Word: foppishly
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...made Manhattan his home for decades, and while he still uses his drawl for dramatic effect, it usually lies dormant. On the one hand, Wolfe casts an ironic eye on modern culture and preaches a return to more brutal instincts. On the other, he lives the life of a foppish Manhattan novelist. Like Pappy Mason, Wolfe says his soul has been wrankled by challenges to his manliness. Wolfe's example: once in New York, during a snowstorm, another man took a cab from him and he had to wait a long time for another. Poor thing...
...David Skeist '02. Algy, while an indulgent cad, has disarmingly endearing qualities. His lines are among the most poignant and comic in the play. Skeist personifies Wilde's Algy with verve and spirit, charming us with his boyish expressiveness and roguish irony. John Worthing (James Carmichael '01) counteracts the foppish Algy with his serious, pragmatic, truly earnest nature. He is ordinariness manifest: a man who has come of the right age to marry, has a veritable income, a mediocre intellect and a moderate view of politics. Carmichael's performance is as sound and solid as John Worthing's constitution--although...
...shame too, because some exceptionally talented singers abound in Pinafore's cast; when soloists are afforded their moments, the result is captivating. Seth Fenton '01 as Corcoran delivers a boyish performance as the Captain, Ph.D student Vernon Eagle appears as the foppish and formal Admiral, resembling a more refined Mr. Bean, and Susan Long '02 provides a tongue-in-cheek performance as the bawdy but compassionate Buttercup. All the principal characters acquit themselves well with a good dose of self-awareness and ample humour, but the real star of the show is firstyear Kathleen Stetson. As the unwillingly betrothed Josephine...
...twist, of course, is that both actors add new dimensions to their characters, making the story just unpredictable enough to trap its audience. It's a reverse-Cinderella story that is surprisingly timely--if sadly unrealistic. But like the best fairy tales, it gets us rooting for the foppish hero. And a couple of the scenes ("whoopsiedasie") are Julia classics. And even I--a relentless cynic--fell for that amazing ending. Without words, without Celine Dion yammering in the background, without heavy-handed fade-outs, we get a magically ironic ending to the fairy tale...
Even the Rambo-esque ending cannot save this movie. The audience does at least get to root against the new military (commanded, ironically, by a handful of ridiculously-foppish officers) and cheer when Todd lands a punch. Despite the gory violence, the predictable plot and obvious themes in the film are, in some ways, more painful experiences for the audience. A respectable performance by one actor and the creation of a stunningly vast garbage heap constitute the highlights in a film that cannot last very long in theaters where only the best films survive...