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Friday, October 14, 1977
University Daily Kansan
Wilde comedy opens tonight
The complications that arise from attempting to lead a double life cause problems for two young men in "The Importance of Being Earned," which opens tonight in the University Theatre in Murbury Hall.
The play, written by Oscar Wilde, is a social satire directed at the Victorian ideal of爱畏静。To the Victorians, earnestness impelled diligence, frankness and seriousness。Wilde's plan is an attempt to expose sham and hypocrisy that may hide behind these outward virtues.
The plot involves two young men, Jack Worthington and Algeron Moncrieff, who have invented means that allow them to live both inside and outside polite society. Moncrieff has created a fictional friend named Bunbury, whose supposed chronic illnesses delayed his real presence outside the city whenever it is convenient.
At the same time, Algeron has fallen in love with Jack's windy, Cecilia, to whom he has introduced himself.
The plot is complicated when Jack, pretending to be Ernest, falls in love with Algeron's cousin, Gwendoline, who is particularly attracted to his name. Gwendoline knows Jack only as Ernest.
WITH PUNS, illusions and social comments, the plot is unraveled until the two dandies' masquerades are exposed and the importance of being both earnest and Ernest is explained.
WORTHING. On the other hand, has made up an imaginary brother named Ernest who is reputedly something of a reprobate. At certain times, Jack takes on a new role as Jack to present two personalities to different people.
"The Importance of Being Earnest" will be presented at 8 p.m. today, tomorrow, and again next Friday and Saturday. A matinee will be held Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
KU students are admitted free to the production.
Illustration by AUBREY BEARDSLEY
Fall festivals recall past
If October is known for crap, sunny days and bamboo islands, the month also is marked by two warm (entertaining) days.
The 20th annual Maple Leaf Festival celebration begins today in Baldwin, and the seventh annual Cider Sundays Arts and Crafts Festival will end Sunday at Apple Valley Farm, near Perry Lake.
The Maple Leaf Festival features the return of "The Ballad of Black Jack," an original musical by Don Mueller, professor at Baker University. The play was performed for seven years, but it was dropped because of an audience member who block the audience had grown tired of the show. Black Jack returns this year by popular demand.
THE MUSICAL tells the story of the Battle of Black Jack, which was fought in 1856 near Baldwin City. A number of Lawrence residents appear in the production, including Charles Oldfather, professor
emeritus of law, who plays John Brown. The play will be presented at 7:50pm and tomorrow night, with a free public preview.
The Maple Leaf Festival also includes an arts and crafts display, a quilt and textile show and tours of the museum.
The festival at noon and welcomes visitors with fresh apple cider made in antique cider presses and apple butter cooked over open fires. Exhibitors display artworks, art, pottery and crafts.
The Cider Sundays festival will be Sunday at Apple Valley Farm north of Lawrence.
Those who attend will have the opportunity to test their skills at watermelon-seed spitting, cow-chip throwing and silo hollowing. Free variety entertainment also is featured.
Apple Valley Farm is on the east side of Perry Lake, north of U.S. 24.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Arts & Leisure
Staff Photo by PAUL ROSE
Lady Bracknell (Cheryl Rawlings) interrupts Jack Worthing (Craig Swanson) as he is proposing to her daughter, Gwendoline (Healair Lain), in *Oscar Wale*'s
Just a moment
"The Importance of Being Earnest," which opens tonight at the University Theatre.
'Hoffmann' dreams realized
By TIM PURCELL Entertainment Editor
Maybe many Lyric Opera patrons had enough opera; maybe they stayed away because it was a Tuesday (and not a weekend) night. But the opening night performance of Jacques Offenbach's "Tales of Hoffmann" came off smoothly flowing and almost perfectly, but not terribly, empty house at the Lyric Theatre, which seats 1,700. There may have been no noisy acclaim, but "Hoffmann" was a success.
Offenbach's last opera is based on three stories of one of the world's greatest storytellers, E.T.A. Hoffmann. The interpretation of director Patrick McGuirk is part of Romantic aura of the stories in the Lyric production.
Bakman views the opera's prologue and epilogue as a tale w/ a tale. A very thin scrim in front of the entire set softens lines on stage and makes the opera dreamlike. The stage is a storybook with pictures.
expression and flow all are important to Hoffmann's stories.
Hoffman, the poet, is played by George Livings. He was in good voice Tuesday, his high range was perfect. Hoffman also played by George Livings.
THE COMEDY in Hoffmann's song about the dwarf Kleizmann was heightened by the sensitive interplay between the voice and the orchestra. Offenbach's first clearly brought out by director Russell Patterson.
Offenbach's original intention of having the villain roles (Lindorf, Coppelius, Dapertuto and Dr. Miracle) sung by the same baritone was carried out by William Dansby. As Lindorf, his commanding vocal acting in Act I matched the confident string section supporting him.
The singers in the tavern must have had opening night jitters in th prologue. Pickups to phrases were always unsure, even though Patterson's cues were quite obvious.
Before the opera began, patrons spoke in superlatives about Judith Dickson, who plays the doll Olympia. She deserves the superlatives: Dickson kisses her, and she is beloved that. The clarity of her coloratura was amazing.
Olympia's creator Spalanzani is played by Carroll Freeman. His portrayal is unnecessarily and
irritantly affected. His mincing gait revealed the inventor as more efeffemate than eccentric.
THE PART of Nicklaus, Hoffmann's friend, is written for a mezzo-soprano. In that role, Susan Schafer sang in such a way that no matter what the words were, they all came out as "ahhh." The conductor was nervous to have trouble confusing. All of a sudden, it seemed, she was transformed into Hoffmann's conscience.
The Act III scene was completely fantastic. The drapes of the previous act were reused but in new patterns and with different lighting. The scene designer reportedly ran out of money by the time he got to third act. He certainly made good use of it, though. Blues and violets created a mood of gloom.
The dancers came and left in slow motion, emphasizing the dreamlike atmosphere. Even the scene change from Act III to the epilogue was artistically and visually pleasing.
Only the costume of Giulietta, Hoffmann's third
ovette, detracted from the mood of the act. She looked
up at her sister, who was in a white dress.
But the general mood of fantasy was successfully realized, and "Tales of Hoffmann" provided two and a half novels.
-UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
This Week's
Highlights
THEATER
At the LAWRENCE ARTS CENTER, Ninth and Vermont streets. The Seem-to-Be players "The Masks" and "The Adventures of the Sprite, Part 41" at 130 tomorrow afternoon.
NIGHTCLUBS
At the LAWRENCE OPERA HOUSE, 644 Massachusetts St.: The Pottie County town and Bean Band will play on the main stage tonight for a special evening concert. Eddie Musical comedy troupe, which will perform in the 2th Sprint balcony after the main show. Les Goering will perform late Tuesday and Wednesday nights in the 2th Sprint cellar. On Tap is on Thursday at Wednesday and Thursday nights; doors open at 8 o'm.
At THE OFF-THE-WALL HALL, 37 New Hampton St. Jerry Wood performs tonight and tomorrow night. The Kansas Folkcore Center allowed 7:30 p.m. to midnight Wednesday.
AT J. WATSON'S, Ninth and Iowa streets; Monarch will play tonight and tomorrow night.
At PAUL GRAY'S JAZZ PLACE, 926 Massachusetts St. Henry Guell, caplainte from the Lawrence Wk School, will play tonight in the Celtic jam week, weekly jam session will be held Thursday night.
MUSIC
JERRY JEFF WALKER and JIMIE SPEIRES
their spring at 8 p.m. in tomorrow. HOW
MORE?
THE BEACH BOYS perform at 5:30 tonight in Allen Field House.
the UNIVERSITY BRASS QUINTET will
pent a faculty接待 at b 1 p.m. Tuesday in Swar
Woods Hall
JACQUES VYART, a French singer, will appear in concert at 4 p.m. Thursday in Woodford
FILMS
"THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER,"
smiting Peter Sellers, will be shown at 3:30 P.M.
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"MASTER OF THE WORLD," starring Lena Baxter, Vincent Price and Charles Bronson, and "ANNABEL LEE," narrated by Price, are scheduled for 7.30 Monday evening.
**IDI AMN DADA A SELF PORTAIT** will be shown at 7:30 p. tuesday in the Forum Room.
"HUGO AND JOSEPHINE", a children's film from Sweden, will be shown at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Accompanying the feature will be "A City Trip." "Drowning Moon" and "Piano Rub"
"BEFORE THE REVOLUTION," a 1944 italian film, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. wednesday.
*LA JEETE* AND *JE TAME JE TAME* JE TAME.
French films, are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
thursday.
A! STIER KETTLE CAFE 1347
Massachusetts St. Wall hangings by local artisans.
At the LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY, Seventh and Vermont streets Macrane jewelry by Linda Nakahsi in the showcases; acrylics by Betty Atwood in the lobby; bark by Reshi Luther in the gallery and paintings by Sheri Catt in the auditorium.
EXHIBITS
Unless otherwise noted, all films are shown in Woodruff Auditorium of the Kansas University.
At the ELIZABETH M. WATKINS COMMUNI-
TURE MUSEUM, 1047 Massachusetts St. "Architecture of the Great American Desert," an exhibition of architecture prepared by the KU School of Architecture
At THE GALLERY in the marketplace, 747
Hampins St. - 'Fabric Constructions
and Furniture'
At the 767 GALLEY, 7 E. Seventh St.
Armetica sculpture by Roger Lain and painter
Gustave Ferdinand
At the KANSAS UNION GALLERY: The Kansas Designer-Craftsman Show.
At the VALLEY WEST GALLIER, 25th and Iowa streets. West paintings by Gary Hawkey.
Music series brings Suk Trio to town
The second program of this year's Chamber Music Series features the Suk Trio which is one of Czechoslovakia's leading chamber music ensembles. They will perform at 8 p.m. Sunday in the University Theatre. The group consists of a pianist, cellist and a violinist. Every member of the group, which was formed in 1952, is a well-known soloist in his own right. Josse Fuk, the violinist and founder of the trio, was the last pupil of Jaroslav Kocian. Suk's great grandfather was composer Anton Dvorak. He was the leader of the Prague Quartet before starting the trio. In addition to appearing with the trio Suk traveled extensively through Europe as a prize-winning soloist in the Suk Trio in the Suk Theater and played three opera and symphony scores at sight. He studied at the Prague and Leningrad conservatories. The cellist Josef Chucroh is an award-winning solist and a professor at the Prague Conservatory. The Suk Trio will perform Beethoven's Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 97 ("The Archdeuke") and Tchaikovsky's Trio in A Minor, Op. 50.
The phosphorous dot by Dale Cadd
I recently received the latest report of the Roper Organization's continuing survey of public attitudes toward television and other mass media. Based upon a sample of 2,000 people over the age of 18, the survey is conducted about five times each decade. The Television Information Office (TIO), a public relations office for commercial television and sponsor of the Roper research, always has been the central part of its effort to convince the world that commercial television is wonderful.
There is much valuable information in the report concerning the public's attitudes towards children's programming, commercials and other facets of the television service. But one section of the survey required respondents to choose among the various media in answering questions about credibility and news sources, and the TIO boasts that the results show that television continues to hold a sizeable lead.
THE FIRST question in the study asked people where they got most of their news. Since 1963, television has had the lead. Of the 1976 respondents, 64 per cent listed TV as one of their main sources of news and 49 per cent listed newspapers as one of their's conclusion that television has a 19 point领 over the second place medium.
Looking specifically at the news programs, it is evident that she has a few other points in its favor. Television news is available at the flip of a switch. Turn the set on, sit back in your favorite chair and someone personally tells you what is happening. The viewer can see who you can see it for yourself—as if you were actually there. No hassle, no effort.
The Television Information Office would like us to conclude that TV's lead over newspapers is caused by the quality of television news. That is what you find in the table below.
The truth of the matter is hidden behind the statistics. The differences between the two media could easily account for much of the 15 point gap between
TO BEGIN WITH, television is extremely pervasive. The average person watches TV nearly three hours a day. It is a national experience, common to all. Hardly a day passes without someone asking, "Did you see such-and-such a show last night?"
With all the television viewing being done in this nation, it is not unreasonable to expect that the TV news shows will gain a share of the fame and attention
I AM suggesting, then, that some of the 64 per cent who listed television as a main source of news did so not because they felt TV news was better than news from other sources. Rather, some listed TV because they viewed a lot of revision and, for various reasons, TV news programs were part of the viewing table.
So, when viewing is less from habit and more a program-by-program decision, TV news becomes a lesser, yet still important, part of the news mix.
One should not infer from this that one news medium is better than any other. In a TV show, there are different role in the news mix. TRIVIA CORNERNEY, Mary Yale Moore's longtime television series—MTM played Sam, the secretary to "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" for *for next week* here is a question about "Gunsmoke." What did you learn?
Dale Gadd is an associate professor of radio, television and film.