Word: shrewd
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Kids? Hmm. The stars are, frankly, a trifle mature for their roles. But ultimately the trade-off -- experienced deftness for youthful daffiness -- works to Housesitter's advantage. It never spins out of control. Hawn's shrewd ditsiness sets a lively pace, but she also finds something real and appealing in an unlikely figure. Martin's role is essentially reactive, but he has his moments, notably a hilariously infantile attempt to seduce his old flame, whom Delany plays straight as a board but much funnier...
Unfortunately, all these shrewd insights were muffled in the American debut performance by the acoustic shortcomings of the opera house at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Long sections of dialogue were indecipherable even to those seated far forward. Worse, the production -- which will tour to Washington, St. Paul, Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles this summer -- is encumbered by a generally second-rate supporting cast. Part of the problem may be in attracting top-quality actors to so long a tour, for the standard is well below what is customary on the National's stages in London...
...well, "is a brigand and a fanatic, but a sly, intelligent and sophisticated one." His ruthlessness has always been paired with competence and superficial charm. "He will convince you that he is a most reasonable and sympathetic individual," says a U.S. analyst, and his political instincts are remarkably shrewd. His arrival as head of the Belgrade party in 1984 ended a rudderless period of creeping liberalization, when the communists needed to solidify their grip on power after the death of Tito."What I liked most about him was that his desk was always empty -- he knew how to work," says...
...look at Perot's history, as reported in the media in recent weeks, reveals shrewd use of the corrupt system about which he complains...
...western Germany's work force. The 5.4% wage hike they squeezed out of the government is, ironically, precisely the amount accepted by the union and rejected by the government when an arbitrator recommended it well before the strike began on April 27. The union's chief weapon was its shrewd, tough-talking president, Monika Wulf- Mathies, who brilliantly calibrated the walkouts to demonstrate the union's power without antagonizing the public. No more than 430,000 members stayed off the job at any one time, limiting the strike's damage to levels other citizens could tolerate. Business losses and public...