The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 28, 1981, Page Page 8, Image 8
bii it.ert
lommy ue
A tan
By Dav
Film
"The Idolmaker," for all it
surface of the music industr>
tube '50 s pop stars it attempts
Step by step, the movie sho
Krankie Avalon and Fabian w<
us the mesmerizing effects th
girls, but it never tells us wh>
doing or why they would let
(Ray Sharkey) turn them int
sexual appetites of the Clearas
When we first meet Tommy
player in a swing club in Broo
as he's getting into some girl's
happy. Much later, when \
Gallagher), he's unhappy with
either too shv or too stunirl tr
only time we can be sure he's
around to service him.
WHY EITHER Tommy or G
of randy women for a world
touch the merchandise is neve
Ijv Edward Di Lorenzo.
Portions of the character o
with more depth. Vinnie wanti
Guido. whom he respectively
Caesare, because he feels he
perform his own material.
And since neither Tommy n<
i he *vay of a singing voice, >
taler' for looks and hoping no o
>n<? does notice makes the firsl
m a weird sort of way.
But when Vinnie turns po\
Ca<'sare what he did for Tomi
ali< nates ever\one onscreen ar
a( II He's a destructive bastai
inn f-nough charm to keep hin
oi our affection?
TltK LAST half of the mov
scenes in which everyone yell
!hcpn'c
By David Dewitt
Staff Writer
Featuring a cast of 21 ac
multiple roles in reality and fa
Henrik Ibsen's "Peer Gynt"
three-day run Thursday at
Theatre
"The story goes along the
story, which I think speaks to
said Michael Dowell, who play
Dowell, a USC graduate stude
said the comedy "makes you
own nre, ana asK yourseit now
your life; not necessarily wh
doing the right or wrong thing
living your life for yourself."
"I don't want it to sound 1
moralistic play," said Dowell,
the lead role in Town Theatre's
Fall." Dowell said he tries to r<
play is a comedy and should fc
natured. "If that's done, I thii
moods of the play are intensifiei
PEER GYNT" is one of I
poetic plays, but according
ainmeni
jm '' J: -Ijt^
jfl |Pj|
>e starts his career as an /do/ma
nished
id Baker
Critic
s attempts to dig beneath the
\ is as superficial as the testto
examine.
ws us how teen faves such as
nrp mannfaffiiporl nnH If ciiAmr
V. .iiunvtAUVVMi VU CU1V4 11 OIll/WO
leyhaveover pubescent young
r they are doing what they are
someone like Vinnie Vacarri
0 living fantasies to wet the
ilset. |
(Paul Land), he's a saxophone \
klyn in the late 1950's. As long
pants on a regular basis, he's
ve first meet Guido (Peter
1 his life as a busboy, but he's
) do anytning else. Again, the
; happy is when there's a girl
uido would forsake their world
where they're not allowed to ^
?r fully explained in the script ||p
f Vinnie, though, are treated A
; 10 maKe stars ot Tommy and ,
/ renames Tommy Dee and |pj
isn't good-looking enough to
v..#
:>r Guido-Caesare has much in
/innie is, in effect, swapping
ne will notice. The fact that no
i half of "The Idolmaker" fun, ari
poi
act
ver-mad and tries to do for 1
my in tne turn's first half, he fri|
ul everyone in the audience as up
*d and Sharkey can't infuse in ov<
1 within any reasonable range am
dej
C
ie is a string of overwrought an<
s at one another, waves their nw
'Peer G\,
Rebecca Koon, " I
anu uic mean iLdii
tors playing evening more entei
ntasy scenes, According to Ko<
opens for a USC's December ]
Longstreet Boom Room", "P
get chosen for th
'everyman' early poll of the th
every man," produced little ei
s Peer Gynt, Koon said she the
nt in theater "Peer Gynt" as to
look at your the idea, and after
vmi'vo lit/o/-l fAr (ho cliAiit t.
JUU IV II T V VJ 1UI lliv. OIIWW , lilt; K
ether you're "Peer Gynt" befc
, but are you finish her presenta
ike a heavy "I wanted a dii
, who played didn't want to ch<x
"Night Must strong female role
jmember the chance to perform
>e kept light- said. "I did wai
ik the heavy (Cleveland, USC's
d " did consult him foi
to do."
bsen's more The set designe
to director posed of several
T~???r*
: bI*
-'nr i
' ,- ~: v - -11 ;-.Vj
SkS L.
ker
_ *
tribu
w f -WH
Ht
fiss*.
Caesare in the middh
ms high above their heads and
int where we fee) like we're wa
l-alike contest.
There's a scene toward the end
ghtened Caesare freezes onstag
, thinks about going back onst
again. Gallagher's facial expi
d when I laughed, I realize
sperately needed was humor.
Considering its milieu and the e
i Land onstage, "The Idolmaki
>vie. No one in it seems to be hai
mt* set i
the poetry was sacrificed va
ity beefed up to make the th(
rtainingly dramatic." th<
Dn, who played Chrissy in
production "In the Boom I
eer Gynt" almost didn't th<
le Showcase season. An br
eater department faculty fp?
ithusiasm for the play. soi
>ught the faculty viewed pr
0 ambitious. She pursued |
circulating her concepts Gj
acuity passed approval of we
>re she had a chance to Ac
tion. Pe
ni{
rector's challenge and I on
)se a play with a lengthy, "p
1 that I'd rather have the rn;
myself someday," Koon
it to work with Elbin i
technical director), so I hi:
* a project we'd both like P<
tal
d by Cleveland is com- tn
platforms and poles at (C
""V-"1 ???~? T
v / - :S9|
Vinnie mimicks his t
te to t
doing a
both 1
becaus
Shorl
with hi:
old, liv<
comes
>: of his si
^ ,4* ..... THE
4^ ^ but the
regardi
when h
\ icily by
. v \ scene v
ft^Hmpa - \ s bers frc
/ thay gu
> ' 7 taking
\ ""i: I played I
| saying,
i sure wa
Anot
climax
> \forciAr
jjy. % TVIOIVI
4** the pic
9 W-w- \ * comeo
> '*' | ... Still,
^ 1 " worth s
mm. ! .. best r
llpl till? previoi
111 * 115==. staging
makes
3 of a leap. < especi
generally overacts to the The*
itching a Sarah Bernhardt none o:
simply
of the movie in which the people
[e, rushes outside to throw all of
age and becomes sick all forgett
ressions here are a scream may bt
td that what the movie come, *
-r '?
nci vesuuiice oi uanagner IT'S
er" is a peculiarly joyless make (
>py about what he or she is would 1
to open 1
rvin0 hoiohtc anH Qrirtlno "f
-j ---o ??o? ? i ve en
5 set," Dowell said. "I like the conc<
3 set and how it relates to the story."
KOON 'JSEI) three translations to ;
i script to her concepts. She worked <
idges between scenes, juxtaposing
'ent scenes back to back. She ren
me parts, giving the material to
eviously established characters.
In the USC adaptation, as in most '
mt" translations, much of the
aves in and out of fantasy and re
:cording to Dowell, each scene is <
jer's real life, a pleasant dream,
sjhtmare. Some scenes overlap be!
e of the three states. Dowell said he 1
oint up the fact that much of this is
yhead."
Some of Peer's pleasant dreams fc
3 love, the beautiful Solveig, play*
?ggi Morrow, one of his nightmare s
kes Peer into a troll kingdom featui
>11 king (Jim Reynolds) and pri
lindy Hamrick). Other actors in i
.w^-vu
i- . . i
EM
Wsm%
B r j? f- Imsm - *
-:^l
, j--:^;-:> v_v ^BRTy^^::::v.:::::M
orotege Tommy as he cuts ?
he 19
ind all of them are afraid to try 2
'ommy and Caesare eventual
e of his megalomania.
: shrift is also given to the relati
5 two proteges. At the film's oul
es with Mama and never looks t
into contact with unless she can
arrogates.
SITUATION seems rife with r
! script never commits itself
ng Vinnie's sexual appetites \
e beds the female editor of a t<
Tovah Feldshuh.) And at that 1
/as rr^rely inserted to keep ce
>m leaving the theater saying t<
y was queer." But with the see
place with a character as un.
by Feldshuh, viewers are now a
"That scene with Vinnie in bed
s queer."
her mainr fnilina cf "Tho i/
J - O ?' 1UV 1V
, with Vinnie taking to the sta
i of Barry Manilow, is so obviou
ture, we're no longer wonderi
ut but how long it will take to dc
the picture can't be classifie*
;eeing for the concert sequences
ve seen on film. Director T
isly directed rock-and-roll com
; musical numbers Thn vital
the concert sequences in n
ally "The Jazz Singer") look pa
;ongs themselves, however, seei
f them are written in the style
'80's pop, dressed up to sour
who've never heard the real th
which were written by Jeff
able. But "Here is My Lover"
? receiving quite a bit of radio ai
>o forgetting them may take a wl
UNFORTUNATE that concer
or a successful film. If they c
lave it made in the shade.
'hursda
joyed roles are theater stuc
ept of and Lauren Crawfc
Moulder and Aase, Pe<
The play also feat
adapt composed by stude
in fho J *
vwv- uepanment on synthi
I dif- music professor Sa
loved choreography in the pi
other theatre graduate stud
who will dance c
'Peer "Hopefully the even
play perience that stimulat
ality. Koonsaid.
either
or a The sound systen
\i;nnn ~ ? 1
, t? vv-i a engineered by Keith
las to structional Services t
all in Longstreet Theatr
capabilities, accordin
member Michael Brill
;ature and costumes are by ?
ed by Jean True.
cenes
ring a AN EXHIBIT on tl
ncess Gynt" will be on disp
Tia.ior Longstreet during the s
\nsrnmmmmmM
t record.
50s
something else, though
lly split from Vinnie
ionships Vinnie shares
tset, Vinnie is 27 years
wice ai' any woman ne
help the career of one
nale erotic overtones,
one way or another
jntil late in the film,
?en magazine (played
>oint, it seems like the
;rtain audience mem>
themselves, "I think
ne coming so late and
At- -
aiu<u:uve as me one
pt to leave the theater
didn't make sense. It
lolmaker" is that its
ge to become a 1950's
is that, 10 minutes into
ng how the story will
> so.
d as a total loss. It's
i, which are among the
. 1 ^ ^ ??_ _i_r a t
ctyiur nacKiora, wno
:ert films, is a pro at
ity he captures here
lost recent musicals
thetic.
n a bit out of place, for
of the 1950's. They're
id like '50's music to
ing. Most of the tunes,
Barry, are instantly
and one or two others
rplay in the months to
hile longer.
t scenes alone don't
lid, "The Idolmaker"
y
ients Michael James
>rd, as the Button
?r's mother.
tures original music
ints in the music
*sizer, supervised by
m Douglas. Dance
io U.. *1 1-1. ]
ay id uy namriCK anu
ent Fredrica Lawlor,
luring intermission,
ing will be an exes
lots of our senses,"
i for the play is
Mosher of USC In
u lane advantage oi
e's quadrophonic
g to Koon. Faculty
designed the lighting,
>taff member Norma
tie making of "Peer
lay in the gallery of
>how's run.