THE MICHIGAN DALY
rts & Enterta in m ent Tuesday, November 9, 1976 Page Five
YOUN(G VIC SMASHIN(:
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Oedipus.
rimitive,
By MICHAEL JONES
TrO EXPERIENCE a fine perform-
ance of a great dramna is a rare
pleasure. Very few plays that I have
seen, have displayed the energy, pow-
er, and vitality evident in the Young
Vic's performance Friday night of
W. B. Yeats' version of Sophocles
Oedipus the King.
The performance, which was utter-
ly barren of any sort of ornamenta-
tion in the way of set or costumes,
gained its strength and forcefulness
from the incredible vocal and physi-
cal abilities of the actors. This reli-
ance on basics was absolutely 'appro- -
priate to the concise Yeats text.
The tragedy of Oedipus lies in the
fact that this . great king, who could
crack the most complex riddle, can-
not cope rationally with the paradoxes
of his personal life. As a result he
loses his power to govern with rea-
son.
IN THE VIC'S production this trage-
dy was brought out and developed
with great clarity. Director Roland
Jaffe's stagingt and the use -of primi-
tive musical instruments by members
of the Chorus and Ci-eon, underscored
the inevitable drive of Fate toward
the destruction of Oedipus.
The play began with a Prologue
(Huge Hastings) which hurled the audi-
ence directly into the action of the
play. Hastings' physical stance and de-
termined vocal tone suggested the
great moral import of the story to
be presented.
The Chorus was marvellous. It's
primitive fears, its tendency to group
together, and its common sense based
on an unswerving belief in the powers
of, destiny were all brought out through
very impressive acting and staging.
When Oedipus first appeared on stage
and Chorus fell to the ground and wor-
shipped him as the man who had de-
fied Fate. But when they realized that
their king had not escaped his destiny,
they became fearful and grouped to-
gether in chant.
OEDIPUS' refusal to accept his fate
was made powerfully clear in , the
scene between himself and Tiresias,
the blind soothsayer. Oedipus (Barry
Rutter) was exceedingly intense in
this scene. His eyes flashed and his
voice raged, showing the primitive
background of the Corinthian effective-
ly.
Tiresias (Ian Trigger) refused . to
bend to his king's storming, however,
and proclaimed that he could not
change truth. Trigger's vocal charac-
terization of the old and wizened crip-
ple was excellent.
David Henry portrayed Creon as a
man whose common sense confictions
rested with the Chorus. Where Creon
lacked Oedipus' brilliance and explo-
sive power he had a firm understand-
ing of reality. Henry's resonant voice,
clear diction, and objective tone did
much to imbue Creon with an aura
of brandure and persuasiveness.
JOCASTA (JUDY WILSON) was ex-
cellently portrayed. Her facial expres-
sions, deportment and dress all help-
ed make Wilson look the part of a
queen passing middle age. The man-
ner in which she delivered her lines
gav c them a poetic, supernatural qual-
ity.
Oedipus' strength of will and his in-
ability to perceive the needs and real-
vital
ities of those he governs were quali-
ties of the character Barrie Rutter
emphasized in his interpretation of
the role. Rutter's vocal intensity and
exagerated physical movements effec-
tively expressed Oedipus' terrifying
emotional torment and self hatred. The
most impressive scene in the play was
that in which Oedipus asked Creon to
let him speak to his daughters for
one last time. Here was see Oedipus,
the once great king, reduced to pathet-
ic wretchedness. Rutter's power to in-
spire audience sympathy made this
scene very moving.
The set used in this production, de-
signed by Victor Mara Ltd., was very
simple: two staircases, a platform, and
a curtain. It seemed to be designed
almost entirely for the purpose of stag-
ing and, because of this, did not de-
tract from the dialogue of the play in
any way. The scene in Oedipus' and
Jocasta's bedchamber was defined sim-
ply and effectively by having the Cho-
rus bring a large, billowing sheet out
to cover the stage.
Daily Photo by PAULINE LUBENS
Julia Broxholm as Guenevere and Anthony Dodge as Arthur depict matrimonial harmony in
Musket's production of "Camelot" - but interloper Terry Arment as Lancelot is waiting in
the wings.
Camelot suffers from
dull script
By ANDREW ZERMAN
THE- HIGHLY publicized pro-
duction of Camelot, produc-
ed by Musket and MM Produc-
tions opened last Thursday at
Mendelssohn Theatre - but its
artistic success is not living up
t its commercial success. The
nine-performance run, conclud-
ing next Saturday, is virtually
sold-out. But this musical lacks
the zest, charm and polish that
distinguished most of Musket's
and MM's work last year.
A good part of the blame
must be laid at Alan Jay Ler-
ner's door. Camelot is, for me,
a rather dull musical. Lerner,
who wrote the book and lyrics,
Jones!
Lewis
mixed
By LORAN WALKER
THE SATURDAY night Michi
gan League 'Pallroom per-
formance by the Thad Jones
Mel Lewis Jazz Band was enter-
taining and satisfying. The band,
however, started very slowly
and unfortunately failed to gel
into the music until late int
the first of two sets.
Some color was provided t
spice uip the show with songs
like "Tanika" "Mach I,'
"Yours and Mine" and a fe
chart-makers from the band's
latest album, New Life.
Keyboard artist Harold Dankle
was the best musician in the
group as far as moving the
music. He could be compared
with Oscar Peterson in attack
though not in style.,
THAD JONES, cornet plave
and co-leader of the band. did
some exceptionally fine solos a.
well. He was mellow, yet hard
on his instrument, brining ou
highs and lows with clarity.
Gregory Herbert was the bes
of the sax players. He was o
of the few to get into the msin c
.Herbert cannonballed "Tanika'
and kept a steady pace through
out the set.
, Mel Lewis, a drummer an
the other leader of the group
moved well in his solo-Greet
ings and Salutations," their las
number. Lewis is not a Budd
Rich or a Louie Bellson, but ha
a unique way of playing th
drums.
THE BAND played every
thing from ballads to a high
powered jazz that is unmatchec
by many a group. Its innovative
style may cause it to last a lon
time.
Cheers and a standing ova
tion greeted the band after th
last piece, but there was no en
core. This left a bad taste i
the mouths of the audience wh
had come for the -early per
formance, since Jones explaine
there would be an encore afte
the second set. Leading an audi
ence on to a next performanc
was definitely poor showman
ship.
had mastered the traditional,
book musical form with My
Fair Lady but few of the songs
in Camelot reveal character or
further the plot. He is dealing,j
in this show, with the stuff of
legend and myth; the emotions;
and personalities of his three
main characters are larger than
life. Yet the dialogue he gives!
them is prosaic and petty. Whenr
the radiant, regal Guenevere
talks, she ought to speak in rich-
er language than, "Oh, Lance,I
go away. Go away and never
come back."
Each of the leads in this pro-
duction has a significant short-
cominte. Though each has assets
as wel the three characters, in
what i ->ractically a three-char-
acter play, must be perfectly
performed. Anthony Dodge as
King Arthur is the most suc-
cessful in communicating a
sense of the grandeur and nobil-
ity of his character but he has
a tendency to be stiff and stag-
ey. Arthur is the most poignant
of the three characters, yet
"odge had the greatest difficul-
ty in showing hurt.
JULIA BROXHOLM sings ex-
quisitely but missing from her:
performance was Guenevere's
wit, intellect and dignity. Her
Guenevere was too coy, too
bubbly and too young.
Terry Arment - Lancelot -'
has proven himself in the past'
to be a very talented musical'
theatre performer whose finest
qualities are- an honest, unforc-
ed charm, innocence and vul- '
nerability, none of which is ap-
propriate, for Lancelot. I don't
think Arment is a limited actor
but I do think there are cer-
tain parts that any actor just
isn't right for. Arment's Lance-
lot is disarming when -he should
be irritating, gentle and open
when he should be overbearing
and ego-maniacal.
Of the supporting cast, Dave
Johnson gave the finest per-
formance, perhaps the finest in
the entire cast. Robert Miller
and Lisa Owens also somehow
stood out from the other knights
and ladies - in - awaiting and
sent me hunting in my program
to find their. names.
number, assuming it has been
cleaned tip and tightened since
opening night, should be an ex-
citing bit of theatre.
What ensemble singing there
is in the show was very strong;
the orchestra was not. On open-
ing night the show was over
three hours. I'm told it moves
more quickly now but I think
the cause of my boredom was
more fundamental than pacing.
Finally, a word for the hero
of the evening, Frederick
Loewe, Camelot's composer. If
melodic richness were the only
criterion for judging musicals,
Camelot would be a master-
piece. Alas, there are others.
\Vc kno p/u/y
aboul S I is.
at the UNION
A rt I:
"MoeMaeMore"
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MOM&
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WT~EST SIDE
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University of Michigan Dance Company
Elizabeth Weil Bergmann's
THE PLANETS Gay Delangha's
by GUSTAVE HOLST LA CREATION
.-...'DU MONDE
by DARIUS MILHAUD
POWER CENTER DECEMBER
FOR THE
PERFORMING ARTS
, Performances Dec. 10, 11 at 8:00 P.M. Dec. 12 at 3.00
PLEASE ENTER MY ORDER FOR.
Fri. 10 Sat. 11 Sun. (Matinee) 12 (Circle date)
$6.00 center orchestra $5.00 center balcony $4.00 side
orchestra/balcony
tickets at $ for total of
NAME PHONE
ADDRESS
CITY STATE _ ZIP
Mail self-addressed stamped envelope and check made
payable to U.M. Dept of Dance to: Department of Dance,
Barbour Gymnasium, U of M, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, Attn.
Ticket Office. Information: 764-6273
Certain musical numbers
work well. "Then You May
Take Me to the Fair' has the
sly undercurrent of salacious-
- ness that was sadly missing in
the unlusty "Lusty Month of
May." I found the entire joust-
ing sequence extremely moving
and very crisply pertormed.
Director Paul Hustoles has
devised a clever and effective
gimmick for the Morgan Le
Fev scene and the "Guenevere"
=m != IR
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ud,.
I . Y . j
ANN AI30 I [ELM CC-0C
TONIGHT-Abel Gance's
BONAPARTE AND
THE REVOLUTION
7:30 ONLY
The structural redemption and spiritual fulfillment of Abel
Gance's visionary film from a masterpiece, initially subjected
to mutilation and subsequent critical indifference, to a vital
document, distinguished for its exhilarating technical achieve-
ment and sublime artistic conception, is one of the supremely
inspiring personal triumphs of cinematic history. "His NA-
POLEON is a masterpiece. in the original sense of the word;
containing every convceivable technique of cinema, it, has
served as a masterwork for the motion icture in Europe ever
since."-Kevin Brownlow, "The Parade's Gone Bay." (4
hours) . ANN ARBOR PREMIERE
AUD. A ANGELL HALL
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ANM E~ w q r m rSp e c ia l A t t r a c t io n s
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TODAY AT:
7:00 and 9:05
PRE-MEDS '
Thouysands c - nrc-mrndi'. l s dents w; Ve rc
fusedca admission this year 10 U.S. medical schools-
due to extremely lmited openings. Here is an
alternative
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The isthit with its own full-time offices in the I
U.S. and Eurktpe, offers a comprehensive admis-
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INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL EDUCATION
chrterea bv tue Regents of the University of the State of New YorkI
4- 4s New York 10022- (212) 832-2089
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Put the DAILY
on Your Doorstep!
r''"
NEWS FROM THE
MAJOR EVENTS OFFICE
We at the Major Events Office are proud to an-
nounce our next concert entitled GO BLUES. (Excuse
the pun, but it is the night before the Ohio State
game . . . and there are roses in the air . . .) This
November 19th performance will be an evening of
blues with a star-studded line-up of Otis Rush, Jimmy
"Fast Fingers" Dawkins, and Roosevelt Sykes.
Otis Rush is one of the most lyrical and inventive
guitarists on the Chicago scene. His amazing use of
vibrato brings the awe of guitarists Elvin Bishop and
Johnny Winter who claim he's "out of sight." In con-
trast, we hear the blistering lead guitar of fellow
Chicagoan Jimmy Dawkins. Hii searing guitar licks
begs his comparison to masters like Eric Clapton and
Dickie Betts. Known in Ann Arbor as a living legend,
Roosevelt Sykes completes the evening line-up with
his style of barroom blues piano.
Reserved seats are $5.00, $4.50, and $3.00 and are
available at the Michigan Union Box Office (11:30 to
5:30, M-Fri.).
In talkir, with Donnie Raitt's manager, blues im-
pressario E~ck Waterman, he told us that one of the
most eerie' tales ever, in the rock music world, sur-
faced in the Village Voice last week in New York. A
black singer-songwriter named Otis Blackwell was
awarded a large court settlemeni from a white per-
former named Elvis Presley. Blackwell rock and roll's
most influential songwriter, wrote "Don't Be Cruel,"
"All Shook Up," "Great Balls of Fire," and 'Fever,"
just to name a few, but he never got the credit. In the
1950's, it was considered normal business practice
for the hot artist (Elvis) to put his name on the songs.
C-
Why wait
on what's a
until the afternoon to catch
hannonina in the world when
up
the
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