PAGE EIGHT THE MICHIGAN DAILY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1985
Some of the featured players in the upcoming Soph Show production.
cowering husband Sennex (Mark Spinrod), who is out ,of camera range.
coo and cuddle, mesmerized wvith their visions of love. (Right). Miles
(At left):
(Center):i
Gloriosus
Domina (Diane Wittenberg) bellows sternly at her
Hero (Robert Lederer) and Philia (Marcia Huwen) The indominitable Pseudolus (Jim Hosbein) soliloquizes
(Biji Hunt) searches for his bride-to-be, about his forthcoming freedom.
40
Hysterium (Howard Weinblatt) assumes characteristic
ZN-,
pop-eyed pose as he wrangles with mangled goose.
B een Hapnn
All Along
By DEBORAH BLUJM
The small chalky-green room in the Women's League basement
was bustling with activity, vibrant with all the confusion of a
Roman forum.,
But this was simply a typical rehearsai for a group of busy
sophomores, each with an important function to perform mn the
production of the 1965 Soph Show.
To effectively capture this lively-sometimes frantic-spirit,
seal ailytphotographers andseportersh descended int clterd
a lare reath (neatly constructedcwith greenopi necrowned
Amidst the bedlam stood Director Chuck Feuer, his whistle
clutched firmly in One hand, a notebook grasped in the other. We
arrived just as he was caling for a re-take of the show's opening
number, "Comedy Tonight."
He gave thd signal, the piano broke into the opening chords,
and the floor suddienly seemed to explode with young singers and
dancers cl'ad in sweatshirts, leotards, and bright football jerseys.
The room still echoed as the chorus left the "stage" moments
later and returned to the sidelines.
vyAlthough th floorawas scattered wth Jspttand notebooks,
very little n hwrk as being done Th ectatos were mc
too ieno watching ths ex mch ag etweemng Peous(i
Hoina BRojamn lne, andh Lyus (L-arryn Ghove)
owr of the di:"o houd "a bod beinu e proirsie.W wr
Athough th otihe"Fr st merswered atchgth is ceneg,
poised to cut into the action with a shrill cry of his whistle.
One actress watching from the sidelines knitted ceaselessly,
never dropping a stitch or missing a line. Another girl stitched
costume. Musical Director Peniny
Garner clutched her pencil stead-
fastly, alternately leading songs
with it, biting it, and taking notes
with it.
By BETSY COHN
Thirty-six sonorous sophomores
are doing next week (Nov. 18-20)
what the Romans did in 200 B.C.
They call it "A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the
Forum." We call it a musical, far-
cical, colorful delight, .
The result is just what the
opening n u m b e r proclaims:
"Something familiar, something
and parable ever perpetuated from Wittenberg), and their handsome
Oedipus to Narcissus. Ultimately young son, Hero (Bob Lederer).
they spoof the present for the Hysterium (Howard Weinblatt) is
Romans had their Own bevy of the flittering fluttering servant
lecherous old men and henpecking with the impossible task of keep-
wives whose artfully-styled per- ing the household in "calm and
sonalities make this comedy com- tranquil" order while the master
plete. and wife journey to the country.
Thre HosesHysterium reigns and chaos
Th hcrtan' Hrise sls trepours as we are introduced to
gra-brckra' house dwshoses athive Pseudolus (Jim Hosbein). servant
ray-br~ ik hous hos artp ePv to Hero.
pecuaser avoataterov nolegaveno orAarcos yu
polite . . . a comedy tonight." anda se thyi neighbor" kept cytdoor rages the avaricious
Before us is a panorama of the aiisi hi epciekeeper of the courtesans, Lycus
freniedservnts lovsic ma tr oe failes theirms respective (Larry Glover) whose famed door
and radiant maidens romping hoe o hi oe epcieopens to "a house of ill repute."
through each other's houses-and In the house of Sennex (Marc He is gloating over hi's latest ar-
a series of disasters. In the process Spinrad), there lives his "wife for rival from Crete, Philia (Marcia
they trample every Greek myth 29 years, grrr," Domina (Diane Huwen), a pretty young virgin
who has been ordered and bought
to be the bride of the famous
captain, Miles Gloriosus . (Bill
Hunt).
The house of Erroriius (Gary
Pollac~k) is currently vacant. It
ol an has been abroad forumany
yeas in search ofs hishchildren
of Sennex as Hero reveals to
Pseudolus that he has been silent-
ly swooning for Philia, the now
girl next door. In an outburst of
passionate desperation, he prom-
ises the servant his freedom if he
can arrange for a lovers rendez-
Ecstatic
S~.. Pseudolus, ecstatic about his
tse cio net dor to the home
Pseudolus adrotl ounce upo
in a Mickey Mouse* fashion
2 (though what /follows would even
make Annette look like a cartoon).
But Pseudolus is not satisfied
until Lycus has presented his new-
est arrival from Crete, Philia. The
conniving slave then manages to
bring the two young lovers to-
gether in the house of Sennex,.
under the watchful and twitching
eye of Hysterium.
However, Pseudolus' and Hero's
visions are shortlived with the un-
expected arrival of Big Daddy
Sennex (Hero's father), Erronius
("the befuddled old man") and
Capt. Miles Gloriosus (a brave
warrior "with eyes, cunning and
keen . . . thighs like a mighty
machine").
Mistaken Identity ,
Sennex is mistaken by Phiia
for her heroic fiancee (whom she
has never seen before) and she
affectionately swobps down upon
him. Sly-eyed Sennex finds no
need to correct the mistake and
the two wrangle affectionately for
Twh ere istgreat confusio we
Errniuss wanders home HIeymust
becomes even messier when Capt.
Miles Gloriosus returns home to
claim his bride. Those who have
survived the plot to this point, are
now driven to drinking. Potients of
mare' s swe'at and other viles are
passed out by scheming Pseudolus
who has now assumed 4the role of
Lycus.
New Soothsayer
rPseudouhs sasum ed the
sayssooth" says he, "sooth sooth,
ger of being put away for leprosy.
The Captain is approaching and
Pseudolus is in a bit of a jam,
wouldn't you say? In wild des-
peration, he calls for INTER-
MISSION.
But alas, these acts of pro-
crastination are short live d. Pseu-
dolus and the rest of the cast
soon return to wind up the play in
a completely adulterated version
of "Romeo and Juliet," an ex-
quisite cat and spouse game,, as
well as all kinds of entanglements
that are more fugi in real life
and con~usion.
The Humor is Varied
"A Funny Thing" for college
audiences is the humor . . . "old
situations, new complications ..
something for everyone." Combined
with a cast which has, in the
meantime, become assimilated
with the story, "The Forum"
exemplifies the new trend of
Broadway comedy with its subtle
and adult humor, making the
show palatable for a .varied au-
Those who miss the punny and
voic at me eunuh") ca find
in the musical score as well as
the choreography.
The words and music were writ-
ten by Stephen. Sondheim (the
lyricist from West. Side Story")
who was his own master in this
play. As a result, the words are
freer, lyricwise ryhthmwise and
otherwise, there is a great deal
of internal rhyme as well as clever
"gdene Nsh" type play on words
In making th tantn om
as an ad-libbing and lively "For-
um" cast.
Photos for this page by
SHELDON DAVIS
RON BERMAN
ROB ER T WlL L MA R TH
Co-Chairman Jim Kraft whis'
ties his charges to work.
Tireless Director Chuck Feuer rests clipboard on table to make
notatjon on flaw he has spotted.
0
Faces lit up as three on-stage
Romans broke into a rollicking
burlesques number, "Everybody
Ought To Have a Maid." The au-
dience was obviously delighted
with the bawdy humor.
The entrance of Hysterium, a
hyper-energetic slave played by
Hovyie Weinblatt, also brought a
roar of laughter from the group.
"That guy is great," Publicity
Chairman Jim Heisler, '68, said.
"He's just as funny off the stage
as on it, and he excites the whole
cast."
When the curtain rises on this
9th annual Soph Show, it will
climax months of planning and
preparation which began last
spring when the production's Cen-
tral Committee was chosen.
Feuer has been working with the
cast for an average of 20 hours
a week during the past month
and he will be stepping up the
pace as daily rehearsals are held
right up to the opening.
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