Arts & Entertainment Frid, May THEMCAA 'CHARLIE'S AUNT': Routine production earns ovation Vincent Price Vincent Price: Warm, effusive, and an actor By JEFFREY SELBST WELL, HERE it is. I just observed the further degra- dation of what used to be a fine old custom, that of recognizing superb artistry in- performance by the means of a standing ova- tion. Ovations on-the-hoof, so to speak, are now given out to every performance which so much as includes an entertainer (maybe) who has been around at least ten years. I am ranting about the PTP's latest surprise, Charley's Aunt. And yes, it stars Roddy McDo- wall and Vincent Price. The production was, in fact, service- able. Buit it was not fine, it had no cutting line of greatness; in- deed it had no lines to speak of at all. The play was character- ized by a kind of fuzzy indis- tinction that truly makes a period piece timeless. That is, it might as well be now as ever. Jack Benny, as well as many others, made the play (and the role of Donna Lucia d'Alvado- rez) famous. The fact is, though written by Brandon Thomas, it contains all the old cliches now thought of as Wilde-ian. They are Victorian, they are artifi- cial, and though I blush, they are funny. BUT WHEN a play is given the responsibility and the neces- sity of carrying a production, something is wrong. And some- thing was desperately wrong. Power Center was aglow, but with stock costumes, over-lavish sets, and a musical soundtrack that a TV sitcom would be em- barrassed to perpetrate. Performances were labored as a whole. Vincent Price displayed that for which he is revered, for he was madly comic as Stephen Spettigue, the miserly, fraudu- art, gourmet cooking, and a be- loved pet named Joe. His writ- ing is suffused with a sly, warm wit, and a great deal of personal wisdom. Price's intelligent humor col- ored our interview. When ask- ed what could possibly scare this master of terror, who has livedsome of the mosttevil in- carnations and committed the most heinous acts of screen hor- ror, he deadpanned, "I guess the biggest fright I would prob- ably ever have would be to be interviewed by Barbara Wal- ters." A bit more reflectively, e continued, 'By my age it doesn't really matter. I think you're afraid of things when you're young. You're afraid you might die and now you wish you could." Punctuated with a soft devil- ish chuckle, this way by no means an indication that Price is ready to give up the proverb- ial ghost. His enthusiasm, warm- th and personal energy con- vinced me that he is a "lifer," committed to an ever-increasing variety of professional and artis- tic interests. Only recently he was award- ed a gold record by Alice Coop- er for his debut in rock and roll on Alice's Welcome To My Nightmare album. He is also scheduled to appear in Oliver and Damn Yankees later this summer. It's been twenty years since he-last graced an Ann Arbor stage, and I can only selfishly hope that the whirl- wind of activity named Vincent Price will be blowing back into town in the near future. 'I By DAVID KEEPS VINCENT PRICE is not the kind of guy you'd find lurking in dark alleys - he's much too busy for that. In fact, he's so busy, and so distinguish- ed in so many areas, that it's hard to imagine him standing still at all. When I spoke with him, he was in the throes of rehearsal for Charley's Aunt, which open- ed at the Power Center Tues- day night. The production, spon- sored by the Professional Thea- tre Program, begins a two- monthnational tour, starring Price as well as Roddy McDow- all and Coral Browne. The cast enjoys an intimate relationship: Coral Browne is known as Mrs. Vincent Price in her private life, and Roddy McDowall has been a close friend of Price's since they appeared together in Keys Of The Kingdom. Of Mc- Dowall, Price said, "I'm devo- ted to him." I was immediately impressed with his rich, dramatic voice, so familiar from my moviego- ing experience. But contrary to his screen image as a villain, Price is friendly, warm and ef- fusive. Moreover he is intelli- gent and self-effacing about his Hollywood image, an image composed of menace and out- sized characterization. About Hollywood actors he had this to say, "I think some of the big Hollywood stars are wonderful, like those people who everybody says, 'they really aren't actors', but they really are, because they're playing a double role. They're playing the personality and they're also playing the part; and doing it lent uncle. Roddy McDowall, well, he performed as Donna Lucia. But the rest of the cast (with the possible exception of the restrained and lovely Coral Browne) capered about, squawk- ing and rushing, giving their own (or perhaps their direc- tor's) idea of What It Takes To Perform A Farce. Spirit is one thing, but mindless (and boring) antics are another. This kind of farce can be played without any pretense of naturalness; but if so, it must be also coupled with restraint. May I add that there wasn't any of the above com- modity in evidence? And, getting back to my pet peeve, the audience stood up at the end. I was sitting towards the center of the audience, and for a while only one enthusiastic addlebrain was standing, while everyone was clapping from- a less strenuous position. I thought to myself, why, they all know what a fool he's making of him- self. BUT I WAS wrong. Peer pres- sure won out over sense. When an ovation is given to a show that doesn't deserve it, the au- dience stands up reluctantly, one by one. When a show de- serves it, it's like a spontaneous outburst. The point is, more, that they were not applauding fine per- formances or intelligent direc- tion, they were applauding names. Names! Roddy McDow- all, whose major credits include some Disney films and who, late- ly, can almost not be recog- nized without an ape-suit! Vin- cent Price, whose name is best (perhaps unjustly) remembered for his connection with hundreds of grade-Z horror flicks! They weren't standing on their heads for Laurence Olivier, and one doesn't have to be Olivier to de- serve a standing ovation. But come on - these performances merited no such honor, and this audience couldn't tell the differ- ence. Charley's Aunt is fun because the play is fun. It is formula, and silly at that, but very amus- ing. But this production is noth- ing special. But one last word- if you like to sit, skip it. generally very, very, well." AT THAT MOMENT I couldn't help thinking that Mr. Price was among those actors. He is an expert actor who has created a lasting screen image that is synonomous with the phrase "horror movie." But it would be a disservice to Price to only recognize his achievements as a film star. Though he is the veteran of over onehhundred films, he be- gan his career on the London stage, and scored his first Broadway success playing oppo- site Helen Hayes. He also ap- peared several times during his early film career in Broadway productions such as Angel Street and T.S. Eliot's The Cocktail Party. Moreover he has per- formed on nearly one thousand radio and television programs, including a stint as Simon Temp. lar in The Saint. Asked about his favorite ac- tors he replied, in reference to Ronald Coleman, "Be was a real film actor, everyone could learn something from him." THROUGH HIS public knows him best as a king of the late shows and a frequent guest on Hollywood Squares, there is still more to this extraordinary man beyond his multitudinous acting assignments. Vincent Price is a true aesthete: an art collector and critic, gourmet, and esteem- ed author. A graduate of Yale, he was among the cultural elite of Hollywood in the forties, open- ing the first modern art gallery in Beverly Hills. He has served on government art commissions and is a valued and respected lecturer on native American art. He has also written books on By CARA PRIESKORN Wednesday night the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre opened their last play of tht 1975-76 season, an inaudible version of Oklahoma. One cannot ruin this Rogers and Hammerstein classic, but it is possible to drag it out, and this one was dragged out. It is not that the play is too long, but it seems that way when one cannot hear the lyrics sung. The orchestra was large and that caused most of the audio problems. With that many musicians one cannot expect a low volume level. It sounded great, but I wish I had had the chance to hear the individual performers. This problem was momentarily forgotten as the first act culminated in a mystical Dream Ballet. Unfortunately, the actors did not do their own dancing in the sequence and it w a difficult identification for the audience to make. One cannot just accept two new faces as Laurey and Curly, particularly since Curly the actor was white, and the dancer representing Curly was black. But the precise, yet fluid movements of dancers Mikell Pinkney and Tedee Theofil helped the audience make the awkward change. Todd Jamieson gave a powerful portrayal of Jud in the dance sequence. He has a great amount of stage presence and captured the strength and cruelty of the role. The overall level of acting was mediocre, with some excep- tions. The trio of Will (Ray Nieto), Ado Annie (Connie Marie Cicone), and Ali (Ed Glazier) clearly stole the show. Nieto and Cicone made a loveable and impish pair of rascals and Glazier was endearing as the glib Persian salesman. Bill Vander Yacht also did a creditable job as a swarthy, gruff Jud. Most of the actors seem ill at ease and resorted to stereotypical stage business. Laurey (Gail Williams) kept her hands behind her back through most of the performance, trying to look like a blushing farm girl and just appearing nervous. Curly (Bryant Frank) took a John Wayne stance, with pelvis out and thumbs in his belt. What was inconguous was the fact that he kept this stance during even the most romantic duets. I was waiting for him to draw his gun and shoot Laurey. The costumes, designed by Denise A. Dreher were typical but proved versatile. The make-up was another story. Most of the women looked like kewpie dolls, with ribbons in their hair and idiotically red Raggedy-Ann cheeks. It appears that they forgot to put make-up on their hands and arms completely. Their faces all had wonderful Oklahoma tans, but their arms were straight from Alaska. The energy level of the show was very low during most of the first act. Fortunately, it continued to build after the Ballet sequence. It reached its peak with an enthusiastic rendition of the title song, "Oklahoma." This would have been a good point at which to start the show. The inaudibility and nervousness of the cast may be attributed to opening night jitters. If this is so, it might be a good show by the weekend. But, if this was not the case, it is a shame that the audience will have to miss all those wonderful lyrics.