PERSONAL DNA

Animated Creator

ATTEND THE TALE ...

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
Directed by Tim Burton
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Adapted for the Screen by John Logan
WITH: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sasha Baron Cohen, Ed Sanders, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jayne Wisener, Laura Michelle Kelly

Tim Burton's adaption of one of my all-time favorite musicals is excellent. Johnny Depp's stirring performance is the primary reason, but credit also goes to Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett and little Ed Sanders as Tobias. The gorgeous art direction, inspired by the Hammer horror factory, and new orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, nearly steal the show. The film is tense, darkly hilarious, and paced well thanks to some song cuts that initially pissed me off. There must have been extraordinary creative synergy on this project; everyone is on top of their game. For fans of the musical that are pissy about non-operatic singers playing the roles, leave your preconceptions at the door and enjoy this film for what it is: a Grand Guignol masterpiece. Yes, there is BLOOD all over the place, but it has never looked more beautiful. Why is it so good? Johnny Depp dominates the film as the vengeful Sweeney, and his raw but expressive singing voice captures the character well. Helena Bonham Carter's voice leaves something to be desired, and there were times when she downplayed a little too much for my taste, but her "By the Sea" is absolutely brilliant, and her final scenes are gut-wrenching. Alan Rickman is fine as the morally warped Judge Turpin. I was angry that his "Mea Culpa" was cut, but I was delighted with a new scene written for the film that introduced the judge's collection of international erotica. Sasha Baron Cohen is funny and perfectly sleazy as Pirelli, but I must have been the only person in the audience who laughed out loud at his outrageously stuffed pants. Finally, Ed Sanders is moving as Tobias, especially when he sings "Not While I'm Around;" his voice, probably one of the strongest overall, perfectly captures the boy's hopefulness, courage, and fateful naivete.

Besides the performances, the look of the film is absolutely gorgeous, and I applaud director Tim Burton, production designer Dante Feretti, and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski. Inspired by the films of the Hammer horror factory of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s -- I love those films! -- Sweeney's London is perpetually dreary. It is black, white, and shades of gray, a color palette which makes the blood, the streams and streams of bright red blood, all the more vivid. Much has been made of the amount of blood in Sweeney Todd, but it is entirely appropriate for the Grand Guignol style of the work. Stephen Sondheim himself loves the blood, and so do I.

There are some wee complaints. Jamie Campbell Bower and Jayne Wisener barely register as Anthony and Johanna, but that was to be expected with their big duet, "Kiss Me," cut from the film. Ultimately, though, my sheer delight at watching the film made me forget about those tiny glitches. I was very skeptical that Tim Burton could pull off a good adaptation of Sweeney Todd, but I am very happy to say that I was wrong to doubt him. But let's not forget that Stephen Sondheim is the true genius behind everything. It his music, his lyrics, and his idiosyncratic view of the world that forged this masterpiece.

GRADE: A

THE GOLDEN COMPASS

FILM OPINION

Written and Directed by Chris Weitz
Based on the Novel by Philip Pullman
CAST: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Sam Elliott, Ian McKellen (voice), and Dakota Blue Richards

With the historic success of the Harry Potter books and movies, not to mention the Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia franchises, Hollywood has predictably saturated the market with film adaptations of popular fantasy novels. While the LOTR trilogy was absolutely stunning and some have been quite entertaining (Harry Potter), most adaptations have been either serviceable (Narnia) or disappointing (Eragon and Series of Unfortunate Events foremost among them) have been disappointing. Coming soon are Holly Black's Spiderwick Chronicles and Cornelia Funke's Inkheart, but kicking off the latest wave is The Golden Compass of Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. Though such a film would seem to have a built-in audience with fans of the book, blockbuster status can only be attained by seducing the "casual film-goer" into spending ten bucks to see it. How do you do that? Stunning visuals in the trailer, and name stars.

The Golden Compass certainly has both. Some of the visuals are absolutely beautiful, particularly the aerial shots of the College and the alternate version of London. As for stars, they don't come any bigger than Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. The Golden Compass fares better than your typical fantasy in that it boasts a compelling protagonist, the feisty and resourceful Lyra (Dakota Blue Roberts). It also has the neat conceit of animal "daemons," physical manifestations of human souls. An indicator of the level of talent that the film drew can be found in the voice talents: Ian McKellen, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kathy Bates, and Freddie Highmore. That being said, the film understandably tries to do too much. While it has some very exciting moments (particularly among the bears), it peters out at the end and intentionally leaves the story unresolved. What goes wrong? In short, too much plot involving too many characters in too short a time. It is difficult to care for any of the people involved; in fact, I most identified with Iorek Byrnison, the war bear.

Of course, The Golden Compass is stirring up all sorts of controversy because of author Philip Pullman's avowed atheism. Indeed, the menacing, all-powerful institution is called The Church in the novels, softened as the Magisterium in the film. The heroes are fighting for that greatest of all threats to fundamentalism, FREE WILL, and the villains are trying to brainwash the children into non-questioning believers. While The Golden Compass is not a great one, I can't help but encourage people to see any film that seeks to undermine such controlling paradigms.

GRADE: C

DAFT PUNK'S ELECTROMA

This is where I'm going on Tuesday. It's free, shit.

Teaser for Electroma.

THINK PINK RADIO

I was invited to write weekly posts at the blog for Think Pink Radio based out of WLUW 88.7 FM in Chicago. The show itself is independent, all-music, and devoted to queer music artists. The blog aims to become a hub for queer arts, literature, events and anything else we think will interest people around the country.

My own contributions to the Think Pink Radio blog will focus primarily on film, theater and Pacific Northwest interests. However, I am a man of many interests and much curiosity. To quote Miss Dickinson, "I dwell in possibility."

My own blog will continue to house my more verbose opinions. To check out my November 29 post on the new Todd Haynes film, I'm Not There, click below. Begin to Think Pink.


THINK PINK RADIO (WLUW 88.7 FM - Chicago)

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

by Sherman Alexie
Illustrations by Ellen Forney

BOOK OPINION

Any book that can make me laugh out loud and cry unabashedly deserves my highest praise. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, author Sherman Alexie mines his own adolescence to tell the story of Junior, aka Arnold Spirit. Junior has several decks stacked against him. He was born "with water on the brain," a condition that required a highly risky operation to treat and left him with speech issues and seizures. On top of that, Arnold is highly intelligent and sensitive, two traits that drop him squarely on the bottom of the pecking order on "the rez," the Spokane Indian Reservation. Dangerously close to despair, Arnold makes a desperate and impulsive decision to enroll at Reardon High School, an all-white high school in a well-to-do suburb of Spokane. The majority of the story is about how Arnold struggles to fit into the white and Indian worlds when neither will fully embrace him. Junior, blessed with intellectual gifts and a surprisingly consistent jump-shot, carves a niche for himself at the new school by forging key friendships. At the same time, he mourns the loss of his best friend Rowdy back on the rez, who sees Junior's defection as the ultimate sell-out. When Junior's first basketball game pits his Reardon team versus his old high school, a game played on the rez, it is almost too much for him to bear.

Awful things happen in the book, and it would be downright depressing if it weren't so damn funny at the same time. While Junior is certainly a bright, articulate individual, he is still a fourteen year-old kid who loves basketball, reading books, drawing comics, and masturbating. Ellen Forney, a Seattle-based comic artist, perfectly captures Junior's humor and world-view with her hilarious renderings. Most importantly, however, Sherman Alexie epitomizes the notion of laughing in order to keep from crying. He uses humor to illustrate the sadness, hopelessness, and sheer poverty of the people in Junior's world on the rez. At the same time, he allows Junior to cut loose in his frustration and rage, and the boy's anger at being rejected for simply bettering himself, saving himself, is palpable. The central relationship is between Junior and his best friend Rowdy. Their love-hate relationship is symbolic of many Big Ideas, but their identities are always authentic and potent. They are flawed individuals, but you care deeply for both of them, and want these two confused, hormonal, but ultimately loving ninth grade boys to just get back to the way they were. That their struggle with each other is so honest and compelling is a testament to Alexie's skill.

Sherman Alexie was awarded the National Book Award in the Young Adult Fiction category for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It represents the best of YAF: powerful, uncompromising, authentic stories that deal with real conflicts and life-changing events. In the end, these heroes persevere, even if they are gawky, bespectacled, horny teenagers confronting an identity crisis at a ridiculously young age.

GRADE: A-

PEOPLE TALKING AND SINGING: November 8, 2007

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007)

Film Opinion

Written by Nancy Oliver
Directed by Craig Gillespie
CAST: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson

Seeing this film was the most pleasantly surprising film-going experience I have had in years. The story follows Lars Lindstrom (Gosling), a painfully shy man who cannot seem to get people to leave him alone. Tipped off by a co-worker, Lars finds a solution to his loneliness: a mail order love-doll named Bianca. In just one of many surprises in this film, Lars decides to fully integrate Bianca into his life, including family dinners, church, and friends' parties. Though the center of the story is Lars, presented in yet another devastating performance by Ryan Gosling, it is the way Lars's family (Emily Mortimer and Paul Schneider), coworkers, friends and neighbors respond to him and Bianca that makes this story so moving. Love is at the center of this town, and of this film, and it is love that gives this unlikely but totally convincing story its emotional power.

Ryan Gosling completely draws you into Lars' world, making you care for someone who is completely delusional and perplexing at first. Gosling is matched by the pitch-perfect Patricia Clarkson as a town family doctor/psychologist ("This far north, you sort of have to be both.") who sees the doll Bianca for what she really is to Lars. Emily Mortimer is strong as the sister-in-law, and her argument with Lars is an emotional highlight of the film. I was less impressed with Paul Schneider's performance as the brother; he was a hammy actor bobbing in a sea of subtle actors. But the supporting characters, most notably Kelli Garner as a co-worker and friend, are fleshed out and colorful, and offer subtle counterpoints to the stereotype of small town individuals.

This is a touching story with a queer sensibility. After all, an unconventional romance is at the center of the story. Bianca seems to bring out the best in the people that encounter her, even though she is a love doll, and her presence in the town and her romance with Lars brings people together once they get passed their initial bewilderment. I remain a firm believer in the notion of unconditional love, and Lars and the Real Girl captures its power in ways that films rarely do. I strongly recommend it.

GRADE: A

SWEENEY TODD ...

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is coming soon!

THE MOJO AND THE SAYSO

THEATER OPINION

The Mojo and the Sayso
by Aishah Rahman
Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton
ACT Theater
September 2, 2007 (preview)

Thanks to a free ticket provided by Seattle Dramatists, I attended a preview of The Mojo and the Sayso by Aisha Rahman at ACT over the weekend. The play opens on September 6, and the director, Valerie Curtis-Newton, asked the audience before the show to "work," and give the actors the responses they needed to fine-tune their performances. Theater's most powerful aspect is that interplay between performers and audience members, and it was nice to be reminded that we are an integral part of the creative process.

Embarrassingly, I had never heard of playwright Aisha Rahman before seeing this play, and a quick bit of research indicates that she has not written a play since 1993. I was instantly intrigued by what the Director's Note described as Rahman's "jazz aesthetic," a literary style influenced by the free form, ensemble oriented musical style. Defying a traditional dramatic structure, would this play still bring the audience along on a journey?

Yes, and no.

Immediately impressing is the set at the center of the Allen Stage (in the round), dominated by a Cadillac under repair or renovation. We soon realize that this is the living room of ACTS (Lindsay Smiling) and AWILDA (Tracy Michelle Hughes), a space co-opted by the former as a mechanic's garage. Acts' Tire irons, spark plugs, hub caps and other automobile parts and tools litter the floor, but are mixed in with Awilda's candles, Bibles, and picture frames. The drama unfolds in this cramped space, usually remaining firmly in the realistic present, but routinely interrupted by stop-time prayers, flashbacks, and even a fantastic episode of absurdity.

Acts and Awilda have been at odds with each other ever since the death of their youngest son four years prior. As the story unfolds, we realize that the son was mistakenly killed by police officers, shot in the back as he fled. Acts was present at the time of the shooting, but has never said anything about it other than, "Our son is dead." The rest of the play is basically about Awilda (and later, their eldest son "Blood") trying to get Acts to talk about "that night." This doesn't make for an especially compelling conflict, however, and the resolution that eventually comes is satisfying and, yes, earned, but seemingly weaker than I expected from such tragic circumstances.

That being said, the production really worked for me. I was engaged throughout, laughing out loud often, and even getting teary-eyed at a few key moments. There were many pleasant surprises, and although the ending was telegraphed early on, I found the final image to be quite poignant. Driving the story in a powerful performance is Lindsay Smiling as Acts. Though this was only the second preview, his performance was rich, nuanced, and compelling. His fear, anger, bravery, and frustration had different shades to them, and his complicated relationship with his son BLOOD(Jose A. Rufino) was real and touching. Rufino, currently enrolled at the University of Washington's Professional Actors Training Program, moved with a powerful and expressive physicality. Tracy Michelle Hughes as Awilda first came across as strident and a bit one-dimensional at first, but she seemed to hit her stride as she delivered a beautiful, subtly condemning monologue on the monetary cost of losing a son. I am confident that Ms. Hughes will find the nuances in her character at the very beginning, because we need to see why Acts chooses to stay with her and dream about her all this time. Rounding out the ensemble is Timothy McCuen Piggee in a brief, show-stopping performance as PASTOR. This man basically slips in, explodes with fury and accusation, transforms with surprise and hilarity, and exits like a hurricane.

I would not describe The Mojo and the Sayso as a straight drama because it has so many unexpected elements, and the time seems to shift constantly. We could be watching a story that plays out over one day, or it could be played out over several months or years. For the most part, these elements all work beautifully together. However, I felt that the emotional high-point was Blood's final confrontation with Pastor, though it is clearly meant to be Acts' confession at the end. Regardless, I still found the simple closing image, of a contented family out for a drive, satisfying. Some other issues, most notably the actors comfort with some of the unexpectedly formal language, will surely be worked out in the next few days. My hope is that Seattle turns out for this play, and becomes as intrigued as I have become by the Hansberry Project at ACT, playwright Aisha Rahman, and her "jazz aesthetic."

GRADE: B

AT HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD

BOOK OPINION

At Home at the End of the World
by Michael Cunningham
Picador, 1990

Everyone knows that the book is always better than the film, with the prominent exception being Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptations of Mario Puzo's novel, The Godfather. (Nevermind the ill-conceived finale, Part III.) Authors have ample pages for, and readers necessary patience about, exploring their characters in depth. Two readers can read the same book and come away with distinct impressions of the characters' looks, personalities, strengths and short-comings. When confronted with these characters on film, the result of choices made by a writer, actor, director and editor, they never match our own (superior) ideas. As expected, reading Michael Cunningham's first novel, At Home at the End of the World, before seeing the film adaptation made for a much more satisfying encounter.

In the book, the focus of the story is on Jonathan and Bobby, with what I interpreted as a little more emphasis on Jonathan. Clare and Alice remain critical characters in the story, but even they realize that they are but supporting characters in the lives of the two men. Theirs is a love story, albeit one that defies easy definition. The story of their lives is related by first-person narratives from Jonathan, Bobby, Clare and Jonathan's mother Alice. A key fifth player in the book is Erich, the major lover (and de factor boyfriend) in Jonathan's life. Though he does not get his own first-person narrative, he is the catalyst for much of Jonathan's development. His absence from the film is a major flaw, as I will explain later.

The central conflict in the book is the ability of Bobby and disability of Jonathan to completely embrace their own lives. Bobby, deprived of his blood family at such a young age, and lacking much of a motivational force throughout most of his life, evolves as a chameleon, able to adapt and thrive in his own way in suburban Cleveland, bohemian Greenwich Village, and rural upstate New York. Like a hermit crab, Bobby follows Jonathan and occupies spaces he leaves behind. He is most content smoking up and listening to records, and it really doesn't matter when and where he does it. Jonathan, on the other hand, is constantly dissatisfied. His intact family stifles him, his lovers disinterest him, his work does not reward him, and he views his love for Clare as maddeningly incomplete. When Bobby moves to New York, he and Jonathan and Clare ease into a practical three-way relationship that ends up driving as many wedges between them as bonds. In the end, Jonathan finally experiences the feeling of contentment, of living for today, for the moment, that has eluded him for so long, and he earns that by finally thinking of someone else before himself. It is a lesson that Bobby, in his benign and child-like way, had learned years ago and continued to embrace.

Cunningham skillfully develops his characters over thirty years of life, and he seems to savor their faults more than their strengths. Jonathan and Clare have a deep cynicism that gets a bit tiresome, as does their inexplicable desire to change their circumstances. By contrast, Bobby seems to lack any negative energy whatsoever. Perhaps these characterizations are meant to underscore their inter-dependence and incompleteness as individuals, but it makes it difficult to empathize with persons that are emotionally shallow.

The resolution works in the sense that the people that are meant to be together end up together. At the same time, its ending seems to undermine the alternative, three-way love story that dominates the book. There is an implied understanding, even celebration, of those that abandon their loved ones and responsibilities without any more explanation than a gut feeling. Cunningham addresses this notion, with different choices and impacts, more succinctly in his 2002 Pulitzer Prizer winner, The Hours. In both books, however, characters choose to abandon lives that are not truly their own, to reject societal roles that are basically forced upon them. Missing in these stories is the recognition that an individual's life is the result of his or her own choices, and the calculus for deciding must change when others' lives become intricately involved.

GRADE: B

ONCE

FILM OPINION

Once (2006)
Written and Directed by John Carney
Starring: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova

This Irish indie music film has been making bigger and bigger waves recently. Made for $150,000, Once has grossed over $6 million in limited U.S. release, and has been picked up for wider distribution. Though this film has been playing at the Harvard Exit for weeks, I stayed away because I figured a film with such a lame title was going to be lame itself. Shallow, I know, but perhaps not as shallow as letting myself get talked into seeing based on some hyperbolic comments from film critics. So, I finally went.

Set in a Dublin that the creators admit is more scruffy ten years ago than hyper-modern present, the story centers around a street musician, Guy (Glen Hansard), and a flower vendor, Girl (Marketa Irglova). Guy and guitar perform Van Morrison covers by day and original compositions by night. He catches the ear of Girl, who asks pushy questions about heartbreak and forces a promise to fix her broken vacuum cleaner. She is a musician too, playing piano and composing in a music store operated by a generous owner. Before long, Guy and Girl spend more time together, meet each other's families, compose music, dream big, and start to fall in love. Or do they?

The second most pleasant surprise of this seemingly straight forward film is how it approaches but ultimately sidesteps cliches that define American romantic comedies. Hansard and Irglova share an awkward chemistry, something I initially considered a fault (due to on-camera inexperience?) but realized is actually rooted in the characters' relationship. Guy is most at ease when singing and playing, decidedly more uptight when speaking. Girl is pushy and a bit cold when speaking, open and vulnerable when singing. It makes sense that these two connect primarily through the music they create. It also gives the ending a logical, touching conclusion.

That leads us to the first most pleasant surprise of the film: the music is good. Guy is Irish, Girl is Czech, and they fuse British, American, and Eastern European influences in the music they create. Best of all, almost all the songs are performed live and on film, giving them a rougher, truer feel and sounds. Their voices crack sometimes, the harmonies don't always ring, a note is misplayed here and there, but it works. Thankfully, there is only one montage set to music; most of the time, the camera focuses on the performers and just lets them do their thing. I enjoyed the music so much that I bought the soundtrack in the Harvard Exit lobby, and I wasn't the only one.

Though this is definitely a music film, my favorite scene is driven by dialogue, and it doesn't involve the romantic leads. It is the final scene between Guy and his father (Bill Hodnett), a crusty Hoover repairman who doesn't seem to embrace his son's music aspirations. In three minutes, Hansard and Hodnett capture the pathos of a father and son truly seeing each other, and their respective offers of self-sacrifice are touching, and the scene is beautifully underplayed.

The film is not perfect, however. There are some plot points that seem a bit forced, and some obvious attempts to make the pair appear wacky. Also, it is always tricky to tell a story about a supposedly genius artist, and then show the work that is supposedly out of this world. The music is good, even very good, but it isn't great, at least not so much that everyone that listens to it (including the sound engineer) is immediately convinced it is going to be a huge success. There is some shaky camera work too, and that lovely ending is a little cheesy and unlikely if you think about it too much. These are all minor complaints, as I recommend the film overall.

Once is rated R for some reason, probably because of some bong smoking. Already successful in limited release, I predict that it will find even greater success in wide release, and become a sleeper hit. I wouldn't be surprised if one of the songs is nominated for an Oscar, especially because the music is far better than any Aerosmith or Randy Newman song written for film.

GRADE: B+

THE SAVAGE DETECTIVES

BOOK OPINION

The Savage Detectives
by Roberto Bolano
English translation by Natasha Wimmer
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2007)

A truly original narrative, The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano is one of those rare finds: a beautiful, humorous, compelling and unforgettable book that I simply stumbled upon in the bookstore. I had never heard of Bolano before, but the raves on the book sleeve from Susan Sontag, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and others convinced me to give it a try. Plus, I had a Barnes & Noble gift card burning a hole in my wallet, so it wasn't going to be much of a gamble on someone else's dollar.

Within four pages of the book, I was hooked. I have not read the book in Bolano's original Spanish (he is Chilean, but lived in Mexico and Spain for most of his life), but Wimmer's translation is highly regarded. The language is lively, evocative and vivid, gliding in and out of poetic passages with ease and fluidity. However, it is the story and characters that truly drive the book.

The narrator (in the first and final thirds of the book) is Juan Garcia Madero, a disenchanted student who enrolls in a poetry course at the university. It is 1975. A novice writer, Garcia Madero nevertheless attracts the attention of the story's two true protagonists: Arturo Bolano and Ulises Lima, a pair of revolutionaries/drug-dealers who have started a new literary movement called Visceral Realism. They introduce Garcia Madero to the fledgling (and loosely organized) members. They smoke, get drunk, have sex, and talk a lot of poetry, fiction and film, clumsily and humorously defining Visceral Realism by what it is NOT. The young poets deify and ravage writes real and invented, but in a way that made me desire to read more and with greater variety. Bolano masterfully recreates this Mexican bohemia with vivid characterization and dialogue, and even though dozens of characters inhabit this world, each one is carefully sketched out from the viewpoint of Garcia Madero. This tangled web eventually gets into trouble, forcing Garcia Madero to feel Mexico City with Bolano, Lima, and young prostitute named Lupe. The poets are in search of the mysterious Cesarea Tinajero, a poet with no surviving poems, yet who is the indisputable founder of visceral realism. Garcia Madero and Lupe are simply fleeing for their lives.

Cut to the long middle section, which traces the wanderings of Arturo Bolano and Ulises Lima over a twenty-year period, all told through the recollections of other people. This section frustrated me at first because I wanted to return to the original storyline, but I soon realized that the poets' wanderings were indeed a continuation of a grander storyline. We never hear directly from the two poets, yet they somehow become deeply fleshed-out characters while they remain enigmas at the same time. Their journeys cover Managua, Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, Tel Aviv, Liberia and the many roads in between. The wandering poets become observers and players in history, not in events of global significance, but in the minor scenes that were more common. Bolano and Lima travel with a weariness of the cursed, yet we never quite find out why until we return to the Mexico narrative.

The third act revisits Bolano, Lima, Garcia Madero and Lupe on their search for Cesarea Tinajero in 1975. Tracing one ghost or mirage after another, the quartet travel the dusty, slow-motion cities and towns of northern Mexico. What they discover is not quite what they had expected, or possibly hoped for, but their fates are determined in that desert. The story concludes with quiet resolve, a mix of tragedy and hopefulness. Quite unexpectedly, Bolano and Lima, Garcia Madero, and even Lupe find themselves leaving behind the world of the Visceral Realist poets. Instead, they choose lives that are poetry incarnated, becoming what the others only talked and wrote about. Their stories have stayed with me.

Sadly, Roberto Bolano died in 2003. His novella, Chile By Night, has been translated into English by Chris Andrews. His final book, 2666, is a thousand-page epic that was writing at the time of his death. Spanish and English versions of 2666 are forthcoming.

GRADE: A

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

THEATER OPINION

Young Frankenstein: The Musical
Paramount Theater
Seattle, Washington
August 7, 2007

Music & Lyrics by Mel Brooks
Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Based on the film written by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder
Directed and Choreographed by Susan Strohman

STARRING: Roger Bart, Megan Mullally, Sutton Foster, Andrea Martin, Christopher Fitzgerald, Fred Applegate


Tonight, I attended the first preview of Mel Brooks' new musical, Young Frankenstein, where it is having a pre-Broadway run. The crowd was very excited when the lights dimmed and the brief overture played. They gamely applauded the entrance of each principal character, with Megan Mullally getting the biggest ovation because there were many Karen Walker fans in the audience. Here is my assessment of the work-in-progress.

DISCLAIMER: It goes without saying that nobody in the stage musical will make me -- or anyone -- forget about the pitch-perfect performances of the film actors. Gene Wilder, Teri Garr, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Kenneth Mars, Cloris Leachman and the great Madeline Kahn were, are, and will always be the definitive cast. The rest of my review examines the musical in and of itself.

WHAT WORKS?

1. ROGER BART (Frederick Frankenstein) is a funny, agile, and engaging lead. His opening number, "There Is Nothing Like the Brain," is a charming, verbal workout that nicely establishes Frankenstein's character. He was suitably manic when needed, and his crazed hair was just right.

2. CHRISTOPHER FITZGERALD (Igor) is brilliant, turning Igor into a spritely song-and-dance man. His physical movement is a joy to watch. Of all the actors, his performance comes the closest to matching the original.

3. SUTTON FOSTER (Inga) is terrific when she is singing her two numbers, especially her first, "Roll in the Hay." Otherwise, see below.

4. ANDREA MARTIN (Frau Blucher) and the Blucher character benefit the most from expanded stage time, including a funny little number, "He Was My Boyfriend." She has a couple of lines that made me laugh out loud.

5. FRED APPLEGATE (Inspector Kemp / The Hermit) is far more memorable as The Hermit (the Gene Hackman cameo) than as the inspector, and his song "Please Send Me Someone" is one of the comedic highlights. See below for his problems as the inspector.

6. "PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ." Thank God Mel Brooks decided to use Irving Berlin's classic rather than compose an original piece for the Monster's public debut. The Monster's singing voice, parroted from the film, still gets a huge laugh.

7. WILLIAM IVEY LONG's villager costumes are remarkably detailed and beautiful, much more than what the principals wear.


WHAT NEEDS TO BE TWEAKED?

1. The DRAMATIC STRUCTURE of the story pretty much follows the film's plot, at least until the end, with the musical numbers expanding certain moments. The dramatic highlight of the Act I is Frankenstein's ascension into the lightning storm, and it is staged very well ... until the platform stops two-thirds of the way up. Unfortunately, there remains about twenty minutes remaining in Act I after this moment.

2. MEGAN MULLALLY (Elizabeth) is hilarious in her first appearance, "Please Don't Touch Me." It is clear that the writers have crafted the role as a direct appeal for the Best Featured Actress in a Musical category. Mullally's voice is strong, even if it lacks the real power of a true belter. (See Sutton Foster.) Her second act work is weaker, but I'll get into that later. The crowd adored Mullally.

3. The character of ELIZABETH is forced into the story a bit more than in the film, and her second act appearances are too forced. Furthermore, her voice alternates from high-pitched to low and sultry, to Eastern Brahmin to Southern. She needs clarity.

4. Not all FILM HIGHLIGHTS have to be included in the stage musical, especially memorable lines of dialogue. So many funny bits were telegraphed to the audience because we knew what was coming from the film, e.g. the bookcase, the Transylvania Station, and "No, walk this way." There were definitely moments that were forced, fell flat, or just killed momentum. As Eugene O'Neill advised writers, Mel needs to "kill some of his darlings" for the sake of the story.

5. The INSPECTOR is remarkably unfunny. A big reason may be the absence of his dart-throwing scene with Frankenstein, which always makes me laugh. But his fake right hand is more of an after-thought.

6. The DANCE NUMBERS all resemble each other. Though Strohman is a choreographer first and foremost, not all dance numbers require the entire cast to come out in wacky costumes. There were times when I just wanted to see the principals dancing, particularly in the the big "Puttin' on the Ritz" number.

7. The DREAM SEQUENCE ("Family Business") is a nice addition, but it requires more of a set-up by Frankenstein's grandfather, VICTOR. (See my Minor Complaint below.) And all the Frankenstein ancestors should be distinct rather than the same. If they represent centuries of Frankensteins, why are they all wearing the same lab coat? Let Long go nuts on scientist costumes over the years. Make them real ghosts communicating with Frederick, and give them each a distinct character. How about if each Frankenstein had a short, distinct, solo dance?

8. The CLIMAX of the story is not earned. It ties up very neatly but uninterestingly. Basically, it involves a lot of people standing around and watching. Plus, the writers clearly want Frankenstein's embrace of his destiny (and traditional pronunciation of his name) -- "I am a Frankenstein!" -- at the gallows to be the emotional high point. The problem is, he embraced his destiny ninety minutes earlier.

9. SHULER HENSLEY does not an imposing monster make, but he charms in his dance routine. (I do think it was a mistake to make the shadow his own person.) With some more creativity, the audience can, and should, truly sympathize with the Monster, but Mel does nothing new with the Monster than he did in the film.

10. CHEMISTRY between characters, particularly Frankenstein and Inga. The only way we know that they love each other is because we are told they do. Elizabeth and the Monster have some chemistry in their nice number, but there is room to grow there too. The best chemistry is probably between Frankenstein and Igor.

11. Exploit SUTTON FOSTER and her talents more. Her yodeling is great in "A Roll in the Hay," but nothing is really asked of her otherwise beyond smiling and occasionally dancing, but her dancing isn't even featured. And the accent goes in and out, dear.

Hmm ... What would happen if Foster and Mullally switched roles? This won't happen, but I believe both performers would benefit from playing against type.


WHAT NEEDS TO BE CUT?

1. About TWENTY MINUTES FROM ACT I, particularly everything after Frankenstein's ascent into the storm.

2. The VILLAGE IDIOT character, who was too similar to Igor in stature and presence ... except not nearly as funny. His best line is his suggestion for what the town really needs, but it is recycled, and it would be funnier if Igor said it.

3. Elizabeth's ARBITRARY PHONE CALL when Frankenstein is about to re-animate the monster. It was like the Lady of the Lake's random appearances in Spamalot, and only served to remind the audience that the producers are going to push this actress for a Tony nomination.

4. REPRISES, such as "Together Again for the First Time," and "He Was My Boyfriend." They rarely worked in the 40s and 50s, and never work now. They command the audience to appreciate these actors that are putting on this show that you are now watching. Aren't they doing a good job? Give them another hand, folks. This is a show you're watching, in case you forgot.

MINOR COMPLAINTS
1. Mel Brooks was there; an usher whisked him in and out of his seat after the lights went down and just before they came up. With this being the first time a live audience had seen the show, I would have liked him to join the cast on stage and at least wave to us guinea pigs.

2. Andrea Martin needs to sharpen her "slow burn." The lines lose their punch when she physically announces that they're coming.

3. Jack Doyle, the actor playing VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN (Frederick's grandfather and Blucher's boyfriend) has one of those high, reedy tenor voices that mysteriously dominate Broadway stages these days. He lacks the gravitas of someone reviled by the villagers, and there seems to be no connection, physically or musically, between that Victor and the one that Blucher sings about later in "He Was My Boyfriend."


In summary, I laughed often in Act I, considerably less so in Act II. I sense the audience's enthusiasm waning when mine did, after Frankenstein re-animates the Monster. Still, we all gave the production a standing ovation. They are clearly working hard, and will continue to do so.

Much of the humor comes directly from the film, with only a few new elements that are as interesting. It is not as funny as The Producers musical, but I find that it shares many of the same problems. In both shows, the climax happens about three-fourths of the way through the story. In the end, Young Frankenstein suffers from many of the same problems as other movies-to-stage adaptations: not everything that works on film works on stage. To truly make a strong adaptation, they need to start from scratch: vivid characters, compelling conflict, and strong action. My feeling is that Brooks and Meehan started with the film script and said, "Okay, what do we need to adjust?" That is the wrong approach, especially when the film is nearly perfect to begin with.

OVERALL GRADE: C+

Independence Day

After several unsuccessful attempts at creating a personal website, I decided to go with a plain and simple blog. My primary purpose is to make it easier for producers, publishers, collaborators and admirers to access my creative work. It will also be a place for me to record my ideas and opinions on politics, education, religion, literature and the arts.

Keep shining.