Word: comic
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Leverett House production of this amusing and moving show lives up to the fine script. Scarcely a weak spot mars a production graced by excellent acting, good direction, and an appropriately ramshackle set. Miller is superb in a part that requires precise deadpan delivery and a facility for comic monologue--conditions Miller, with his resonant voice, fulfills admirably. His facile transitions from the antic to serious help to underline the serious intent of this comedy...
Bruce P. Cranston's fine direction is evident throughout the show in the establishment of the fast pace and quick pick-up of cues essential to good comedy. The blocking is generally excellent, and the comic scenes are very well-conceived. One of the rare problems is a somewhat distorted sound system--in a critical scene when Murray listens to his boss over an intercom systvm, the words are marred by static...
...scenery flats and starched aprons cannot mug for the audience or recite witty lines. Scenic and vocal delights pale when the direction is drab and comic potential ignored. Although the company's voices are strong and clear, they may as well be disembodied. The staging is sometimes pedestrian, and there is a peculiar reluctance to ham up the show...
GIVEN THE WEAKNESSES of plot and characterization, Reynolds almost carries it off--and does carry away the movie. He has just enough cool, and a wonderful light-comic touch. One charge leveled at Ritchie has been that he tried to remake The Philadelphia Story with Too Tall Jones; given the frenetic wedding scene at the end that sounds plausible, and it might not have been a bad idea if he could have brought it off. Correspondingly, Reynolds looks to have borrowed at least a little from Cary Grant; when Kristofferson and Clayburgh shut the door, Reynolds acts dejected, kicks...
PROFESSIONAL COMEDY is tough. There are thousands of would-be comics, swallowing apples or appearing on the Gong Show, but few of these people have what it takes to become a successful comedian. First, you have to be funny; second, you have to be able to maintain your comic appeal for a long time--what good is a profession that you can pursue for only a few years? Although comedian Steve Martin may not be able to long maintain his frenetic style, he is now at the top of the profession. His fans emulate his manic delivery as well...