ARTS The Michigan Daily Falstaff displays opera's excess Thursday, November 15, 1990 Page 5 by Mary Beth Barber L et's face it, opera is the most difficult genre of all stage art to per- form. It incorporates acting and singing (the vocal demands of opera are more strenuous than those for musical theater) with an elaborate set and a full orchestra. But because much of the beauty is in the music, opera has gained a reputation for simply featuring individuals singing. This is not so with the School of Music's production of Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff this weekend. "Opera worldwide is progressively making more demands on the per- formers - acting," says director Travis Preston. The presentation of Verdi's masterpiece is no exception. Falstaff, written in 1893, is based on Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. Its comic main character, Sir John Falstaff (also fea- tured in many of Shakespeare's other historical plays, especially Henry IV), is an indulgent man with an in- satiable appetite for food, fun and women. It is his lust that gets him into trouble, when his wooing of two married women becomes appar- ent. But Sir John is not portrayed as the vulgarly obese individual as whom he is commonly regarded. Rather, he is depicted as a man of high sophistication. The opera, set somewhere be- tween myth and reality, is not just a lighthearted comedy, Preston claims. There are parodies of ecclesiastical text and music buried under the comic elements. Mr. Ford, the hus- band of one of the married women, is fraught with tension and has a sadistic side. "I was shocked to dis- cover such fatalistic implication in Nanetta (Karen Swan) rejects Sir John Falstaff (Kyle Hancock), both his brandy and his lustful advances, in the U of M Opera Theater presentation of Verdi's Falstaff, at the Power Center this weekend. what is traditionally thought of as a benign comedy," Preston says. Known for his non-traditional inter- pretations of classical texts, the director has "merely sought to make the darker undercurrent of the text visible to the audience." Gustav Meier, conductor of over 20 operas at Michigan in the last 12 years, observes some differences in Verdi's final opera. "In it, it is as if Verdi learns of polyphony. The mu- sic is tightly fused to the text ... and there is a lightness to the entire work that is nearly approaching op- See FALSTAFF, Page 7 Do not go gentle into that good theatre by Jenie Dahlmann Soph Show takes the stage, exhibits Sweet Charity by Beth Colquitt It seems odd that Sweet Charity , which the Soph Show is presenting this weekend at the Mendelssohn, is set in the '60s and not the '20s, since a major theme - the American work ethic - is one associated particularly with the early years of the 20th century. Although it is packaged like a typical romantic comedy, Sweet Charity deals with hard realities. Its main idea is that of getting out of a rut and moving up into a more comfortable existence. Charity Hope Valentine, a character who is everything her name implies, just wants to be loved. As a variation on the hooker-with-a heart-of gold theme, she is one of hundreds of girls with a "rent-a-body" job - a job they plan to keep just long enough to get on their feet but in which they find themselves trapped. Unlike her jaded companions, Charity is always hopeful and willing to give her love, money and emotional support. "The girls in the ballroom never intended to stay there. (Charity) just wants to find the right guy and get out," says producer Steve Jasgur. The show can be depressing when one realizes that the girls will never get out, but Charity's optimism is so infectious that the show is not allowed to sink under their predicament. Neil Simon's script is permeated by his light, frivolous humor. The delightful bump-and-grind-style songs, of which the best known are "Hey, Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now," are a tribute to the enduring talent of songwriter Cy Coleman, who swept this year's Tony Awards for his work on Broadway smash City of Angels. The original Charity production that ran for a long time on Broadway garnered one main piece of criticism - it had a melancholy ending. Jasgur says that the directors of Soph Show have altered the plot so that the ending does not leave Charity hanging at the altar. She has also been assigned three guardian angels in this weekend's production, embroidering on the one fairy godmother that appears at the end of the original script, who help to provide a happier ending. These actors initially dress like ordinary passersby, and become more angelic, presumably earning their See CHARITY, Page 7 l t. r. t. l ni nq 215 S. State St. Ann Arbor 995-DEAD (upstairs) Ila Open M-Sa 11-7 Su 12-5 Largest selection of Decals and Stickers Around Rock, Peace, Dead, etc... Bring in coupon for Free sticker w/purchase, Expires 11-30.90 Last month the Michigan Theater hosted America's foremost touring repertory company, The Acting Company. Now, as if in some cultural exchange program, The Michigan has invited Ireland's na- tional theater company, The Abbey Theatre, to share with audiences John Millington Synge's frolicking Irish comedy, The Playboy of the Western World. Through the use of a simple kind of humor and the beautiful cadence of the Irish dialect Playboy incorporates themes of adventure and romance. Audiences will be trans- ported to a small Irish village at the turn of the century and into the life of a man ostracized from this small town because he has killed his fa- ther. Emotional battles ensue be- tween young and old, male and fe- male. Like most classic comedies, the play continually teeters on the brink of tragedy, but focuses on the hilarity found amdist the most hideous situations. Although tame by today's standards, at the time of its initial performance in 1907, Playboy re- ceived a reaction much like Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs gar- nered in Cincinnati. Because the play deals with patricide and the transition from boyhood to manhood in a comedic manner, many audience members were offended. Riots raged, cast members were jailed and a scan- dal was born. Today Playboy is considered a classic. It has been translated into most modern languages and adapted into other cultural settings. The play's enduring message of the innocence of youth and the pain of evolving into adulthood make its so- cial relevance timeless. One might be alarmed at first to see a small glossary of Irish terms included in the cover of the program. Past reviews of The Abbey's production, however, note that although the brogues are heavy, the cast makes the plot easily understood through body language. The beauty of the prose is said to quickly open the initially deaf ears of the audience. THE PLAYBOYLOF THE WESTERN WORLD will be presented tonight at the Michigan. Tiheater at 8 p.m. Tickets are $26.50. THE ANN ARBORINEWS Part-time Customer Service drivers needed. 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