, from the International Order of Travel Agents. Joe's career in New York is stagnant, but when notorious power broker Roy Cohn offers him a plum job in Washington D.C., Joe must choose between his own world and Roy's, in which wives, as well as morals, are viewed as sentimental liabilities. Such conflicted characters demand the most of actors. Add to that the fact that the eight performers play a total of 21 roles, and it's not unreasonable for the UO theatergoer to suspect that students may yet lack sufficient world experience to pull it off. Yet in response to the challenge, director John B. Schmor has anchored his cast with three doctoral candidates. Jonathan Cole fashions a fiery, abrasive Roy Cohn, only to effect a deliriously quick transition into a polished 18th century fop. As Joe, the character who undergoes the most dramatic change, Rich Brown delivers an exceptional performance. Deborah Greer shows her diversity in four different parts, the strongest of which is Joe's mother, Hannah. Newcomer Katie Breene also plays four roles adeptly. Alberto M. Albuquerque lacks articulation as Mr. Lies, but hits his mark beautifully as Belize, the flashy ex-ex-drag queen. Nathan Bloch, Matthew Woodburn, and Kimberly Bates round out the fine cast. In fact, this is one instance in which the actors could indulge themselves in a longer curtain call. True to the play's cinematic nature, lighting designer J. Michael Gilg bathes the expansive Robinson stage in hellish reds and sterile blues; a partial cyclorama conveys the play's various real and fantastic settings. The sound effects are well designed, yet while some of the music creates the appropriate mood, other attempts to underscore poignant moments with piano chords intrude upon self-sufficient dialogue. Schmor's continual use of the overall stage sustains the play's brisk momentum throughout. This is an excellent production of a modern classic. See it.
There are times when watching examples of "a day in the life" can be very interesting. Sadly, this is not one of them. The characters here are sweet, but commonplace. Maybe they seemed more original in 1955, when the play was written, but we've all seen these caricatures of small-town folks represented in the media hundreds of times by now. The play begins during a blizzard in a dinky town in Kansas. "March is coming in like a lion," everyone remarks. Two bus-stop-diner-late-night waitresses, Elma (Mindy Linder) and Grace (Tami Dingle), are preparing to intercept customers getting off a stranded cross-country bus. The two women gab with each other for a few moments, restocking donuts and complaining about the lack of cheese, before the sheriff, Will Masters (Alan Aldrich) joins them for a cup of coffee. Before long, the diner becomes temporary home to bus driver Carl (Don Aday), Cherie (Emily Gilbert), a nightclub singer and Bo (Johnny Ormsbee). Bo is a cowboy who has kidnapped Cherie from Kansas City and aims to marry her. There is also Bo's friend and confidante, Virgil (Chris Hanson) and a well-spoken and mysterious Dr. Gerald Lyman (Cliff Coles). A thin line exists between endearing portraits of small-town life and exaggerated, cliché portraits of small-town life. Early on, Bus Stop crosses that line. While the script has its moments, it is nonetheless completely predictable and certain elements of it are inarguably disturbing. For instance, when Dr. Lyman, a veteran of divorce, expresses his attraction to the adolescent Elma, she's pleased with the fact that the much older man found her sexually appealing. Also unnerving is the fact that loud, aggressive and dominating Bo would be able to make up for his outbursts of physical violence with "a little tenderness" and be forgiven for them. This play was written half a century ago, reflecting attitudes toward women and violence that are shocking today. On opening night, the actors not only stumbled over lines, but also blocking and emotional content. While most of the performers are trying to achieve subtlety and depth, they are dealing with one-dimensional characters. Tami Dingle, Alan Aldrich and Chris Hanson succeed in creating characters that are at least comforting and warm, but their three characters are also the easiest stereotypes to settle into. The overall result is a box of blandness the players are desperately trying to act themselves out of. Some redeeming points to the show: The set is perfectly simple and lovely in its soft-hued palette and vintage look. Good chemistry exists between the actors, displayed during the brawling lovers' feud between Bo and Cherie, in the coy fascination Elma harbors for Dr. Lyman, in the flirtatious innuendos passed between Grace and Carl and in the interactions between Bo and Virgil. And it is not the fault of the actors that Bus Stop plummets as it does, nor does its failure fall on director Jack Powell's shoulders. The material is what truly kills the show. At first, it offers sweet, nostalgic warm fuzzies, but as the play wears on, it merely reminds us what a bleak, routine, and sad world we live in -- not the primary focus of most comedies, last time I checked. Bus Stop runs through June 16 at The Very Little Theatre.
Residents of Eugene are lucky to live so close to a magnificent living legacy: the old-growth forests of the Oregon Cascades. Some of the finest of these ancient forests are located in and around Lookout Creek, north of the town of Blue River. The Forest Service's recently completed Lookout Creek Trail will take you on a moderately difficult tour of this globally outstanding natural resource. For almost 50 years, the entire 16,000-acre Lookout Creek drainage, located in the heart of the Willamette National Forest, has been designated as the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Much of the scientific knowledge that we have of old-growth ecosystems comes from the research being conducted here by the Forest Service and OSU. Directions: Take Hwy 126 east from Springfield for approximately 35 miles; 2.5 miles past the turnoff for Blue River, turn left onto Forest Service Road 15 (sign for Blue River Reservoir). Take Road 15 for 3.5 miles, around the reservoir. Turn right onto FS 1506 (sign for Lookout Creek). Take 1506 for 7 miles to the lower trailhead, or 10 miles to the upper trailhead. 1506 becomes a well-maintained gravel road after two miles. This road is well marked -- stay to the left for the first two turns, and stay to the right after you go over the first bridge. From the lower trailhead, the path descends from the road and crosses the creek on a rustic bridge made from one of the large trees that has fallen across the stream. The first mile of trail will take you through a classic cathedral forest. The ground cover is composed primarily of wild rhododendron, vine maple, Oregon grape and dew drenched ferns. Shafts of green and yellow light pierce the canopy, falling on a springy carpet of fir needles and moss, some of it more than a foot thick. My friends and I actually prefer this trail on rainy days, when a fine mist settles over the creek and the entire forest feels like a giant sponge, every leaf shiny with drops of water. The Lookout Creek forest is composed primarily of giant Douglas fir, some more than eight feet in diameter, 300 feet tall and 700 years old. In some areas, the forest is dominated by large western red cedar. Shade tolerant western hemlock makes up the understory. There are several fine examples of Pacific yew along the trail, easily identified by its short shrubby shape, reddish-tan bark and flat, stubby needles. The yew tree grows extremely slowly -- the largest examples along the trail are almost as old as the towering Douglas fir overstory. As you walk the trail, you'll notice many of the unique characteristics of old-growth forests that separate them from "managed" stands. Old-growth is very diverse in terms of age and species composition, with both young and very old trees that create a multi-storied canopy. The ground is littered with rotting logs; some parts of the Lookout Creek drainage have more than 200 tons of down trees per acre. Once dead, old-growth trees have only begun to contribute to the ecosystem. Rotting logs return nutrients to the soil, provide homes for hundreds of moisture-loving plant and animal species, and serve as nurseries for new seedlings. To the casual observer, an old-growth forest is a chaotic jumble of vegetation. Scientists understand this apparent disarray as "structural diversity." The messy forest floor and multi-storied canopy provide thousands of niches for a myriad of wildlife species to make a living for themselves. You are walking through the most biologically rich environment on earth, with twice as much biomass per acre than any other terrestrial ecosystem. The Lookout Creek Trail climbs steadily through old-growth forest for a mile and a half after crossing the creek from the lower trailhead. The trail crosses several small creeks and winds around some interesting rock outcroppings, and then flattens out as it takes you through a slightly younger and more open forest. Enjoy your visit to this natural treasure.
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