Word: epicent
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...rule, small things: two-and three-character relationship dramas (those big casts cost money!); minimalist exercises in craftsmanship; tidy little plays that convert big subjects into manageable private dramas (Proof, Copenhagen, How I Learned to Drive, to name just a few recent award winners). Plays of epic size and scope, works that examine American history and the American experience, plays that attempt to engage the audience in social and political issues--for those, mostly, you've got to look in the hinterlands...
...Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater last fall presented writer-director Eric Simonson's big, imaginatively staged adaptation of Moby Dick; there was no whale, but a surprising amount of Herman Melville's imposing novel made it onstage. (Adaptations of epic novels, like John Irving's Cider House Rules, have a habit of flopping in New York.) Houston's enterprising Alley Theater last fall staged a fine production of The General from America, Richard Nelson's brooding, against-the-grain, surprisingly convincing historical drama about Benedict Arnold. (The play later opened off-Broadway, where the critics, predictably, dissed...
...China's big Cannes hope, Lou Ye's Purple Butterfly, is an epic set during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. It's got lots of action (including a splendidly complex shoot-out in a train station), a starry performance by Zhang Ziyi and enough period atmosphere to clog your lungs. But Lou seemed to be in a debate with himself about what kind of film he wanted to make. He ultimately chose avant-garde abstraction over the melodramatic vigor this large subject demanded...
...epic saga of Harvard’s attempt to acquire more land in Allston continues. Resisting pressure applied by local politicians, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority recently decided to go ahead with an $80 million sale of 91 acres of Allston land to the University. A CSX railyard lies on part of this property, a vital link in Boston’s freight and commuter rail transportation network. This link should not be severed, but at the same time, selling the land to Harvard will endanger the railroad...
...dual function of introducing the X-folk--saber-clawed Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), telekinetic Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), weatherwoman Storm (Halle Berry), etc.--and earned $300 million worldwide, X-Men has spawned the requisite sequel. Singer saw the first film as a primer; now he has eyes for an epic. X2 is half an hour longer, miles more ambitious and a bit better than the wowless original...