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Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 17, 1986
'Knee
By Noelle Brower
More and more the general
tendency in modern theatre today is
to combine the various disciplines
of dance, art, and music within the
framework of what is considered a
dramatic text. Robert Wilson's the
Knee Plays , originally the entr'acte
vignettes from his much larger
production of the CIVIL warS, a
tree is best measured when it is
down, at first seems like a step
forward in the progression of~
modem theatre until one realizes
that it is missing one thing-the
dramatic framework, the meaning.
Although he has been a fixture
of the theatrical avant-garde in
Europe since the early '70s, Wilson
has recently been lauded as the great
white hope for the development of
an American theatre. Wilson's
theatre has been labled imagistic by
)lays' plot jerks
some because of his emphasis on a boat. The majority of the vig -
the visual aspects of theatre rather nettes enact the voyage of the boat
than the textual. (A recent Wilson as it drifts about and eventually
collaboration was Hamletmachine becomes the symbolic book from
which had a script of 7 pages and a the first sequence. In the last play,
performance time of several hours.) a tree grows from the book and the
This past weekend's production of play ends.
the Knee Plays demonstrates this On an allegorical level one can
philosophy. read (no pun intended) significance
Relying largely upon Japanese into the Knee Plays . But its wor -
theatrical traditions, the Knee thy intentions are sidetracked by the
Plays' storyline progresses through overly simplistic scenario of
a series of 13 individual pieces in Wilson. The scenic highlights of
storybook fashion; a storybook, the production are to be in large
with pictures yet, is even provided part attributed to Suzushi Hanayagi,
within the program for the befud - the Japanese classical dancer who
dled audience member to understand -brought traditions from Kabuki,
the 'meaning' of the events Noh and Bunraku theatre to the
onstage. (What if one had to do this Plays. Especially wonderful was
for Hamlet !) The storyline is the use of a large, origami-like bird
simple: A man sits in a tree and puppet, manned by three actors
opens a book (the supposed book of underneath, whose bodily move -
life in this instance). Then ment conjured the image of grace
lightning strikes the tree and inflight.
transforms it first into a cabin, then See KNEE, Page 9
take a day off from smoking . .. join
the
Great American
Thursday, November 20, 1986 " 10 AM - 2 PM
- "Fishbowl" " (Mason Hall)
- University Health Service
- Michigan Union near the Mug
North Campus Commons
If you smoke, donate a cigarette for a
chance to win prizes.
Non-smokers are eligible to win too,
if they pledge to adopt a smoker and help
him/her quit for the day.
Thinking about quitting for good?
"Say No to Nicotine"-University Health Service's
six-session workshop to help you quit smoking
meets Mondays and Thursdays, 12 noon-1 pm, for
three weeks beginning December 1. Fee is $20.
For more information or to register, call 763-1320.
Prizes donated by:
Cottage Inn, Afternoon Delight, Running Fit, Stein & Goetz
Sponsored by the University Health Service
Fine acting, but redundant themes, mar 'Livin" Fat.
'Fat' is diet of cliches
Pianist
Ochu plays,
talks of
world peace
By John Ganun
Classical pianist Mark Ochu
will be appearing on Monday;
November 17 in the Michigan
Union Pendleton Room, presenting
his lecture/performance titledThe
Prerequisitesfor World Peace Found
in Western Classical Music. With
a repertoire ranging from Beethoven
to Gershwin, Ochu intertwines the.
progression of classical music with,
progressive revelation in religion,
two seemingly disconnected topics.
The result is a previously
unexplored concept that searches fore
answers to world peace in music.
Since his first concert in 1970
in Winsted, Minnesota, Ochu has
been giving similar lecture-perfor -
mance concerts throughout the
United States and Canada as well as
maintaining a private studio and
studying with Gina Levinson of the
Peabody Conservatory. Past con -
cert topics include The Influence of
World Religions on the Develop -
ment of Western Music, which
simlarly reflects his observations
on music and religion.
Ochu bases his ideas on the
principles of the Baha'i Faith, a
religion which stresses the oneness
of mankind, abolition of prejudice,
and the importance of world peace.
His current concert program is
structured in recognition of the
1986 United Nations International
Year of Peace, which Baha'is
consider a very significant event,.
Through his, concert, Ochu presents
ideas and prerequisites he has found
in music that are necessary for a
lasting peace in the world.
The concert , sponsored by the
University of Michigan Baha'i
Club, begins at 7:30 pm, and
admission is free. Questions and
nswe rwill follow the
presentation.
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By Julie Brown
Those of you who made your
way over to The Trueblood Theatre
this past weekend witnessed the
production of Livin' Fat , a comedy
written in 1974 by Judi Ann Mason-
and directed by Lundeanna Thomas.
Livin' Fat echoes the situation
comedies of the '70s that we are all
so familiar with, where each char -
acter is portrayed with their
emotions in full view (this being
the very essence of the comedy).
When the son of the Carter
family stumbles upon a large sum
of money, it exposes each char -
acter's unscrupulous, yet honest
beliefs of morality. The subsequent
language and gestures of the
characters are demonstrative of their
very passionate feelings, which was
played convincingly by all of the
actors involved.
It seems however, that in the
transition between the script and the
performance, the true-to-life exper -
ience of this comic situation be -
comes somewhat overdramatized.
Though the players did perform
with a tremendous amount of wit
and emotion, there is a risk
involved in creating stereotypical
characterizations so as to be some -
what offensive. While it is impo -
rtant to create a true sense of being,
overdeveloping the personalities not
only endangers the audience's
believability, it also ventures to
misrepresent the actuality of these
characters' attitudes and sensi -
bilities.
The situation in itself is replete
in humor and feeling. And though
it is necessary to remember that the
situation is in essence, a comedy, it
risks the progress of black status in
America by overstereotyping what
could have been conveyed in a
much more subtle and effective
manner appropriate to our time.
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I
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