Page 12-Saturday, July 28, 1979-The Michigan Daily R.C. mounts light Brecht work By RICK ARGAS In the midst of Art Fair bustle, those interested in theatre or sympathetic to anti-capitalistic art will be able to satisfy their aesthetic tastes by viewing the Residential College Summer Players production of Brecht's Puntila and his Hired Man. The usual heavy- handed ideological preaching of socialist plays (Evil, stage right; Goodness, stage left) is one forgone in favor of the humor of what is distinctly a play for a summer evening. Of course, Brecht does not let his audience escape without witnessing a display of the contrasts in spirit between the landed and peasant classes. Puntila, in fact, hovers at the border between art and politics. his daughter off to an attache in the diplomatic service, a foppish sort. But when Puntila gets drunk he scolds his daughter for even thinking about such a match merely for money, and draws her attention to the manly figure of Matti. Eva, not exactly wild over the attache, decides to enlist Matti's aid to break off the engagement. These efforts fail (the attache is too den- se and too interested in wealth himself to perceive them). However, Puntila gets drunk again and, realizing the attache to be a grasshoooer. throws him out. Matti is substituted but has his doubts about Eva's fitness to be a workman's wife. Eva fails "The Peasant Housewife Test" and the match is cancelled. After an expedition to Mount Hatelma and the expulsion of a peasant family from Puntila Farms, Matti decides that he has enough of Puntila and leaves the Farms of his Puntila and his Hired Man Bertold Brecht Puntila ... . ...........Martin Eva .............................. Elizabeth1 Matti................................Thoma. The Attache . . . . . . ........ Blake R Bob Brown, director: Ptter Ferran, usic: Deborah Kott, A Residvntial college Summer Players presentation s Stack tatctifte oppressive landowners. The peasants' struggle for survival in their rich land and their subsequent sub- mission is a realistic reminder of their existence and condition. Such scenes as the second-act nocturne are whimsical combinations of the two effects. Even the musical quality of the scene changes on the R.C. stage adds to the effect of the mixture. The Residential College production is damaged by the low caliber of the undergraduates' performances. The cast for the most part is energetic, but is not quite up to handling the richness of Brecht's language. Brecht's poetic vision, however, prevails, and instead of resolution, offers poignancy enough for the theatre- goer or the Art-fair rainmaker. s s Musicians sough tfor fall fest ival The Ann Arbor Council for Traditional Music and Dance is seeking traditionally oriented folk musicians and songwriters who wish to volunteer their time to appear ina local festival on September 16. Anyone who is interested should send an inexpensive mono cassette with no more than three songs to Joan Hellmann, 933 Dewey, Apt. 4, Ann Arbor, 48104. Label the tape with the type of music, your name and phone number. All cassettes must be received by August 10, and cannot be returned. For more information, call Hellman at 769-1052. The Council is a non-profit group which was recently organized to encourage the ap- preciation of folk music in the Ann Arbor community. PUNTILA is a cynic's vision of wealth and nobility. The title character himself is a Finnish landowner who overflows with good humor when drunk-which he of- ten is-but shrivels to "reasonableness" when sober (a dreaded eventuality). Matti, his hired man and chauf- feur, must look after Puntila during his benders. He aspires to no Anore than serving his employer and holding onto his employment. . ON ONE OCCASION Puntila engages himself to four village women only to turn them out when they show up for the engagement party. He then endeavors to marry own accord. Friendship or family ties between a lan- downer and a hired man, it seems, can end only is disaster. Brecht's play centers on the rich Finnish coun- tryside, The peasants subsist on fish, buttermilk and berries and the gentry exploit the peasantry. The richness of the land is plundered. The spiritedness of Puntila becomes the wanton indulgence of a drunken fool as he and Matti climb a man-made mountain (which Puntila orders, Matti to build) instead of the real mountain. Puntila is both realistic and an abstrac- ition of human nature. The gentry in white-faced masks (a nice touch), are abstractions of the often silly and * STAR TREK . ABBOTT & COSTELLO * BET TE- DAVIS * HOLLY WOOD PALACE * MASH 0 HUMPHREY BOGART * BOB HOPE E ELVIS PRESLEY * DRACULA * NA ME T HAT TUNE * ER ROL FLYNN * EDW. G. ROBINSON I PERRY COMO * NEWLYWED GAME B LAUGH-IN S JONATHAN WINTERS * BOB NEWHART . SPENCER TRACY S THE WALTONS * CAROL BURNETT * RED SKELTON * CHARLIE CHAN E FRANKENSTEIN . LON CHANEY JR. * BING CROSBY * JOHNNY CARSON E DON RICKLES . MIKE DOUGLASC SOUPY SALES * DICK VAN DYKE JERRY L EWIS E JAMES CAGNEY DON ADAMS * VINCENT PRICE, ETC. *'PERRY FROM THEWSPORTSDWORLD SILL SHORT SURoTS E SIONG ALONG WIT POPETE Tv. COMMERICALS YOU WON'T RELIEVE! nd THE THREE STOOGES o DER S NET ADER TDC PARIENT O AN FOX VILLAGE THEA TRE 37) RT PE T Group to si on nursing LANSING (UPI) - A coalition said yesterday it will sue the state for not implementing a landmark nursing home reform law, while health officials claimed they are just about to get the money needed to put the measure into effect. A spokesperson for the coalition, which includes the health care ad- vocacy group Citizens for Better Care, said Public Health Director Maurice Reizen's failure to fully implement the law is "indefensible as well as blatantly unlawful." HE SAID THE organization will soon seek an otder from the Ingham County Circuit Court or the Michigan Court of Appeals forcing implementation of the law which safeguards nursing home patients' civil rights and guarantees them decent care. Reizen conceded major provisions of the law have yet to be put into effect, explaining that "not one dime" has yet been appropriated for the needed staff. Reizen said a bill providing $150,000 in needed funds is finally on Gov. William Milliken's desk and said the department may be able to begin with a few days what he said would be a long process of implementing the law. "BECAUSE OF the department's inaction, the rights and protections guaranteed under the nursing home , reform law are ineffective," said Milton Grams, of the Lansing CBC chapter. "Basic patient rights are still being denied, imprope transfers - and discharges apg., 1bekg, t - te state home law pted ... and organizations capable of assisting patients in securing their rights and benefits are being denied ac- cess to nursing homes," he said. Grams said Reizen's plea of poverty "does not wash." He said the depar- tment could have shifted staff or funds into nursing home regulation or taken unused funds appropriated for the new Public Health Code. TERRY BLACK of Michigan Legal Services said the coalition does not trust health officials to implement the act even though the long-sought funds apparently soon will be available. "The department has demonstrated that it's not going to move quickly to implement the law," Black said. Black said the department was a hot- and-cold supporter of the reform act as it made its way through the legislature. "SUBSEQUENT behavior says they were more against it than we realized," said Clarice Jones, with the legislative council of the American Association of Retired Persons and the National Retired Teachers Association. Reizen insisted his department strongly supported the final version of the law, but conceded it felt earlier drafts were impractical. The department has moved to im- plement portions of the law it could handle, he said, adding the coalitions suggestions for funding the law demon- strate their "naivete." "THIS ACT IS going to be implemen- ted in increments because of its com- plexity and immensity," he said, "The whole idea of a lawsuit is sort of mute ecapse wp 'ybe pe tomove alongVtitip ',rP4YVr 4ay-" ,: