0 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, ,L", t I , f r. YET 4 IW TIMELESS. t } ,* , 4 BUY YOUR 1981 MICHIGANENSIAN NOW The MICHIGANENSIAN Yearbook is the best way to capture your years at Michigan. Let us help you remember the 1981 Rose Bowl and the 1980 Foot- ball, Basketball, Hockey, and Baseball seasons. Also included in this year's A