Page 8-Tuesday, August 5, 1980-The.Michigan Daily Art OF THEE I SING' Who says politics aren't fun? 4 4 By ANNE GADON Opening in the wake of the Republican-Convention in nearby Detroit, George and Ira Gershwin's musical comedy Of Thee I Sing is a timely choice for the Summer Repertory season. The Gershwins' political satire traces the presidential campaign of John P. Wintergreen in his efforts to "Put Love in the White House." Along with La Ronde, it marks a fine conclusion to an otherwise disappointing summer season. Despite its political overtones, Of Thee I Sing is more properly classified as escapist entertainment than satire. Wintergreen's campaign ap- peal "to your hearts, not your intelligence" is a clear statement of the goal of this musical comedy, and the leggy chorus girls and cigar-puffing politicos on the Power Center stage last Wednesday night were definitely successful in their venture. DIRECTOR Steve Reynolds has chosen an ap- propriately cartoonish approach. The characters are caricatures: the Southern belle, the red-haired Irish politician, the happy homemaker-the list goes on and on. James S. Henke's sets ofcardboard cutouts and pencil drawings further accentuate the shows lack of realism. But despite this overt admittance of implausibility, the acting company has hardly settled for two dimen- sional performances. Co-librettists George Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind are well-known for creating en- joyable, improbable characters-as they did in the screenplay for the Marx Brothers' A Night At the Opera. In Of Thee I Sing, they have constructed Similar roles which formidable local talents such as Vat Garner (Alexander Throttlebottom) and Jane Kinsey (Diana Devereaux) relish and embelish to near-perfection. Garner is delightfully wistful as Throttlebottom, the vice-presidential candidate whom no one recognizes. He displays an adeptness for comedic timing through his unerring sense of the inap- propriate. His character constantly injects commen- ts at the wrong moment, incurring the wrath of the top political bigwigs. But it is Garner's subtle changes of expression that are most effective in breaking up the audience. His woebegone facial reac- tions to his abusers provide some of the evening's loudest laughter. AS DEVEREAUX, Wintergreen's jilted bride- to-be, Jane Kinsey is enchantingly venom- ous. Kinsey has a magnetic presence that sur- passes any leading lady that this reviewer has seen on the Power Center stage this summer. Even in a role as stereotyped as Devereaux, Kinsey's talent is marvelously apparent. She particularly stands out in the first act finale as she states her intention to inflict revenge on Wintergreen, adding a delicious note of conflict to the perfect romance of Wintergreen and Mary Turner. As Wintergreen, Jon Hallquist gets several oppor- tunities to drop his aura of suavity and displays a refreshing skill for bumbling. He expounds to Mary about the skills of wifery which include using a skillet, and then gives her a perplexed look and ear- nestly asks, "Say, what is a Skillet?" In the role of Mary Turner Molly Sheehan gives a particularly indistinguishable performance. She lacks the earnestness and enthusiasm to make Win- tergreen's sentiments toward her believable. Sheehan also has projection problems during her musical numbers. Her lilting soprano is barely audible past the first few rows of the orchestra. Greg Jbara's performance as the French Ambassador establishes him as a force to be reckoned with in the Department of Theatre and Drama's core of un- dergraduate talent. The musical number "An Illegitimate Daughter" which features the Am- bassador and a backup chorus of 6 Napoleonic soldiers stands out from the indistinguished score solely due to Jbara's effort. At any moment one ex- pects him to break into a chorus of the "Mar- seillaise." The opening musical number, "Wintergreen for - President," sets the show's snappy pacing and the production never slows down from there. Choreographer Christopher Flynn keeps the feet of the twenty-five member chorus moving though oc- casionally not on solid ground. In "Hello, Good Mor- ning," a musical number with the presidential secretaries, Flynn has the men on bicycles and the women on roller skates. Hopefully such innovations and enthusiasm could catch on. Our real national leaders could certainly take a lesson from 'John P. Winh.,saren_ 4 MICHIGAN 1 This week REP '80 Thee I Sin Kaufman and Gershwins Pulitzer Prize inning musi- cal is periodt fur this elec- tion year. It follows an i- conventional candidate and. his iveiesicenal cam= rae ih th e 1 in the White House." July 30, August 1,7, 9 La Ronde Arthur Schnitzler's skilly constructed circle of ten in. terlocking love affairs. Each scene is made for two characters, one of whom will encounter a new partner in the following scene. A fas- cinating mtthe par rand 1890 Venna. July 31, August 2, 6,8 THIS.WEEK AT POWER CENTER AT 8 PM PTP ticket Office-MI League Noon- 5 pm; M-F. Master Charge & Visa by phone: 764-0450. Power Center box office opens at6 pm (763-3333). Tomorrow Night: OF THEE I SING - in the arts By MARK COLEMAN As the long summer drags on, boredom can become as oppressive as the heat and humidity. Fortunately, there are still plenty of aesthetic diver- sions about town and while a movie or play may not lift you from the depts of ennui, an entertaining, perhaps thought-provoking evening is guaran- teed. LaRonde and Of Thee I Sing are con- cluding the Michigan Repertory summer season this weekend, and both comedies come highly recommended by Daily drama critics-what other motivation do you need? It's also an outstanding week for films, highlighted by Dr. Strangelove at the Michigan Theatre on Thursday at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 p.m. It's undoubtedly Peter Seller's most intelligent (and perhaps his fun- niest) performance and the film's nuke- paranoia theme has become ironically topical again-some fifteen years later. ALSO SHOWING Thursday (at Angell Auditorium A, 7 and 9 p.m.) is See DRAMA, Page 9 6 6 6 Vice-president Alexander Throttlebottom (Pat Garner) cuddles southern belle Diana Devereaux (Jane Kinsey) in a scene from George Gershwin's musical satire of American Politics, 'Of Thee I sing.' The performances will continue this Thursday and SaturdaT, Auust 7 and 9, at 8 p.m.