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ARTS
Page 8
Friday, April 10, 1981
The Michigan Daily
New mime
troupe. seeks
quiet success
CINEMA II presents
TONIGHT, Fri. April10 7.8:40.10:20 Aud. A, Angell
AGU IRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD
(WERNER HERZOG, 1973)
Herzog's spectacularly horrifying chronicle of imperialism gone amok,
Aguirre is the tale of a 16th century quest 'or El Dorado, Klaus Kinski as a
power-driven lunatic is the perfect protagonist for this descent into madness.
Aguirre is filled with images that seize the imagination and haunt one for
days. German with subtitles. (94 min.)
Sat., April 11 7:00 and 9:00 Aud. A, Angell
THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD
(ALAIN TANNER, 1974)
A cool, but teasingly ambiguous story of the love affair between an
upperclass Swiss engineer (Phillipe Leotard) and on Italian immigrant wait-
ress (Olimpis Carlise). "This is one of the very best films about eroticism-
not voyeurism. Tanner is setting out on a new road. It is an excitingly
thoughtful course." French with subtitles. (115 min.)
Sun.. April 12 Aud A, Angell
THE FORTUNE COOKIE
(BILLY WILDER, 1966)
Jack Lemmon as a sideling photographer gets tackled by
runaway halfback. Enter his brother-in-law, Whiplash Willie
(Walter matthou), a less than reputable attorney, who con-
vinces Lemmon that he is injured . . . one million dollars
worth. This film was the first collaboration between the famous
"Odd Couple," and Matthau received an Academy Award.
(125 min.)
M O RGA NI (KAREL REISZ, 1966)
David Warner in the title role is a zany British artist whose
eccentricities outweigh his ability to cope with his obsessive
9 p.m. love for his ex-wife. Hilariously funny in his alter-ego as king
king, tragically sad in his alienation from modern life, Morgan
is the anti-hero par excellence. With Vanessa Redgrave.
Wed. April 15-LET IT BE; Fri, April 17-THE BEST YEARS OF
OUR LIVES (1946), Sat. April 18-THE CONFORMIST
By ADRIENNE LYONS
Perry Perrault is a University
student studying aerospace
engineering. Tom Drotar is a former
U.S. Marine and Eastern Michigan
University football player who has sin-
ce transferred to the University of
Michigan.
This unlikely pair has one thing in
common: A love of the art of mime,
which has blossomed into the formation
of their own mime company, the
University of Michigan Mimetroupe,
whose debut performance is tonight at
the Michigan Theatre.
"THE SHOW IS artistic. It's quite ex-
cellent," Drotar stated matter-of-fac-
tly. "It's the best thing I've done."
"This show is theatrically-oriented,"
Perrault said. "There's some
vaudeville, some comedy. We're not
trying to reach out (with wild in-
novations)."
Drotar and Perrault co-founded the
troupe last fall, holding open auditions
from which 10 students were selected to
be trained in, and ultimately perform,
mime.
The students' teachers are Perrault
and Drotar, who may not be up to Mar-
cel Marceau's level, but are no slouches
in the art themselves.
PERRAULT DEBUTED in 1974 with
the defunct Ann Arbor Mimetroupe. He
travelled to Europe with the company,
performing in Amsterdam and the
Netherlands. More recently, he has
been teaching the art of mime at
Artworlds in Ann Arbor.
Two years'ago, Drotar, a University
theatre student, came to Perrault
asking for mime lessons. The rest, as
they say, is history.'
"You might find us together
backstage yelling at each other, but we
still know what each other can (offer),"
Drotar said of the pair's relationship.
Perrault and Drotar say they are
tough taskmasters. According to
Drotar, the rehearsal rules were laid
out for the company at the beginning:
Any member who missed a session
would be kicked out. Drotar said the
troupe lost two people that way.
BUT THE TWO believe their
toughness is the only way to produce a
good show.
"I go through a lot of people because I
can't stand incompetency," Drotar
admitted. "I yell a lot."
Training for the students began with
a series of basic exercises known as
"isolation." Later the actors were
asked to improvise.
Both Drotar and Perrault stress body
movement and flexibility in their work.
"YOU HAVE TO work through the
body to get to the art," Perrault said.
"The body is your form of com-
munication. We use very few props."
Drotar and Perrault have similar
ideas of mime. They view the art as a
vehicle of expression that falls
somewhere between acting and dan-
cing. And although the study of mime
can be helpful for a student of acting or
dance, Perrault and Drotar see mime
as a separate entity, with its own place
in the world of performing arts.
"I don't think of mime as being very
experimental. It's pretty well-
established," Perrault said. "It's a
form of silent communication."
Added Drotar: "I consider mime an
art. I don't consider it clowning around.
It's a way of looking at the world. I am
not a clown. I may be a comedian, but
See SILENCE, Page 9
There's a lot going on in town this weekend. The following is a sam-
pling of the best events, according to our critics.
Performance Guide
MOVIES
To Have and Have Not-Lauren Bacall's current Broadway success in
Woman of the Year gives us an excuse to gush helplessly about her and, to a
slightly lesser extent, the film. Not-much-based on Hemingway, the movie is
crisp south-of-the-border espionage stuff: Snappy lines, a song stuck in here
and there, and vague politics. The real bang here comes every time Bacall,
in her first film, is on screen. In her autobiography she attributed the air of
tension to first-movie jitters, but it comes off as yelp-producing electricity.
The less she does, the more devastatingly funny and sexy she is - daring
anyone to rouse her from sleepy-eyed coolness. On screen, she amuses
Bogart more than any of his other leading ladies, and he's uncommonly.
relaxed. Friday, April 10, Hutchins Hall.
White Heat-Though coming ten or fifteen years after the first and best flush
of gangster melodramas, this 1949 thriller - the term really applies this
time - is harder than nails, meaner and better than the worst/best of them,'
James Cagney delivers THE James Cagney performance, snapping and
jumping around like a nasty little terrier with unexpected fangs. At the end
he goes boom, exploding an oil refinery into flames - by then, you'll be con
vinced that nothing less could possibly stop him. Saturday, April 11, MLB 3,
7:00.
Carrie - Too bad the ending has become legendary - If somehow you've
been spared hearing about it, then you REALLY have to see Brian de
Palma's 85-percent-brilliant horror/satire/romance/everything. If not, oh
well, you may have missed one of the great momentary experiences in
American cinema, but you can still be terrified, mocked, seduced, and
abandoned by this wicked rewrite of Stephen King's what-happened-at-the-
high-school-prom novel. With Sissy Spacek as the ugly duckling with unique
powers, William Katt as the local object of sighs, Nancy Allen as the bitch,
John Travolta as a sleaze, P.J. Soles as an annoyance, Amy Irving as the
nice girl, Betty Buckley as the swell gym teacher, and Piper Laurie as
Carrie's VERY scary bible-wielding mother. Saturday, April 11, MLB 4, 7
and 10:20.
THEATRE
U-M Mimetroupe-The recently-formed University Mimetroupe makes its
debut performance this weekend at the Michigan Theatre, Friday, April 10,
at 8 p.m.
Lady House Blues-A tableau of 5 strong women in early twentieth century
St. Louis. A first-rate contemporary play performed by the Canterbury Loft
Stage Co. Canterbury Loft, April 10-12 at 8 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 3
p.m.
Catsplay-The final Guest Artist production of the school year is also the
theater department's contribution to the Cross Currents Festival. Renowned,
director Radu Penciulescu is at the helm of the Hungarian play, which is at
once a domestic comedy and a speculation on weightier issues of East-vs.-
West. Tonight through Sunday at the Power Center.
MUSIC
Michigan Men's Glee Club-For their spring concert, the Michigan Men's,
Glee Club will appear with glee clubs from six other schools, performing a
wide range of music from baroque to pop. Put on your favorite maize and
blue duds and cheer on the vocal cords of the home group April 10 and 11, at
Hill Auditorium, 8p.m.
The Flexibles - A weekend with the city's own funk machine and backing
bands Gary Pryka and the Scales and The Tunnels should be more than worth
the cover. At the Star Bar Friday and Saturday, Arpil 10 and 11.
S
SPRING CONTACT LENS SPECIAL
SOFT CONTACT LENSES EXTENDED WEAR CONTACT LENSES
$169.00 $235.00
HARD CONTACT LENSES
(2 Pair) $150.00
All Fees Includg: Exam, Fitting, Dispensing, Follow-up Visits, Starter Kit, and
a 6 Month Check-up.
DR. PAUL C. USLAN. Optometrist
545 CHURCH STREET, ANN ARBOR
769-1222 by appointment
OFFER EXPIRES THURSDAY. APRIL 30
XTC: Exploring the
outer limits ofpop
By MARK DIGH TON
Keep this in mind: XTC is nothing
more than a pop band. But they are
probably the most important pop band
in any history worth mentioning. They
have revived a concern with the content
as well as the structure'of the true pop
form unlike anyone else has done since,
say .. .oh, The Kinks.
Sure, there have been more radical
bands that have copped pop styles, but
none have stayed so true to the pop
sound while still experimenting with its
particulars. Most bands that tamper
with pop ultimately display their own
distaste for the medium, their sen-
timent that it is a pandering ploy. Most
of them seem to be saying, "Sure, we'll
throw in the occasional pop hook to
keep you listening, but we're really
much more than a pop band; we're an
art rock band ... or a funk band..'. or
a blah blah blah band.. ." Not so with
XTC; their celebrations of the pop
medium are both sincere and
revolutionary. They proved that once
again Wednesday night at the Madison
Theatre in Detroit.
THE NICEST THING to note about
this concert was that even as XTC
gradually settle into a smoother, more:
polished pop framework, (yes, the
threat of premature creative death due
to self-inflicted Beatleisms lurks ever
nearer) they have not abandoned the
ferociousness with which they question
and explore its limits and strengths.
Even if that experimentation isn't;
built into each song, Andy Partridge,
(on guitar and voice) is sure to provide
it of his own accord. Like David Byrne,
See XTC, Page 9
TIMELY,
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TIMELESS.
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