Fridov. Anrii 9. 19711.. THE MICHIGAN DAILY THE MICHIGAN DAILY Frdn~, Anrul ~ lQ71~.. i ,.iu y, . i it , i r Tw theatre 4ameo performances shine in 'U' Plyer's 'Maxim's' music I Melodious 'U' Musicum * By WILLIAM TATE The claim that Georges Fey- deau is the greatest French comic dramatist after Moliere may say less about Feydeau than it says about the comparative paucity of French comic genius since Moliere. Feydeau farce is not written but manufactured. Cosequently, it- bears more than a little re- semblance to a machine. The Girl from Maxim's is a lot like a Sopwith Camel. It's a sturdy ve- hicle that is remarkably manu- verable once in the air, but get- ting it up is the tricky part. It re- quires, in a word, delicacy, a sure touch at the controls. At moments the University Players' production of Maxim's, directed by James Coakley, evi- dences the necessary control, but too often the air is so full of stapsticks and Punch bats that the play is much obscured. Too often Mr. Coakley has either failed to restrain his actors, or urged them to go too far. In so doing he has done the play nnd his cast a disservice. Laughter, comes in as many varieties as there are ways of eliciting it. Knowing this Fey- deau didn't write his play all on one note. He was a professional huntsman who knew netter than to use an elephant gun on a prairie chicken. This production, 'however, operates too much (on one level. The audience can be roared, gawked, and shouted at only for so long before the whole thing begins to pale. Maxim's gives an audience nothing to think or feel deeply about, so there has to be a great deal to enjoy. Stephen Wyman, as Dr. Mongicourt, brings needed nuance and subtlety to his per- formance. His outbursts and exclamations a r e theatrically meaningful because he has cre- ated something to set them against. Time and again he shows himself the master of be- fuddlement that turns into an understanding, thence into an action. He works with, within and against the play. He stands just on the edge of the piece, always working, but not so hard that there's ever any sense of strain; he allows Feydeau's magic an opportunity to happen. When he makes his second appearance late in Act II one can only sigh with relief, "At last". Priscilla L i n d s a y, as the Shrimp, brings to her part a seemingly endless supply of ener- gy and endearing vivacity. One may disagree with elements in her interpretation, but second thoughts fall rapidly by the way- side as she captures heas right and left, on stage and beyond the footlights. Athhis first appearace there is the possibility that William Russ (Etienne) will go too far with his limp-wristed retainer. He clears the hurtle easily in each of his subsequent appear- ances and consistently leaves the stage to applause. All the complications that make thenplay run fall upon Dr. Pey- Pon. Everything in the world seems to happen to this man, an I think that his indefatigable re- sourcefulness indicates a more in- teresting person than swvan Jef- fries lets us see. Mr. Jeffres falls prey to that temptation, so .persistent, in farce, to biucgeen' everything to death. He begins his heavyhanded attack early in the production, and we tire of the good doctor before the evening's out. While everyone is trying to tool Mine. Petypon (Sr. FrancescA Thompson) or dismiss her as "that mad one", the audience is fast laughing with and loving her. She has many superb moments dealing with seraphs, archangels, ghosts, and amorous noblemen. Terence Lamude epitomizes Lieutenant Marollier in a meti- culously executed construct of eccentric arabesques for the hands, arms, eyes, eyebrows and cheek muscles. Steve Chapman makes of his Streetcleaner a youthful Groucho Marx sans cigarand glasses. Glen Crane, as the Abbe Chantreau, con- NATIONAL GENERAL'S-l vincingly sloshes in drunken be- musement through much of the second act. Mr. Coakley has done himself proud with his four provincial fashion mongers, Cindy Ballard, Anne Temple, Suzanne Diecknian and Mary Poole. They are a gag - gle of great geese honking and breezing from one side of the stage to the other. Mme. Sauvarel, in Betty Ann Gould's masterful interpretation, comes hopping on in fear of fall- ing flat on her face, her fingers and fan going in 20 directions at once. She never quite makes it to the floor, but teeters pre- cipitously on the brink for as long as we see her. John Arnone never lets us fcr- get that his fickle popinjay, Lieutenant Corignon, is not only a weakling but a man only in love with himself. Teresa Power (Clementine) hewes an exact line between the character's de- mure self and her Newly ac- quired role as a seductress. There is insufficient space to discuss e v e r y performance worthy of note. Others deser ving special mention include Walter Mugdan as the Duke de Val- monte; Irene Connors and Paul Otis as M and Mme Vidauban. Ursula Belden's super, art nouveau setting is simply per- fect. The same must be said for the costumes of Zelma Weis- feld. They appear to have been a labor of love and are inspired fun. Douglas Pope is responsible for lighting the show. He suc- ceeds in putting the costumes and the set in the best possible light, a light that exactly and unob- trusively creates the various moods required. In spite of claims made for it, there is too little honest comedy in this production. Any farce that takes three and a half lours to engineer its particular orm ;orf madness is likely to become more than a little raving, especially if it grinds to a more or less tech- nological halt. Maybe the production lets us see too much of Feydeau the re- lentless exploiter. In any case, Mr.' Coakley's production fails in the final analysis because it lacks the qualities essential for suc- cess-charm, sophistication, and genuine joyfulness. By DONALD SOSIN It is always a pleasure when, at a concert, both performers and audience thoroughly enjoy themselves, and for this, there has been nothing on campus in recent memory to compare with the concert by the U-M Collegium Musicum Tuesday evening in the University Reformed Church. The director of the Collegium is Thomas Taylor, who, in addi- tion to teaching music history and rehearsing his group, is also a virtuoso on the uncycle, as a few students discovered Wednes- day in an impromptu .adenza outside the School of Music. The group evidently relishes performing and sharing early masterpieces with others, as was most apparent in the last work on Tuesday's program, a Mass of Jean Mouton. Discovered by David Crawford two summers ago in an Italian castle, the Moss received its first performance since Mouton's time (c. 1458- 1522) this week. It is a work of tremendous beauty and deserves a place among the best of the choral literature. Similar themes link the five sections, all gems, although the Sanctus and Agnus Dei were the most transporting. The Collegium Vocal Ensemble has an amazing sound, always smooth and clear; one felt, fur- thermore, that the singers were involved to the utmost, a feeling which the audience could not help duplicating. One was entranced from the be- ginning of the program, when, after a short prelude for veille (a small stringed instrument) and organ, the choir marched up the aisle, led by Taylor who beat time with a type of sistrum, a long staff with bells on top, while the choir sang a conductus from the 13th century. The effect cre- ated was indescribably delicious, to coin a phrase, and one knew that a real treat was in store. After a setting of the chant Haec Dies, accompanied by vari- ous instruments, our attention was diverted to the organ loft, where Barbara Achte: played a dance on the bagpipe. The sound is at first compelling, but can be monotonous after a while, as Achter testified. Next were a group of 14th cen- tury Italian madrigals, which did not make a very strong im- pression, but were pleasing enough. Two outstanding soloists were Anita Kalousdian and Roger Holtz, both of whose voices are characterized by a refined, gentle tone. Some dances for shawms and percussion preceded the next vo- cal group, three 15th century English carols. The bells which made up part of the accompani- ment seemed the perfect choice as an unobstrusive background, and worked particularly well la- ter in the Mouton, where ihey added a floating quality to their function of keeping the pitch up. After intermission came works by Josquin des Prez, renowned master of the motet and other vocal forms who died 450 years ago, which anniversary is being noted this year with seminars and special concerts. A brief, charming selection by an excellent quartet of recorders led to two light songs, "Petite Camusette" and "Basies Moy," full of canons and refreshing to listen to, although one wished the solosits in the latter had been more audible. And then the Mouton Mass. One could not have asked for a better close to such a satisfying pro- gram that was a much fun as it was musically enriching. MARINA $300 TO 450 WEDDING RING 34.75 Choose Keepsake and get a writ- ten guarantee of perfect quality, protection against diamond loss and trade-in value. U; C records Reworking the country theme By MICHAEL BERNSTEIN Although the press has turned its attention during the last two years fromhcountry-rock to jazz- rock and then to the individual- istic troubadour, long-haired rock stars equipped with steel guitars still abound. Randy Burns and the Sky Dog Band presents yet another reworking of the coun- try theme. The results are plea- sant, but hardly earthshaking. Although picking out influences is a dangerous and often fruit- less method by which to review a record, it is impossible to avoid in Randy Burns' case. The vocals< often sound like Neil Young, but more often like the Bee Gees, which is pretty startling in what is basically a country album. And some of the guitar licks must have been taken straight from Neil Young's first album. The words are typical for the c un- try-rock genre, mixing homey sayings ("If you take to the city, mama, the city treats you well") and semi-obscure love songs, which are comforting while far from stimulating. The feel of the album as a whole smacks of Jesse Winchester's excellent al- bum. Winchesterbis a must; Randy Burns is borderline. While this album shows no great originality, I refrain from panning it, because, at the vety least, Burns often shows good taste in the artists he chooses to emulate. The tunes vary from folk to country and western to bluegrass, and David Bromberg's bottleneck guitar and dobro liven up two numbers. But there re- mains no reason to buy Randy Burns instead of the origifals. There is a tendency among rock fans to limit their country se- lections to groups like Poco and the Flying Burrito Brothers. While there is much to be said for these groups, ignoring s- kickers like Merle Haggard and Buck Owens is being as narrow- minded as buying Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker for soul to the ex-< clusion of Ray Charles or Otis Redding. It may be harder to identify with a middle-aged right- winger in spangles or a black man in a shiny suit than with a young white guy in bell-bottoms, but in terms of hearing all the music that is deserving of at- tention, it is well worth the ef- fort. So if Randy Burns might moderately please you, Jesse Winchester or even Merle Hag- gard might really make you lis- ten, and there's a world of dif- ference. fI The two motets we heard were r followed by two works played by the consort of viols, led by F Charles Bikle. In the second, Pa- 121 tricia Deckert's lilting contralto Do voice blended superbly with the Old viols for a rare thrill. . ~~ ~.*"4 ": : .:: :V *r:.: ....... - . r .... ". r *f."ti..*. . . ::: ":: :ri:i:::}: MAULE Symphony No. MOZART Overture to "The Imprt Saturday, April 10- lull Auditoria UNIVERSITY SYMPHONY O THEM ALCANTARA, con FREE! .',, .y.r{ "iv"::::: :::::?:"4::{;":""r"""" :e ... : r..........;.. NOMINATED F ACAD r.. A W A BEST PI BEST DI BEST At BESTA BEST SUPPOR BEST ORIGINAl BEST ORIGINAL] P COIW* P; i NSRE&N A HOWARD S MINSKY ARTHUR HILERProduction John Marley& Ray Milland First Show " *Today SF 3 P.M.F -sario" R 1 r.; k f. :::$ ;:;5 I f 3';: }: I : ..,+ ;" "?": a i : :'.S: v ::?iie SALE ON ONCORD RODUCTS at HI F1 STUDIO W. WASHINGTON wntown across from German Restaurant NO 8-7942 -8:00 p.m. 'In )RCHESTRA ductor ...:::':':':1ti1':i :": 4 ::'::::Y: ytiti l: }li::'1.:"1. :11M.Y:.'. Main at Washington UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN CONCERT DANCE ORGANIZATION PHYSICAL EDUCATION DEPT. 21st AN NUAL Spring Dance Concert Barbour Gym- I Dance Studio S APRIL 8, 9, & 10 8:00 p.m.-$2.00 APRIL 10 MATINEE 2:30 p.m.-$1.50 TICKETS AVAILABLE- MARCH 29 BARBOUR GYMNASIUM and AT DOOR Information 764-1342 . I- FOR EMY [CTURE RECTOR CTRESS ICTOR TING ACTOR LSCREENPLAI MUSICAL SCO 603 E. Liberty DIAL 5-6290 Doors Open 19: hows at 1, 3, 5, ree List Suspen5 GP RE y i 45 7, 9 Oed CINEMA II "FLASH GORDON-:- Mars Attacks the World" (1938) starring BUSTER CRABBE, JEAN ROGERS and CHARLES MIDDLETON (as "Ming the Merciless") Feature film made from the original Flash Gordon serials. I The Michigan Daily, edited and man- aged by students at the University of Michigan. News phone: 764-0552. Second Class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Mich- igan, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104. Published daily Tues- day through Sunday morning Univer- sity year. Subscription rates: $10 by carrier, $10 by mail. Summer Session published Tuesday through Saturday morning. Subscrip- tion rates: $5 by carrier, $5 by mail. FARCE COMEDY! w{ The Girl from Maxim's by Feydeau Mendelssoha Theatre Box Office-12:30 $2.50 TOP! THRU SAT. Fri. and Sat. 7:00, 9:00,11:00 (three big shows) Aud. A, Angell Hall April 9, 10 75c I I Hitchcock's "THE 39 STEPS" will be shown during Exam week. Due to technical difficulties, "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner," orignally scheduled for this weekend, will not be shown. NEXT WEEK: An explosive double-feature: "THE DUTCHMAN" and "SCORPIO RISING" Rolling Stones GODARD +1 Revolutionary People's Benefit April 16-18 NATURAL SCIENCE AUDITORIUM "VOICES" preview tonight ARM 761-9751 SERIES TICKETS ON SALE! Monday-Friday 10-1, 2-5 Mendelssohn Lobby El ___- Subscribe to The Michigan Daily ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE "BEST FOREIGN FILM" -INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARD-JOSEPH BRUSTYN AWARD BEST ACTRESS, CATHERINE DENEUVE BEST DIRECTOR, LUIS BUNUEL I This NOIKBAD $1.50 'V { TRITA*V4~"SHOWS EVERYWHERE THE MASTER'S OWN OBSESSIVE CONCERNS WITH SEX, LIFE-STYLE! A PLEASURE!!"-Archer Winsten, New York Post 375-N. MAPLE RD. 769-1300 MON.-FRI. 7:30-9:15 SAT. 4:10-5:50' 7:35-9:20 'I OP ECOWOR by Deue l fuid Rkqtuftu SAT. MATINEE ALL SEATS 75c "THE YOUNG TOPIC REC. ARTIST LOU KILLEN concertina One of the finest singers and performers Enland has ever produced. *i Next Week: MIKE SFFPIFR r a+a aara na ia ;7-;. 11 a-m; a's -Sch-ick-al.- ANSI :,,.:.::;;as ., Sf<; "::;. "":. 7 " 2!<" ,n " ..?;. :fi::22S ::; '. str;3 ' +i .... :;:;. a { :.