The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 04, 1980, Page Page 8, Image 8
Kipnij
By Mark Platte
otimecocK diavv writer
He appeared on stage, confronted
by an unyielding wall
which his nimble hands glided
across and explored, seeking
escape. He arrived at a party,
leaning on a bar and talking to
guests while eating and drinking.
And he visited an art gallery,
glancing at paintings which flicker
his imagination.
Yet there is no wall, bar, guests,
food or paintings. And even more
amazingly, there are no words.
There is only one man, Claude
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World famous mi
Concert (
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Thiw Thnrcrtnu thn I rrxnna
direction of Dr. Arpad Davazs,
Washington at the National Pr?
sponsored by the U.S. Senate
Representatives. President Carte
with members of the Senate and ]
of the diplomatic corps.
While in Washington the choir
honoring USC alumni now living
area. They will also perform ZoJt
Brevis at St. Mark Episcopal Chun
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Kipnis, an artist who makes the act
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KIPNIS and his six member
Troupe, brought his art to the
Township Friday, sponsored by the
Kitani Foundation, with a stunning
uniqueness and quality which is
rarely experienced. For almost
two hours, the dissapointingly
small audience laughed, cryed and
rationalized on concepts which
were obviously well-stated by the
Troupe.
Hailed as one of the finest mime
performers today by countless
numbers of reviews, Kipnis lived
91
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me Claude Kipnis
2hoir to sin
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will be singing in White House and
ayer Breakfast co- The Choir will be
and the House of During the pa;
ir will attend along acclaim from a
House and guests abroad. In July
American chora
will give a concert ticipate in the i
in the Washington Choral Competil
an Kodaly's Missa invited to sing at
ch February 7. Antonio, Texas in
is non-i
up to his expectations right from
the start in The Circus, with Kipnis
played the part of the bumbling
rmgieaaer, who constantly failed
to produce any sort of magic from
his top hat.
Ralph Dupont, perhaps the finest
member of the troupe, delighted
the audience his inaccurate aim as
a dart thrower. Members Wendy
Dyer, Karen Lorshbough, Alan
Mintz, John Schwartz and Vicki
Webberly added their hilarious
skits, ranging from overcautious
tight-rope walkers to a swordswallower
who found it impossible
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him to adopt a stiff, awkward
posture.
The Party was the audience's
favorite of the night, with just
Kipnis himself providing the
amusement. The one-man lonely
syndrome,which is characteristic
of many ol the Troupe's works,was
depicted as a suave party-goer who
is forced to meet people he is bored
with, dance with girls who arc
either too tall or too short for him
and finally trekking home, alone.
AN ODI) TWIST of fate found
itself overcoming. Fantasy in Wax
in which Ralph Dupont as a cat
thief, succumbs to the beauty of a
female mannequin, Vikki Webberly,
who later transforms him
into the same state while herself
becoming a free individual.
Kipnis returns to the stage to
star as a trapped alcoholic in The
Bottle, granting Kipnis' character
his greatest fantasy by having
several bottles of liquor appear,
each bigger than the last. The
pathetic drunk finally finds
himself trapped inside the very
bottle in which he finds his greatest
solace. Kipnis' use of pantomime
in being trapped within the bottle
not only hurls a message with
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fectiveness of a stage without
props calling for the audiences'
imagination and Kipnis' extrordinary
talent.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusickia
little night music) enabled the
Soe Kipnis, page 9
sg in D.C.
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BBSs
rip will include guided tours of the
other historical sites in Washington,
returning to Columbia on Feb. 8.
=>t ten years the choir has received
udiences in the United States'and
, 1976, the choir became the first
I ensemble to be invited to parseventh
International Bela Bartok'
ion in Hungary. They were also
the Kodaly Symposium held in San
the spring of 1978.
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Kipnis in action with mi
'Susannah'
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Assistant Entnrt
Tickets sold fast, forcing many i
sday night performance of the <
opened and the opera unfolded. Sui
sacrifice.
Susannah, based on the Old
Susannah and the Elders, was writ
| Floyd. In devising the libretto, Fl(
gave it a new twist by setting it th<
Tennessee. Although this present s
times, the rich music added to tl
i region.
THE STORY TOLD of the jea
ueiween ausannan ana tnc local t
appeal to men, especially to the
church elders discovered Susanna
they denounced her for this behav
[ convinced her to attend a church sc
resulted in disaster, leaving Susani
| As the curtain opened, the au<
"boxed in" type reaction, as a re
stage. It is true that when an op
crowded openings of this sort ar
| contained only four major charact
been introduced, without the "mull
minor dance routine also occurred
[ was too corwded, making the town
; THE SECOND SCKNK was a litt
the audience needed to become in\
character. However, there can b<
which employed a scenic scrim in
widely used in theatre, the scrim s
from the action that was faintly he
least inventive scene of the op<
provement and ended Act One.
It was apparent during Act One I
night "jitters," but Act Two proc<
| This is quite unusual when you con
which the opera dealt.
The orchestration, which seem<
justed so that the music flowed v
| lyrics. Not only was the orchestra
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| scene two. Although this scene e:
nagic
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3mber of troupe
captivates
) crowd
Charney |
ammont fctlitor ,
to stand in the aisles at the Thurjpera
Susannah. As the curtain
;?miah certainly proved worth the
Testament apocryphal story of I
tten by South Carolinian, Carlisle
>yd took the traditional story and .
n present and in the mountains of
etting appeared a bit awkward at
tie l(K-al color and feeling of the
lousy and disfavor which arises
ownspeople over her beauty and
preacher, Olin Blitch. When the
h bathing in the baptismal creek,
roir. Her brother, Sam Polk, then
rvice, held by Blitch. This service
lah lonely and resentful. j
Jience experienced an inhibited,
sun 01 an obviously overcrowded
>era has many main characters,
e essential. However, Susannah
ers, who could have just as easily
titudes" of extras. An attempt at a j
in this opening act, but the stage
dance seem like a town riot. [
1. _ 1 * A A* ? * '
ie siow, Dili mis is explainable for
'olved with the personalty of each
s no explanation for scene three,
front of the action. Although it is
erved only to isolate the audience
ard behind it. This was surely the
?ra, but scene five was an imthat
the cast had a case of opening
jeded at an alarmingly fast pace,
sider the serious subject matter in
}d thundering in the first act ad
vith, instead of overpowering the
tion more deliberate, but also the
ifidence, which was culminated in
eposes the evangelistic nature of
Susannah, page 9