The belle of Amherst played as a lusty lady.Byline: THEATER REVIEW By Fred Crafts The Register-Guard This is not Emily Dickinson, the tight-lipped tight·lipped also tight-lipped adj. 1. Having the lips pressed together. 2. Loath to speak; close-mouthed. See Synonyms at silent. iron maiden glowering glow·er intr.v. glow·ered, glow·er·ing, glow·ers To look or stare angrily or sullenly. See Synonyms at frown. n. An angry or sullen look or stare. defiantly out of a splotchy splotch n. An irregularly shaped spot, stain, or colored or discolored area: "spectacular splotches of color and beauty in the blossoms" Wendy Lyon Moonan. tr.v. photograph. Nor is this Emily Dickinson, the wisp (1) (Wireless ISP) An ISP that provides fixed or mobile wireless services to its customers. WISPs provide last mile access to rural areas and small villages as well as industrial parks at the edge of town. See ISP, fixed wireless and 802.11. See also WISPr. in white - the timid "Belle of Amherst" - murmuring turgid turgid /tur·gid/ (ter´jid) swollen and congested. tur·gid adj. Swollen or distended, as from a fluid; bloated; tumid. turgid swollen and congested. poetry. No, this is Emily Dickinson, the wild woman with a roaring furnace lusting after her sister-in-law and dashing off love poems to her in code. Welcome a new Emily Dickinson, the dizzying figment fig·ment n. Something invented, made up, or fabricated: just a figment of the imagination. [Middle English, from Latin figmentum, from fingere, of Madeleine Olnek's fertile imagination. She's a brazen, hotblooded woman who's enough to make you blush - to say nothing about questioning what is known about her strange life. Such is the joy of the intriguing University Theater production of Olnek's clever "Wild Nights With Emily," which opened Friday at the Robinson Theatre. What is presented may be real or it may be fabrication; for certain, whatever it may be is entertaining. Yet, the thought that remains is: What the heck was that all about? Which is precisely what Olnek wondered when she reviewed Dickinson's life (1830-86) through the lens of a possible love affair with Susan Gilbert, a college friend who later married Austin Dickinson (Emily's brother), ostensibly so she could live next door and more easily fulfill their relationship. Were they lovers? Or were they just close friends? Who knows. Dickinson has come down through history mainly through manuscripts carefully edited (sometimes with a pair of scissors scissors Cutting instrument or tool consisting of a pair of opposed metal blades that meet and cut when the handles at their ends are brought together. Modern scissors are of two types: the more usual pivoted blades have a rivet or screw connection between the cutting ends ) by Emily's brother's mistress Mabel Loomis Todd Mabel Loomis Todd or Mabel Loomis (November 10, 1856 - October 14, 1932) was an U.S. editor and writer, and wife of astronomer David Peck Todd. She is remembered as editor of posthumously published editions of Emily Dickinson. . Todd seized control of her literary affairs after her death and posed her as a recluse who stayed in her room, obsessively wrote poems that she was unable to get published in her lifetime, and never married. But some recent scholarship - one imaginative researcher insists Dickinson wrote her poems to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas" - has suggested an alternative lifestyle. Working off that premise, Olnek, unable to provide a concrete answer, raises questions with a sly "what if..." wink. What if that reclusive image wasn't true? What if Dickinson, instead of being a meek mouse, was vibrantly alive and throbbing throb intr.v. throbbed, throb·bing, throbs 1. To beat rapidly or violently, as the heart; pound. 2. To vibrate, pulsate, or sound with a steady pronounced rhythm: with passion? What if the reason she avoided men was because she was consumed by passion for a woman? What if she wrote her poems for her lover? Olnek Olnek gives Emily a fully rounded and attractive portrait that is realized, through John Schmor's imaginative direction, by Jana Schmieding, who imbues the poet with verve, energy and sexuality. When she pouts, she blows up a storm. When she puts her mind to seducing Susan Gilbert (winningly played with flirtatious flir·ta·tious adj. 1. Given to flirting. 2. Full of playful allure: a flirtatious glance. flir·ta charm by Alexis Papedo), the twosome set the stage on fire. While Emily and Susan eventually revert to a realistic level, the actors playing the secondary roles (multiple roles at that) stick with the gags. Everyone in the supporting cast gets in amusing over-the-top turns, with Steve Wehmeier (as a befuddled old judge) shuffling in repeatedly to vigorously chew up the scenery. Much about "Wild Nights With Emily" is style. The production is fully realized, with bright costumes by Harmony Arnold, inventive sets by Mary Lynn Jungels and sensitive lighting by Rachel Steck. Underscoring the 90-minute romp is an evocative soundscape sound·scape n. An atmosphere or environment created by or with sound: the raucous soundscape of a city street; a play with a haunting soundscape. provided by Ruth Ames (fiddle) and Amanda Casperson (harp, piano) that may not be "wild," but it is effective. Fred Crafts can be reached at 338-2575 or fcrafts@guardnet.com. THEATER REVIEW Wild Nights With Emily What: A passionate view of American poet Emily Dickinson emerges in Madeleine Olnek's play; directed by John Schmor When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and March 12-13; 2 p.m. Sunday Where: Robinson Theatre, 1109 Old Campus Lane How much: $5, $9 and $12 through the EMU box office, 346-4363, and an hour before performances at the UT box office, 346-4191 |
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