DATE: Friday, October 3, 1997               TAG: 9710020300

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 05   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: THEATER REVIEW 

SOURCE: Montague Gammon III 

                                            LENGTH:   89 lines

REGENT DRAMA MET CHALLENGES, TOOK RISKS

The image of a tightrope walker came to mind as Regent University grad student Chuck Goodin, hazily visible behind a gauze curtain, prepared himself for a two-hour-long show that he scripted, directed and performed last weekend.

Anyone who accepts that sort of self-imposed challenge is taking emotional risks that are kin to the physical risks threatening aerial artists who perform without a net. Goodin not only survived, but distinguished himself.

The show was a series of monologues and short scenes, all but two written by Goodin. His work, both as writer and performer, has a special affection for the romantics and idealists whose vision puts them at odds with a harshly uncomprehending and unforgiving world.

Like many artists sill learning their craft, he is especially fond of abrupt endings with an ironic or melodramatic twist. A man talking about how the imaginary companion of his childhood turned out to be God is revealed, as his speech closes, to be in prison. A young surfer tellingly employing the past tense to describe his girlfriend and their relationship finally mentions that she was recently killed in a traffic accident.

The surfer's monologue, called ``The Blue Room,'' was written and directed by Matt Midgette. Midgette showed a special skill in engraving minute details with exceptional precision as he described how a couple will chastely hold one another, or will use small familiar rituals to build a loving afternoon. That talent, interpreted in Goodin's quiet, emotionally concentrated style, was more important to the piece's force than its affirmation of immortality or the shock value of the girl's tragic death.

Two pieces concerned veterans of Desert Storm. The author builds remarkable convincing pictures of what that brief war was like and how it could affect those who served.

``The Santa Claus of War'' has been seen before on the Regent stage; it's an exceptional piece of work that demonstrates Goodin's writing skills and his sincerity in performance.

``All's Quiet on the Middle Eastern Front'' was another well-drawn portrait of a vet. It gave Goodin a chance to stretch his acting range and to display his sharp ear for the nuances of speech, but frankly it was overshadowed by Jennie von Buseck's ``Ernie'' that preceded it.

Buseck could have written this sketch, about a young man who volunteers to stand in for a high diver at a water park, as an extended metaphor for Goodin's undertaking of the whole ``Practical Uses'' evening.

Certainly it was ideally suited to his acting style. He gets to run through all the regrets and hopes that occur to someone who finds himself in a dangerous situation of his own making. Like Goodin, Ernie comes out of his peril with conspicuous promise.

``The Visitation'' was another piece returning to Regent's stage, though it was called ``My Father's Coffin'' in it's earlier version. Again, Goodin was close to his best as an author, exercising his skill with the rhythms and tempo of everyday speech and displaying compassion for those who are lost, traumatized or distraught.

Goodin can also find humor in the actions of the slightly loopy, without being mean or mocking. ``Leonard Lester - Movie Guy'' was a lightweight, lightly amusing look at an obsessed film.

The title piece was a modern dance number that looked just like what it was - a dance written by a wordsmith to deliver a pointed message. Gracefully performed by Christina Hollerman, it's best classified as an interesting experimental exercise.

``Plate'' closed the evening. This funny bit was cast in a form that Regent students are fond of using. The actor takes on the personality of some inanimate object or legendary character. Goodin spoke as a serving plate; the writing was clever though the performer a bit fatigued.

While ``The Visitation'' and ``Santa Claus of War'' may have been the best crafted parts of the show, ``The Uninhibited Picnic'' and ``Last Call for Last Rites'' were the more encouraging. In them, Goodin moved from writing monologues to constructing dramatic scenes involving distinct personalities who speak in distinctly different voices.

``Picnic'' looked rather hopefully at an impetuous young man whose latest impractical romantic scheme involves dragging his girlfriend out for an innocent but inconvenient 4 a.m. picnic. Though the piece may have been a bit long-winded, it was well constructed and the dialogue rang true.

``Last Call for Last Rites,'' though a little wordier than entirely necessary, was especially interesting. This novel encounter between a waitress and a young man about to take his vows of chastity for the church wrapped up any number of Goodin's acting and writing skills, such as his originality, his ear for language, his insight into personalities, his command of tone, his sensitivity and his compassions.

Neighbors and Von Buseck were particularly sharp in their roles, interacting well with Goodin, who is also as talented director.

Evidences of immaturity peeked out from the show now and again. A determination to display ones artistic angst or to emphasize how hard one is searching or struggling is endemic in young artists, but here such distractions are much overshadowed by the important talent underlying the work.

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