curtain:
call

No, radio- talk- show-host David
erner is not teferring to his own
tformance:in the premiere of
ark Leiren-Young’s Shylock as he
Mreaks the fourth wall and talks
Birectly to the audience under the
nt at Bard on the Beach. ©
. Nor is his character, actor Jon
avies, who has just given us a -
It throttle extract of Shylock in
hakespeare’s The Merchant of

We,'the audience, are ata stalk

ack” session at a Shakespeare fes-

al- after Davies’ perfo: mance in
¢:title role.
One of those. frequently painful
- performance interactions

een cast and audience where. .

¢ most intelligent question is
n “How did you remember all
ose’ lines?”
a: What Davies gocs on to explain
p his audience is that Shylock -
ld have: been booed by...
hakespeare’s ‘audience both-as a
lain and ds‘a-Jew. ©!
But what ultimately. infuriates
that booing has become,
¢ politically correct response and:
'festival-board has decided to
: erchant of Venice cight
y.instéad of backing up
‘expérienced actor who has‘delib- ..
rately: chosen to portray a villai
er. than'a comedian: or a victi
“W; Jago misunderstood?” ”
Davies and.goes'on to suggest
unl ikel ly. Shakes eare.
ey. had.

‘DAVID Bemer stars in Mark K Leren-Young's thoughtful and provocative Shylock. X-

canvas theatre.

Berman claims Merchant is |
“hate literature masquerading 3 as
theatre” nd then accuses Davies

of anti-semitism which, in an iron-

twist that is perhaps predictable,
is unlikely given that his family
name was, Davidovitch until an
immigration officer couidn’t be:
bothered to, spell it fully.’ .

'The'ensuing arguments that
revolve'around the issue of art;

politics and political correctness

totally engaged 1 me to the point.

that the ninety-minute monologue :

flew by all too. quickly.

. “If Thad one criticism it related *
“to the j journey Berner-makes as
‘Davies moves from actor to Jew.
“It seemed.to me that he arrived |
-at his emotional climax far too casi-
- ly and that the self-discovery lacked

cither surprise or ‘assimilation.

“To put ‘my ‘eziticism, in fair con-
‘text, 'T was watching: Berner’s first. .

performance:in Bard’s unusual

By Deana Lancaster

-But even if this caveat should
hold true, I would still unhesitat-

ingly recommend you try and see
onc. of the only three performances:
of Shylock available in September.

- If you can catch Bard’s mostly
excellent Merchant beforehand, so

_ much the better. There’s real gold:

to be found at the heart of these.
Jews. oo. A

For more theatre, see page 34°

“Captain Stabing was ‘real jerk.” ”

Contributing Writer:

- UP-AND-COMING West .
Vancouver film composer Jim

Guttridge got an early break in

- the industry, when he made a
. connection on the Love Boat.

But it wasn’t a love connection. -It

‘was on the cruise ship that he met his
“future partner. in Vancouver’s Ferocious

Fish Productions, Daryl Bennett.
The two were working as musicians
on. the famed boat d’amour and

“Guttridge: said they. often played as

backdrop to the tumultuous plot turns

_ on thé early °80s sitcom. He’s even got

insider g gossip to ‘share:
"NEWS photo Paul McGrath

. WEST Van resident and film com-

poser. Jim Guttridge recenily fin-
ished working on a score for B-

“ movie king Roger Corman.

Now, more than 15 years later, the:
pair” “have got their big break from:

. Hollywood B+ ‘movie producer Roger

Corman.

They've just completed the musical
score for Corman’s latest movie, Mortal
Challenge. ,

“The quote goes that, up until
1990, 90% of people who won Oscars

had. worked with him,” Guttridge said.

Corman is well-known for finding early
talent and: getting it at. “bargain-base-
ment prices.’

Guttridge said Corman and his team
are happy with “the score created by
Ferocious Fish in just two, very short,
weeks,

“It’s -very big, very synth,”
Guttridge. said. “It sounds like Holly- .
wood.” :

The movie, produced in Vancouver
by. Maurice Smith (who also lives: in
West Van) and directed by ‘North
Vancouver resident Randy Cheveldave,

ters.”

takes place after an ‘earth-
quake ‘has divided Los Angeles in two.
The “Deathdrome,” located’ onthe
island of Old L.A., is the site of g

‘tor-like challenges where the charac

must fight their way out, or die trying.
Guttridge said the role of film com: .,
poser often gives the ‘director a fresh
perspective. :
“When you’re. hitting your “mark
you're revealing to the director hidden ;

aspects: of the: film maybe. he didn’t

know about,”Guttridge said. “You real-
ly get into the psychology of the charac- ~

process for music composition
ofa film begins near the end of the pro-
duction. Any extra time that ‘the pro-
ducer built into the filming schedule has
been used up by then, Guttridge {in
order to keep up it’s necessary ‘them

See erociaits Fish page 34