robert_kirschten

Outstanding production of classic Shakespeare pastoral romance. Directorial interpretation, pacing, choreography, fights, and music all work harmoniously under flawless organization by Thea Sharrock. The dance scene at the end is especially effective and energized. Naomi Frederick (Rosalind) and Jack Laskey (Orlando) exhibit striking chemistry with beautifully crafted deliveries and sexy, poignant ironies where needed. As Jaques, Tim McMullan reveals an entertaining combination of self-deprecating humor and silly melancholy as befits the role. Musical interludes and songs: first-rate. This is Shakespeare at his best, and you will like--even, love-- it.

If there is an academy award category for the most tedious movie ever written, "Tenure" should win in a landslide. The story centers on a boring, nontenured professor at a small college, coming up for promotion, who can't get his articles published. I understand why. This man has no discernible talent of any kind--no wit, no intellectual skills, no insight into much of anything. Why we should find him interesting is beyond me. The movie "says" he is a good teacher, but after more than a quarter of a century of teaching, I can't find anything he does in class that illuminates either students or subject matter. A few moments in the movie are droll: the goofy Bigfoot stuff, the crazy woman professor's complaint about the toilet seat, and the professor's father in the retirement home. The love story--is there one?-- between the prof and the new hire is undeveloped and shallow. The main character is passive, depressing, and utterly without passion. Even the secondary characters are dull. Does the professor get tenure in the end? Who cares? Acting is fine. Script = D+.