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Show Westminster Players to Perform Ronald Ribmans The J omrney of the Fifth Horse9 by Calvin L, Harrington Forum staff writer productions at the University of Utah for three years (within the French language repertoire). Currently, he is affiliated with The Westminster Players next Theatre Works West. The Journey of the Fifth Horse is production will be The Journey of the Fifth Horse by Ronald Ribman. This promises quite a trip. It is based, in part, on Ivan be another outstanding evening of Turgenevs story Diary of a Superfluous to theater. Opening night is Wednesday, Man. The play is a convincing recreation of 19th century Petersburg, Russia. The February 14. Russ Lees is the talented young director play advances the idea that timid souls are ofthis production. Hisfather, Jay W. Lees, apt to lead empty lives. The fifth horses taught theater at Westminster College for of the play are Zoditch, a reader in a over thirty consecutive years. The junior , publishing company (played by Shawn Lees is noted for his successful direction of , Colvin) and Chulkaturin, a landowner The Bald Sopranoand Macbett (both by (played by Tom Davis). He also directed Zoditch who is alive, reads about Eugene Ionesco). Escape Velocity:9 A Realistic, Violent Play Chulkaturin who is dead, and there is constant tension between the two. It is the story of two superfluous men, or two fifth horses, one of whom does not want to recognize the other. The manipulation of the dual roles is fascinating and effectively theatrical. Chulkaturin is actually an extra horse one that is not harnessed to a to the others in is attached useless but only such a way that he cannot help hurting four-in-han- d, himself. Westminster Players give us another sample of fine ensemble casting. The colorful group of Russian characters include Chulkaturins housekeeper (Esther Nelson), her grandchild (Jaime Lara), an apprentice reader in the publishing company (Justin Campbell), the owner of the company (Robyn Tracy), the supervising printer (Shane Cook), a landlady (Laurel Randquist), a nurse (Summer Ash), alawyer (Larry Marvin), a cleaning girl (Melanie Olmstead), another landowner, Ozhegin (Sean Thomas) and Tania, a young unmarried girl (Stephanie Fetzer). The play is both modern and traditional, both grotesque and lyrical. The author manages to preserve the core of the original Turgenev story intact. He has ' absorbed Turgenevs plot into a plot of his own. Turgenevs original character, Chulkaturin is contrasted with Zoditch (Ribmans invented character) and the story becomes a play-within-a-pla- by Chris Madding Forum staff writer Written and designed by Brad K. Henrie, Escape Velocity, is an inside view of a mans feelings after his girlfriend leaves him. The play opens with Burns, played by Justin Campbell, and Clair, played by Kathleen McGilvray, still together as they watch slides ofa recent vacation and discuss the fun they had. , Quickly the play shows the realism in their relationship. Clair, unsure about life in general, has an outside affair with the maintenance man, Ronnie, played by M. Shane Cook. Burns discovers this and has an affair of his own with an old employer, Jenny, played by Westminsters own Gail C. McCulloch. Clair practically catches Bums in the act and subsequently moves out of the apartment they shared. The rest of the play shows Burns attempt to accept the ensuing outcome, the loss of his love, and to answer the question why? The second act of the play portrays the anger in Bums. An anger first seen as he takes aggression out on himself and finally as he turns his violence towards others. In a final attempt to get an honest answer from Clair, Bums holds her at gun point saying, Love is knowing how to hurt Issue 15 February 6, 1990 somebody and deliberately choosing not to. . . Clair replies, No, it means we should never see each other again. Finally, in tears, Clair tries to convince Bums things arent the same anymore and he replies, Thats not what I wanted to hear, but it is honest. He then sets her free. When asked where he came up with the idea for the play, Henrie said, Oh from about 50 past relationships. Henrie said he was happy with the production of the play. It wasnt exactly as I had wrote it, but they never are. Each cast sees a play in their own way, and portrays it as they see it, he said. Christina Thurmond, director, said she was happy with the play. It was exactly the way I saw it in my heart, she said. The audience has grown with each night of the play. We arent really making money from it, but thats all right. The people are volunteering their time and are very dedicated to the production, Thurmond said. The Clocks were an added benefit to the production, playing background music throughout the play, and actingas amedium between the sender and the receiver. Escape Velocity is a realistic view, a violent sense, of what goes on in into put mind after loosing his love. a mans Escape Velocity played at the with repeat Speedway Cafe Jan. 2 Feb. 3. on and performances 25-2- 8, well-chose- n words. The Journey of the Fifth Horse won Award when in was first produced Obie an in New York. Dustin Hoffman had the original role that Shawn Colvin is playing (Zoditch) in the Westminster Players production. The play will run through February 17. Curtain time is 8 p.m. and admission is free. Read the Forum! Because Laura's Gone," yXv .v.v.v .. y.yvy.;vy - y. Primary intent is not to give away too much of the plot and we will not tell the Escape Velocity, written by Brad K. Henrie and directed by Christina Thurmond, drew a steady crowd at The Speedway Cafe. But the invented character of Zoditch is quite an intriguing creation; the audience gets to see his real life and his fantasy life. We watch as he recognizes and cries out against the identification he feels with the man whose diary he is reading. The author, Ronald Ribman has also written poetry and his poetic background is reflected in the plays dialogue. He has a strong commi tment to the Engli sh language. He is essentially a verbal dramatist, captivated by the nuances of language; the adverb can alter the first way a He also relies on of sentence. a meaning visual images that give particular force to ending. .y. .. .. L. Reeves editor) (ex-Foru- m Maestro Silverstein to Conduct and Solo for the Utah Symphony by Calvin L. Harrington Forum staff writer Joseph Silverstein will not only conduct the Utah Symphony but will also appear as violin soloist for the February 9 and 10 concerts. The concerts, which begins at 8 p.m. in Symphony Hall, will feature The Lark Ascending and Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, both by Vaughan Williams, and Anton Dvoraks Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88. The versatile Silverstein will conduct (from the violin) for Williams romance for violin and orchestra. Student tickets are are available for $5 each. On Saturday, February 10, children of all ages can enjoy a Utah Symphony concert by Hogle Zoo. Silverstein will also conduct these concerts which will feature music relating to animals. Please dont bring your pets! Two special concerts will be held: one at 11:30 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m. One hour prior to each concert, can mingle in the lobby of symphony hall with various animals from Utahs Hogle Zoo. In addition, volunteers from the zoo will be on hand to talk about these visiting critters. Information on zoo memberships and the Wild Child program will be available also. Tickets for these family concerts are also available ($2 for kids and $4 for adults). The program will include such delightful ditties as Flight of the Bumbleticket-holde- rs bee (Rimsky-KorsakovTeddy Bears Picnic (Bratten), The White Peacock (Griffes), and Grofes On the Trail, from The Grand Canyon Suite. The highlight will be Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saen- s with Carole Mikita ofKSL Television as narrator. Pianists will be Ricklen Nobis and Marjorie Janove. For more information or to order tickets, call the symphony box office at ), well as perform with the Utah Symphony on Feb. 9 and 10. 533-NOT- Forum E. Page 7 |