Page 175 - Demo

ARTS;%u2018Tomfooleries%u2019--!!! the True Sense of TheaterBY JOHN S. PATTERSONThe Acm e Repertory Theatre, is n ow resid en t com p a n y at The Cubiculo on W est 51st Street. They have opened their season with %u201c T o m fo o le r ie s %u2014 An E ven in g o f Silly Theater,%u2019 %u2019 which indeed it is, com prised o f a one-act by Shaw, %u201c Passion, Poison, and Petrifact io n %u201d and another by Brecht, %u201c The E lep h an t C a lf.%u2019 %u2019 D en n is J. Reardon%u2019s %u201c The Happiness C age%u201d and %u201c The A dding M achine%u201d o f Elmer Rice will be added to the repertoire this month and next and they will play this bill through October 24th.The Acm e Repertory Theatre has sk illfu lly m ou n ted tw o seld om se e n , m in or p ie ce s o f m ajor playwrights. %u201c Passion, P oison ,%u201d is a parody o f melodrama and upper class marriage, which makes a bow to Ionescon absurdity. A husband poisons his w ife%u2019s lover and they both attempt to save him when they realize that his death will upset the balance o f their marital relationship. An angel chorus provides sound effects and com m ents, the most hilarious o f which is the repeated warbling o f %u201c W on %u2019t You Com e H om e Bill Bailey%u201d as an invitation to heaven. Terry M azer, as Lady M agnesia, the mistress in q u e stio n , co m b in e s se x in e s s , arrogance, and feigned naivete in a surprisingly realistic characterization of an upper class lady and Jordan Fox, her lover, brings just the right touch o f 18th Century foppishness to this 19th Centuryh o u s e h o ld w h ere th e love o f clo th in g , c o n v e n tio n , and se lfindulgence obliterates the moral sense.The supporting com pany was energetic and alert and they played this stylized piece with an intelligent attention to detail and one another. Director J. P. D uffy%u2019 schoice o f a broad, farcical style with quick pace, physical humor, and machine-like precision seem ed just right for this trifle.%u201c The Elephant Calf%u201d is at once more difficult and more interesting than the Shaw, since it com bines th e sam e zany p erform a n ce behaviour with a didactic attack onBritish imperialism. A decadent family theater troupe is entertaining drunk and disorderly colonial soldiers on a night out som ewhere in India. The play within a play has an elephant calf on trial for killing its m oth er an d the b u m b lin g , intoxicated actors prosecute the animal while bem oaning their ownfate at ending up in the provinces. The soldiers neither care about nor understand the play and respond with boos, belches, and wisecracks until the leading lady rouses both ensem ble and audience to a chorus o f %u201c Rule Britannia%u201d which unites them all in a slurred, aggressive anthem to patriotism and war.T his h eavy h an d ed a lleg ory depends not only on quick pace and well coordinated rhythms but on sharp focus which delineates the Brechtian interplay o f audience and perform ers, illusion and reality. The group approached this work with the same good-hearted energy which characterized the Shaw but directorial leadership faltered as far as actions were concerned and the result was som etim es confusing. All the cockney accents were at times difficult to understand but leading lady Thea Dahlberg laid it on especially hard. Both Jordan Fox as the elephant calf and Terry M azer as Jesse managed to sketch in their roles with the quick, sharp touches necessary to this sort o f whirlwind pace and Craig Sechler was especially fine as the drunken, out-of-it soldier as he stumbled about pathetically, booze in hand, always managing just the right effort at stiff control which makes the intoxicated feel sober.This intelligent, hard-working group o f young people has gotten o ff to a good start and it will be interesting to see where they go from here.*9 to 5*:Low RingsThinkAloudBY CAROL IANNONEA short collaborative work-inprogress with overtones o f the Open Theater is being presented by the Quena Company at Theater for the New City. Ned Jackson is th e %u201c w r ite r ,%u201d and R ay B arry, form erly an actor with the now disbanded Open Theater, is the director.%u201c Nine to Five%u201d takes place in the alienated world o f low-rung office life, where a thin layer o f satisfaction can hide a well o f desperation. The staff o f the sales office o f a large corporation sit m iming their habitual tasks at their imaginary desks and machines, making the %u201c co n v e r s a tio n %u201d o f an a v era g e working day, thinking aloud the fragm ents o f secrets they will never share.During coffee breaks or routine encounters, their maniacally cheerful behavior suggests the terrors lu rkin g b e n e a th . H y sterica l cameraderie ignites into even more hysterical belligerency or collapses into su d d en d e p re s s io n . Reminiscent o f an Open Theater %u201c interview%u201d or %u201c dinner party,%u201d the scenes are stylized bits o f verbal ch o re o g ra p h y , sh iftin g q u ick ly back and forth, inside and outside the characters%u2019 minds; words are spun out rapid ly and od d ly inflected, attended by lively chatter or mournful droning, or by brief, in term itten t p eals o f v a g u elyderanged laughter. Director and cast have done good work here and th e sta g e b ris tle s w ith h ollow p le a sa n trie s, to rm e n te d h u m or, and sudden disturbances.Som e in d iv id u a l ch a ra cte riza %u00adtions are good too. The b o ss%u2019 s secretary, an older wom an, literally defines herself by the items at her desk until the surrounding ciatter subsides into a gentle hum and she sees the face o f her dead husband in the wrinkles o f the desk blotter and reveals the ache beneath her brittle facade. It%u2019 s a bizarre and m ovin g m om en t. N ot all th e ch a ra cteriza tion s h ave a ch iev ed this resonance yet, although a wildly %u201c feel-good %u201d young man and a skittish young wom an are close.T w o o f th e m ore d e v e lo p e d characters, the boss and his French w ife, m ove into caricature, even given the broad strokes o f this kind o f theater. His sunny sadism in the office works for the most part, but at hom e w ith h is w ife , his d em ea n or s u g g e s ts that o f a Victorian businessm an approaching his mistress. The w ife, a pretty woman determ inedly trapped in th e vacan cy o f h er life , w h o announces her need for a shot o f W ild T urkey b e fo r e she pan %u201c fu ck,%u201d is stiffly offended at his advances. After a while, she does begin to respond, but he can find th e a p p rop ria te te n d e rn e ss to follow through only after firing one o f his e m p lo y e e s . P resu m ably meant to show the corruption of power, the brutality o f sensibility, and the creeping contagion o f alienation and isolation at the top r u n g s , th is p art is o ffe n s iv e ly simplistic and lacks the piercing insight o f much o f the office drama.In such a piece, what visual effects are used must be important. The red bow tie and suspenders of the cartoon-cheerful young man anu the %u icss in inc older secretary are just right. Some other costum es need more definition. The group might experiment m ore with lig h tin g and with possible further uses o f Theater for the New City%u2019 s interesting tw olayered space.Carroll DanceAuditionsThe Carroll Dance Theater is now holding auditions for Madeline L%u2019 E ngles%u2019 %u201c A Wrinkle in T im e.%u201d No previous experience is n ecessary but perform ers must have %u201c nerve and talent.%u201d Performers must also be able to do im provisation s and h ave som e d a n ce training. Any interested person between the ages o f eight and forty should call 852-7551 and arrange for an appointment. The Carroll Dance Theater is located\20 Street in Manhattan.Gallery PlayersRehearseThe Gallery Players are now in reh ea rsa l fo r a p rod u ction o f Agatha Christie%u2019 s classic thriller, %u201c Ten Little Indians.%u201d The play, which has also appeared under the titles %u201c And Then There W ere N one%u201d and %u201c The Nursery Rhyme M urders,%u201d will open on September 8 under the aegis o f the Gallery Players, marking the beginning of th e g r o u p %u2019 s tw elfth sea son o f community theater. The play will be directed by Ed Rubin, who is also opening the Brooklyn Neights Players children%u2019 s season with an original musical called %u201c Once UponA Vine or Jacqueline and the Beanstalk.%u201d The Gallery Players are h ou sed in the O ld F irst R e fo rm e d C hurch on S eventh Avenue at Carroll Street in Park Slope. For further information on the group or their season, call 788-6362.%u2018A l l theKing%u2019s Men%u2019Thursday, August 3 m arked the beginning of the Adelphian P layers 13th season and to celebrate this the A d elp h ia n P la y e r s , B ay R idge%u2019s com m unity theater group is p re se n tin g R o b e rt P en n W arren%u2019s play, %u201c All The K ing%u2019s M en.%u201d %u201c All T he King%u2019s M en,%u201d a psychological study o f a political dem agogue, explores the question of whether the ends can justify the m eans in political or private life.P erform an ces continue through August 26. The cast includes M argaret Bonanno, Jam es Cimino, M aureen Costello, Bill Daniels, and Donna Elliot. The Adelphian P layers second feature, %u201c Hotel U niverse,%u201d w ill be presented on August 23,24,28, 29. Cast m em bers include R ichard B erger, Carol F u s c o , O liv ia H a rp er, J e rry H offm an, Donna M oss, and Susan Levine. Curtain tim e for both plays will be 8:30 p.m ., and perform ances will be held in the A del phi A ca d e m y a u d itoriu m , R id g e B ou lev a rd . T ick e ts a re $2.50, $1.50 for senior citizens.Musical atSt. MatthewThe Musical Theater W orkshop, funded by the City Department o f Cultural Affairs, and the New York City Youth Board, is now perform %u00ading %u201c Seven Com e E leven,%u201d an original musical written by Jean Niederlipz. The story is about street kids in New York City and is perform ed by local children from th e n e ig h b o rh o o d . A n independent, non-profit organization, the Musical Theater W orkshop is com prized o f 35 local children ranging in ages from five to 19. %u201c Seven Come E leven%u201d is going to be perform ed on August 27 at 5 p.m . at the Saint Matthew C hurch g y m , 1123 E asternDance HarbingerLisa Hoffmaster from London, Ontario, and Sybil Huskey from New York City, join forces this weekend for a series o f concerts at A m erican T h eater L a b . T he program o f solos includes works by the two dancers in addition to pieces choreographed by William Harren and Kathleen M cClintock.Turner at the Cookery: First RateThe elegant black man with a smile that spans decades placed his cigar in the ash-tray, sat down at the Steinway, and proceeded with one o f the last performances o f stride-piano, by one o f the original masters o f the form . Joe Turner is o f the school o f Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, and Willie the Lionr> . ' .1 - t > L . ........................ - .1 1 --------- -Olium. t iicj n v iv au vivutoiooi uiwform o f stride-piano, and Joe Turner is the only one left. When he played %u201c Jitterbug W altz%u201d at the C ookery last weekend, he played it with the same concentration that a concert pianist would give to a piece by Chopin. The over-played standard %u201c I Wish Y ou L ove%u201d has never been done more potently, or with so m uch harm on ic c o lo r . %u201c Honeysuckle R ose,%u201d %u201c St. James In firm ary B lu es,%u201d and %u201c T h ou Sw ell%u201d all received very original treatm ents. M r. T urner reharm onized all his numbers with the skill o f the master orchestrator-----D r C v o n t u n o c l il r f *%u201c H ello D olly %u201d had an original quality to them, which would allow you to see som ething new in r. phrase that you might have heard fifty times before.From my table it was difficult to see T urner%u2019 s beautiful facial expressions, and the m anagem ent would be well advised to invest in the purchase o f a platform , that would elevate the pianists at least on e fo o t a b ov e the audience view ing level. That aside, the overall warmth o f the room was very suitable for the intimacy that a performer like Joe Turner requires.T h e f o o d HS th#%u00bb Qf*rvir*p a t th eC ookery was up to it%u2019 s usual excellence.Joe Turner extracted the core o f jazz for the audience this evening, and you got the feeling that when he dies, a part o f jazz will die with him.August 22,1978, TH E PHOENIX, Page 15