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Show Signpost May 19, 1978 Looking For Someplace To Go Later On? A claimed By Many As The Hit I.HS MusicalJJQjt! OfThoYear " Bv Mark Ogden I i W. S. C. Fine Arts Auditorium J June 8 - 9, 1978 ' 8 P.M. I ,7" Hack Hv Popular Demand ml due Sell Your Books To The Bookstore ..w.w... ..j..i1..m.,.i.ii !,. ,i Mi ,i I,,, mm .mini mm,,,. umiMi , m-iii - A ''. . vv-V vv. io ntstw LaMOYI fc, l)Rh, a occultist is threatened by a shotgun-wielding old man. played liy Kalph Orton. in "Charlie," one of three one act plays that make up WSC theatre's "3 in Spring." "3 in Spring" gets mixed review by Henry Matthews "Three in Spring" is a deceptive title for a trio of one-act plays now showing in the Cellar Theatre in the Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts. There is very little about spring to tie the plays together, but there is definitely some real excellence in acting that deserves to be seen by more than the 40-50 audience members who watched Monday evening's performance. The production continues through Saturday at 8 p.m. Dr. T. Leonard Rowley, Artistic co-ordinator of the production, deserves credit for assigning generally competent young directors for the three plays. Somewhat Shallow The first play is "Braille" by Lone Bateman, and is directed by Cathy Bergman. The script itself is a charming vehicle for the very competent acting, but remains somewhat shallow when it comes to meaning or significance. Nick Lepus as Paul, does a charming job of character building, but is outdone by lesser parts played bv Victoria Stranger and Mitch Hansen. Rhonda Stoddard, though weaker, shows a great deal of promise as an actress. The two thugs in the show, played by Tom Cowen and Mike Melonas, show real skill in stage fighting techniques, but fail to convince the audience that they are real thugs. Perhaps more appropriate costumes and make-up would have helped. Crashing Bore The second entre in the program is "Ah Eurydice!" by Stanley Taikeff and was directed by Robert A. Chase. This reviewer found "Eurydice" to be a crashing bore at anytime. Ronda Bickmore was not onstage as Eurydice. William E. Hall, as Pluto, seemed seriously misdirected, and David A. Phippen as Orpheus was not even firm on his lines, and recited his speeches bit by halting bit, as if he had to recall each bit in order. The costumes were very effective, but could not compensate for the jobs of the director and actors. Hit of the Evening "Charlie" by Slavomire Mozek and directed by Roy Brinkerhoff was the hit of the evening. One might wonder if the success was due to the excellance of the directing or to the skill of the acting. Even attempting to determine who gets the credit is a big plus in this case, because "Charlie" was a riot that kept the audience chuckling throughout. LaMonte Draney, as the oculist, gave a firm and frantic performance that bordered on mad genius, while Kriste Mor-tenson. as the granddaughter was as whimsically entertaining as an audience could desire. Ralph Orton, as Grandpa was sufficiently competent, but seemed unclear on his line at times in addition to a horribly phoney make-up job. In spite of some minor and some major flaws, the entire production is well worth the efforts to attend. Technical efforts and lighting are especially effective and help to make the evening a fun and memorable experience. Percussion concert Band The Weber State College Percussion Ensemble will present a free concert in the Val A. Browning Center May 22 at 8 p.m. Douglas J. Wolf, WSC instructor of percussion, said a wide variety of percussion music, including several selections of jazz and lighter music, will be included in the offering. Dr. Wolf will conduct the concert. Three high school percussionists, John Gailey of Ben Lomond High and Brent Moss and Kent Seegmiller, both of Davis High, will join with the ensemble for two numbers. Included on the program are "Overture for Percussion Ensemble" by John Beck; "Fanfare for Percussion" by Alyn Heim, and "Drum Corps on Parade" by John S. Pratt, the last number featuring Kent Seegmiller on the snare drum. Wolf and Gailey will be featured on the marimba in "Violin Duet, Opus 35 No. 8" by Mazas. Charles Stanley will play the marimba and Jolen Dalton the piano in "Concertino" by Toshiro Mayuzumi. Also featured will be Brent Moss, multiple percussionist, in "French Suite" by William Kraft. holds banquet The Wind-Ensemble and Stadium Band members will conclude the season with a joint banquet June 1 at 7 p.m. at the Mansion House. Those band members interested must sign up in Clista's office in the Val A. Browning Center by May 24. |