TWO PAWS UP FOR HILARIOUS 'MY BUDDY BILL'.Byline: - Evan Henerson FACT OR UTTER fiction. Partial truth or embellished gossip. Ultimately, that's what viewers of Rick Cleveland's one-person show, ``My Buddy Bill,'' figures to debate with intense relish. Here's betting the legal team representing Bill and Hillary Clinton might also have a few opinions about the veracity veracity (v  ras´itē),n of Cleveland's tale. Judge for yourself, but I defy you not to engage. Reprinted within the playbill play·bill n. A poster announcing a theatrical performance. playbill Noun a poster or bill advertising a play Noun 1. of ``My Buddy Bill'' - the first performance at the Geffen Playhouse's new Audrey Skirball Kenis Theatre - is a 2000 letter from the former president to Cleveland, who toured the White House while working as a scribe scribe (skrīb), Jewish scholar and teacher (called in Hebrew, Soferim) of law as based upon the Old Testament and accumulated traditions. The work of the scribes laid the basis for the Oral Law, as distinct from the Written Law of the Torah. with ``The West Wing.'' In it, Clinton says he enjoyed meeting Cleveland and thanks the writer for getting first pooch Buddy to stop peeing pee 1 n. The letter p. Noun 1. peeing - informal terms for urination; "he took a pee" pissing, pee, piss on a White House rug. Presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. , this letter establishes that there was, indeed, an encounter between Clinton and Cleveland, laying the ground for the 65-minute tale that Cleveland goes on to relate. The Oval Office visit was not the last Cleveland would hear from the president over the next several years. Some rather interesting things happen when Rick and his new buddy hook up. Cleveland, an ordinary looking guy recounting a dishy dish·y adj. dish·i·er, dish·i·est 1. Slang Gossipy; sensational: published a dishy tell-all. 2. Chiefly British Slang Good-looking; attractive. story from behind a wooden desk, offers up a tale of dog loving, star schmoozing and friendship building. He's a drolly witty man who - in the vein of Spaulding Gray, to whom ``My Buddy Bill'' is partially dedicated - doesn't crack a single smile even as the audience is going nuts behind him. Through ``My Buddy Bill,'' Cleveland is selling out a friend at $49 a ticket. On the other hand, if the events of the play are true - granted, a big ``if'' - that friend sold him out first. Still, the show is a rich, gossipy pleasure regardless of your politics. Cleveland employs gentle traces of accents to deftly deft adj. deft·er, deft·est Quick and skillful; adroit. See Synonyms at dexterous. [Middle English, gentle, humble, variant of dafte, foolish; see daft. mimic the Clintons and the celebrities who enter the tale. Tale and manner of telling are of equal weight here, certainly, but I suspect that even if Cleveland came off more smug or self-righteous than he does, the words would still play. If it happened, it's gold. If not, it's still the most entertaining lie in town. MY BUDDY BILL - Three and one half stars Where: Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse (or the Geffen) is a not for profit performing arts theater in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally named the Westwood Playhouse, UCLA purchased the property in 1993. UCLA's then chancellor, Charles E. , 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood. When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday; through Dec. 18. Tickets: $49. Call (213) 480-3232. In a nutshell: Hanging with the president, his dog and his friends. Life doesn't suck too much. |
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