Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 28

11, 1983 Minneapolis Star and Tribune aw It's no mystery, Chevy Chase a natural for on. Retch' role ST Will Jones after last night 'j brought Mcdonald to town was a bit of a story in itself. "My wife Susan's elder Judy Aiken, Joined the Benedictine nuns at the age of 16, and she spent 20 years as a nun," Mcdonald related. "Since she left the order, she has been working as a community social worker for the church. She's now working for the StOlaf parish, Just a couple of blocks from our hotel here.

And now, at age 47, she has married Richard Johnson, who is a postal worker, and we've been having a fine time celebrating." It seems that Chevy Chase is going to be all right, after all. Not that I spend a whole lot of time worrying about Chevy Chase, mind you. Nevertheless, each time he has appeared In a film since he left "Saturday Night Live" ever so long ago, It has occurred to me to wonder: Is this what Chevy Chase really ought to be doing with his career? The news of Chase's prospects for professional salvation came on the weekend, along with the arrival in town of novelist Gregory Mcdonald, who was here to attend a wedding. Mcdonald, a former newspaperman, has devoted much of the past decade to Inventing the adventures of a character named Irwin Maurice Fletcher, otherwise just plain Fletch, who Is described variously on the covers of the Fletch mystery paperbacks published by Warner Books as a laid-back man of leisure and a hard-gunning investigative reporter. JI Before talking with Mcdonald, I had Actors Theatre production lifts I 'Sea Marks' above the ordinary a chance to get acquainted with Fletch by way of VFletch's Moxie," the fifth and latest of the Fletch tales, published last fall.

Fletch Is young, bright, llppy; and he's ever resourceful, both in the way he con-, ducts his personal affairs and bis murder investigations. The occasional love of his life is an actress named Moxie Mooney, a onetime schoolmate who enjoys pretending, each time their paths cross later in life, that they've never met before. It gives their amorous reunions an extra edge. In "Fletch's Moxie," Moxie has ar- rived at something close to superstar status in films, but is having troubles during a location shoot In' Florida. The day Fletch arrives, she is taping Tit year' sales level and have won some critical applause and a couple of Edgar awards, as well.

As I was reading the book, I was also taking an easy shot at trying to visu-, alize Fletch by Imagining which movie actor could best play the role. Burt Reynolds was a natural choice -on account of Fletch's cocky style, except tliat Reynolds is too macho, and also by now too old. I tried reading with a Tom Selleck image in mind, but within one page realized there was no way Selleck could even get Fletch's lines out of his mouth. The absolutely right and obvious choice never occurred to me. Not until I had a chance to talk with Mcdonald did I realize that Chevy Chase Is the man to play Fletch.

With Chase In mind, I. plowed through another of the books, "Fletch and the Widow Bradley," and now It seemed as though the character had, been created specifically with Chase in mind) although Mcdonald firmly insists that he never thinks In film-casting terms In writing any of his characters, Mcdonald emphasized that the news of Chase's casting as Fletch has been treated so far only, as a rumor, because no final contract has been signed. The reason It's not signed Is that the writing of it is so What is being put together Is not a contract for a single movie, but for a whole series of Fletch movies not for TV, but for movie theaters. It's a throwback to the days when Hollywood used to make a series of Boston Blackie or Charlie Chan movies, with the same characters appearing film. after film.

What with Hollywood's appetite for sequels these days, it does make sense to plan an entire series of sequels right from the start) "The negotiations have been unusually Intricate and time-consuming, and went on through most of calen- dar 1982," Mcdonald said. "Part of the complexity has to do with the plan to keep the original talent from the first picture working on the later films in the series." Producers Peter Douglas and Allen Grissom are putting together the Fletch production package for Universal Pictures. Mcdonald said Chase will be actively involved in the writing of the screenplays. The novelist will not Mcdonald will be at By Peter Vaughan Staff Writer Chevy Chase work on more Fletch books. The sixth In the series, "Fletch and the Man Who," already Is written and scheduled to be published to coincide with the forthcoming presidential primary season.

One of the distinctions of the Fletch books, aside from the entertaining brashness of their hero, is the author's apparent 'disdain at least In the two stories I've read for seriously baffling the reader with the whodunit aspects of the plot It was easy to guess the Identity of the murderer or detect the nature of the scam fairly early In each book, and to feel a sense of participation in the development of those elements, even as the hero seemed to be fooled Into pursuing other leads. Mcdonald said the technique of. planting generous clues early In the story was deliberate. "I've always been more interested in the development of characters and ideas, rather than the Jigsaw-puzzle elements of mystery writing," he said. "I don't get any particular satis-.

faction out of really tricking the reader or trying to appear smarter than the reader. It's always perfectly obvious to me what's going on in any of my plots, and I never understand how anybody else gets fooled. Even so, my own dear older brother who's no longer with us, God rest his soul, had the charming need, whenever he'd finished one of my books, to call me up and tell me was wrong about the murderer each time." Footnote stuff: 'The wedding that Oh rare, occasions, actors and directors can lift quite ordinary plays to extraordinary heights. So it is with a fine Actors Theatre of St. Paul production of Gardner McKay's "Sea Marks," which features a memorable performance by D.

Scott Glasser. Glasser, a young actor who has had limited exposure at Actors Theatre and elsewhere in the Twin Cities, has been given a monumental role in "Sea Marks" and he responds with a performance that is full of nuance, conviction and Immense emotional power. He portrays Colm Primrose, an Irish fisherman who, for the 35 years of his quiet life, has scarcely wandered from his remote village on the western coast of Ireland. Then one summer he attends a wedding and is awakened by the sight of a young woman visiting from across the Irish Sea. He learns her address it's in Liverpool, England and begins a hesitant correspondence in which he reveals himself to be a modest man blessed with a touch of the poet 1 TKk a Barbara Klngsley and D.

Scott Glasser In "Sea i The publisher's biography of Mcdonald credits him with early Fletch-type adventures that Included skippering large yachts to pay tils way through Harvard. He was caught in some crossfire along the Cuban coast at the time Castro was taking over Cuba. And off the Spanish coast, he became involved In salvaging a luxury yacht whose crew had mutinied and sabotaged the vessel. Mcdonald now dwells more quietly in a small town near Boston with his wife and two sons, and also writes an occasional mystery about an older investigator named Flynn, who first appeared as a character In an early Fletch book. i "Sometimes, when I'm on promotional tours or autographing books 1 run Into readers who confuse me with Fletch," he said.

"In the heat of a tennis game, even friends start call-' lng me Fletch. There was quite a lot of publicity when I was in Brazil last 1 year, and when I would appear on the beach, people would begin yelling 'Fletch! It's not a role I really enjoy, and I'll be happy to turn it over to Chevy Chase. It will be a real relief to have someone else identified as Fletch in public." national jewelers HAS MOVED TO 925 NICOLLET ON THE MALL DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS Phone 332-6429 Come and visit us at our new store. Park Free at Marquette Ramp 10th 4 Marquette purchase every outht is and an on-lcation talk show with a superstar host. During the taping, her business manager and producer, who is participating as a member of the panel, is murdered even as the cameras are rolling.

Both Moxie and Fletch are Immediate murder suspects. The unraveling of that one involves a street riot, some dicey sparring with a female chief of detectives, and a kind of Hollywood bouse parry hosted by Fletch in one of the historic houses of Key West. What with the combination of Fletch's perennial-undergrad llppiness and Mcdonald's fast way of keeping the story tumbling forward, it was easy to see how the Fletch books have become popularthey're now at the million-a- performances to be treasured and shared. While Klngsley and. Glasser deserve accolades all around, director, Michael Andrew' Miner must share in their achievement: It is his vision of the play they are bringing to us.

Miner has a found strength and beauty in a play that could well seem contrived and banal.i "Sea Marks" has been around for some time. It bowed In Los Angeles In 1974 and earned praise o. Y-Broadway In 1975. It also was one of the first plays produced for PBS's "Theatre in America" series. Regional theaters have been drawn to it for the economy of Its two-character cast but It has not been produced previously in the Twin Cities.

It has Its flaws. There are some holes in the plot, and Tlmothea's character never is developed to the point where she provides much of a counterpoint to Colm's attraction: The introduction of her former husband seems an unnecessary distraction. But Actors Theatre shows What, can be done with talent and dedication. It has given an unexceptional play a magnificent performance. The production is enhanced by Chris Johnson's spare but effective set and Lawrence Fried's montage of sounds that summon images of sea and city.

"Sea Marks" continues with performances through Jan. 29 at Foley Theatre, College of St. Thomas, Summit and Cretin St. Paul. you down while they're getting numb." At Montefiore Hospital In New York, half-hour taped nature scenes called "Video Wallpaper" are used to soothe chemotherapy patients.

The tapes, made by Nebulae Productions of Flushing, N.Y., cost $52. "People play them over and over said Roy Kamen of Nebulae. "You can just throw them on when you want to mellow Environmental Video, which says It has sold more than 2,500 tapes In the past year, Is setting up a national distribution system. Their hourlong tapes cost from $49.95 to $99.95, depending on cassette type, Candle charges $35 to $50 per tape. Chernlok got the Idea for televised fish after hearing about a university study indicating that watching fish an aquarium reduced blood pressure.

So Chernlck produced a tape and sold more than 100 without advertising. But the natural sound of the bubbles wasn't particularly relaxing. Jensen was hired and helped develop a bubble soundtrack that is "very relaxing, but at the sameA time not totally monotonous," Jenseyi says. feminine and A review Glasser finds a consistently true line to bring Colm to life. His Innocence Is never forced and is always at the source of his talent His emotional i range is that of a child; moving easily from glee to short-lived gloom.

His love. Is open and sharing. He does not judge and he does not expect to be judged. And when Colm speaks-to a garden club about the death of his friend, it is an intensely moving assertion of what he knows to be of value in himself and in life. Glasser's delivery of that speech carries with it a suffering and conviction that touch the struggles of all people.

While Glasser is clearly at the center of this production, he receives a powerful assist from Barbara Kings-ley, who makes Timothea a most sympathetic and likable person. There never Is any doubt that these two people love each other. There Is tremendous respect in her guiding him toward a literary career, and when it becomes clear she has failed, she releases him with kindness and thanks. Timothea lacks the force and fascination of Colm, but nonetheless Klngsley gives her a beauty and dignity that justify his love for her. Hers is a performance that Is both vital and complementary.

Their moments of physical and spiritual intimacy are as natural as the waves that wash Ireland's shores. These are ,7 Timothea Stiles, the recipient of Colm's letters, works for a publishing house and recognizes the originality and innocence of his observations on life and the natural forces he daily Jsncounters at sea. '5; They meet again, and the intellectu-pj; al attraction becomes physical. She persuades him to move to Liverpool (J, to be with her and pursue a career as a poet He has a book published vand begins to make the mandatory publicity rounds, but can no longer -5- write with the power and ease that characterized his letters. fy'Colm is from the naive school.

He is a sexual virgin. His observations are iS almost childlike In their clarity, yet JJTare etched with the sensitivity and verbal beauty that characterize the poets of Ireland and else-Jjwhere. "JHe finds love and sex an invigorating Mexperience, but he is clearly a flsh- erman out of water in Liverpool. All Or; his power and worth derive from his experiences with the sea. The marks it has left on him are Indelible, and when be learns of the death of his "vT former partnerhe has no choice but to return to his barren home and again renew his romance with fethe vast restless, unpredictable pri-mal force.

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