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Page 6 University Daily Kansan, April 16, 1982
Parsons 'high' on performing
By MATT DEGALAN Staff reporter
To the children playing in the courtyard of Murphy Hall yesterday morning, Estelle Parsons was just another grown-up.
Latte did they know that the Academy Award-winning actress would soon become the ultimate grown-up in tonight's production of "Miss Margarida's Way" in the University Theatre. Breaking from her buoy schedule, she slipped into steps of the courtyard and talked about the play.
"It's a very difficult role. I don't take to being a power figure very easily," the casually dressed Broadway veteran said in a slightly fatigued voice.
Despite her professed reluctance, Parsons, 55, has been portraying the ranting, dictatorial Miss Margarida since the play's 1977 American debut. The play, written by Brazilian Roberto Athyade, directs monologue with Parsons playing an eight-hour teacher and the audience playing her class.
THE ONLY OTHER performer is a "student" in the audience who Miss Margarida viciously abuses whenever he steps on the stage. Throughout the play, Parsons verbally assaults the "class," stresses the importance of respect, descentencies and absurdities on the blackboard.
Estelle Parsons
Various critics have seen the play as a metaphor of a totalitarian state, a bitting satire of disciplined education and a hilarious and haunting study of power. Though they can't agree on the play's genre, they are in accord about Parsons' performance.
New York Times critic Richard Edar noted the "spectacular performance of Estelle Parsons, while Time's T.E. Kalem said "she blows the roof of the Ambassador Theatre."
PARSONS, KNOWN mostly for her Oscar-winning role as the shrill Blanch in the 1960 film,
"Bonnie and Clyde," seemed genuinely unaware of the critics. She said she thought the play was what each member of the audience made it out to be.
"the political theme, of course, is most re-
motivating for experience with
totalitarian state," and Parson.
"When we were performing the play at the time of the mass suicide in Guyana, they thought it was a way for Jones to the Fallahd Islands, maybe this audience will look at it more politically."
Whatever the audience reads into the play, chances are they will enjoy it.
"It's the only play I've done that people come to see in droves. It's like I'm a rock star," she said.
"It's amazing. You're only one on the stage, and people get so excited. There's nothing like making people laugh. There's nothing like that sound. It's such a high—it's like angels in heaven," she said, throwing back her blood, raising hair and raising her arm towards the sky.
"It's much better than making them cry," she concluded.
NEVERTHELESS, crying gave the Lymn, Mass., native her start in acting. As a 5-year-old, she landed parts in local amateur productions because she cried easily.
After boarding school, she attended Connecticut College for Women and earned a bachelor's degree in political science. Parsons tried a year at Boston University Law School, but found that being one of two women in a class of 300 wasn't for her.
After the law school attempt, Parsons tried dabbling in local politics and working for the Republican National Committee. Consequently, she became the first woman political reporter for a television network during the early days of NBC's "The Today Show." The birth of her twin daughters—Martha and Abbie—ended her budding broadcast career.
SHE RETURNED to acting in the 1877 movie of "Happy Hunting" with Ethel Merman.
Since then, Parsons has appeared in nine
television programs and 40 plays and several films
and television shows.
Her latest roles have been Ruth in the award-winning Joseph Papp production of "The Pirates of Penzance," and, of course, the controversial Miss Maragarida.
When "Miss Margarida's Way" first opened in the playwright's homeland, the police shut it down. The ban was not lifted until sensitive parts were censored. Since then, those have been 56 times.
MUCH OF THE play's popularity stems from its unique format of incorporating the audience into the play. In New York's Ambassador Theatre, Parsons said, a man once ran on stage in response to Miss Margarida's demands that the thrower of a stink bomb come forth and confess. Her burlesk buried back Parson's insults and then made sure that at intermission, A few throw paper airplanes.
Does she expect tonight's audience to do the same?
"Each person has their own decision to "meach," she said. "They certainly aren't expected to respond. When they don't respond, it'S not a problem." And "how can you know what 1,000 silent people are thinking?"
WHATEVER HAPPENS, she said she was well-prepared and forewarned.
"People are so unique. Roberto Athayde, the playwright, said no matter how many times you play it, the audience will do things you will never dream of," she said.
PARSONS STREASSED that direct audience participation was not encouraged. Her attractive face broke into a smile and her sunken, yellow-eyed lips glittered. She would deal with unruly audience members.
"Punish them so they'll never forget," she laughed. "That's all I can say."
'Chorus Line' comes to Hoch by luck
BY CYNTHIA HRENCHIR
Staff Writer
Luck and quick moves last week were responsible for the road production of "A Chorus Line" coming to the University of Kansas April 20. Carr, SUA program adviser, said recently.
"A representative of Theatre League of Kansas City, the show's producer, came to SUA and asked if we wanted to have the show and we agreed. We will be in attendance technicians came and looked at the hall at Hoch
"We got some details worked out on Thursday and signed the contract."
AN OPENING OCCURRED in the show's schedule, Carr said, and the company, instead of losing revenue for the evening, agreed to perform at the University at a reduced commission.
"This is also the first time we have worked with the team," she said. "And I'm glad to say it's working out great, 'the team'."
"Rock groups all use this method," she said.
"It was lucid as us because we probably can learn from us."
Theater League representative, David Buckner, agreed that lack played a large part in the defeat.
TICKETS FOR THE SHOW went on sale Tuesday and orders were available Monday afternoon, Carr said.
"We have sold 800 tickets so far," she said. "It's been a good flow of people."
one added that there were plenty of "good" seats left for the single performance.
The cast and crew of "A Chorus Line," a touring company which originates from New York and is traveling throughout the United States, people count stage "ubicans, Carr said.
"They are the same group that performed in Kansas City a month ago," she said.
The show, which has won nine Tony awards, is performed mostly on a bare stage to recreate the atmosphere of a genuine theater audition. The set consists of only a series of mirrors, which are used to add depth to the show. The mirror tells you where and how much movement from one Broadway chorus line to another until either stardom beckons or age catches up with them. Carried said.
Carr said that SUA would be working with fasten operations to prepare the stage for the show.
"Right now we are waiting for the technical people of the show to come out and say where the lights should go and where to load things in and out." she said.
Bucksern said the campus was probably customized to working with rock groups, and the band would have to be a part of it.
"It's easy to set up the performance area for a
team member. He said, 'The hard part is working
with the performers.'
"WITH THIS SHOW it will be totally different.
The set of themselves, it's the set that will take time.
Bucksan said the stage would have to be covered with curtains, which he estimated would take 10 hours.
Tickets to the New York Shakespeare Festival production of "A Chorus Line," priced at $10 and $12, may be purchased at the Student Union Activities Box Office. Students with proper KU identification can save $3 on the regular ticket price.
milestones
KEVIN V. BOLDT, Overland Park senior, won one of 44 scholarships awarded nationally to undergraduates by the ASSOCIATED GENERAL CONTRACTORS' EDUCATION AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION OF Washington D.C. Bolt is pursuing degrees in civil engineering and business administration at the University of Kansas. The Foundation is a non-profit organization that has a program to improve construction science through research and development projects.
ALICIA GIBBONS, assistant professor of music therapy, is PRESIDENT-ELECT FOR 1983-84 OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MUSIC THERAPY. The 3,000-member organization is involved in education, research and training in music therapy.
GRANT RICHEY, Shawnee senior, has been selected for an INTERNSHIP WITH THE CIRCLE-IN-THE-SQUARE THEATRE in New York City for the coming fall semester. The internship, which Rickey will receive class credit for during his freshman year, a week in voice, movement, audition techniques and dance, all with a performance orientation.
CYNTHIA SUSAN BROWN, Leavenworth graduate student, was awarded the PHILIPL NEWMARK AWARD for significant investigation in biochemistry. Her research involved work concerning rheumatoid arthritis. The award is presented annually in October to Philip Newmark, who was a member of the KU biochemistry faculty until his death in 1962.
THE ALL SCHOLARSHIP HALL CHRISTIAN SUPPORT GROUP will meet at 8:30 p.m. in Danforth Chapel.
Weekend Arts
on campus
TOMORROW
SUNDAY
as part of the POT POURI PRODUCTIONS,
"PINOCIO THE KING" will be staged at 8 p.m.
in the Inge Theatre, Murphy Hall. General ad-
visory boards are available at the Murphy Hall
Box Office.
TOMORROW
THE CHHAU INDIAN FOLK DANCE THEATRE will perform at 4 p.m. in Swarthout Recital Hall, Murphy Hall. General admission tickets are available at the Murphy Hall Box
THE KU CHAMBER CHOIR will perform a
song from the play *In the University
Theatre, Audience is free*
THE SIMULATIONS GAMING GROUP will meet from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Cork II of the Kildare
TODAY
THE UNDERGRADUATE BIOLOGY CLUB
p.m. in the Sunflower Room of the Kansas Union
THE KU COLLEGium MUSICUM will per-
form a SPRING CONCERT at 2 p.m. at the Spruce
Inn.
THE POT POURRI PRODUCTION "THE MOUND BUILDERS" will be staged at $p.m. in the Inge Theatre. General admission tickets are available at the Murphy Hall Box Office.