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Show The Thundertrird Monday, February 6, 1984 Page 11 to be Marriage, sadly, isn't allbut it's cracked up diminish winter of Musically, Marriage technical problems schedule, Figaro brightens Theatre review performers expertise The opera The Marriage of Figaro, staged Thursday through Saturday at SUSC, turned out to be full of surprises, and many of them were Countess Almaviva, the pair was able to elicit emotional response from audience members. Aden, an assistant professor of music and covocal director of the performance, displayed wonderful comic timing which provided moments of relief from the tedium. pleasant. The music, directed by C. David Nyman, was a delight and the performance by the College Orchestra was perhaps their finest in recent memory. The voices were for the most part quite strong and blended well with the orchestration. However, technically, the production had some problems. The short run, unfortunately, does not allow for continued improvement on this particular opera. An additional week of rehearsal and preparation might have solved many problems. It proved to be both distracting and disconcerting to be subjected to such bungles as a door which seemed to have a spirit of its own, opening and closing without human assistance, seemingly paving the way for an entrance which never occurred. At one point the lights dimmed mysteriously and at another the set began to undulate dizzyingly for some 20 seconds before a hand appeared from the shadows to halt the motion. These problems, to be fair, appeared compositely through the three nights of the performance, and not on one evening alone. Something must be said about opera in general and this selection in particular. It is not for the teeming masses and for some who attended unprepared, disappointment and boredom in some cases was the result. Attempts to discern the plot without resorting to the printed synopsis proved futile to many. For opera lovers, though, the performances, again, were sparkling, particularly those of Natalie Frehner as Susanna, Ron Aden as Don Basilio, and a wheelchair-boun- d Parry Stewart as Dr. Bartolo. Frehner displayed considerable vocal expertise in the arias and when teamed with Liz Barney as Stewart, too, added that touch of comedic flavor and evidenced a voice among he most easily understood. The fact that his left foot was in a plaster cast caused a bit of confusion to those who looked for a tie to the plot, but his wheeling about in a chair made for some interesting movement on the stage. The stage performers were all polished vocally, but not all displayed stunning acting skills. Along with the premier vocalists, worthy of recognition are the 45 members of the orchestra, led by the redoubtable Nyman. Their handling the intricate Mozart melodies was a highlight of the evening, which began with panache as the overture prepared the audience for great things. Unfortunately, the set and many of the technical aspects of the productions extinguished those expectations. Operas have not proven in the past to be a major concern of the SUSC theatre department and, hence, due to a lack of time and available resources, receive little technical support from that quarter. This is lamentable as the performers put in equally hard work and theatregoers deserve the same consideration as from any production. Technical problems ranged from colors which proved to be overwhelming rather than costumes. supportive to Although parts staging proved to be and uncomfortable to the audience, Doug strange Bakers work as stage director heightened by a great deal the performers ability to communicate with the audience. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience to many in attendance and to myself in particular, being an opera enthusiast. But to the uninitiated, Figaro was not a marriage made in heaven. by Stacey Smith of-th- and woes in The Marriage of Figaro Bangs to present poetry selections The second member of an illustriously poetic family will deliver a reading at SUSC Tuesday. Carol Jane Bangs, whose husband, Jim Heynen, was a guest poet at SUSC last spring, will read her poetry in Thorley Recital Hall at 8 p.m. Bangs poetry has appeared in the Malahat Review, the Seattle Review, and a small book or chapbook of poetry, Irreconcilable Differences, was published by Confluence Press in 1978. The Bones of the Earth, her first collection, was full-leng- th published by New Directions in 1983. Bangs and her husband live in Port Townsend, Wash., with their two children, where she is involved in running various writers workshops and the Washington State program. She has served as an assistant editor, a press consultant, a e technical writer, a newspaper stringer and writer. Since 1982, Bangs has worked for the Centrum arts foundation, as director Foundation, a non-profof literature programs and coordinator of programs in education for gifted children. Poetry-m-the-Schoo- free-lanc- Carol Jane Bangs will read poetry selections 8 p.m. Tuesday in Thorley Recital Hall. it SUSC Cupids for hire Singing telegrams with a flair is the specialty of the SUSC Drama Club, and the group is again making its members available to transmit special messages from lovers to lovees this Valentines Day. The purpose of the melodic messages is to raise funds for a educational theatre tour to New York for theatre students, and those whod like to help in this endeavor as well as let their loved ones know they are cared for, can engage the services of the singing students for $5. According to Drama Club President Randall Hickman, we will deliver messages for birthdays, valentines, anniversaries or almost any special occasion. We specialize in orders asking for dates to the Sweetheart Ball. Included in the service is a flower for the females and a candy heart for the males, hand delivered by a costumed actor equipped with a song appropriate for the occasion. Half the fun of sending one of these beauties is that 'e have as much fun as you cio, says Hickman, who notes that the club is accepting orders at the theatre department and that Valentine messages will be delivered on a customers specified day between Feb. 8 and 14. |
