Word: parkerisms
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...sufficiently inured to the buzz to appear in public, albeit under guard. But even President Carlos Menem has weighed in: "I don't see Madonna in the role. I don't think Argentina's people, who see Evita as a true martyr, will tolerate it." But director Alan Parker is unperturbed. "There's an extreme minority faction who have an opinion about what we're doing," he says. "I promised Menem I would show him the film when I've finished. I think he'll be pleasantly surprised...
Robinson portrays Parker with deft restraint, convincing us that he has resurrected the sad genius on the bare, black stage. This transcendence is successful in part because Robinson intersperses his monologue with lengthy performances of Parker's own saxophone solos: "Koko", "Warming up a Riff", and "Parker's Mood". Robinson plays so well and so compellingly that we can only imagine the sublime experiences of hearing Parker himself play live. The sax provides a respite from the depressing facts of Parker's life; when Robinson stops playing, we miss its mellow loveliness. The instrument itself becomes a symbol...
...Parker, in Robinson's hands, is doubly damned, both by his self-destructiveness and his awareness of his own role in this destruction. In one scene, he warns a young man not to make the mistakes he has made with drugs and alcohol: "If you mess with that shit you miss the best years of your life, years of pure creation". "Live Bird" makes us realize just how much we've missed out on in losing Charlie Parker so young...
...play is not without its flaws. A meandering subplot in which Parker leaves the bar to wander next door is perplexing and distracting, and moments of direct interaction between Robinson and the audience come a bit too frequently. This interaction works when Robinson-as - Parker dedicates a song to a young woman in the audience, but is less successful when he addresses certain audience members as if they were acquaintances and expects them to improvise their half of the dialogue. These minor excesses are not enough to mar the subtle, touching portrait of Parker painted by Robinson's "Live Bird...
...scribble obscuring the quality of Robinson's music. One can only hope that Robinson either returns to the more focused, steady approach of "Live Bird" or abandons drama altogether in favor of his music. If "Alley Cats" is any indication, Robinson's career may mimic that of his hero Parker: a promising talent, wasted by excess...