Theater review
Theater wages a ‘Lovely War’
THE
RUSSIANS
ARE COMING!
Men’s Basketball
Oregon
versus
Soviet National Team
Tonight
Wednesday, November 3
7:30 p.m.
Tickets Available at
Mac Court Ticket Office
Student Season $25.00
Individual Game $3.00
General Admission $4.50
Reserved Seats $9.00
for more information 686“446 1
Double Tee
in association with
the EMU Cultural
Forum
presents
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$97$ & $£75
Tuesday, Nov. 9* 8nm
By Jonathan Siegle
With all the examples we’ve
had by now, one would think
mankind would have learned
that going to war is just not a
nice thing to do on a Sunday
afternoon
Of all man's wars, however,
The Great War, 'the war to end
all wars,’ may have been the
worst It was ugly
It was ugly because it was so
foolishly begun It was ugly
because a 19th century
mentality was made to confront
20th century technology
It was ugly because its
generals fought a war of attri
tion, laying waste to all their
resources, but especially
oeople Were it not for the
entrance of the fresh blood of
the Americans, both sides might
very well have collapsed in their
trenches No winner, just losers
It began almost as a lark, a
family feud between cousin
George in England and cousin
Wilhelm in Germany who
became involved after Austria
promised only a “bright, brisk
little war'' against Serbia
Through the University
Theatre's production of "Oh
What A Lovely War," by Joan
Littlewood and Charles Chilton,
we are reminded that war sucks
The play documents the course
of World War I by following the
popular songs of the times, with
images and news items from the
front mingled in It doesn't have
to make a statement; the truth
does it well enough
The show is a cabaret revue
and begins as the war itself
began, bright and gay As the
war turns grim, the gaiety fades
From “It’s a Long Way to
Tipperary’’ to “When This
Lousy War is Over," the music
follows closely the course of the
war Air battles, gas attacks and
trench warfare are all depicted
The play is held together by
the cabaret host as it cuts from
scene to song and back again
Dan Conroy is the master of
ceremonies, and he is superb
Conroy's timing is
impeccable He has a sense for
British dance hall humor, how to
play an audience, how to be in a
scene and how not to be And
perhaps best of all, he has a
wonderful singing voice
Conroy is assisted by Carol
Burger as Miss Bertha V Nation
She too can sing And dance
Together they portray an air
battle which manages both
grand humor and pathos
The remainder of the roles are
traded around among the cast
members, a mad parade of
nations, soldiers, officers,
nurses, civilians.
Linda Chace stands out from
the throng Her voice is pure,
her delivery understated Chris
Dolman, who plays a variety of
British officers, likewise stands
out
The young cast is spirited
They work well together. But
there are two clunkers.
The majority of the cast are
women It is understood that
finding enough males for such
roles is difficult. However,
relying on the audience to
accept so many feminine faces
as British soldiers in the
trenches is stretching credibility
too far
The other problem is one of
pitch. Too many of the songs
are simply too high for some
voices. It would not be too dif
ficult to transpose down.
These are really small
matters. "Oh What A Lovely
War" is a fine production
Director John Rindo has
captured both the flavor of a
British dance hall and the futility
of battle
jP|| Continued from Page 3B
angry Hoffman fries to prove his
acting ability by auditioning as a
woman He lands a part in a
soap opera and finally achieves
fame — as a woman Teri Garr
and Jessica Lange join Hoffman
in this comic look at the world of
daytime soaps
The Toy presents an intere
sting experiment in chemistry
between comic actors Richard
Pryor and Jackie Gleason
Directed by Richard Donner
(Superman), "The Toy" has
Gleason playing a rich Southern
tycoon who "buys" a flat-broke
journalist (Pryor) as a plaything
for his spoiled son. Pryor finds
— like everyone else — that he
has his price as he submits to
being “The Toy."
Hal Ashby's ninth film in a
decade is Lookin' To Get Out, a
character study of two
streetwise New Yorkers getting
ready for a chancy Las Vegas
gamble Jon Voight stars as an
incorrigible charmer who runs
up a large tab with the local loan
sharks. In a risky attempt to
raise the needed money, Voight
escapes to Vegas to “win big."
Open 9:30 - 6 Mon. thru Sat.
446 E. 13th St.
4 blocks W. of campus
Next to Bijou Theater
342-8339
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