L
Khoto hv Mari* (.nrtallu
Johanna Schmitz (right) as Snowball and Lee Krahenbuhl as Napolean gave good performances
in the University’s musical production of ‘‘Animal Farm.”
Script weak in some spots,
but 'Animal Farm' succeeds
OK. “Animal Farm" as a
musical. Somehow it is hard to
picture George Orwell's 1945
allegory on the Russian Revolu
tion as so ng-a nd - da nee
material, but there it was, in
front of a very responsive, near
sellout crowd at the Robinson
Theatre. Pigs, horses, cows,
sheep and a cat — singing, dan
cing and waving their paws.
Review by
Marty Schwarzbauer
Adapted from Orwell's novel
by Sir Peter Hall, director of the
British Theatre, this University
production of "Animal Farm"
came off pretty well. There were
some weak spots, particularly
in the script itself, but overall
the performance was quite
successful.
The show opened with Al
Villanueva’s soft piano accom
paniment. followed by Jason
Buell, as The Boy. strutting out
in knickers, narrating the story
from an oversized book. Both
Buell and Stan Freitag as
Farmer Jones started out a little
too hyper and maybe somewhat
silly, but soon settled imo a nice
high-energy tempo.
The quick pace was maintain
ed throughout most of the
show, but seemed to drag a little
towaid the end. This may be at
tributed to the fact that the cast
of "Animal Farm" is probably
one of the youngest, least ex
perienced to star in the Robin
son. Almost everyone involved
carried it off pretty well,
though.
With the actors all in masks
and constantly changing from
one animal to another
(sometimes in mid-scene, right
on stage), it was occasionally
hard to keep up with who was
playing what. A few perfor
mances really stood out,
though, particularly Lee
Krahenbuhl as Napoleon the
pig, and Freitag in multiple
roles as Farmer Jones, Moses the
Raven and one of the dogs.
Freitag did some nice off-focus
acting as one of the dogs, chew
ing and scratching at fleas, and
sniffing around at other
characters.
Maintaining character
believabilitv w*hon the focus is
elsewhere on stage can be one of
the more difficult challenges for
any actor. Chad McCord's roles,
especially his hen and cow. and
Karen Read's sensual portrayal
of the cat were notably
impressive.
Read’s preening, cleaning
and tail-chasing, and her fre
quent obliviousness to the
seriousness of the action were
so catlike, one could almost
hear her purring. Director Cray
Eubank has to be complimented
for his actors' successes in this
regard.
Other strong performances in
cluded Brad Mead’s role as Box
er. the mindlessly obeisant
workhorse, and Johanna
Schmitz as Snowball the pig. I
had a little problem when
Snowball was chased off the
farm by the other animals and
Schmitz returned as an almost
identical young pig. I suppose it
would be too easy to say that
since Snowball supposedly
represented I .eon Trotsky in the
story, Schmitz's return as
another pig represented a
Trotsky-esque element among
young communists.
All the performances were
more than adequate, although
sometimes Cole-Arthur Horna
day as Squealer the pig was a bit
forced in his exuberance. I here
was also a frequent tendency
toward silliness by many of the
actors, which distracted from
the story.
Other than that, the only real
ly weak element, however was
in the script itself, which, while
attempting to remain true to
Orwell, was a little shaky
toward the end. This, combined
with some opening night jitters
WETL MATCH
OR BEAT
ANY PRICE
IN TOWN
WE
GUARANTEE
IT!
Barg'/ fhi /hop
13th 4 Lawrence • 683-1300
Open Mon Sat 10 6
and the lack of experience
among most of the cast, pro
bably caused the breakdown in
tempo late in the play.
David Apple’s set. with its
quickly changing parts and
odd-angle design, was wonder
ful. almost psychedelic. Nancy
Julian's simple costuming was
effective in that it gave the illu
sion of the particular animals
without dominating the focus.
Fubanks says he directed this
production with ‘an essence of
the way a child looks at the
world," and he has successfully
come up with a show that will
appeal not only to kids, but to
the child in everyone.
"Animal Farm” continues at
the Robinson Theatre Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, November
13-15, and Friday and Saturday,
November 21 and 22.
ROBERT A. BENDER, M.D.
INTERNAL MEDICINE
GENERAL PRACTICE
PROVIDING COMPLETE &
PERSONALIZED CARE
PHONE DAY OR NIGHT
342-4644
475 OAKWAY RD.
—UO Bookstore=
Special Purchase
Records & Tapes
Cassettes or LPs
JAZZ • ROCK
CLASSICAL • COUNTRY
Something for Everyone!
*While supplies last
Your Store
Since 1920
13th A Kincaid
M F 7 305 30
SAT 10004 00
Supphat M6 4331
Juniors, Seniors & Grads...
GIVE YOURSELF
SOME CREDIT!
APPLY NOW FOR YOUR VERY OWN
• Bring a photocopy of
your School I.D.
• No cosigner required
APPLY NOW ON CAMPUS!
Date: Today, and the 12th & 14th
Time: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Place: EMU Fishbowl Annex
CfTIBANK©