Word: frederik
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...early census records were destroyed by politicians and others who did not want their origins revealed. But lately it has become fashionable to be a first-fleet Australian. Likewise, in the new South Africa, nonwhite ancestry for an Afrikaner is not only politically correct but socially advantageous. Former President Frederik Willem de Klerk, once a defender of apartheid, now admits to a Bengali-slave forebear. In the U.S., blacks and whites are cooperating in joint genealogy searches. Says Colorado land appraiser James Rogers, a Caucasian who unearthed a slave ancestor: "It certainly brought home to me that...
...main story line opens with the Egerman family. A middle-aged lawyer, Frederik (Tim Foley '98) has taken a trophy wife, Anne (Danielle Beurteaux), who is younger than his own son Henrik (Ezra Keshet '99). The inherent problems in such a match provide much of the tension that drives the play. Frederik lacks the energy to seduce the innocent Anne, for whom the idea of marital duty is confined to being cheerful around her husband. Henrik, a young seminarian, is equally naive and is confused by the attraction he feels for Anne. The three lament their bizarre love triangle...
...Frederik is not the only character trying desperately to stay young. When actress Desiree Armfeldt (Kate Agresta '02), Frederik's former lover, comes to town, Frederik spies her on stage and escapes his wife for a nighttime tryst. Despite her age, Desiree has not lost her charms, and their ensuing rendez-vous stands out as the most artfully staged and intriguing scene in the play. The audience watches the pair's lovemaking silhouetted through a screen. At the same time, on a different part of the stage, Leonora appears to reminisce about her youth spent manipulating aristocrats and complains that...
...Desiree's cocky young lovers who has "a brain the size of a pea." Playing Malcolm's wife Charlotte, Hallie Baal '99 stands out among the cast. She combines her strong, powerful voice with a memorable performance. When, for example, Malcolm sends Charlotte to tell Anne of Frederik's adultery, Baal evokes real sympathy from the audience as a woman caught between loving her husband and hating his infidelity. When the action moves to Leonora's country villa, Baal's poignant misery continues to stand out as her love for the Count drives her to ridiculous lengths...
...other characters also have great moments throughout the play. Desiree's touching rendition of "Send in the Clowns" caps her performance, as she and Frederik try to reconcile their love with their feeble efforts to maintain an illusion of youth. Desiree's sad experience is a great contrast to Anne's naivete, who, in the end, succeeds in convincing the audience that she has all the depth and sensitivity of a Swedish Barbie Doll...