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Cast Mary Angela Wibkini Pseudolus, and Martha Le and Music Department pi the Way to the Forum". ListE foci Iton In ju shoots y cart Becc US C IMDARTAA Shortco as Panacea, David Hollingsworth as hder as Vibrata perform in the USC Theatre roduction of "A Funny Thing Happened on qrmoKqrs: lo't have to wait j gaittes to q[ject y '6takrSA 3 Seco1JIS , sI 3 seconds a cigarette makes your hE ur blood pressure up, replaces oxyger >Onl monoxide, and leaves cancer-cau: to spread through your body, All this happens with every cigarette y As the cigarettes add up, the damagE ause it's the cumulative effects of smokir cigarette to all the cigarettes you eve that causes the trouble. And tell that to your dog, toc mmngs BY DAVID I7 '.VIRD The USC Theatre and Music Department's presentation of Shevelove and Gelbart's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" is a rather extravagant production, as far as university functions go, of a rather brilliant musical farce. - The play, which opened Tuesday and is to run through Sunday night, is directed by Jim Patterson of the Theatre Department, with the musical direction by Fred Teuber of the Music Department. Curtain call is at 8:15 p.m. in Drayton Hall. The word "extravagant" is used connotatively and nearly synonymously with the word "ambitious". The production is extragant; it is ambitious. And perhaps therein lies its major failing. What is most disappointing about this production of "Forum" is that it is simply too grand to acom modate the short-comings of the cast. The play is a musical. The musical direction is very im pressive. But no one in the cast can sing. Indeed, the ludicrousness arising fron this tension may work to the production's advantage, since its plot and design are ludicrous from the start---but I doubt it. In doing a review of this kind, one should try in the first several paragraphs to present an overall notion of the production's sucess or failure. And I hate to say it, but this one, on the whole, simply does not succeed. This lack of success if no fault of the play. Set in Rome 200 years before the Christian era, the plot revolves around the frantic efforts IOyars ,u. art beat faster, 'n your blood with sing chemicals ou smoke. 3 adds up. 'g-adding this smoked law 'F( of the slave Pseudolus to become a free man. To do this, he must please both his master, a young. Roman named Hero, and his master's aging. father Senex.Unfortunately, both Hero I and Senex want the same 1 bargaining prize--the lovely girl Philia. The plot is complicated by the I fact that Philia, currrently is in basic training for a courtesan's career, already has been promised I to MilesGloriosus,a Roman soldier 1 on h;s way home from war. "Forum", which essenteally is a compilation of farcical situations from nine plays by Plautus, was a huge Broadway success with a 28- I month run in the early sixties. i I dont really know how to say I exactly what is wrong with this production. Probably most people will enjoy it--they don't have to C fancy themselves as i "discriminating." But sitting L through a production, and knowing writing a review is hanging over C your head forces one to be more critical, not necessarily in the I pejorative sense, than one usually I would be. First off, I guess, with two very notable exceptions, the acting isn't a good. Most of the performers i simply are unable to transcend 1 their own personalities and I become the personalities they . protray. 11 The . male lead, performed by David Hollingsworth, is very e professional even if Zero Mostel t does continually emerge from Hollingsworth's portrayal of the v slave, Pseudolus. He can't sing F either, but somehow, during his k musical numbers, his mannerisms. a intrigue more than his voice em- c barrasses. r Rempel To E Gibbes Greei The University Union Ideas and Issues Committee will present its last campus issues program on the topic of Gibbes Green today at 4 p.m. in the Golden Spur. The progam will feature history c professor Richard Rempel, t chairman of the university's p Facilities and Grounds Advisory I Committee. All work on Gibbes p Campus H Blackcarth Percussion Group will perform at 8 p.m. tomorrow in Fraser Hall. The group's ap pearance is sponsored by the university and the South Carolian Arts Commission. Blackearth Per'cussion Group is a professional, new music en semble deoicate:i to experimental music and the intermedia of percussion with electronics, visual elements, and theater as a tool for comm~ runieat ive artistic ex pression. The renertoire includes Albright, Bertoncini. Brun, Cage, Foss, and i Stockhausen, as will as com posit ions by members of the group. The USC Department of Music will present the final concert in its chamber music series for the semester at 8 p.m. Tumerdny in )rumi Hollingsworth is nearly perfectly :ast. In fact, during the second act, as the complications of the plot ire reaching their height, he and red Swindler, who plays the ysterical slave Hysterium, steal he show. At that point, everything about he production that hitherto has een unbearable is forgotten. Swindler dons women's clothes mnd an absurd Afro wig in an effort o deceive the vain Roman soldier V4iles Gloriosus into thinking -ysterium is the lovely courtesan rainee Philia. Together, Hollingsworth and ;windler perform a number, .ovely. It is a rib-and-lung )reaker and is very well the high >oint of the production. Russell Weatherford, as Senex tnd Judson Thompson, as the :ourtesan dealer Lycus, offer ormidable though relatively ninspired performances . And Joyce Hurley makes her Iramatic debut with a refreshingly inspoiled and unstructured ortrayal of the beautiful virgin 'hilia. The set, designed by Terry tennett is a marvelous chievement--a little bright, but ifter all,"Forum" is a comedy. 'he setting of three houses on a toman street displays Bennett's ompetence and imagination both i design and execution. In fact, the entire technical xecution of the play is ex raordinarily impressive. Finally, though, what remains rith us is the notion that director 'atterson, obviously nowledgeable and talented in the rt of theatre, has done the best he an with an assemblage of elatively dull performers. 1iSCUSS I Projects green has been ordered stopped mntil this committee makes its eport. Rempel will be open to all uestions, comments, and roposals, and the secretary of the ommittee will be present in order D record suggestions to be resented at future meetings. tempel has suggested that specific roposals be written. appenings Fraser Hall. Featured on this program will be John Bauer, violin; John Williams, piano; and Lucien DeGroote, cello. Two famous trios by Beethoven and Brahms will be performed. The USC Theatre will present the andy Wilson musical *'The Boy Friend" beginning Tuesday, June 5s, at the Myrtle Beach Con-. ~ention Center. Russell Green, director of the JSC Theatre, said the musical omedy company will present 39 >erformances of "The Boy 'riend" with each performance >eginmg at 8:30 p.m. The show vill be seen throughout the sum ner every night except Mondays. rhe final performance will be nugust 11.