THEATRE: Rock flop
By LINDA BROWNING
The 1969 Rock Chalk Revue was saved by the Pi Beta Phi's and the Sigma Chi's. If the whole Revue had been coordinated half as well as their costing, choreography and timing, there might have been no temptation to leave during the first two hours.
The pantomine that started out the evening's trip, called "All the World's A Stage," could have bseen better jugglers. The running dialogue between acts, in its attempt to be unifying this year, disjointed the performance despite its efforts.
Technical difficulties made the rough road harder to travel. The between-act "visual aid," consisting of projected films, reached maybe Row A, and the small "tube" viewing wasn't helped out by adequate sound, even if the microphones were place directly in front of the screen.
The Alpha Gamma Delta and Alpha Tau Omega's ancient "Kingdom of Apathy" might have had heartier laughs had the pacing been stepped up. They evidently expected the audience to applaud a phrase as trite as "here come the king," and the pace wasn't helped by the slow choreography and so-so costuming. The unveiling of the Great Seal was the high point, reminding the audience that they too once felt the plastic seal of the KU-ID would do comparable miraculous things for them.
The Tri-Delt and Beta Theta Pi's Western town of Guano was only intermittently funny. There was an effective bit with a chorus reciting lines in unison and a panorama of political digs was done with perfection, but again the pacing of the skit dragged. One high point was reached when a pregnant woman marched across "Sunflower Pillage" with a sign reading "Nixon's the One."
Kappa Alpha Theta and Delta Tau Delta's desert setting almost conveyed the heat of an oasis and the smell of camel manure, but the audience had to wade through an awful lot of it to see the end.
But the best was saved till last. The Pi Phi's and Sigma Chi's never-never land, complete with 200-pound pink fairy in a tou-tou (Twinkerbell), shipful of horny sailors and colorful costuming salvaged it all. The choreography was professionally handled and the chorus numbers had real impact.
But if Rock Chalk is supposed to be satirical, it has fallen short of its goal in recent years. It's sort of off-off-off-off-off Broadway.
RECORDS: Hits and Misses
By WILL HARDESTY
There are three new albums out with roughly similar sounds.
There are three new about Gandolf on Columbia. Gandolf is, as the other two groups are, new to records. The foursome meanders through a balltied turned-on world just this side of heavy. Included are such oldies as "Scarlet Ribbons" and "Nature Boy." A group with the ability to sing combined with good musicianship marries the modern rock sound to the ballad.
Close on the heels of Gandolf is ELECTRIC BAND by The Glass Family on Warner Brothers-Seven Arts. Where Rod McKuen shows the bad side of life, this group shows the bittersweet—which is a more realistic picture of life. The songs they sing tell of the desire to be let alone, to live as they want, disturbing no one and no one disturbing them; to live peacefully.
Monotony of sound makes CRAZY HORSE ROADS by Stained Glass on Capitol the least desirable of the three albums. The group has some pretty good material and rates as a shade better than fair.
The Seekers, one of the best and longest-lived groups to come out of the folk era, have decided to call it quits.
Their swan song album has just been released on Capitol. It's called THE SEEKERS LIVE! It was recorded during the group's final performance.
The album has all the group's greatest songs—"I'll Never Find Another You," "Morningtown Ride," "A World of Our Own," "Love Is Kind, Love Is Wine," "The Carnival Is Over," and "Georgy Girl."
He started piano lessons in the first grade. In the fifth grade he took up the drums. At the age of 13 he was conducting a pep band. Later he went on to direct the full band and high school chorus.
KU to study with George Lawner, professor of orchestra.
"I applied for musical director of the rep company last fall, competing with 11 or 12 other people. Some were even graduate students," Schornick
Now as a freshman from Yates Center, Lynn Schornick is the musical director for "The Mikado" which runs March 5-9 in Strong Hall Auditorium.
Freshman conducts for 'Mikado'
Mikado's musical director will conduct a 12-piece orchestra including a piano. The members of the orchestra are very qualified musicians Schornick said. His only problem conducting the musical is that the auditorium does not have an orchestra pit.
"Someday I want to go into professional conducting as in full opera or in a symphony. KU has a richer program for what I want than most schools," Schornick stated.
said, "I feel very gratified to be chosen for this position."
"Without an orchestra pit I cannot be in front of the stage to direct the singers and conduct the orchestra at the same time," Schornick explained. "Now I'm off to one side which solves the problem."
THE GREATEST HITS OF ROD McKUEN by Rod McKuen has just been released on Warner Brothers-Seven Arts. This album has all the "biggies" of one of America's greatest poets. As the album jacket proudly proclaims, "the songs in this album have sold more than 25 million records." This means by other artists as well as McKuen. However, it is still my opinion that anyone as abysmally sad, whose poetry is as preoccupied with lust for lust's sake, who is as perpetually depressed and who is as poor a singer as McKuen should not make money by selling albums.
After receiving an undergraduate degree in music theory, there is a possibility that Schornick will go abroad on a scholarship to do graduate study in conducting. Such a possibility exists, Schornick said but at present he is very busy with studying the cello and "The Mikado."
Kathy Kirkpatrick, Des Moines freshman, and Scott Holmes, Kenilworth, III., sophomore, play the villains Katisha and Ko-Ko in the Gilbert and Sullivan Co. production "The Mikado," March 5-9 in Strong Auditorium.
The Bad Guys
At one time Schornick had planned to attend Wichita State University on a voice scholarship. However, the professor he wanted to study under resigned, whereupon Schornick decided to come to
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents
Feb. 28
1969 KANSAN 5