Page Two

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Tuesday, June 27, 1972

Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, June 27, 972

SLE EPING BAGS
Shipment expected today or Wednesday
AIL 99 2 lb. Dacron-88
Keeps you warm to 32-deg.
Brilish Boby RiiCapes
Army-Navy Surplus
Hrs: 11-5 514 E. William 761-6207
(Above Bike & Toy)
- - --------- ----

Alice: Wordless wonder

A Shocking
twist from the
original/Hitchcock.

By DONALD SOSIN
I wish there were some word-
less way to convey the genius
of the Ann Arbor Mime Troupe's
adaption of Alice's Adventures
Under Ground, which had three
performances last week at the
Ann Arbor Civic Theater.
The five-member cast was
under the direction of Clive
Sykes and used a scenario by
Steve Chapman based on the
original Charles Dodgson manu-
script.
The art of a great mime lies
in his ability to create a world
out of thin air and then people
it with real characters. Those
who have seen Marceau know
how each gesture is to well
chosen that words would be
superfluous to the shaping of
his characters.
The Ann Arbor Mime Troupe
went further. The m i m e s
brought us into a shadow world
where there were indeed imag-
inary objects made real and an
endless variety of characters.
But more than that one could
feel the whole quality of the
environment they had materi-
alized, a quality transcending
matters of style (a very broad,
but marvelously comprehensible
one).
Alice at first lives in a world
of sunshine and flowers, obliv-
ious to the white-faced, black-
clothed, wraithlike f i g u r e s
skulking around the borders of
her golden afternoon. When one
of them suddenly becomes the
rabbit, and the others the rab-
bithole, she is drawn into a
dimension where she becomes a
pawn, no longer playing with
dandelions, but getting whirled
around, as doors slam in her
face. She loses control of
things, and turns follower in her
own follow-the-leader game.
There are so many moments
of laughter and wonder that one
tends to be unaware of the
growing sinister aspect of the

47

wraiths, who at first play in-
nocent tricks on her, changing
the position or size of a door
with the motion of a hand,
tnuch to Alice's bewilderment
and our delight.
The mimes then ingeniously
become the doors, the door-
knobs, the caterpillar, complete
with mushroom, hookah and
smoke rings of all sizes, and the
Queen of Hearts and her pack.
The curious thing is that, al-
though Alice must think these
wraiths are imaginary, we know
they are not, as they stealthily,
invisibly (to her) move into new
positions, with Cheshire-catlike
tread, grinning omnisciently and
planning new tricks to lure Alice
deeper into their bizarre demi-
monde."
The audience might begin to
feel omniscient, too, watching
all this, but we just can't fore-
see the mind-shattering denoue-
ment, a moment of utmost
never-to-be-forgotten terror in
which reality and illusion be-
come meaningless terms. The
two merge, leaving Alice and
audience alike on the other side
of the looking-glass, trapped
with no hope of escape, for in
the process we have become
wraiths, too. Getting out and
changing back *ould involve
doublethink, an Orwellian anal-
ogy to the Red Queen's explana-
tion in Through the Looking
Glass, "Now, here, it takes all
the running you can do to stay
in the same place. If you want
to get somewhere else, you must
run at least twice as fast as
that!" Perverse logic is all great
fun on the level, but deeper
than that, it takes on some of
the grimmer qulities of insan-
ity. (The Queen reminded me of
one of the nurses in Macat Sade.
in a way.) It is to this deeper
level that the troupe leads and
drops us. Behind the mirror. At
the very bottom of the rabbit
hole.
TV & Stereo Rentals
$10.00 per month
NO DEPOSIT
FREE DELIVERY, PICK UP
AND SERVICE
CALL:
EJAC TV RENTALS
662-5671

Chapman and Sykes join the
few who have grasped the full
potential of the art of theater,
mime or otherwise. The players,
Pamela Martin, Donna Kost,
Katuschka, Scott McKay, and
Chapman, worked as a superb
ensemble, gracefully altering
space and sliding fluidly into
new roles.
The troupe will continue per-
forming here and elsewhere in
the fall. Go see them. Enough
said.
DAILY OFFICIAL
BULLETIN
The naily Official Bulletin is an
offici a publicatio of t he Uver-
sity of Michigan. Notices should be
sent is TYF WRITTEN FORM to
409 IE.Iefersn, hbefo ep.m. at
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Sunday. Items appear once only.
Studentorgaiztion noi.esar
not pcetr aftza liatien. Fr
more information, phone 764-9270.
SUMMER COMMENCEMENT
EXERICISES
AUtUST 0, 1972
2 p.m., Hill Aud. Alt graduates of
the 1972 spring-summer- term may at-
tend. Reception for graduatas, their
relatives and friends in Michigan Lea-
gue Ballroom immediately following
ceremony. Tickets: Four to each pros-
pective graduate, to be distributed
tfsomAsp'. 7 to Ass , ttDiptoema
Departnot, 1518t5SA Btdg., except
on Aug. 12, when office wili be closed..
Academic Coctume: May be rented at
Moe Sport Shop, 711 N University. Or-
ders should be placed immediately, and
MUST be' placed before July 29. As-
sembly for oraduates: at 1:00 p.m. in
Natural Science Buiding. Signs will
direct graduates to proper stations.
Programs: wil be distributed at Hil
Auditorium. Announcements: There
will be a limited number of graduation
announcements for sale at the In-
fomation Desk, First Floor Lob5
tSA old.
CAREER PLANNING &
PLACEMENT
Education Division
3200 S.A.B.
Toronto, ontario-- Integra Founda-
tion. 2637 Yoge St., Speech Pathologist
for summer, July 1. Cali Dr. Matthew
Trippe, Spec. Ed. Dept, at 761-0278.
For further information contact our
office.
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Summer Session published Tuesday
through Saturday morning. Subscrip-
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Oh's) $7.50 non-locai mail (other states
and foreign).

ALFRED HITCHCC'S "FRENZY"
to swng strrig JON FINCH . ALEC MCOWEN " BARRY FOSTER
BIttE WHITEL AW ANNA MASSEY t BARBARA LEIGH-HUNT - BERNARD CRIBBINS.-VIVIEN MERCHANT
1l A UNIVERSAL RELEASE
Screenpaby s tINli l "iDirectedby til ,il) TECHNICOLOR

michig9an
cablctv
Tuesday, June 27
there will be an open meeting to discuss program-
ming with the Ann Arbor community.
The meeting will be held
at 8:00 p.m.
in the YM-YWCA
350 South Fifth Avenue
for further information
call 66-CABLE

MICHIGAN UNION
Open 1 p.m.--July 4
BILLIARDS BOWLING
$1 hr. 40c
TABLE TENNIS
50c/hr. Win a free game

The Uuality 
Sizzlin'
Steak Dinner $1.79
3035 Washtenaw across from Lee Oldsmobile