By WILLIAM BENAC
'I've had it with all the tragic tunnel-vision around here,' says Constance Ledbelly, played by Betsy West in the Salt Lake Acting company's dynamic production of 'Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet).'
The play, a surprising delight with a driving plot, takes the tragedy out of two Shakespeare plays and carries viewers through not a few unexpected turns.
The production's strengths complement the script, which gives an alternate view of Shakespeare's 'Othello' and 'Romeo and Juliet.'
Constance, an insecure assistant professor, is enthralled by an indecipherable code she believe to be the source material Shakespeare manipulated when writing 'Othello' and 'Romeo and Juliet' as his own.
A psychedelic turn transports her from her office into the worlds of these two plays -- where she finds herself before a masculine, warlike Desdemona and a rapacious, bisexual Juliet who competes with gay Romeo to win another lover's heart.
Constance helps them both stave off the tragedies of their respective plays, then struggles with them to reach the epiphanies that save them from their own selves.
Directors David Evanoff and Cynthia Fleming create a truly compelling play by combining fine resources of music and lighting fit for a night club but only sometimes used that way, flexible acting (only five actors play the 16 characters) and quickly changing sets.
SLAC has two theaters in its building. This production is held in The Upstairs Theatre, which is slightly larger, but still small enough to allow the actors and audience to share energies.
Though this play is on the racy side for local mores, its complexities and youthful production make it very worth seeing. It delivers the not-always-found mix of riveting plot and sly humor.
The play shares a trait with East Indian popular movies in that it includes a mix of everything -- unessential dancing, a servant playing 'Stairway to Heaven,' sexy romance and a struggle against the oppressor.
Ticket prices vary according to the day of the week, ranging from $16.50 to $24.50, although student rush tickets are available 30 minutes before curtain for $10. Call 363-7522 for further information.