Saturday, ;April 14, 1973
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
Saturday, April 14, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three
0
By DONALD SOSIN
f PELLEAS AND MELISANDE, a
lyric drama in five acts; music by
Claude Debussy, text by Maurice
Maeterlinck, English translation by
Joseph Blatt. Presented by the
School of Music. Mendelssohn The-
9 atre, April 13-16 at 8 p.m.
J o s e p h Blatt, conductor. Ralph
Herbert, stage director. Alice Craw-
ford, set designer; Robert Prouse,
lighting designer.
GOLAUD John Lueck (Fri., Sat.)
Wayne Brown (Sun., Mon.)
MELISANDE .... Mardy K. Medders
(Fri., Sun.)
Candy Goetz (Sat., Mon.)
GENEVIEVE...........Susan Bayha
ARKEL ............ Edmund Toliver
PELLEAS .......... Samuel Chapin
(Fri., Sun.)
Charles Roe (Sat., Mon.)
YNIOLD ............ Lynne Wieneke
(Fri., Sun.)
Marcia Holmes (Sat.,- Mon.)
PHYSICIAN . t: . Nicholas Smith
Editor's note: This review is based
Pel leas and Melisande:*
~Music theater at its best'
High quality marks
Little Feat album'
on dress rehearsals.
The sumptuous music
of Claude Debussy fills the Men-
delssohn Theatre this weekend
as the School of Music presents
its captivating spring opera
production, Pelleas & Melisande.
Last performed here twelve
years ago, the opera deals on
one level with the basic themes
of innocence, love, and jeal-
ousy.
Set in the mythical kingdom
the BEST STEAK HOUSE
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BURSLEY HALL ENTERPRISES
Presents:
BUTCH CASSIDY AND
THE SUNDANCE KID
Starring:
PAUL NEWMAN
of Allemonde, the action con-
cerns Golaud, who meets inno-
cent Melisande one day in the
woods. He marries her, but soon
loses her to his more youthful
half - brother, Pelleas. At first
Golaud believes the pair simply
to be children, but gradually
discovers the depth of their re-
lationship. Surprising them in
the forest, Golaud attempts to
make her confess her guilt, but
ever-innocent Melisande can on-
ly state that she loved Pelleas,
and feels no shame for it.
The tragedy of the opera is
equally contained in Maeter-
linck's richly symbolistic text
and perhaps the most perfect
and insightful score in all of
opera. Debussy matches the
forthrightness of emotion with
themes of utter simplicity, con-
tinually altering their context
through the ingenious use of
harmony and orchestration. The
vocal line, furthermore, is like
one long recitative: There are
no arias as such, no interrup-
tion of the action within a given
scene.
This breaking away from 19th
century operatic convention
causes no problems for the spec-
tator; a c t u a 1 1 y, the cur-
taincomes as something of an
intrusion, and the cuttain calls
sadly tear one away from the
magical power of the drama.
The curtain calls are well de-
served, however. Both casts are
composed of extraordinarily fine
singers; the acting is, by and
large, convincing, and a credit
to director Ralph Herbert. Some
problems are created by the set,
confining even for the petite
Mendelssohn stage. Since a fair
proportion of the scenes are
rather static, this is not too
great a weakness, though.
Some contemporary critics see
Golaud as the opera's central
DANCE CONCERT
APRIL
13--8:00
14-8:00
15--2:30
ADULTS---2
STUDENTS-- S
R.C. AUD.
E. UNIV. and MONROE
AADT
figure. In this production the
emphasis is. on Melisande. Per-
haps it is because both Mardy
Medders and Candy Goetz cap-
ture the role so well. In Med-
der's interpretation, there is
earnstness mixed with the inno-
cence at times, while Goetz
seems not that innocent to be-
gin with. She and her Pelleas,
Charles Roe, give an older im-
pression which tinges their
scenes with some regretfulness:
Medders and Samuel Chapin
play the part of adolescents
caught up in a situation not en-
tirely of their making.
John Lueck and Wayne Brown
are strong, vital Golauds, vet
neither conveys the intense
jealousy that would have shifted
the dramatic balance to their
role. Among the other charac-
ters. I would like to single out
Marcia Holmes, who is altogeth-
er perfect in the part of Yniold,
Golaud's child by a previous
marriage. Her size is to her ad-
vantage; her vocal quality and
impish movements confirm her
credibility.
The success of the opera can
be made or broken by the or-
chestra, of course, and I think it
fair to say that while numerous
subtleties remain buried in the
score, the overall level of play-
ing is quite high, and that as
the musicians become more fa-
miliar with the difficult score,
they will be able to loosen up,
enabling conductor Joseph Blatt
to do more with them.
Familiarity is obviously no
problem for Blatt, whose En-
glish version makes the best of
a seemingly impossible task. He
conducts the score from mem-
ory, and takes great pains to
see that entrances are exact
while keeping the smooth lyric-
ism of the music evident.
The lighting ranges from very
effective - especially in the
dungeon scene, softly lit behind
a scrim, and the closing scene,
where reds and greens are jux-
taposed in a moving tableau --
to very curious: the first act is
altogether too dark.
The visual effect is ultimately
of secondary importance here,
though Go hear this operatic
marvel. At least aurally, it is
music theater at its best.
By TOM OLSON
A cursory look at the output of
Little Feat over the last three
years would probably leave the
uninitiated at least mildly be-
wildered. From the outside, the
eccentricities that give the group
its style might appear to be no
more than bizarre affectation.
The cover art of their second al-
bum, for example, dominated by
the voluptuously spread legs of
a luscious piece of devil's food
cake as it let fly its Sailin' Shoes,
is known to have given pause
to many a casual record browser.
The group has likewise never
fallen into p e t t y conventional-
ism in naming its songs, choosing
titles like "Snakes On Every-
thing, "Tripe Face Boogie,"
posterous and irresistibly con-
tagious.) The music is typically
intelligent Little Feat rock.
Newcomers to Little Feat often
remark on their musical kinship
to the old Band and the old
Byrds. "Fool Yourself" invites
such comparisons, an agreealy
dense arrangement of a splendid
song. "Juliette' 'is a song made
for headphones, laden with in-
scrutable entertainments for 'the
ear. It is carried along by Low-
ell George's almost sweet vocal,
which glides masterfully over his
growling guitar.
"Fat Man in the Bathtub" is
one of th great south-of-the-bord-
er songs of our time, complete
with the perfect "Oh Juanita"
chorus. The album's final master-
ARTS
1
1'
9:00 P.M.
W. Cafe
75c
mediatrics
HELP
MEDIATRICS, as part of UAC's attempt to
become more responsive to the students, is
setting up an EXECUTIVE BOARD.
Take part in MEDIATRICS '73-'74 film
for more info. CALL UAC, 763-1107
DEADLINE WEDNESDAY
MAiLON
BRANDC
VIVIEN
LEIGH
ELI
kAZAN I
TENNESSEE
WILLIAMS
THESE ARE,
THE GREATS!
THIS WAS
THEIR
GREATEST';
Daily Photo by TOM GOTTLIEB
S thricu1 imagination
Di-rna Marcovitz sings a variety of comical-satirical songs-all her
own-at the Ark this weekend, accompanying herself on what
she calls "sort of ragtime" piano.
DRAMA-~MECHA presents El Teatro Campesino, guerrilla
theatre by Chicanoes in Hill at 8; Seligson Plautus Play-
ers (Classical Studies Dept.) perform Plautus' Roman
comedy The Haunted House in Angell Hall foyer at 2:30;
Professional Theatre Program presents Story Theatre in
Power at 3 and 8; U players perform Cesaire's The Trag-
edy of King Christophe in Trueblood at 8.
FILM-Cinema Guild and Future Worlds . show Wilcox's
Forbidden Planet in Arch. Aud. at 7 and 9:05; Cinema
II presents Bergman's Virgin Spring in Aud. A at 7 and
9; UAC-Mediatrics shows One Day in the Life of Ivan
Denisovich in Nat. Sel. Aud. at 7 and 9:30; Friends of
Newsreel present A Streetcar Named Desire in MLB at
7:15, and 9:30; Bursley Hall presents Cat Ballou in W.
Cafeteria at 9.
DANCE-Ant Arbor Dance Theatre presents a concert at 8
in RC Aud.
MUSIC SCIHOOL-Debussy's opera Pelleas and Melisande in
Mendelssohn at 8.
WEEKEND BARS and MUSIC-The Ark, Diana Marcovitz
(Sat., Sun.), admission; Blind Pig, Brooklyn Blues Bust-
ers (Sat,) cover; Pretzel Bell, RFD Boys (Sat.) cover;
Rubaiyat, Iris Bell Adventure (Sat., Sun.) no cover;
Bimbo's, Gaslighters, (Sat., Sun.) cover; Del Rio, Jazz
(Sun.) no cover; Golden Falcon, B.J. and the Holding
Company (Sat.) cover; Mr. Flood's Party, B. C. Papke
(Sat., Sun, at 3 p.m.) cover; Bimbo's on the Hill, Cricket
Smith (Sat.) cover.
BARBERS
hair stylists I
n I { /1T.r A X\
"Brides of Jesus," and most re-
cently the show-stopping "Fat
Man in the Bathtub"
Part of Little Feat's apprecia-
tion of .such non-ordinary states
of reality is no doubt explained
by the apprenticeship that lead
guitarist, vocalist, and song-writ-
er Lowell George served with the
Mothers of Invention.
Dixie Chicken is Little Feat's
newest release, and like their
first two it will probably r a n k
among the year's finest albums.
No record of theirs has ever re-
ceived a less than enthusiastic
review anywhere - and none has
sold more than three or four
dozen conies. The first had the
nightmarish bad luck to be re-
leased the same month as Layla
and All Things Must Pass, and
sales were predictably less than
brisk. The second release drew
an equally ignominious non-re-
snonse from the public, and a
liberal publicity campaign from
Warner Brothers may not save
Dixie Chicken from the s a m e
undeserved ohlivion. The group's
admirers will probably grow
smug in their continued exclus-
iveness, but tiny cults are not
enough to keep six-man groups
out of poverty anymore.
Even a bathtub full of technical
Dixie Chicken is five brilliant skill, though, would come to noth-
songs and five very good ones. ing if Little Feat lacked good
The rousing title tune opens the aterial. Three outstanding' al-
first side, the tale of a wonderful bumsought to prove that t he
woman of song who makes
friends and influences bartenders group has two consistently orig-
with her spirited refrain "You inal and melodic composers in
be my dixie chicken, and I'll George and Payne. Out of 30
be your Tennessee lamb/ and songs by he two, so far no more
we will walk together, downin than two have been of less than
dixie land." (Lowell George has
a genius for composing chorus- high quality, and neither of- the
es that are both completely pre- weak ones is on Dixie Chicken.
piece is "Kiss It Off," on which
pianist Bill Payne successfully
sustains a beautifully haunting
and ominous tension with some
inspired synthesizer work. Sam
Clayton contrbutes some quietly
dramatic conga drumming to
complete the mood.
Little Feat's assets are many,
blt they are mostly Lowell
G e o r g e. His musical imagina-
tion makes the band one of the
most versatile around, n e v e r
predictable, always reliable.
George has a devastating gift of
syncopation (try out "Fat Man
in the Bathtub") and his knock-
about rhythms keep drummer
Richard Hayward doing interest-
ing things in the background.
George's vocals have improved
with each album, and by now are
simply superbly expressive. He
has the confidence to let his
voice almost melt away into
gentleness, before returning to
his usual powerful resonance. His
control over enunciation is com-
plete: his words get stretched out
into pure sound and then crisply
bitten off. He is in strong con-
trol of his band, and its mem-
bers seem to thrive under his
direction.
to'
g o Sbomv r corpicie and unc /A
~ n'o-" ("Iia~)is a 'rerkh il
hseen playin for ni
to drves of Swedes, and to sev ral r
ion p eople a nmost everywere. It is ne
story or a youngJ gir who r:, orws.
auneaus abheut politics, nonvoa rnca. on
nnmmitrnon', soeialism. omoer Swxdeer
and to hesre sex It is da er cai V
t~~em ita ilgna,"says Lo aa
e The Eve reen Filmysent
Groveress rs Lena Nyman A San
ADMISSION F'ESTRIGTLD T0 ADULTS
MENDELSSOHN THEATRE
Tuesday & Wednesday
7:30 & 9:45 P.M.
NEW WORLD FILM COOP
tonight
6:00 2 4 7 News
9 This is Your Life
50 Star Trek
50 Para Mi Pueblo
6:30 2 CBS News
4 NBC News
7 Reasoner Report
9 Fishin' Hole
56 Consumer Game
7:00 2 Truth or Consequences
4 George Pierrot
7 News
9 Untamed World
50 Hee Haw
56 Another Life to Live
7:30 Young Dr. Dildare
4 Johnny Mann's Stand Up
and Cheer
"VIVIEN LEIGH gives one of those rare performances that can
truly be said to evoke pity and terror. When MARLON BRANDO as
the realist, Kowalski, shatters her system of illusions, she disinte-
grates."
TONI
-Friends of Newsreel-
Mod. Lang. Auds.
7:15-8:20-9:30
$1.25
UPEN TJDUAY
& MONDAY
Michigan Union
..__
x
.--
- --.-- ,
r
7 Town Meeting
9 Flipside
56 Lenox Quartet-Haydn Opus
20
8:00 2 All in the Family
4 Emergency}
7 Here We Go Again
9 Front Page Challenge
56 Movie
"Hamlet"
50 That Good Ole Nashville Musie
8:30 2 Bridget Loves Bernie
7 A Touch of Grace
9 Movie
"The Mountain" (1956)
50 Nitty Gritty
9:00 2 Mary Tyler Moore
4 Movie
"A Thousand Clowns"
7 Julie Andrews
50 Black omnibus
9:30 2 Bob Newhart
10:00 2 Carol Burnett
7 Assignment: Vienna
50 Lou Gordon
10:30 9 Education Week
56.VD Blues
11:00 2 7 News
9 CBC News
11:15 7 ABC News
9 Provincial Affairs
S 11:20 9 News
11:30 2 Movie
"Pirates of Tortuga" (1961)
4 News
7 Movie
"The Hustler" (1961)
9 Movie
"East of Sudan" (English
1964)
50 Movie
"She-Devil" (1957)
12:00 4 Johnny Carson
1:30 2 Movie
"The Trunk" (English; 1961)
4 News
7 Movie
"Mister Cory." (1957)
3:00 2 7 News
wcbn
89.5 fm
9 Maranatha Music
12Radio Prison
4 Jazz
8 Progressive Rock
11 The Potato Show
___ __
THE BLACK MARKLEY COUNCIL Presents
"Reflections of Spring"
Sunday, April 15-at Markley Hall
Social Hour 4:30-Fashion Fair 5-6
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. Vera Embre Troupe
Dancers, Mike Davis on the piano.
BE THERE
DOOR PRIZES!!
TONIGHT
LAST SHOWS
7:15-8:20-9.30 pm.
"Brought to the screen. by its
Broadway creators . . . won
Oscars for Viven Leigh as the
disintegrating Southern Belle; Karl
Maiden as her naive suitor; and
Kim Hunter as her pragmatic sis-
ter. It won only an Oscar nomina-
tion for Marion Brando, but his
role as the blunt, shrewd, brutish
brother-in-law who is the element
in the woman's destruction, was
nothing short of brilliant."
w w
LAST PERFORMANCE TONIGHT!
8:00 P.M.
The University Players
proudly present
,) prsnA IME CESAIRE'S
j"THE TRAGEDY OF
S! KING CHRISTOPHE"I
t
AFTER YELLOW
,. .: . .,.
.. f} s U