Tuesday, April 11, 197
5
Plays accent best of two worlds
By LYNN KIRKMAN
Reviewer
University of Kansas audiences are meeting Japanese theatrical traditions at the William Inge Theatre this week and the following week in a dynamic synthesis of East and West.
The occasion is the presentation of a "Twin Bill of One-Act Plays" in the Kyogen and No styles, an experiment in combining the highly stylized Japanese techniques with Western dramatic literature. Theatergoers shouldn't let the somewhat messy narrative be lost as experiment succeeds in bringing two worlds together and accenting the best of each.
The two plays, "The Miss Lamb" and "Buffalo Bill's Well," were written by students in a class taught by Andrew T. Tsubaki, who directed the production.
"THE MISSING LAMB," the first play to be presented, was adapted by Sister Mary Francis Peters from "The Second Shepherds Play," one of the best-known of the medieval cycle plays. It tells the story of a humble miller who crafts wife, who attempt to conceal a stolen sheep by passing it off as their own newborn child.
As presented in Kyogen style, "The Missing Laugh" underscores the broadly farcal qualities of the work. A high degree of physical comedy is used in the piece as Mak and Gill attempt to outwit the lamb by drawing it to return the lamb to their master's hook.
Although the play is brief—under a half-
KANSAN Review
hour's running time—it affords the opportunity to experience a taste of the Kyogen style that adapts surprisingly well to this classic European work.
"BUFFALO BILL'S WELL," the second play of the evening, is an original work by David Brian Foster, based on a legend of early Kansas. It is the story of William "Buffalo Bill" Mathews and the well he dug in Dice County in the early 1860s. According to the story, Mathews was injured in an accident while experience with the spirit of Father Japadilla, the first Christian martyr in the New World.
In the play, Mathewson is being pursued by Indians, although he does not understand why they want to kill him. Exhausted and tired, Mathewson retreats where he encounters a mysterious padre who tells him that people always have a reason to kill. To Buffalo Bill and his pursuit of this sacred lady is a task of Cerionano, who came to Kansas in 1841 search of the gold of Quivira.
FATHER PADILLA accompanied Coronado and the men in iron, but he was in quest of souls instead of earthly treasure. The Quivirian Indians killed a number of Spaniards who desertered Indian holy water before he could right the white man's wrong.
Padilla has been waiting 300 years to reconcile the two worlds. He provides water for Mathewsland and the Indians before he can find a way. He can now find the peace he has sought.
squawk and his company have adapted this legend to the Japanese No drama, which accents the lyrically poetic qualities of the work. A chorus of actors and musicians accompany the principal performers in the piece to provide background
and, at times, to participate fully in the action.
INSTEAD OF THE traditional Oriental instruments, Tshauki has chosen to use a flute, guitar, banjo and tom-toms as musical accompaniments. The performers move with grace and precision through movements choreographed by Tshauki.
"Buffalo Bill's Well" is exciting to watch and exhausting to perform. All the essential elements are skillfully combined to present a compelling story, inspiring. To single out one member of the cast would be a mistake—one is called to the performance's effectiveness.
Attempting to combine elements of two diverse cultures can be a risk business. The danger that one area will overpower the other is even more so in the case of these productions, however, the result has been to neutralize the potentially volatile factors, leaving only the finest to survive.
The plays continue at 8 nightly through Saturday at the William Inge Theatre in Murphy Hall. KU students are admitted free with ID cards.
Love is laughs in 'House Calls'
By DENISE RUPP
Reviewer
When the audience laughs so loud you can't hear the dialogue, and there are only 11 people in the theater, you know you've found a funny movie.
"House Calls" is just such a movie.
Walter Mattheu stars as the least swinging of the swinging bachelors. His Hawaiian print shirts give him away immediately and his feeble ability to discuss Boz Scaggs with a young date no doubt is a new teacher to the field of lady-killing.
Yet all the women are after him, and the recently widened, middle-aged doctor leads a hectic night life until he meets a serious divorced playe by Glenda Jackson.
She gives him an ultimatum—choose between her and the other women. He chooses her—but only for a three-week trial—and their love affair is launched.
THE IDEA OF casting the gruff, rumped Matthau as a surgeon is ridiculous, but that's part of the movie's charm. It is an absurd comedy that sometimes borders on slapstick and depends a little too heavily on it, but still turns out to be a terrifying funny film.
There is nothing spectacular about the plot. In fact, it sometimes seems that the
love story between Mattaun and Jackson falls through, so the writers add a couple of names.
One of those plots involves the incompetence of the hospital where Mathaua works. At the hospital there is a senile old chief of staff played by Art Carney as a wise cracking sidekick for Matthau. Carney is excellent, as usual, but either the makeup staff overdid it, or Carnay has aged tremendously since making his last movie
KANSAN Review
The TSCRIPT IS not without flaws. The oary large strings, but a good joke uses many times, is common.
There are two superbly funny scenes. One comes when the couple tries to demonstrate that old movie love scenes could actually be made for both partners keeping one foot on the floor.
The other occurs when Matthau ventures out in public wearing only a fuzzy orange bathrobe and a pair of understated sneakers. Their shoes alone are worth the admission price.
Mattheus's performance is especially noteworthy because it seems so effortless. It doesn't take much effort to do it.
Nature books on display
Part of a collection of books by and about Carl Linnaeus, an 18th century Swedish naturalist, are on exhibit through the summer in Spencer Research Library.
The books are part of the second largest collection of volumes on Linnaeus, Jim Helyar, curator of graphics at Spencer, said yesterday.
sequence where the happy couple walks along a beach.
organisms. This system changed the course of the study of biology, Helyar said.
Helyar said the entire collection comprised about 2,000 volumes, including all of the major titles written by and about Linnaeus.
Linnaeus devised a system of classification and terms to identify all living
However, the movie does avoid many of the fads commonly seen in love stories. For example, nobody meditates or sees a psychiatrist.
The largest collection of books about
limousins is held by Hunt Botanical Library in
Birmingham.
just the way he is. His presence seems to make ridiculous things happen.
JACKSON DOES A satisfactory job, but almost any actress have done the task. It seems like a waste for an Academy Award-winning actress to play such a housewife role, but any more effort on her part would have caused her to overact.
And after watching countless movie couples who are plagued by hang-ups or acting like adolescents, seeing a couple of friends mature, consenting adults is refreshing.
Although the plot takes some unexpected twists, it also has some predictable scenes. It uses a lot of imagination.
City hall plan to get vote
A proposal that could save six months and $50,000 during the construction of Lawrence's new city hall at Sixth and Massachusetts streets, to be completed by December 1979, will be voted on at tonight's city commission meeting.
The commission's session will be 7 p.m. on the fourth floor of the First National Bank.
The proposed method of constructing the city hall, called the construction manager's method, was implemented by contract to deliver Williams and Kubota. The proposal would give a 5 percent pay increase to the firm as part of an additional construction responsibilities.
Another conventional method of construction places the responsibility with a general contractor, causing more intensive work during winter months rather than in the summer.
The commissioners favored the new proposal at last week's city commission meeting but deferred action on any decisions until tonight.
On the agenda also is a consideration of a proposal to block one lane of traffic in each direction from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 23 at Ninth and Vermont streets. The purpose is to curb the distributions, and distribute brochures to motorists on the seven warning signals of cancer.
Commissioners may make an amendment to the Lawrence zoning ordinance, which governs land use in the City of Fort Worth.
Commissioners will consider April's a bid for installation of a restroom at the building.
multiple-family dwellings, fraternities and sororities.
The planning commission minutes of the
meeting will be reviewed by the commission
committee.
Selling...
"But that was not my experience," he said.
University Daily Kansan
From page one
tight," Goleen said, "but the promise was a misrepresentation.
Gheen said he worked a minimum of 80 hours a week, and made a slight profit.
"It’s a very high-pressure job that a lot of college students can’t handle," he said.
Students were told that if they put in a great amount of time, they could earn a lot of money.
Room service when you need it!
Can't make it to breakfast . . . or lunch . . . or dinner? Sick,
but still hungry? So, what do you do? Have a friend or
roommate bring you a tray of food. It's that simple. Making
life pleasant, even when you are sick, is only one of
the many reasons why you should stay at our place.
So . . . make the right move.
KANSAN
On Campus
Events
TONIGHT: THE STUDENT SENATE will meet at 6:30 in the Big Eight Room of the Kansas Union. SACHEM will meet at 6:30 in the Union's Governors Room. MAGGIE'S RENAISANCE: A Festival of the Arts begins at 7 in Hashinger Hill, SUA (8:30-10:30) in Unit B of the Union. The SCIENCE FICTION Club will meet at 7 in Parlor A of the Union. Anyone interested in dance is invited to attend the TAU SIGMA meeting at 7 in Robinson Gymnasium dance studio. COLLEGE REPUBLICANS will sponsor State Sen. Ann Meyers, R-Overland Park, at in the Union's Cork 2 Room. Warner Theater will host a session in Room of the Union. THE INTERNATIONAL CLUB meets at 7:30 in the Jayhawk Room of the Union. THE AEROHAWK FLYING Club meets at 7:30 in the Union's Walnut Room. HILLEL meets at 8 in the Council Room of the Union. THE ECOLOGY CLUB's first meeting begins at 8 in the Regionalist Room at 7:30 in the Union's Lecture, "The Seat of Saint Peter. The Medievalization of Rome," begins at 8:30 in 3139 Wesco Hall.
TODAY: Ed Shauneys, drummer for "The Tonight Show," will conduct a PERCUSSION CLINIC all day in Swarthout Recital Hall in Murphy Hall. The MALOTT ADDITION groundbreaking will be at 3 p.m. on the lawn southwest of Malotl Hall.
TOMORROW: STUDENT SENATE meets at 6:30 p.m. in the Union Ballroom. KU SAILING Club meets at 7 p.m. in the Union. The MUSING in MUSEUMSational International Theater Foamed Woman's Club begins at 7 p.m. in the Spencer Museum of Art. The KU IntramasterMASTERMIND TOURNAMENT begins at 7 p.m. in the Union's Jayhawk Room. KU GO club meets at 7 in the Walnut Room of the Union. Albert Gerken, University of California, Berkeley, meets at 7 p.m. TAU BETA PI meet at 7 p.m. in the Union's Council Room. KU DAMES meet at 7 p.m. in the Union's Walkins Room. A TM PROGRAM begins at 7:30 p.m. in the International Room of the Union. MOOT CONCERT CHOIR begins at 8 p.m. in the Big Eight Room of the Union. CONCERT CHOIR begins at 8 p.m. in Swarthout Recital Hall.
Today through April 28
BOOK SALE
Thousands of hardback and paperback titles at reduced prices. Many Foreign books included.
Two Locations: Oread Bookshop, Level 3 Textbook Dept. Level 6
kansas
union BOOKSTORES
VISA
master charge
THE INTERMEDIATE CLUB