WEST7MUCE - New University

Friday, November 17, 1972
Page 5
NEW UNIVERSITY
SHAKESPEARE'S HENRY IV
Harlem Comes
To Irvine
by Hollywood jim
entertainmenteditor
The UCI Fine Arts Village is buzzing,buzzing,buzzing.
News of the upcoming premiere of "No Place to be Somebody" has the place shakin' in its britches. Charles
Gordone's play, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 is a
no-holds-barred look at the ghetto scene. Luther Whitsitt,
director and Master of Fine Arts candidate at UCI, has
put the printed word on parade, portraying a spellbinding entourage of hardnosed barkeeps, poets,
hookers, excons and other assorted has-beens and
almost-weres.
The drama is an enlightened rendering of the very
personal relationship between Johnny, the Harlem club
owner, and his father "Sweets" Crane. Sweets, a
'changed' man after workingburlapbagsin prison for ten
years, returns to The Big Apple intending to go straight.
Alvin Simpson as Sweets quickly coughs his way intoour
hearts and a death threat from his son.
Rehearsals, held daily in the Fine Arts Village, bear a
striking semblance to a trip up to Los Angeles for a
real party bash. Really, I'd never know Iwas in Orange
County with all the "hey babys" and "what s nappenings." A lot of "hawk that chick" and talk talk, if you can
by mark weiss
One of William Shakespeare's finest historical
dramas, Henry IV, part I, is
being presented at the Mark
Taper Forum at the L.A.
Music Center.
The playdoes not focus on the
life of Henry IV, or Brolingbroke, who usurped the crown
of England when he overthrew and murdered Richard
II in Shakespeare's play of
thatname. The play's theme is
instead the making of a king,
the metamorphosis of Prince
Hal, the heir apparent,from a
wine drinking, bawdy-house
frequentingyouth, intoa noble
soldier and a young statesman.
During the first part of the
play Prince Hal is everything
his father, the king, does not
want him to be. Instead of
attending court, apprenticing
the role of leader and statesman, he spends his time with
Sir John Falstaff, anobleman
in name only, who drinks,
?arouses, and engagesin petty
thievery. As the plot develops
King Henry is confronted by
an allegianceof nobles led by
Hotspur (his real name is
Henry Percy), his father
Northumberland, Worcester,
Glendower, and the Earl of
Mortimer, the man who was
next in succession to the
deposed Richard II. This
group of nobles wishes to overthrow Henry and place Mortimer on the throne of
England
Hal distinguishes himself in
the battle that follows. He
saves his father's life by fending off the Scot, Douglas, one
of the main conspirators, and
by killing the foremost rebel,
Hotspur, in hand to hand
combat. Thisissignificant, for
Henry IV always wanted Hal
to act as brave and noble as
the king himself
I found Gordon Davidson's
production of Henry IV, part I
to be very enjoyable. One
problem,however, that arises
when viewing the play is that
of understanding the dialog.
Shakespeare's Knglish contains many words that are no
longer used, and others that
have entirely different connotations today. A good
method for better understanding is to listen to entire
statements, not individual
words.
Victor Buono, as Falstaff,
turned in the finest performance of the play. Other
notable performances were
given by Al Alu, who excellently conveyed the
smouldering spirit of Hotspur; and Kristoffer Tabori,
also did a goodjob portraying
Prince Hal.
Henry IV, part I, willbe playing at the Mark TaperForum
until December 10th. Ticket
prices are: Monday through
When the battle is over, the
opposing forces have been
crushed, and the remaining
rebel leaders captured,
ordered, and executed. King
Henry succeeds in retaining
his throne, and seeinghis son
become a man. In turn, Hal
leaves the influence of the.
carousingFalstaff,and enters
that of his father. He isnow on
the road tosomedaybecoming
$6.05 and $4.40; Friday and
Saturday evenings at 7:30
$7.40 and $5.50; Sunp.m.
day evenings at 7:30
$6.85;
and $4.95, and— weekend
matinees at 2:30 $5.20 and
$3.30. Of course $2.50 seats are
available to students one-half
hour before curtain, if you
have your I.D. It's worth the
ride to L.A. to see this play if
you enjoyShakespeare.Go on,
have a good time!
When his father's crown is
challenged, Hal must take a
stand, fight on the side of his
father, or remain with his
drunken friend Falslaff and
the gang in Eastcheap. Hal
chooses the former and is
placed in command of a
regiment of soldiers. He instantly turns from a carousing youth into a noble prince.
This change is not altogether
unannounced, for in the first
act Hal tells Falstaff that his
present life style is part of a
joke, that he will assume the
role of a prince when the time
is right.
Hotspur.
dig it.
can only say it
If this kind of speech seems unusual, I
loose
to
deliver
thekindof
keep
the cast
andable
works to
performances a play of this magnitude deserves. Their
work touches a sensitiveknotof human experience with a
naturalness not often found here in Orange County.
Starwatchers, keepyour eyes on this one. Littlebirdies
havebeen telling me some very important producers and
celebrities will be watching what goes down here, so be
sure to bring your autograph books.
Openingnight is scheduled for December 10in the Studi
Theater.
Y'all come.
IKING
, Jami
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If the Waltz King. Johann Strauss the
younger, returned to his native Vienna
today, he would find it almost unchanged.
Strauss hasn't been reincarnated, but
producer-director Andrew L. Stone has
captured the old-world atmosphere to
recreate the -life and times of the 19th
century's most popular composer of light,
danceable melodies for "The Great Waltz,"
starring Horst Bucholz as Strauss and Mary
Costa as his wife. Rossano Brazzi stars as a
former love of Strauss' wife.
Stone, whoauthors his own screenplays for
allhis films, has writtena joyousyet factual
story. "The frothy, fictional operettas are
too old-fashioned for today's audiences,"
Stone pointedout.
WEST7MUCE
Thursdayeveningsat 8p.m.
"Since Strauss had an adventurous life
vvith many romantic as well as musical
conquests, there is no reason to fictionalize
hislife as other versionsof 'TheGreat Waltz'
have done. And since the story is historically accurate it obviously had to be made in
Vienna. In fact, Ihaven't filmed inside a
studio since 1950.
"Of all artistic media the motion picture
has the greatestcapacity to makeaudiences
feel reality. That is why a film should be
made at the actual locale of the story whenever possible."
Stone spent months listening to more than
—
1.650 songs written by the four Strausses
Johann Sr. and Jr. and two brothers, Josef
and Eduard plus those of Josef Lanner, the
first Waltz Master, before settling on the
approximate 60 songs for "The Great
Waltz." Robert Craig Wright and George
Forrest, who adapted Borodin's music for
"Kismet," have done the adaptation for this
film of Strauss music. Stone also logged
thousands ot miles betore deeming on the
shooting sites for the film.
It Is true that the magnificent ballrooms
where Strauss played have disappeared. On
some evenings he booked as many as sixof
his orchestras in various ballrooms and
halls and Strauss would put in an appearance in each place. But Stone wasn't required to build sets to recreate the splendor of
that era. Schonbrunn and the Hofburg, the
summer and winter palaces of the Austrian
emperors, became the sets.
Watching hundreds of couples waltzing at
Schonbrunn gave a viewer the feelinghe was
back in the period of Emperor Franz Josef,
whose reign roughly spanned the years
Strauss ruled the music world.
The scene in which Horst Bucholz as
Strauss nervously makes his professional
debut at Dommayer's Casino was shot at the
exact location of the original. Though the
ballroom of the hotel was rebuilt, care was
taken that not a tree was disturbed in the
garden where Strauss had played.
To add some sentimental inspirationto the
occasion Dr. Josef Strauss, the great
nephew of Johann, beamed his approval of
the Bucholz violin technique from offstage.
Dr. Strauss, a Vienna business man. is the
grandson of Johann's brother Eduard.
Producer-director Stone took his cast and
crew into smaller, less dazzlingplaces.
The Stone "sight seeing" tour will include
scenes shot inside theGriechenbeisl. the 500
year old restaurant frequented by Strauss.
Beethoven, Schubert and other distinguished composers: the house"in which Strauss
wrote "Die Fledermaus; and the beautiful
castle and park of Belvedere.
However, it is not only that the buildings
maintain a 19th century look. The spirit of
Strauss is still in the city. His melodies are
constantly heardon the radio,in restaurants
and at band concerts.
Thousands of peopleeach day see Strauss
playing his violin as they stroll by his statue
city park. The world
in Vienna's
"
"immortal is properly applied to Johann
Strauss. Certainly in Vienna.
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