Summer Session Kansan
Thursday, July 19, 1979
Uptown
5
'The Muppet Movie' too good for just kids
Kansan Reviewer
By LEONARD D. GROTTA
Lo and behold, what should appear in a rowatow but a Hollywood talent scout who just happens to be lost. Hearing Kernit sing, he convicts the frog that by going to Hollywood and auditioning he could eventually make millions of people happy.
Who's green, can ride a bicycle, and wants to make it big in Hollywood?
Who's pink, fat, has a very large nose—no, it's not Streisand—and sports blond hair more outrageous than Dolly Parton's? I'm sure I want to make it big in Hollywood, too.
If you know the answers to these questions, read no further. You are obviously already acquainted with Kermit the frog, Miss Piggy, and the other mothemp that you're and you've probably already set to see their newest endeavor, "The Muppet Movie."
The wild, cross-country romp all begins on a tranquil duck in a mucky swamp. Kermit the frog is singing a ballad about rainbows, written by Paul Williams who briefly appears in the film, and penned all the songs.
Don't be misled by the "G" rating on the marquese. This film is far too good to be wasted on children. And besides, any child who can appreciate the atrocious puns, vulpal social commentary and slick wit should not permeate the world would be untroubleable. Sorry, Foxy.
Never one to look altruism in the eye, Kermit sets out on his quest, gradually assembling her entourage—perhaps zoo is a better word—along the way.
Naturally after many trials, tribulations, and temporary setbacks, pursured all the while the villainous owner of a fast-foo franchise specializing in french fried frog legs, Kermit and cohors finally make it to Hollywood where a movie mogul, played by Kevin Lopez, issues Kermit and the friends the standard rich and famous movie contract.
The humorous dialogue throughout the movie is davidelle at its best, or worst, depending on your particular point of view. The same tired jokes appear over and over again throughout the movie, until finally the character comes out before instead of after they hear them.
And the physical gags are just as bad. A pie in the face still gets laughs, and any similarity between the scene where Miss Iris lives and the scene where Clarabel commercial is obviously intentional, even though the scene does have a few clever variations. And as for does she or doesn't she, it never really clear whether she and Miss Piggery ever to get married.
And, a Studebaker from the early '60's can get laughs by sitting with them. The fact that a bear who learned to drive via a train would ride behind the wheel just adds to the honey.
What's most amazing about the muppets is the degree of expression theyupplies are able to convey. Their characters may be hollow, but they certainly aren't shallow; they exude more personality than many people.
So, if you like the television show, you'll be curious about the movie. There aren't any comments yet.
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"Make New Friends, Meet Old Friends"
Ramada Inn
2222 W. 6th 842-7O3O
Backgammon Tournament
Thur • Fri • Sat
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Sat & Sun 6pm-3am
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MINGLE TONIGHT!
Nelson reflected in kaleidoscope of colors
Staff photos by MICHAEL PATTERSON
same aron (met), chairman of the exhibit's construction committee, puts some finish touches on a giant mirror, one of the
Mirror magic
Workers in the main hallway of the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, help construct artists Dale Eldred's "Gallery of Reflections."
By MARY JO HOWARD Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
Artiste Dale Eldred is bringing the sun into the Nelson Art Gallery. On July 22, his extensive solar exhibition will turn the grim, gray Nelson into a theater of light.
For the past year, Eldred, chairman of the sculpture department at the Kansas City Museum, has been building mysterious-looking structures designed to capture the sun's light. When his project is completed, there will be a 'dance' $^4$ of light through the entire gallery.
Eldred's project is divided into eight parts, most of which work together to achieve effective light and color movement.
At the north entrance to the gallery, there are two black poles with grids of white paper on them. Each grid contains 80 yellow, 30 green, and 10 blue which can be adjusted separately to reflect sunlight onto the outside wall of the gallery. There are yellow rectangles dancing across the wall.
Moving inside Kirkwood Hall, which is in the gallery, there is a 25 by 50 foot platform covered with diffractive mylar tape. Light from skylights above the hall is reflected from the platform, amming it "fat" with all the colors of the spectrum.
Next to Kirkwood Hall is Rozzelle Court.
which is lined with mirror walls. Light dances through spray from a fountain in the courtyard, creating a rainbow effect. The spray moves toward the moving as the sun tracks across the sky.
On the other side of Kirkwood Hall, the central loan gallery has a grid on the floor covered with fluorescent material, which gives off light rather than reflecting it. The glass in this area is thrown back and distorted by plumgass mirrors lining the walls of the room.
In the Cloister, an adjacent room made up of gray stone arches, is a slide show. It contains images of slides of the arches, distorting one's perception of the room. One can see the room being "constructed" through softened images of the arches as each slide
Moving outside the south door of the gallery, the first thing one sees is tall grass in the shape of an 'x'. Intended to show the "matural work of the sun's light," he was created by a treatment of nitrogen causing a rapid and tail growth of grass.
Also included in the view from the south door are 400 "light poles" on Brush Creek Boulevard. The poles, which are 16 feet tall, are painted in a darker tape, which reflects a maze of colors.
Between 8 and 9 a.m., blazing greens
and purples are reflected. This pales into a pinkish-mauve later in the morning at and dusk.
After noon, the colors of the reflected light are reversed, changing from light, soft hues to ones that are darker and more intense.
At night, an entirely different perspective can be drawn from the light given off by cars' headlights, bouncing off the poles.
Behind the light poles, grids of diffractive material similar to that used on bicycle reflectors are mounted on top of the Midwest Research Institute. On the hour, a spectrum of light passing from red to blue can be seen from the south door of the gallery.
Eldred did a similar project at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Houston, gaxts last year. He Hears it glass and exhibits the outside with reflective tape. Bev Rosenberg, public information director for the Nelson, said she thought that this exhibition would be the Houston exhibition.
The museum expects visitors from all over the country during the exhibition's two-month showing from July 22 to Sept. 2, Rosenberg on Sept. 3, the entire museum will be dismounted leaving nothing but memories and pictures of the "sun dance."
Coming up this week
Concerts
MIDWESTERN MUSIC CAMP
Sat. July 12 Senior High concert featuring
concert choir, camp symphony orchestra
and orchestra, 1 p.m. in
University Theatre, Murphy Hall.
LAWRENCE OPERA HOUSE
Todd through Sat. July 21 Pat's Blue Riddim Hall
BROWN BAG CONCERTS
TODAY at Parks park, 11th and
Massachusetts streets.
PAUL GRAY'S JAZZ PLACE 926 Massachusetts St.
LAWRENCE COMMUNITY BAND
4 p.m. in South Park, 13th
and Massachusetts
Tonight: Jam session, featuring Mike Behnny, John Moore and Paul Miller. No cover charge. Sat., July 21: Gaslight Gang in final jazz
Sat., July 21: Gaslight Gang in final jazz session. Cover charge $5.
Museums
FORT LEAVENWORTH MUSEUM
Fort Leavensarth
Now through Aug. 12 A special exhibit of original American and Canadian World War II posters. Hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon. through Sat., noon to 4 p.m. Sun.
NELSON-ATKINS ART MUSEUM
San. July 22 through Sept. 2 Dale Eldred's gallery of holidays. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday).
ELIZABETH M. WATKINS
COMMUNITY MUSEUM
O'ZANE HWM, WKINKS,
CLOVERTON
11th and Massachusetts streets
Now showing, "A History of Lawrence,
"part three of a four-part exhibit.
KU SUMMER THEATRE
Theatre
STARLIGHT THEATRE
Fri., Sat, and Sun. July 29-22 "South Pacific" 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, University Theatre. Gen. citizens, free to KU students with valid ID.
Now through Sunday, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
starring Arte Johnson, Avery Schreiber,
Hana Connard and John Carrindale. 8:30 p.m.
21-28 "Sugar" starring Robert Morse,
Bernie Berry and Dion O'Connor. 8:30 p.m.
Galleries
ART AND DESIGN GALLERY
Sat. July 21 Exhibit of Work by Senior High
Art and Design Camp students. Showing from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
HELEN FORS曼 SPENCER MUSEUM OF ART
Sun, July 21, 2014. Something Like a Star," a gallery talk starting at 2 p.m. in the south balky gallery.
E7E GALLERY
7 E. Seventh St
Now showing through the summer, "Af-
fordable Art," by gallery artists.
'South Pacific': some disenchanted evening
By LEONARD D. GROTTA
Kansan Reviewer
"South Pacific," to lift a phrase from the show itself, may be as corny as Kansas in August. But it can still be a pleasant and enjoyable show, as long as it is performed in a light, fast-paced manner with solid comedic acting and vocal performances.
The Kansas Summer Theatre's production of "South Pacific," which opened last Friday, however, falls short of redeeming itself in this way. The performers aren't excellent singers who cann't act, nor are they well known. With a few notable exceptions, they are caught in a limbo, worse than, and halfway between the two extremes.
Stefanie May Hurnes, Lawrence graduate student, brings an enjoyable and expressive singing voice to the leading role of Nellie Forbush. Despite some problem projecting her range, her songs generally come off with more than a modicum of sparkle.
Her speaking voice, however, sounds like an entirely different character. To add to this somewhat disconcerting schizophrenia, she often plays her role of a cock-eyed optimist with great solemnity, a little heavy for "South Pacific."
Nellie's romantic folio in the play, French plantation owner Emile de Becque, is performed by Antonio H. Perez, associate professor of music performance. Perez's voice is highly trained, and he consistently delivers polished songs, notably "Some Enchanted Evening" and the subtle, yet moving, "This Nearly Was Mine."
Yet despite his polished singing and competent acting, Perez doesn't quite seem convincing as Nellie's wonderful girl. In a movie where the character is "as South Pacific," it is impossible to compare the actors, perhaps unfairly, to those who pioneered the roles in other productions. Yet the feeling persists that the actor has not been capturing characterization for vocal competence.
The other side of this casting coin is seen in the performance of Lt. Joe Cable by Lawrence graduate student Kip Grosshans. Grosshans's vocals are pleasant, but totally lacking any punch or power. The same is an all around athletic result: it is an all around anemic performance.
Fortunately, there are a few highlights.
The part of Bloody Mary in this weekend's performance, though, will be sung by Miriam Stewart Green, professor of music performance. It will be interesting to see if she can match or top Mitchell's performance.
The shining aur of the entire production,
however, was Delbert Unruth, University
The part of Tonguese islander, Bloody Mary, was superbly performed last weekend by Theresa Mitchell, who completed her master's degree in theatre at KU this May. She played the comic part in an original but soundly workable way, and aby sang the difficult "Bali Ha!" and the snapple, upbeat "Happy Talk."
Pvt. Luther Billis, played by John D. Tonkovich, acting assistant professor of speech and drama, also was a good comedic performance, delivered in an entirely improvised fashion, and doubt, during his childhood in New York City. He consistently garnered laughs throughout the show, and his only short-coming apart from his height was that he didn't take greater advantage of the op-ed opportunity, building the bathteny harmony song "Honey Bun."
Theatre scenic designer. The minimal sets were largely constructed of "bamboo" screens and curtains, and the colorful lighting provided by LED screens and the stage floor were more evocative of the setting than all the fake palm trees in existence. And, quite literally topping off the scenery, was Bali Hai'i off in a cloud of dust from an ethereal island in glowing pastel colors.
Although "South Pacific" is dated, it is still probably everyone's mother's favorite musical. And the scarcity of empty seats in the large University Theatre both Friday and Saturday nights attest to its continued popularity.
Although the performance is far from flawless, fans of musical comedy and Rodgers and Hammerstein, will still find plenty of potential for pleasant entertainment and nostalgia. After all, be it best or worst, it's the only music in town.
"South Pacific" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 20 and July 21, with a final performance at 2:30 p.m.on Sunday, July 22.
Tickets, available at the Murphy Hall box office, are $2.50, $1.50 for senior citizens and $3.00 for non-identical seniors.