Word: tyrants
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...part, of course, that means David Eisenberg's performance in the title role. His portrayal of Butley is sharp, witty, and comprehensive. In all of Butley's little games and postures, a deeper understanding is thrust upon us. He might have been simply a ridiculous fool or a petty tyrant, but Eisenberg brings to bear an added dimension and coloring that display again and again his full human character...
...nonsupport. With no trace of a guiding hand from Norwegian Director Tormod Skagestad, the players appear to be introducing themselves to each other at first rehearsal. As Torvald, Waterston is a mildly ruffled porcupine who can be dequilled instantly by Ullmann. Petty or not, Torvald should be a visible tyrant. After all, Nora is not slamming the door at middle-level management, but at the historic tyranny of convention...
...Napoleon's suspicion that the woman is the spy are the foundation of dramatic tension. As the play evolves, Napoleon's suspicion is confirmed and he and the woman play psychological games with each other--she playing the wily, flattering Cassius to his Caesar; he acting the child, the tyrant, and the lover to get back his dispatches and then, later to teach his crafty deceiver a few of the finer tricks of deceit...
...private life, if it can be called that, Slocum is a petty tyrant presiding over the standard domain: first a New York apartment, then a Connecticut house; a plumpish but svelte wife who drinks; a contentious 15-year-old daughter; a couple of younger sons, one braindamaged; and a constantly changing succession of maids. On the whole, he feels more at home in the office: "I don't think I've ever had a good tune on a vacation. (I'm not sure I've ever had a good time anywhere...
...Awwk! Awwk!" sings Anthony Burgess in a loud, hoarse baritone. "Those E-flat major chords get the reader awake." Then in deep, funereal tones, quoting from his own book, he continues: "There he lies/ Ensanguinated tyrant/ O bloody, bloody tyrant/ See/ How the sin within/ Doth incarnadine/ His skin/ From the shin to the chin." "Perhaps," he adds, "Knopf should have given away a free record with every copy...