THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Wednesday, February 4, 1970
, , -
friend
theatre
NO 2-6264
named
'Harvey'
HELD OVER
3rd WEEK!!
: SHOWS AT:
1 :00-3 :OS-5 :10-7:15-9:;20
f a
The Most Explosive Spy Scandal of the Century!
Daily-Richard Lee
Mrs. Robben Fleming, Marcella
Cisney and Jimmy Stewart
Notables gathered at a dinner Monday night following the opening
performance of the PTP's production of "Harvey." Proceeds went
towards equipment for the new Power Center for the Performing
Arts named after Eugene Power who donated the building:
By JOHN ALLEN
Once upon a time there was
a frantic old lady named Veta
Louise Simmons; Veta had a
brother named Elwood P . Dowd,
who had a friend named Har-
vey. Harvey was a Pooka. Veta
Louise and Harvey did not get
along well - but then, frantic
old ladies and Pookas have nev-
er made good drinking buddies.
Mostly because frantic old la-
dies don't drink; at least, not
in Charlie's Bar,. which was
Harvey's favorite hangout.
Fortunately, in the new Phoe-
nix Theatre's production of
Harvey, which opened Monday
night under the auspices of the
Professional Theater Program,
they all live happily ever after,
with the accent on "happily."
Harvey is, in a word, charming.
tt Monday night's opening
everything was charming,
in fact, f r o m James Tilton's
plush, solid sets to the plush,
solid audience - made up in
large parnt of FirstsNighters
generous contributors to the
new Power Center for the Per-
forming Arts where professional
theatre at the University will,
hopefully, live happily - after
they finish getting it built and
p a i d for. If it becomes the
home of new plays as exciting
in their depth and daring as
this current revival of Harvey
is in its nostalgic security, it
will be a major addition, in-
deed, to the well-being of the
whole community.
Meanwhile, back at the play.
What is there to say of Helen
Hayes as V e t a Louise or of
James Stewart as Elwood P.
Dowd? Simply select your fav-
orite complimentary adjective
and use it to lead off a list of
all your next-best adjectives.
Multiply by two. Both M # s s
Hayes and Mr. Stewart are
pretty much beyond the reach
of criticism, whether it take the
form-of explosive enthusiasm or
ornery nit-picking. In their
roles in Harvey they are close
to perfection, bringing. to the
familiar lines and characters a
maturity and mellowness that is
like old wine and good cheese:
wholly satisfying and virtually
impossible to analyze.
Miss Hayes has a way of
0--
drawing the whole stage after
her whenever she exits, like one
of those vacuum-cleaners in
cartoons that swallow carpets
and grand pianos as they cross
a room. Mr. Stewart, on the
other hand, has a way of hold-
ing the entire stage calm and
steady in its place while chaos
whips around him.
Director Stephen Porter has
capitalized on these complemen-
tary powers of his lead per-
formers to set up rhythms of
storm and calm that play nice-
ly across the progress of the
comedy. From the contrast of
Miss Hayes's franticness and
Mr. Stewart's casualness comes
much of the humor as well as
the m a i n dramatic thrust of
this production.
Central to it all, of course, is
Harvey -- played by himself.
Animals and children are notor-
ious upstagers, and it is all Miss
Hayes and Mr. Stewart can do,
even with the aid of Mr. Porter,
to prevent this marvelous, in-
visible rabbit- -who measures
six - feet-two-and-a-half-inches
-tall - from stealing the en-
tire show. His entrance at the
end of Act II is a moment of
greatness. Even in the ne a r-
darkness one ican see and re-
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spond to the knowing look he
gives the audience before exit-
ing into the office of Dr. Chuin-
ley.
Happy to report there a r e
no weak performances among
the minor roles, either. Jesse
White is a delight as Duane
Wilson, the white-coated strong-
man at- Chumley's rest home.
Henderson Forsythe as the good
Dr. Chumley and Joe Ponaze-
cki as his assistant psychiatrist,
Dr. Sanderson, add reinforce-
ment to the contrasting ener-
gies set up by Miss Hayes and
Mr. Stewart.
Harvey is not a play about
the war in Vietnam, about civil
rights, graft, corruption, or pol-
lution. It is not even a play
a b o u t the generation gap
(thank God, thank God!) But
it is as pleasant a way to for-
get about such things - for a
few hours, anyway - as can
be imagined. And there is one
more thing to be said for its
production here in Ann Arbor.
It gives everyone a chance to
run into a "star" someplace or
other on campus. Tuesday alone
Z, ran into Harvey three times,
once at the Village Bell, once at
Mr. Flood's, and once at Bim-
bo's. Especially at the -latter we
had a good talk about the war,
about pollution and the gener-
ation-gap, and things in gen-
eral. He knows what he's talk-
ing about .. .
A UNVERSAL PICTURE . TECHNICQLOR'
I I, 'U
Al bee's
A
DELICATE
BALANCE
now thru Sat.
Persons under 18 not admitted
From the country that
gave you"I,A WOMAN"
"INGA"and "I AM CURIOUS"
'FANNY HILL' is a "porno-classicl"
-ARCHER W:NSTON
"In there with sex and love
all the wayl"
-u.y. Post
4
TrueblOd Theatre
I
Box off ice open-10:00-8:00 P.M.
__
Phone 764-5387
Je y eGrs and Nicholas Demetroules
Present
iew... atd from Sweden
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7:15 and 9:00
n:
!4> *
IF YOU WANT TO END THE WAR IN VIETNAM
You
SHOULD,
BE
I
E
-Daily-Richard Lee
Helen Hayes with Eugene Power
One of the year's most pleasant
U U p
movie experiences.
"The Reivers' fills one with a
joyous sense of life and laugh-
ter. A marvelous time is had by
all."-New York Magazine .
-Time
wz
4 -
115
0
Stev&McQueen
*The Reivers"'
.-.
N EXT:s "VIVA MAX"g
a
I
Joe
To Help Map the Strategy That Will End It
This is not just a conference for leaders of SMCers. This is a conference for people who want to
end the war in Vietnam, NOW. It will be the largest antiwar conference in the nation's history.
Meet with antiwar activists from California to Washington, D.C., from Canada to Texas, from
Kalamazoo to New York City.. . people who want to build the kind of antiwar movement that
can end this hideous war. The Cleveland Conference will be a demonstration of the strength of
this nation's antiwar forces; it will chart the course of the Spring Offensive and the crucial year
ahead of us. JOIN IN THIS HISTORIC MOMENT.
H ickerson
ACTION!
from the
MASS MEETING to begin a boycott cam-
paign against consumer products that pol-
lute the environment. Sponsored by your
friendly environmental teach-in-ENACT.
1:30 P.M., Wed., Feb. 4-1040 Nat. Res..
'The Big Sink"
By PROF. JOHN BARDACH, Marine Bio-
logist. Sponsored by ENACT -your local
environmental teach-in.
1:30 P.M., Wed., Feb. 4-Aud. B-Angell Hall
BA CH CLUB
PRESENTS
THE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR:
Bach's Sonata 6 in G
LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS
FOLK MUSIC
DIVISION
If you want to know more about the conference, if you want to sign up to go,
if you can take people in your car, COME TO A
'
J.H. is one of the main
sources for releasing
most of the folk songs
you have heard. If you
like folk music, don't
miss him.
MASS MEETING ABOUT
NATIONAL ANTIWAR CONFERENCE
I
TUES.-Baroque
Chamber Music
THURS.-T-Lab
for beginners
8 PM.-first 24
accepted
TONIGHT
-WEDNESDAY
7:30 Assembly Rm.
---Union Basement
*
ROBERT MURPHY, violin
JOANNE WARNERS, piano
including a performance of the -
NEVER-BEFORE-RECORDED (I) Adagio
of an earlier version of the work
Tonight-HOOT
New Singers,
New Format,
New Thrills
OLD PRICE
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* i
Clip and mail to Student Mobilization Committee to End the War
2503 Student Activities Bldg.,U. of Mich., Ann Arbor, 761-8865
* ( ) I want to be put on SMC mailing list.
( ) I want to go to the National Student Antiwar Conference in Cleve.
* I
S( )}I need transportation to the Conference.
)a .
( I can provide transportation for ____others.;
4