St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 39

T' -T1 page live spectator January 25, 190 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Simon Play And Evita9 On Los Angeles Area Stages B) Joe Pollack reviewtheater Of. the Post-Dispatch Staff LOS ANGELES A new Neil Simon play is an event. een in the midst of the hoop-la and helgh-de-ho that surround a Super Bowl. Bvit "I Ought to Be in Pictures," which hd its world premiere here last week, was strangely disaffecting.

The Simon comedy was one of two There's a fascinating scene, involving Peron and his generals in a game of t-n believe it or not musical chairs, splendidly choreographed and illustrating Peron's statement that "politics hp the art of the possible." The first act' concludes with the stirring "A Argentina," with a group of marching' soldiers in perfect precision dance. As in nature or life, Eva's descent' from the top is far more rapid than her ascent to it, and the second act is noi-scD strong. Still, there is fascinating staging1 in "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosa- da," as the screen rolls forward an backward, with action on both sides-jof it, to indicate the passage of time. Despite the weaknesses, "Evita" moves rapidly, and as Prince demon-- strated in "Sweeney Todd," eveni.hei most unlikely stories can be successful musicals if they have the right scorey, the right singers and the right staging. major openings, the other being the inaugural of the National Company of "Evita," a musical that flashes with immense theatrical power and whose staging, created by Harold Prince, is so effective that even the weak spots are aj glossy as new paint.

'l Ought to Be in Pictures," bound for Broadway after a six-week run here, is tjjpical Simon in terms of its small cast (Wiree people; ana single set. rony Cjirtts stars as a barely successful writer, with Joyce Van Patten as his girlfriend and Dinah Manoff as his senator soaper daughter, who suddenly shows up on his doorstep, 18 years after he abandoned hfs family in New York. iv 0 V' Manoff's arrival allows Simon to start tMings with a collection of California j(jkes, but it isn't long before one begins td realize that the playwright intends to be more serious than usual. There are focus is Curtis or Manoff, and yet neither is strong enough to hold It. There also are areas that ring more with effect than with reality.

It is easy to believe that a 20-year-old girl would travel to Los Angeles to find her father, to discover what he is like and whether her mother's years of invective against him were truth. But it is difficult to believe that she would discuss with him the physical and emotional effects of giving up her virginity. This doesn't happen much in homes where both parents are around and relationships are secure, much less with a father and daughter who basically are strangers. At times, Simon's lines crackle in the style that everyone remembers fondly, but too often there is a hollow ring to the dialogue, and that's unfortunate. "Evita," by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, authors of "Jesus Christ Superstar," is not quite an opera but more than a musical.

Its plot is weak and the second act too often seems repetitive, yet the effect is vibrant and moving, with music that is often almost heroic. It begins with the death of Eva Peron, then flashes back to tell her life story. The use of Che Guevara as a narrator is a device that works theatrically but fails when one thinks about it, in historic perspective. Prince's staging, and his use of motion pictures and slides to move the story along, are wonderful, A giant screen, 27 by 18 feet, in a 38-by-32 foot frame that moves upstage and downstage, is an attention grabber, and Prince uses it to highlight the action. Sometimes the screen is behind the company; sometimes it is in front.

Like Prince's "Sweeny Todd," most of "Evita" is sung, and the voices are outstanding. Loni Ackerman is a powerful Eva Duarte Peron, and Scott Holmes scores as Che, brilliantly bitter and sardonic. The other major roles are splendidly filled by Jon Cypher as Juan Peron, Sal Mistretta as Eva's first husband and Cynthia Hunt, a college sophomore in her stage debut, as a Peron mistress. Behind them, the large company that discussions of Love, and Guilt, and the Difficulties with Establishing Relation ships. The characters talk about these things with capital letters and solemn voices.

jWhen Simon is tossing out his one- Ilhers, he is as sharp and brittle as ever, bjit when he turns to more serious matters, or to philosophy, the tone is extremely flat. ByJimFiebig I PRIDE myself on keeping abreasU of current events, but for a terrible, moment there I couldn't remember the name of the vice president. EVERY NEW vice president is toldf he'll have a lot more responsibility than his predecessors and the poor, eager dolts go right on believing it. CHICAGO'S Jane Byrne has yet to" learn the difference between making headlines and headway. THERE'S nothing like the smell of! bacon being electronically bombarded in a microwave oven.

WE'RE TOLD that neither good' looks nor money are everything. The combination of the two, however, is" quite another matter. SHOPLIFTERS are burglars who insist on working more conventional hours. "Curtis, who is supposed to be uncom fortable with the sudden arrival of the the musical production in Peronista daughter, is too uncomfortable most of the time, and he seems to be beyond his capabilities and stretching to find the proper characterization. Loni Ackerman plays Eva Peron in "Evita Los Angeles.

daughter of long-time actress Lee Grant and a veteran of the "Soap" the top, she was appealing and powerful. From the announcement of Eva's death, interrupting a movie, the action quickly segues into "Requiem for Evita," and then returns to her childhood. series, is a delight. Her New York accent can be cut with a knife, and she is fortunate to have most of the best lines. Van Patten also is very good, mixing considerable internal softness more important, a singing voice that is almost operatic in its ability to show nuance and to create an atmosphere.

He exemplifies bitterness as Eva's power begins to corrupt her, and he forecasts doom like a perfect Cassandra. Ackerman is an excellent singer, and goes through an intense and arduous evening, with what seem like dozens of costume changes along the way. Her lower registers were a bit fuzzy, but at represents the people of Argentina is exceptional. The singing and the dancing are outstanding, and Larry Fuller's choreography keeps the show lively. Timothy O'Brien and Tazeena Firth designed sets, costumes and projections, and all are'perfectly blended to tell the story and to keep the proper mood.

Holmes, who left the Broadway company of "Grease" to come here, displays a voice with great range, but with a hard-boiled exterior. The role Is itiost sympathetic. Herbert Ross' direction and the Script itself seems vague in establishing a point of view; one wonders if the the new movies By Joe Pollack Of the Post-Dispatch Staff brings it to a proper conclusion. (Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. Rating, Ronnie's, Halls Ferry, Cinema IV, Stadium Ellisville.

fThe Godsend' fyiiikyiliLniu If i vHUV Because the family already has sons, they quickly adopt the child, and then the tragedies begin. She soon becomes a favorite, and jealousies erupt suddenly, like summer storms. The countryside soon is exchanged for the city as neighbors begin to whisper and the townspeople wonder about the strange goings-on at the house. The children grow older, the marriage breaks up, Stoddard begins to understand but Hayman insists on her daughter's innocence. The film has moments when it drags, but it has many others that are both fascinating and scary, and the perfect circle that is formed at the end of the story The British have a touch for mystery and horror Ithat Americans never seem to match, and "Godsend," though not a perfect film, Is a pretty good 2 Perhaps it's the green, beautiful, calm English countryside that tends to make a viewer more relaxed, so that when the proper moments come up, they have more effect.

And maybe it's just the style of the country's VA rfilms. The violence is less overt, the blood less realistic, the haunting aspects and the incipient terror stronger. I "Godsend" is not unlike a lot of films of the genre. -A child seems to have supernatural powers, and uses plus color 'Anyone But My Husband' for evil. But Gabrielle Beaumont's direction offers a -fascinating touch here and there, especially in the when Angela Pleasance, looking just like her father, Donald, only younger and prettier, I ft mm mi mysteriously emerges from some woods and latches onto Malcolm Stoddard and Cyd Hayman, a young Cmtss presents PtNtTfc-NHAMY Produced and Directed by Jamaa Kanana HELD OVER I 6TH WEEK! Starring Lpoh Isaac Kennptjy Thommy Pollard and Hazel Spears Color by Metro Color Distributed by The Jerry Gross Organization Adult Features For Ladies Gentlemen Over 1 8 Opens 9:15 Daily Sunday At Noon COLONY THEATRE 1 840 N.

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