The Canadian Jewish News, Friday, March 24, 1978 - Page 11
Alts
IsraeU actress Gfl^ Alma^oris
on
PAUL NOAH BROWN
^ His Vibraphone & Orchestra
^ Dance, Jazz, Pops, Rock
I Telephone: -222-1095 or 363-2612
theatre
BvJENIVABERGER
It's taken four years for the Israeli film. The House
on Chelpiiche Street, to
arrive in Toronto. Originally made in 1973, , it earned an Oscar nomination that year for the best foreign film, losing to Francois Truffaut's valentine to filmmaking. Dav For Night.
Truffaut's film was indeed good, but I would urge anyone to hurry down to the Fine Arts to catch
The House on Chclouche Street before it finishes its limited run. It's a "thoroughly delightful and often moving film about a boy on the threshhold of manhood, struggling to find his identity in the tense days of the British Mandate in Palestine.
Directed by Moshe Miz-rahi and written by Miz-rahi in collaboration with
Rachel Fabien. the film is first and foremost an intensely personal look at a family living in the confines of a Tel Aviv enclave; in particular a lovely, strong-willed woman named Clara, beautifully etched by Gila Almagor. and her four children, one of whom. Sami, has just taken his first job in a small factory to help sup-"
Dance-drama 'Spy' succeeds, but 'Loving' is pom
music
ByRICKKARDONNE:
The concept of personal role-playing was treated in two works both premiered recently in Toronto.
The first premiere. Spy. a collaboration of singer-composer Judith Lander and choreographer Lynnc Taylor, was a triumphantly innovative dance-drama presented to a small audience by the Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers at the Leah Posluns Theatre.
In dismal contrast. R. Murray Schafer's Loving, premiered at the Edward Johnson Building's Mac-Millan Theatre as part of the New Music Concerts scries, was a pompous bore.
Inspired by Anais Nin's novel Spy in the House of Love, Spy represents the diverse moods and con-nicting fantasies of the central character. Sabina. who is torn between her staid husband and her lovers. Eachnrood of Sabina is portrayed by a different dancer in a different color: then, there is her "stripped-of-all-lics" au naturel. All the lovers are portrayed by one male dancer.
True, the colors are stereotypes. But what is most exciting is the por-trayiii of the dynamic con-fiict of all the different moods. Spy admirably transforms the introspective text into a foray into
this woman's inner perplexities.
The resolution is definitely implied to be merely temporary (ending up au naturel with the lover, not the husband) and this deliberately ambiguoijs finale is what makes the piece most stimulating.
Stylistically, total abandon was intelligently in-cc>rpt>ratcd into this fusion of the sensual and the cerebral.
As singer-narrator, Judith Lander, though basing her approach on Piaf and Elly Stone, admirably went beyond these models by developing a pithier, more uninhibited emotionalism to convey Sabi-na's inner self-exploration in a most creative manner.
1 only wish that her original music had taken this same route, instead of. by and large, sticking to such a studied imitation of the limiting Carole King-Laura Nyro, semi-gospel chord regimen.
Sabina's complex character deserved a much wider range of musical styles and sophisticated chord progressions. Only in the slow bridges was
Ms. Lander's music more suitably elastic.
When I saw (to be more precise, endured) R. Murray Schafer's Loving two evenings later. I thought that this tedious, pretentious rehash of the exact same theme was an obvious aliempt to cash in on Spy's artistic success. Then 1 discovered, according to the program, that Loving had been composed 15 years earlier, even though this was its first complete performance.
In every comparative aspect, Loving grievously suffered. In contrast to the dramatic juxtaposition of roles in Spy, Loving brought them out separately in static tableau sequence.
Judith Lander's music shone in comparison to the tiresome pastiche of "avant-garde" cliches which passed for Schafer's original score.
Every pale imitation of Stockhausen. John Cage. Elliot Carter, etc.. was there: from the xylophone flourishes to the vocal hisses to the pizzicato riffs to fittingly enough, the
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ORIGINAL CANADIAN AND INTERNATIONAL ART
Sunday, April 2,1978 Preview 6:30 p.m. Auction 7:30 p.m.
Adath Israel Synagogue . 37SouthbourneAve. . Downsview. Ontario
Admission: $2.00 per,person Refreshments ^ Additional Attraction: Silent Art Auction Sponsored by Adath Israel Sisterhood & Brotherhood
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climactic gongs. Often the women singers had to contend with vocal cadenzas which resembled fire-engine*''sircns.
The supporting works in both concerts were, fortunately, of higher quality. Schafer's La Testa d'Adriane was a clever semi-mime spoof of damscl-in-distrcss melodramas, utilizing the witty Mary Morrison, who uttered all the stock emotions in the form of nonverbal syllables, while accordionist Joseph Mace-reilo provided the dissonant 'background themes of mock drollery.
This high-camp buiter-tly trifle was. of course, not in the same league as .hidith Marcusc's brilliant dance exploration of the jircssures of public banality on private sensibilities. Rc-En(r>. which preceded Spy.
The choreographed sequences set to an Elvis record radio ad were, to me, a modern-day classic in contemporary artistic social satire.
port the family.
Glara and t'hc several members of her family, Egyptian immigrants who have been used to a more luxurious^life in past times, have settled for a far more modest existence in the new land — Clara has become a scrubwoman for wealthier Jewish ladies. But the warmth and closeness of the family has survived intact.
One of the most enjoyable scenes in the film is when a local matchmaker has brought a fairly pros-perf*us, suitor to meet Clara and her family in hopes of arranging a marriage. The comments from Clara's mother and the rest of the clan sitting around the courtyard, combined with the marvellous close-ups of the individuals reacting to the stranger in their midst, is quite special.
The story primarily belongs to Clara, focusing on her courtship, and her courage in providing for her children daring some tense situations with the British soldiers, and Sami. her intelligent and literate 17-year-old son. Shai Ophir portrays Samis tearful initiation into the drab workaday world and his brief and tender, though hesitant love affair with a 25-ycar-old librari: an who befriends him. But
there arc many other trenchant sketches of the period to provide authen-lic atmosphere.
Sami. for instance, is unwittingly drawn into the Irgun by his crnplpycr because he is told it is the thing to do. Fazed at first hyihetMius. part of Sami's maturation is assuming responsibility for his own natii)nalism.-
He joins the army at the end of the film, lying about his age. and it is a crucial time of discovery for both mother and son as well as an appreciation of each other's needs.
As well, there are some illuminating references to the prejudices the European Jeus, the "Franks," faced from the Israelis. And Sami's hunger for learning and his multilingual abilities are not regarded as overwhelming commodities in his new homeland.
Mizrahi. while acutely conscious of the less Nir-vanic qualities of life in Israel for the immigrants, never lets his observations dominate the film: they are handmaids only to the more important threads of Sami and Clara's experiences, and because of it bring a more humane quality to the story.
As well, none of the secondary characters are short changed. Even Yos-
the
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reminds you ...
PESACH IS COMING SOON
Let us help you find the perfect ceremonial objects to adorn your Seder table. Come see our selection of Seder plates. Elijah cups, Kiddush cups. Matzah covers, and Holiday books. You will find something to.please all tastes ... In The Tradition.
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Mod. to.Thurs., 10 to 4: l-ri., 10 to 3; Sun,, 10:30 to 1:30
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION
BEST FOREIGIM FILM
THIRD WEEK
"A strong and stirring filnn from Israel." - Clyde Gilmpur, Toronto. Star "A dignity seidom.fpurid in films these days." - Robert Martin, Globe & Mail.
^hey lived it... "Yowll love it!
noah films presents gila almagor In a menahem golan production written and directed by moshe.mizrahi / english subtitles / color .
Nightly at 7:30 and 9:30 Saturdays 5:30 7:30 9:30 Sundays 3:30 5:30 ; 7:30 9:30 For group sales phone 484-1110
ADULT ENTERTAINMENT
seph Shiloah as a bon vivant ladies man in hot pursuit of Clara, springs to life eventually as an underground Irgun fighter with dignity and purpose.
So, too, do several other performers walk away with honors for memorable characterizations, in particular Avner Hizkia-hou as Clara's future husband and Michal Baf-
.Adam as the librarian. .Mizrahi lets us see them as fiesh and blood people, not proponents of a cause and a message.
One longs to know what happens to Sami and Clara after thtTCredits have faded a v.ay. It's to Mizrahi's credit that we want to reach out to his characters and grab hold for a little while longer.
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At a pricethat will fit your budget
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481-6434
The NDWT Compdny
VaCOUSTAI
Q melodromo by James Reor^ey
LiAH POSLUNS THEATRE
4588 Bathurst St.
(north of Sheppard)
TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY
MARCH 25&27, 8:00 P.M.
S4.50/S3.50 students
Reserve tickets by phoning 630-6752, or get them at the door.
Advance tickets available at all BASS locations.
A presentation of the Touring Offices of the Canada Council and the Ontario Arts Council with the generous assistance of Imperial Oil Limited.
Direct from England, Lindsay Kemp directs and stars in FLOWERS, his own renowned fantasy interpretation of Genet's famed "Our Lady Of The Flowers". This exclusive North American appearance is another TWP coup! Previews March 24 - 26, opens March 28. Limited run for this unique extravaganza at the TWP Theatre, 12 Alexander Street, 925-8640.
Theatre Compact's ARSENIC AND OLD LACE
is laughs all the way! This multi-murder comedy classic, hailed by The Globe as 'near perfection', featur-es a host of top stars . . . Jack Creley, Tom Kneebone, etc. Enjoy it at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday - Sunday, 2:30 Matinees Wednesday & Saturday. Reservations 481-6191 at
the nearby Playhouse, 1605 Bayview Avenue. »«♦«»««♦*
John Juliani, star of CHILDREN OF NIGHT-
got Porter (Toronto Sunl's laureT wreath as best performer of the week. He plays the doctor who accompanied orphan wards to the death camp. See Gabriel Emanuel's .Warsaw Ghetto drama 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Reservations: 536-6663 Bathurst Street Theatre, just south of Bloor.
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between Adelaide & Richmond
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Yonge St. 3 blocl^i Ncrlh o* Eglintcn 48"
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