ARTS Page 6 Friday, February 10, 1984 The Michigan Daily S Hostage can't capture au By Julie Edelson AS YOU ENTER the theater, you FRI are greeted by "ladies of the 1:00, 7:15, 9:10 evening" dressed in tight gold pants, SAT., SUN. leopard-skin skirts, and sheer 1:15, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:10 stockings, who walk through the aisles seeking customers. A man playing SHIRLEY DEBRA JACK bagpipes on the edge of the stage sets MacLAINE WINGER NICHOLSON the mood for the Department of Theatre and Drama's play, The Hostage. he play, directed by Mary Kelly, takes place in Dublin, Ireland. In a brothel filled with prostitutes, FRI. 1:00, 7:00, 9:25 (PG) hjomosexuals, and fanatic Irish SAT., SUN. 1:00, 3:30, 7:00, 9:25 nationalists, an English soldier is being held hostage to protest the capture of a young Irish patriot by the British. Initially, the play holds the audien- ce's interest. The diverse group is quite comical, and the interaction of prostitutes, homosexuals, an old Irish soldier who resembles the absent-min- ded Major on "Soap," a blind piano player, and a pious missionary woman, make for an extremely humorous scene. Also, everyone had quite skillfully mastered the Irish accent; it seemed to come naturally. But the cast tries too long and too hard for comedy, so that after the first two scenes one is hopelessly bored by the repeated entering and exiting of the prostitutes, and the head of the house reminiscing about his leg injury during the war. The entire first act (and most of the play) consists of little more than prostitutes physically molesting every man in sight, and the homosexuals singing, "We're here because we're queer." There is virtually no diversity, and no suspense, so the show appears one-dimensional, with the cast constan- tly searching for a few laughs. The director's use of sight gags like balloons falling from the ceiling, and flyers saying, "Free the Belfast Boy," are clever, but only a momentary diversion that partially alleviates the monotony. Kelly has attempted to update the play with references to the 1980s, such as British tabloids with Prince Charles and Lady Di, nuclear missiles, and An- dropov. One character asks the blind piano player if she can play something by Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles, and, at one point, the young convent student says, "I'm not Victoria Principal or Brooke Shields!" These trite innuen- does sound ridiculous in the context of the play, and do nothing to make it more relevant to today's audience. Kelly should not have tampered with the original script. The scenes :.played by the young convent student, Teresa (Terry McCar- thy), and the British soldier, Leslie (Atanas Illitch), are the play's best. McCarthy, a sweet, quiet young girl falling for her first love, is a refreshing contrast to the other brash womgn, and strikingly convincing and lovable. Illit- ch is believably young, innocent, and frightened by his predicament. The flir- tacious interactions that take place between the two are well executed, and a pleasure to watch. The audience im- mediately feels sympathy for the doomed lovers. McCarthy's speech at ience the end of the play is perhaps the most touching, showing the ultimate futility of war. It seems as if Kelly. is afraid to let the audience feel sorrow, since the play, even at the most tragic times, is in- terlaced with so many comic acts. At the very end, the saddest moment, the audience is asked to sing an Irish jig with the cast. This jovial atmosphere amidst a serious situation appears hopelessly pathetic, as the cast mem- bers seek yet another laugh. Had the director left the original script intact, and tried for subtler comedy, the play might have been more successful. As it stands, The Hostage merely holds us hostage for over three hours. c AMES STEWART KIM NOVAK IN ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S 'VER71 Q' I 6 6 I-, Members of The Hostage relax with a fittingly Irish beer. NOW SHOWING! FRI., MON., TUES., THURS. AT 7:10 SAT., SUN., WED. AT 1:25, 4:00, 7:1l and 9:25 0Oand 9:25 Competition a success _'. x " . 6i 40%t \ o ZENITH' Ta po it's Yc now available tof fM students, staff and faculty on the new desktop Z-100 COMPUTER ke advantage of this incredible offer! Own a werful Zenith Z-100 Desktop Computer at a ere fraction of regular price. And remember... expandable to meet your future career needs. u many never need to invest in another system! By Pamela Starrett T REAT YOUR sweetheart to two night of classic performance by the winners of the 1984 School of Music Performance Competition winners. Monday night's concert features graduate students Stephanie Leon, Christopher Pulgram, Cynthia Szabo, Martin Jean, a new work, Momen- tum by Lubetsky, and the University Symphony. On Tuesday night, the University Philharmonica will accompnay un- dergraduate students Scott McElroy, Cynthia Phelps, Laurie Penpraze, Eiko Matsunaga, Eric Johnson, and Tania Fleischer. A new work by Glowaty, called Toulouse - a Symphonic Por- trait will also be performed on tuesday. Stephanie Leon, a second year masters student from Grosse Pointe will play Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. At age 16 she performed as a soloist with the Detroit Symphony, and has made appearances with the New Marlboro Chamber Players, and the New Orleans Philharmonic. three years ago Leon won the un- dergraduate division of this com- petition and performed with thet Philharmonic under Paul Makanowit zky. Here at the University she has studied with Leon Fleisher, Charles Fisher and Theodore Lettvin. During the summers Leon has, worked with Eugene List at the. Southern Vermont Music Festival, ai. See COMPETITION, Page 7 0 mv 1 10A I-Y) Im ~ti. See it and try it at the University Cellar located at 341 E. Liberty. Special forms available for ordering your Z-100 Software Package Worth $850.00 ABOLUTELY FREE\ ASE with each Z-100 purchased during this special introductory period. Offer Good For Limited Time Only and only to camnus students. staff and facultt . , -1 4. 6 wwik mmtm - mmmo -fti-- v- m % wrs_ a mimmm n a