Lady Loverly alive
and kicking
by Jciy Brown
As a callow youth way back in 1956 I pass
ed up the chance to see the opening of My
Fair Lady on Broadway. And, as I have gotten
older I’ve learned that things happen or don’t
happen for a reason. Now I know why I didn't
go to that historic opening. Last night I was in
the audience when The Musical Company
gave its first public performance of the vener
able musical.
The Eastside Performance Center is
housed in the now defunct Washington-
Monroe High School at SE 14th and Stark.
The auditorium is, of course, not the best
space for serious musical theatre, but with
work it may be.
As Henry Higgins, an archetypical MCP.
Peter Fornara performed as if the part had
been written for him. His acting was sharp
and precisely witty with nothing out of
character. He never lost his accent and even
kept that lisp peculiar to upper-class British
snobs,
Cynthia Sm ith-English’s Eliza was excel-
lenty performed. Smith-English has a pure
and clean soprano voice, precisely in charac
ter for the difficult transition from Cockney to
upper-class English speech patterns.
As Colonel Pickering, Jeff Miller was the
perfect foil to Higgins' braggadocio. Miller’s
com ic flair kept the proceedings flowing
splendidly.
The orchestra, under the direction of Dr.
Walter Carr, is placed in the balcony to the
right of the stage and at times overpowered
the singers, especially if they were not facing
the audience. The orchestra had an authentic
musical theatre sound, a sound peculiar to
the genre.
The Musical Company is something new
to Portland, but has its roots in the Theatre
Workshop, founded in 1947 as part of the
Portland Bureau of Parks and Recreation.
The aim of the Musical Company is to estab
lish a professional theatre company which
produces musicals: and, to quote from Musi
cal Company Director Steve Smith's pro
gram notes, “We are com m itted to using
local talent — actors, singers, dancers, musi
cians and designers — and we will provide a
place to help that talent grow.’’
Theatre Mask
comes home
The nationally renowned Theatre Mask
Ensemble, based in Portland, presents for
the holidays their 1983 home season of origi
nal mask theatre at Storefront Theatre (6 S.W.
3rd) during December. Evening Concert Per
formances will be Thursday through Satur
day, December 8-23 at 8 pm. Children's
Matinees will be December 17-23 at 1 pm.
and December 18-21 at 2:30 pm. For ticket
prices and reservations call 224-4001. These
programs are made possible in part by grants
from the Metropolitan Arts Commission and
the Oregon Arts Commission.
Theatre Mask Ensemble takes you on a
fanciful journey that begins with a perceptive
look at our everyday world and ends in a
place that exists beyond your wildest
imagination.
One of the company's creations is a giant
worm who performs incredible acihbatic
feats such as a galloping handstand. “With
the many masks and movements our theatre
is like watching a live three-dimensional ani
mation,“ says Jerry Mouawad, Director. In
another piece entitled "The Swinging Amphi
bians" the Ensemble plays a chorus of ter
restrial frogs whose exuberant leaps and
bounds result in a humorous song and
dance routine.
Theatre Mask works in a variety of mask
styles. In one piece a cowboy's cartoon life is
depicted through his moving silver screen of
a face. This piece, performed in a mechanical
mask, combines film technique and mime in
a story set in the Old West
Mask, movement and music combine to
portray real and surreal actions of human
nature. "City Park" is a look at some offbeat
characters' attempts at social interaction.
The results range from a slapstick battle to a
sentimental waltz. Another original work
“ Schizophrenia” examines a character's
psyche which when twisted by the flip of the
mask reveals hidden personalities.
The evening concert of Theatre Mask con
cludes with a playfully abstract piece on
evolution, history and the future. Sounds
complicated? Not so. The Ensemble designs
all its works so that they may be enjoyed by
both young and old. Youngsters are captivated
by characters and the visuals, while adults
may look further into the works to be inspired
by their own insights.
In the upcoming year the company will
tour the West to Alaska, Arizona, Utah,
California, Oregon and Washington. They
will play to a variety of audiences including
Eskimos, Navajo and Mexicans.
The Portland based company began in
1979 with the intention of creating original
mask theatre. Earlier this year their work was
rewarded with the highest ranking for a mime
company during a nationwide competition
sponsored by Dance Films Association as
part of National Dance Week.
The three performers in the Ensemble
have a variety of professional experience
including mime, dance, theatre and circus
techniques. The one thing they have in com
mon is the understanding that the body is a
very expressive tool for the stage and most
im portant for mask theatre.
Jerry Mouawad and Carol Uselman are the
co-founders and directors of the company.
Jerry brings to the company his rudimentary
study of mime, while Carol contributes with
her varied dance background. They were
both looking for a form of mime that was not
lim ited to storytelling illusions, and a type of
dance which was not totally defined by form,
rhythm and music. They found the new
avenue they were looking for in mask theatre.
All the ensemble’s costumes are designed by
Carol. The masks are designed by Jerry.
Masks are constructed with the help of Mark
A. Opshinsky, the third and newest member.
Mark brings to the group a strong sense of
improvisational comedy. He was also an in
structor at the Hayes-Marshall School of
Theatre Arts, a school of movement arts that
used masks as a training tool for actors.
The company creates all of its own masks,
first by modeling the form in clay and then
creating a negative mold with plaster of paris.
The final mask is made either of paper or
synthetic materials. To bring the mask to life,
costume and talent are added.
Just Out
Nov 11-Nov 25
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