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THI~ MICflTLil~r Duty
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1
theatre
'Salome' in Angell Hall Foyer
Portrays Wilde's Decadent Era
By LIZ WISSMAN
Krassner Reflects American
Culture Despite Satiric Blasts
The foyer of Angell Hall last
night was transformed, temporari-
ly into the decadent world of Os-
car Wilde's "Salome."
The play is revived out of a
peculiar state in the modern mind
-a nostalgia for the good old
days. When Aubrey Raardsley sat
aroundallnday doing nothing but
dreaming up potential album cov-
ers for rock groups. And the gang
down at the print shop Worked
on those Evil pictures of Evil
women-and inscribed them with
alphabets of snakes.
Everyone knows the illustrated
version of "Salome," with its Art
Nouveau configurations of massive'
black and white. It is a simplicity
in the design which fascinates us.
The doctrine of "art for art's sake"
is as much a reduction of aesthetic
principle as it is a rebellion. Our
modern vogue for Significant
Form betrays our helpless nostal-
gia.
Assured Depravity
How marvellous to be assured
of anything; even of depravity.
Decadence is, after all, defined by'
innocence, and a fervid belief in
a lost Golden Age. To a post-mod-
ern world immersed in' preserva-
tive, the idea of decay is extremely
-appealing. 'To a sensibility .weary
with too many dimensions of ter-
'ror, bow'. peaceful it is on the Late
Victorian surface of things.
Thus people have not both-
ered with the revival of "Sa-
lome" at all.' It 'is a difficult
. proposition, because Wilde has,
written an almost lateral play,
with few recessions into dramatic
depth. Salome is compressed to the
point of becoming a Lyric. Wilde
makes great use of the surfaces of
theatre: the pictoral tableau, the"
statuesque gesture, and.the purely
j rhythmic quality of language. It's
a virtuoso performance. But for:
an audience, it can seem like a
concert played entirely on a one-
stringed 'violin.
The Lord Chamberlain players,
however, have done an energetic
lob with "Salome." If they falter
Creative Arts
Festival
Friday, Feb. 2
JOHN BARTH
Mendelssohn Theatre, 8 pm.
LORD CHAMBERLAIN'S
PLAYERS
"Salome"
Angel! Hail Foyer, 8 p~m.
By DANIEL OKRENT
Paul Krassner does more than
"write pornography," even though
he has been credited with doing a
remarkably good job of that.
The boyish editor of The Real-
ist, a conventionally "Un-Ameri-
can" publication that is neverthe-
less as much a product of Ameri-
can culture as the American flag
that a female acquaintance of his
uses for a blanket ("When I
leave her, I don't know whether
to kiss her good-bye or salute
her"), also happens to be an emin-
ently thoughtful individual, a "re-
bellious youth" who rebelled be-
fore Canada and , acid became
leave-the-household words.
When Krassner established The
Realist Association ten years ago
as a non-profit corporation -- be-
sides publishing the magazine,
The Realist Association engages in
"humanistic activity," helping to
foot the bill of Madalyn Murray's
Supreme Court fight against pray-
ers in public schools, among
other things - he had been re-
jected by the army because of a
skin condition "caused by anxiety
about going into the army," had
left CCNY three credits short of
a degree, and had decided that the
wanted an outlet for his eye-
pleasing and mind-blowing satire.
Today, he bows before few false
gods. He determines whether what
he prints is proper or not by de-
ciding if it is aimed at the product
of an individual's free choice, ra-
ther than an inherited or un-
avoidable characteristic. He would
not make fun of President Ken-
nedy's back injury, but he might
- and did - use that same part
of the late President's anatomy
as a jumping-off point for his'
(choose one) famous/infamous
parody of Manchester's Death of
a President.
Krassner's personal credo con-
sists of a self-defined triangle:
sanity, freedom, humor. He sees
insanity as the antithesis of humor
because the insane take themselves
too seriously, and because in-
sanity denotes a lack of freedom.
The three combine as both mo-
tivation and philosophy for him.
He finds himself in an unusual
position right now: as a violent
critic of Vietnam policy and of
'the American "coercive system"
in general, he comes from a con-
servative middle-class home that,
also produced a son who has gone
on tograduate from the Univer-
sity's engineering school and as-
sume the general managership of;
an aircraft firm.
Krassner, contrary to popular3
belief, doesrnot use "dirty" words
to shock or to offend or to sur-
prise or even to please people. Al-
though many pure Anglo-Saxon-
isms slip into his casual conver-
sation - he holds back when he
has to.
"It was the same with Lenny
Bruce. You can't live inusociety
without conforming.. Just like
Lenny would censor his own four-
letter words when appearing on
,
Across .
Campus
The Buddy Guy Blues Band will
appear on Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday at the Canterbury House.
From their home in the South Side
of Chicago this. well-known group
has toured both Europe and the
United States extensively, with
their engagement at Canterbury
preceeding a West-Coast tour.
television, we can all do the same
things. You just have to decide
how much you're willing to com-
promise."
This last sentence is a key to
one of Krassner's most important
personal beliefs. Just as he doesn't
want you to tell him what to be-
lieve or do, he won't do the same.
An example is how he would not
advise a draft-age man to go to
either Canada or prison-he says,
"It's not up to me." On the sub-
ject, though, he does elaborate,
"The biggest area of creativity in
this country today is trying to
get out of the draft."
Krassner spends much of his'
time giving benefits for causes that
attract his attention. One was
here last year for Cinema Guild.
As usual, he collected no fee for
the donated performance, expect-
ing only an expense check. But to
attest to both Cinema Guild's fin-
ancial position and Krassner's
magnanimity, he received a box
of matzos six weeks later. The
attached letter informed him,
"We knew you wanted some
bread." He laughed.
TONIGHT and SATURDAY at
CHRISTOPHER
and SARA
1421 Hill St.
8:30 P.M,
returning by popular demand to sing
contemporary and original folk music
$1.00 cover includes Entertainment and Refreshments!
Hr n n ^ln
n'
ILV ~VYICK u,~UIr~uu~
AGAI N! r [GII1~
SHOWS AT
I1, 3, 5,
7, 9 P.M.
--N.Y. TIMES
"The Tension Is Terrific i"
"Keeps You Glued To Your Seat !"
-MICHIGAN DAILY
AUORW EPBUR
L
APliT UNTIL DARK
)68
mis
4
Next: W. C. FIELDS FESTIVAL
-Daily--Jim Forsyth
TWO OF the Lord Chamberlain's Players in "Salome."
in anything, it is in the creation of
the rhythm necessary to the sen-
suous effect of Wilde's play. The
opening scene is extremely diffi-
cult, requiring a perfect balance
and rapid exchange of speeches.
Without a certain vivacity in the
players, the extended'metaphor is
embarrassing.
The entrance of Salome did
much to splint this broken scene.
As Salome, Miss Ann Honhart
used her exaggerated postures very
effectively. Prof. Donald Hall of
the English' department provided
a perfect contrast and counter-
balance in the person of a Fal-
staff-like ruler of Palestine. Es-
pecially effective was his lighten-
ing of the impossibly loaded list
of Herod's treasure by means of
psychological realism. As written,
these prose paragraphs of "ecstatic
sensuousity" are tedious.
ues. The use of innuendo is ex-
tremely effective in the Lord
Chamberlain production, but we
somehow lack the capacity to be
shocked.
Those who attend "Salome" will
be entertained, but they will not
be instructed by the "righteous
justice" that is dealt to her. Sa-
lome has tempted the gods; she
has transgressed, no -matter how
beautifuly. And we, perhaps, are a
little envious of her punishment.
Co-stairf'r .x;
also starrng - ---________ ia l
in' the role of Tuco ®1r
THm uOOD 4-
THE-BAD .= '
ME UGLY, "
NO 2-6264
TAT E
Friday & Saturday
4 SHOWS
1:00-3:40-6:25-9:20
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m
STARTS TOMORROW at the
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X4
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Vth'F'orum
761-9700
210 S. FIFTH AVENUE-BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND LIBERTY
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s BOGIE... KATIE..
Y. t h e # ' ::., v -w h o l e c r a z y .
uttback in action
the belching scene
Cheescape
through the jungle.
Acadeny Award
perfarmriance -
opposite r
Datedby r
AmSdUcedby
Sam p~ge NO Jl
SHOW TIMES;
'SAT.:
1-3-5-7-9-11
SUN..
1-3-5-7-9
MON. thru THUR.
7-9
FRI.:
1-3-5-7-9-11
-4
ROBERT MORLEYUIHEODORE ILPERB REI
lI LPER $ n.RICH armr P WdadbySAM SPIEGEt.oniJ byJOHN IUSTON
PAUL JONES .JEAN'SHRIMPTON
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