Saturday, November 23, 1974
THE MICHIGAN DAILYP F
Page Five
Hansi
Good-nc
By JONATHON EASTMANN
Daily Opera Reviewer
IIANSEL AND GRETEL-the Music
School's opening show of the
1974-75 opera season-is a very nice
production but nothing much to
rave about.
Those who were seeing their first
student opera here probably went
home suitably impressed, for a com-
petent performance was turned in
by almost everyone in the obviously
talented cast. But ...
But, somehow, something was
missing last night - something
which made last year's productions
not just good, but really superb.
That something, I think, is inspira-
tion.
Last year's casts featured people
who were more than singers - they
were performers. People like Tolli-
ver, Hicks and many others who
made shows like Marriage of Figaro
and Eugene Onegin really memor-
able last year were both missing
and sorely missed last night.
With the exception of David Ad-
erente's delightful performance as
the witch, there was an unfortunate
shortage of "performers" on stage
and
Gretel':
inspired-opera
at Lydia Mendelssohn last night.
Perhaps, however, the compari-
son is unfair, for Hansel and Gretel,
as a opera, is quite inferior as a ve-
hicle to both Figaro and Onegin.
Beyond the score, there's just not
much to it, aside from the very en-
chanting untra-German imagery
complete with Black Forest-style
supernatural types such as a sleep
fairy, dawn fairy, a complement of
fourteen angels, and, of course, the
witch.
But, don't forego seeing this pro-
duction just because of its rather
obvious shortcomings. The music
alone is worth the three and one
half bucks for admission.
Engelbert Humperdinck's highly
familiar, lyrical score - highlight-
ed by the "Now I Lay Me Down to
Sleep" - is really beautiful all by
itself and was rendered by the mu-
sicians in the pit with their usual
super level of skill, under the direc-
tion of Josef Blatt.
Blatt, in case you didn't know,
also does the translation into En-
glish of the librettos for all Music
School shows and handles the job
with such grace that you never feel
you're missing anything by not
hearing them in their original lan-
guage.
Gretel was sung by Louise Fader
and Hansel by Diane Zola and both
have strong, lovely voices and han-
dled their parts, musically speaking,
very well.
Michael Jordan, who played the
father, also turned in a very fine
performance.
The mother was sung by Marilyn
Krimm, the sleep fairy by Laura
Holland and the dawn fairy by Riva
Cauellari.
But Aderente's witch came dan-
gerously close to stealing the show,
despite the fact that he was only
on the stage for the last half of the
third act.
The reason, auite simply, was that
A derente acted -- he "performed."
His presence so enlivened the stage
that he significantly made the third
act by far the best.
There are two more performances
of Hansel and Gretel to go-one at
8 p.m. tonight and one at 2 p.m.
Sunday. Go see it-it's a very pleas-
ant show and you'll enjoy it.
And now, my little pretty!
Hansel's (Diane Zola) fate has gone from bad to worse as
the wicked wvitch has imprisoned him prior to consumption.
Here Hansel calls fruitlessly for Gretel (Louise Fader) but
to no avail.
i'
r. r t
al!
BRIDi
Duplicate players
must sometimes take
unnecessary risks.
by FRANK BELL
........
A
imQges.. .
Every Friday night at 7:30
there is a duplicate bridge
game at the Michigan Union.
This game is open to the public,
and if a player shows up with-
out a partner the director will
frequently be able to match
him up with another player.
Run primarily for students,
the Union game is a good intro-
duction to the world of tourna-
ment bridge. Tactics in dupli-
cate bridge, also known as
match points, can vary greatly
from rubber bridge as the fol-
lowing hand illustrates.
NEITHER VUL.
NORTH
' A J 14
V A 5 2
f 9 5 3
4762
WEST
K 8 5 2
9
9J5746
EAST
Q 6 4 3
V 86
* A Q 10 4 2
4 Q J 10
SOUTH
9'7
K Q J 10 7 4 3
K
A K 8
South led the spade seven to
dummy's ten. East won his
spade queen and continued with
the jack of clubs.
South won the ace of clubs
and led his remaining spade.
Now this is where the match
point player parts company
from the rubber bridge player.
The rubber bridge player would
play the spade ace and claim
his contract, losing a spade, a
diamond, and a club.
The match point player, how-'
ever, would see that he was in
a normal contract which the Top anmators
rest of the field rated to reach.
Realizing that on each board in rEceive AnniEs
duplicate a pair receives a
match point for each score that HOLLYWOOD (Reuter)-Four
they beat and one half a point topline Hollywood film anima
for a tied score, the match pointtors
player would play the jack of includingthe creator fan
spades. ther and Bugs Bunny won
True, if the spade finesse awards at the annual awards
loses to the king declarer will ceremony of the International
go down one, losing two spades, Film Animation Society here
one heart, and one club, but the last night.
rest of the time he will be able Tex Avery, the creator of
to sluff his losing club on the Bugs Bunny, Friz Freleng who
ace of spades and make an invented the Pink Panther and
overtrick. Chuck Jones of the "Road-
The double finesse in spades is runner" cartoon series won
a 76 per cent proposition, thus, golden Annie awards.
slightly more than three quar- A
ters of the time South will Aspecial award was made to
make an overtrick and beat all Art Babbitt, formerly a top
those declarers who had played animator with the Disneyl sudi
safe for their contract, while design Donald Duck
one auarter of the time he will
go down.
In duplicate it does not mat-
ter how big your score is if you "
do not do better than the other -
pairs sitting in your direction. V ilence
It is the number of pairs you
beat and not your total score
agast each pair or for the divies
whole session, which is import-
Woe is Hansel
Hansel (Diana Zola) finds himself hopelessly entrapped by
the wicked witch (David Aderante) who has revealed to him
the awful truth of the gingerbread house. The Music School
production closes tonight at Mendelssohn.
__ ~ -- - .. - 11 ]
OPEN, READING
... POETRY.. .
Women's Studies Program Sponsors
Poetry & Prose
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
EVERYONE WELCOME
SATURDAY, NOV. 23
7:30 p.m.
PENDELTON ROOM
2nd Floor Michigan Union
0]
..
Couzens Film Co-op
PRESENTS
LINDSAY ANDERSON'S
"IF..
with MALCOLM MacDOWELL
FRIDAY & SATURDAY AT 8 & 10
IN COUZEN'S CAFETERIA
ADMISSION $1.00
I1 a
~~mediatrics
presents
LeMan s
with STEVE McQUEEN
Fri., Nov. 22-Sal., Nov. 23
1:30,9:30 Nat.Sci. Aud. $1
r
The bidding:
South West
1H Pass
4H Pass
North East
2H Pass
Pass Pass
Opening lead: Six of dia-
monds.
East won his ace of diamonds
and noted that declarer had
played the king. Realizing that
South no longer had any dia-
monds, East shifted to the
queen of clubs.
Winning his king of clubs, de-
clarer led a heart to dummy's
ace and returned a heart to his
king as West pitched a dia-
mond. Having drawn trump,
Miami staff photographers of the Associated Press captured this sunset glimpse of a
flock of sea gulls heading home for a rest a fter a busy day of searching for food.
ant in duplicate.
sod
unites.
Pennell to recite
Betjeman's poetry
Have a few extra moments
during the day? Need
something to occupy your mind?
THEN, tuck a copy of
Crossword Puzzle
under your arm.
English actor Nicholas Pen-
nell will premiere an interpre-
tive reading of the poetry of
England's Poet Laureate John
Betieman at noon on Monday,
November 25. The special per-
formance will be held in the
Pendleton Arts Information Cen-
ter on the second floor of the
Michigan Union as an "extra"
on the center's current noon-
time "Open Hearth" series.
Pennell is currently in Ann
Arbor as guest artist to play
the title role in Shakespeare's
Pericles, which will be pre-
sented by the University of
Michigan Theatre Program No-
vember 27-30 in Power Center.
He will be re-creating the lead
role in which he performed
these past two seasons at On-
tario's Stratford Festival Thea-
tre.
Pennell has played major
roles in many television pro-
ductions in England, including
that of Michael Mont in The
Wifiu
Forsythe Saga. On stage in
London, he is known for his
work in plays by Harold Pinter.
His career has also included ap-
pearances for the Oxford Play-
ers, the Bristol Old Vic Com-
nanv and many films, including
Isadora and David Copperfield.
"I find John Betjeman unique j
in his poetic imagery," says
Pennell, who feels that the lau-
reate's style is particularly suit-
able for dramatic presentation.
Pennell's Monday performance
will be his own adaptation.
DAILY CLASSIFIEDS
BRING QUICK RESULTS
The
community
of God.
Make it
your way.
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Shows at 1-3-5-7-9 P.M.
Open 12:45
.