By ALLISON POND
allison@newsroom.byu.edu
As apprehension about Y2K and the world ending with the close of the millennium abates, conjecture about where the new millennium will lead is only rising. Amid speculation about what the future holds, New York's Joshua Kane brings a classic but timeless look at this question to BYU with his adaptation of H.G. Wells' 'The Time Machine' this Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre.
A self-managed solo theater artist and storyteller, Kane takes the stage as Wells' time traveller, recounting the adventure, mystery and romance of the year 802,701 A.D.
'It is the story of a man who believes that he has stumbled upon paradise only to discover that he is in the pits of hell,' Kane said.
He also said that he considers 'The Time Machine' a prophetic piece.
'I have very few doubts that the world he painted has a very real potential for coming to be. It's a prophecy; it's a warning. I've taken this classic and blown the dust off it in the hope that the words will speak to a new, younger generation that may be able to stave off the dangers it speaks of in the future,' Kane said.
Kane also expressed concern that the technological progression of our time has led to a cultural regression.
'I am very frightened that we live in a commerce-oriented culture -- a culture that, through the media, seeks to convince us that the way to fill our souls when we are feeling bereft is through purchasing of material goods, rather than the seeking of a spiritual journey,' he said.
'I am horrified that shopping is an activity. We acquire more than we can ever actually use. By having too much, we enjoy what we have much less than we might,' Kane said.
Although Kane adapted the novel for the stage, it is true to the original, he said.
'The words are mostly Wells' with a few exceptions that are ours,' he said.
When he says 'ours,' Kane refers to himself with his wife, Abby, an integral partner in his self-managed business.
'In a one-man company, it's difficult to step back and get perspective. I'm the perspective,' she said.
On the stage, however, Kane likes to stand alone.
'I prefer the one-man show format because I know who I can count on, and I am a ham-actor to the extreme. Like Bottom in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' I want to play all the parts,' he said with a smile.
In spite of this, the audience plays an important role in Kane's shows, he said.
'Although I am listed as a solo performer, it is not a one-man show. If there are 500 people in the audience that evening, it's a 501 man show,' Kane said.
He hopes that viewers will be highly entertained, but that they will also change their perception of and relationship to technology and other people.
'I feel that technology has been paraded as that which will make world better. The problem is that we by nature are not fast, efficient creatures; we need to take time with each other,' he said.
Kane also said that he would like to hear that someone was compelled to go to the library or bookstore and pick up the original book.
One reason Kane chose BYU for the premier performance of this solo show was the excellent reputation of a technical staff and an audience with a meaningful relationship to the spoken word, he said.
'Anyone who goes to that much church has learned how to actively listen and be present,' he said half-jokingly.
Kane is also religious, and described himself as actively exploring his Jewish heritage with an emphasis not so much on the formal religious aspects, as the spiritual and ethnic elements.
He also said that he has had good experiences when he has come into contact with the LDS faith. He said that he is fascinated with several aspects of a society that views miracles as a thing of the present and not of the past, and that has produced two of his favorite fantasy artists, James Christenson and Orson Scott Card. He also noticed the emphasis placed on families in LDS culture as well as their respect for the Jewish faith.
Kane's preparation for this trip to Utah even included cutting out caffeine.
'It is important to me in coming here to have the same respect for your community that I would want you to have in coming to mine. I've even been working to curb my language,' he said.
Ken Crossley, assistant director of the Division of Arts Production at BYU, said that the division has been trying to line up a show with Kane for a long time.
Kane said he has been thrilled with the professionalism and creativity of the technical staff, and that he hopes to create an ongoing relationship with the BYU campus and community. He will be available after the show to meet the audience and answer questions.