ARTS The Michigan Daily Wednesday, October 9, 1991 Page 5 Kicist's Broken Pitcher paints thousand words Velasquez and Rembrandt profiled in museum ArtVideos by Vicki Briganti T he University Theater Depart- ment celebrates its 75th year of productions with this season's opening performance of The Broken Pitcher (Der Zerbrochene Krug), a German comedy written by Hein- rich von Kleist in 1807. Bert Cardullo, an assistant professor of Theater and Drama, and dramaturg * for The Broken Pitcher, translated the script from German. "You try to give a faithful translation, but at the same time you're flexible," he says. "You have to change things around to get puns, to get the spirit of the play." Cardullo also points out that a German comedy may seem like a contradiction in terms. "People tend to think that German comedy is not funny," he says. "This play is funny, I think. I was laughing while I translated it." Kleist's inspiration for the pre- mise of the play came from an engraving of a courtroom scene, in which a judge overlooks a woman holding a cracked jug while specta- tors await a verdict. Kleist and his friends held a contest to determine who could write the best interpreta- tion of the scene. And The Broken Pitcher won the contest. The play focuses on Martha, a boisterous peasant woman who files a grievance in court over her smashed, once-valuable pitcher, claiming that Ruprecht, another peasant, is the culprit. To further complicate the matter, we learn that Ruprecht is the prominent romantic interest of Eve, Martha's young daughter. Many explanations are offered to solve the dilemma, but not until the entrance of Ruprecht's Aunt Bridget can we be certain who is responsible for the crime. This engaging civil dispute be- comes a kind of mystery-comedy. The play employs iambic pentame- ter, but this heightened language does not bog down the pace of the dialogue. "A lot of humor is in the fact that these peasants are speaking in classical verse," Cardullo says. "It's hard to make clear that they are peasants by the way they talk. You get that effect in German through dialect, but we don't have dialects in English. One way to cre- ate the effect is by having them break into colloquialisms like 'Bonehead!' or 'Give me a break, dad!' You have to remember these are not aristocratic characters." The said peasants plead their case in front of the "honorable" Judge Adam, who resides over the court doling out unscrupulous judge- ments. "(Judge Adam) is a movie version of the southern judge," says Eric Fredricksen, Chair of the Thea- ter and Drama Department, who makes his University directorial de- FOR THE BEST Crew Cuts - Flat Tops Princetons Military 6 Barbers # No Waiting DRSCOLEI STYLISTS Opposite Jacobson's 668-9329 7, 0 ,A TH AVE. AT UERTY 71-9700 $3 O DAILY SHOWS BEFORE 6 PM - . ALL DAY TUESDAY* -excepon MY FATHER'S GLORY (G) BARTON FINK R '-; BUY A 22 OZ. DRINK j AND GET ONE JPRESENT THIS COUPON WITH PURCHASED -" TICKET THRU 10110/91 STUDENT GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS but with The Broken Pitcher. "He is nothing more than a peasant with power. He's the boss by elevating himself, literally and figuratively, above the other peasants." The text offers many clues hinting that Adam may be responsible for the broken pitcher. "The humor is in the juxtaposition of incongruity," Fre- dricksen says, "watching the (judge) being reimbursed? No. What is the quality of justice dispensed from the bench?" Another point of interest raised in the play is the male dominance that occurs in determining facts and administering decisions. Besides the obvious power of Adam and Walter, Fredricksen includes on the set a large painting in the style of a by Aaron Hamburger Do you have a free hour Wednesday afternoons and need a way to pass the time? Each Wednesday at noon, the University Museum of Arts shows half-hour long videos on the lives and works of famous artists. You can bring your lunch with you and eat while learning about art. What could be better than that? Today the Art Museum is showingVelasquez and Rembrandt, Two Faces of the Seventeenth Century. The tape, made by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is narrated by the museum's curator, an annoying guy with an equally annoying, vaguely- European, accent. The tape consists of an analysis of two portraits, one by Rembrandt and one by Velasquez, the two greatest portraitists (according to the tape, anyway) of the 17th century. The analysis of the first painting, a self-portrait by Rembrandt, is quite good. The narrator sticks to the facts, telling us about Rembrandt's life and his other self-portraits. When analyzing the painting, the narrator carefully explains its greatness and Rembrandt's skill. When the tape cuts to close-ups of the painting, the narrator clearly tells the viewers what they are seeing and why. The Velasquez segment, on the other hand, is sketchy and confusing. The camera darts back and forth and all around the painting with no rhyme or reason. The narrator rhapsodizes about the artist and the painting without concretely identifying what it is that distinguishes Velasquez's portrait. Still, the painting is worth looking at. The ArtVideos could prove to be a comforting ritual to get you through the week. Go, eat lunch and See VIDEOS, Page 7 Ifyou're repressed,tX just Shout it o u t! *r 4 ¢h u dir. Jeffrey Hornaday by Jen Bilik T he good news is that John Travolta can still dance. The bads news: he doesn't dance enough toh save Shout. The film tries really $z hard, and it's endearing at times, but when the audience can name at least M' 10 movies that have enacted the . same plot before, and when serious y lines get big chuckles, something's .... wrong. Although it gains momen-' turn in the end, most of Shout con- sists of sexy sulks that representk. angst and romance. Set in the '50s, Shout is a coming- Jack Cabe (John Travolta) displays his prime new physique as he woos See SHOUT, Page 7 Molly (Linda Fiorentino), a local club owner. John Hammond plays the wily Judge Adam in Heinrich von Kleist's The Broken Pitcher, which follows in the tradition of light-hearted German theater. Coming soon: The Cracked Stein... squirm and find new ways to avoid being caught." The character of Walter, a circuit judge from a neighboring town, is introduced with the hope that justice will be carried out. He eva- luates Judge Adam's courtroom procedures. "Although Walter does take a stand on Adam, he doesn't say, 'You are obviously an incompetent judge and you should pay the price.' In effect, he's saying, 'Let's not really reveal one of our own as being corrupt,"' says Fredricksen. Walter's failure to condemn Ad- am's behavior raises questions about the effectiveness of the judiciary system that are pertinent not only to the society of 1807, but also today. "This play makes a point about a societal imperfection, which in this case is the judicial system," says Fredricksen. "If Clarence Thomas is on the Supreme Court, is anything going to change? Look at the Savings and Loan crisis. Has anyone gone to jail? Are the people Dutch master, which depicts a group of men who watch over the court. Ironically though, the most force- ful characters in the play are women. "I'm in no way trying to make a political statement," Fred- ricksen says, "but it's interesting that the two strongest characters in the play are women. This shows a possibility of new consideration." The problems inherent in the ju- dicial system are not resolved by the conclusion of the play, but as Fredricksen points out, "Good plays never answer questions, they raise them." THE BROKEN PITCHER will be performed in the Trueblood Theater this Thursday, Oct.. 10 through Saturday, Oct. 12 and October 17 through 19 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, October 13 and 20 at 2 p.m. Admission is $9 for adults and $6 for students with ID.Tickets are avail- able at the Michigan League Ticket Office. 1 SA NEWS Produced by MSA Communications Committee Chair: Brett White Vice-Chair: Melissa Saari 'N X T P:9. ..y' x - ~ Ann Arbor Merchants: Are Plaids Re.aiiy In? MICHIGAN STUDENT ASSEMBLY We are your student government, the student voice. We elected representatives from each school and deal with issues of student concern on campus. We have direct contact with the administration and are responsible for the allocation of over $37,000 to student organizations. We meet every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the 3rd floor of the Union. At 7:45 any student may address the assembly. We have many committees and commissions that are always looking for student help and input. For further information or to voice a concern, call 763- 3241. Committees and Commissions * BUDGET PRIORITIES: Recognized 167 student organizations to allow use of University resources. * CAMPUS GOVERNANCE: Interviewed and confirmed students to fill SACUA (Student Advisory Committees on University Affairs) positions. * COMMUNICATIONS: Held MSA Mass Meeting, published MSA News, organizing MSA table for fish bowl, and MSA pizza visits to residence halls on Sunday nights. * EXTERNAL RELATIONS: Will address problems between University and Ann Arbor community, reported on education budget crisis in Lansing and effects on tuition. * RULES AND ELECTIONS: Nominated and confirmed election director for the fall, Carrie Pittman, proposed changes to Constitution and Code dealing with Automatic Student Group Registration, and MSA records, looking at election code changes. *ACADEMIC AFFAIRS: Looking into University policy of research before education, and making Advice Magazine more effective anal useful to students. * HEALTH ISSUES: Met with Royster Harper about continued planning of Alcohol Awareness Week activities. * MINORITY ISSUES: Involved in selecting new V.P. of Student Services, and the inclusion of more minority groups. * PEACE ANIP JUSTICE: Looking into event to discuss upheaval in Eastern Europe, bringing in a judge as a speaker, and creating a course guide of P and J related issues. * STUDENTS' RIGHTS: Held open forum on teargassing incident, have made contact with police, City Council, Civil Liberties Board and heads of Campus Security through investigation, SLS being consulted about noise ordinance, and Law School Dean being consulted about Speech Code. * WOMEN'S ISSUES: Selected Vice-Chair, Dana Marcoux. SEPTEMBER 24 MEETING SUMMARY OCTOBER 1 MEETING SUMMARY ;. r !F r r r .. # * * : Tell our 40,000+ readers the truth by running an advertisement of your newest fall selections in our October 25th Fall Fashion edition of Weekend Magazine. Ia,; , 'rr :. 1.. " 1 . President Green reported on his meeting with Mary Ann Swain that the Union policy is negotiable and student leaders will be consulted with as they should have been originally. " Vice-President Davies reported on the goals of the assembly: 1. Union Policy 2. Housing Meal Plan 3. South University Incident 4. Parking 5. Health Insurance 6. Advice 7. Student forums to discuss University Policies * President Green reported that he will be meeting with Royster Harper next week. " V.P. Davies urged representatives to sign up for MSA tabling in the fishbowl. . Assembly passed changes to the compiled code enabling student organizations to register to use University facilities rather than having to be formally recognized by vote of the assembly. . Assembly also passed a referendum to be placed on the fall ballot to make the registration process part of the Constitution. . Passed change to Compiled Code outlining MSA public record keeping. " Selected 2 assembly members, Greg Morrison and Scott Gast, and 1 student to serve on CSJ (Central Student Judiciary) interview committee. " Passed funding request of $217 to send representative Shaw to environmental conference. Rep. Shaw will report on conference upon her return. @0 TIME: Tuesday. October 8 'I I 9 I I S