16—The Daily Collegian Monday, April 13, 1981 Price: a Wilde traveler Now, You Don't Need Sunglasses! if you already wear glasses. Corning's New Photobrown Extra Lenses change color for you! Inside these lenses are a soft shade of brown outside—they turn into a deeper, richer shade of brown. Wise Eyes Optical is featuring these amazing lenses for only $25 a pair in any stock prescription. Frames only $l6-$49. So, for $4l, you can wear-the-most up to date eyeglasses. Your Uit EYES In 234.1040 S. Fraser St. Designer State College and In Nameßellefonte Frames 315 W. High St. 355.1354 Vincent Price By ANDY LINKER Daily Collegian Staff Writer Last night Vincent Price was performing somewhere in California. Saturday night he was in Schenectady. Friday night, he played before a sold-out Artists Series audience in Eisenhower Auditorium, and the night before that he was in Fort Myers, Fla. And every place Vincent Price goes he takes with him the philosophical wit and misfortunes of a man who has been dead more than 80 years. Every night in a different city, Price recreates Oscar Wilde, the 19th-century playwright and conversationalist whose life ended alone in a self-imposed exile in France. Price has been portraying Wilde since January in screen writer John Gay's one-man show "Diversions and Delights." The tour includes 210 cities and it has already played in Canada, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. "This is the worse tour I've ever had in my life," Price said backstage after the performance, "(but) . . . it's almost over." Although the tour is long, Price said he enjoys playing Wilde. "I think what intrigues me about him is his wit," Price said. "The comedians today are funny, but they are not witty. "He never resorts to dirty words or double meanings. It is pure wit. He is willing to take on all comers in all situations." While Wilde was one of the leading playwrights of his era, he was heavily ostracized and long remembered for his conviction for sodomy. Price said he had no trouble preparing for the foie. "It's easy to do because more was written about Wilde than any other author in the English language." Because of Wilde's background, Price said, "Everybody who ever met him took down everything he said. The act (the play) is an absolute truth. You cannot play it technically. It has to be emotional." Price, 69, said it is not difficult to hide his age in portraying a 45-year old Wilde. "He looked quite elderly when he died," Price said, noting that the two years Wilde spent in prison probably contributed to Wilde's condition. "I'm old enough to bring it out without trying," Price said. "Somebody once said, 'You should never play Juliet until you're old enough to play the nurse.' If you've ever seen a terribly young girl play Juliet, she doesn't know what it's about. Most of the great Juliets have been women in their 305." For half of Friday night's play, Price portrayed Wilde as an humorist patterned after Wilde's American contemporary, O E_ d PLACErPSU Campus-Hub Lawn SOCIFS Rapid Transit Ccimpetitive Edge Dershems The Growing Tree [.......... e i tk c Ob to k 6S .1 4• t i 0 I ff .0 a. e • 0216%1. e n ... cr /'' 2 MILE FUN RUN °/)(:), 10K SECOND MILE SPRINT! N SECOND MILE SUNDAY is designed to provide an en tertaining and informative afternoon for community mem- = ben and students. in addition to the races andactivities,an information booth will be available to explain The Second ..- Mile and its programs for youth. Go that Second Mile and I T give a kid a second chancel 3 PRIZES: Over 150 prizes and trophies awarded in all, including over 60 prizes in the 10K with 6 age divisions. register all week in the HUB basement The afternoon's entertainment and activities begin at 1:00, featuring the Nittany Lion, the Unicycle Club, the Frisbee Club, a Dixieland Band, the Juggling Club, live radio and more! • Sponsored by: MAPS —THE CENTRE DAILY TIMES—... 111. 4-- forms available at these fine stores Mark Twain. '' Becatige he is acting alone, Price has no supporting actors "You couldn't have that (Wilde's seriousness in the play's from which to gauge his perfomace. But, Price does not rely :on second half) without the character in the first half," Price said. his audience for feedback. "He comes out as a stand-up comic ... to entertain you. That's "With an audience this big, you hear it (audience ria'ai6n) his whole point. he says that he's coming here tonight to make a delayed, which makes it a little difficult. I've done &lot: L eif little money. • places in ,my home town (St. Louis), which has a musigal Price said he believes there is a very close parallel between Wilde and Twain. theatre of 12,000. You time everything differently because tile - • • :, • "Asa matter of fact," Price said, "many of their remarks laughs go out and come back." --- _ are identical. People do think alike. There are an awful lot of And like the laughs, Price's Oscar Wilde comes back to play Twain and Wilde expressions which are alike. I don't think they every night wherever that may be. ever could have possibly heard them from each other." Sunday, April 26 =FEES $5 per individual (includes T-shirt, free e t ---; Pepsi, and all participants'in the Fun Run 11 ore eligible for random drawings.) Wilde's delightful diversion By ANDY LINKER Daily Collegian Staff Writer Comedy and tragedy two seem ingly opposite words. Without these words, however, you cannot have humor. And without hu mor, you cannot have 19th-tentury playwright and conversationalist Os car Wilde. For a couple of hours Friday night in Eisenhower Auditorium, rek nowned actor Vincent Price molded together comedy and tragedy to breathe life into Wilde, who was more famous for tragedy than his comedy. Utilizing his talents to recreate Wilde's wit, philosophy and misery in screen play writer John Gay's one man show "Diversions and De lights," Price gave his audience a feel for the controversy which sur rounded Wilde an accused and convicted sodomist who eventually spent his latter years of life in prison. In what was billed an evening in a Paris concert hall with Sebastian Melmoth (the pen name Wilde used in France), no dimension of Wilde's life was omitted. As Price's Wilde told the audience, "I am yours for the evening a towering scandal." AMERICAN MARKETING ASOCIATION GO HOME ON A USG BUS! Departures: Phila.—Friday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m. NYC—Friday, April 17 at 5:00 p.m. Pitt—Friday, April 17 at 6:00 p.m. Return: Phila., NYC, and Pitt.—Sunday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. Buses will begin loading in front of the HUB approx. 115 min. before departure time and will stop at parking lot 80 approx. 5 min. after scheduled departure time. Phila.—Stops at John Wannamakers in the King of Prussia Shopping Center, and downtown at the Market St. Bus Terminal Arrives in Philly in approx. 4 hrs. Pittsburgh—Stops at David Weis at Miracle Mile Shopping Center and at Continental Trailways Bus Terminal on Penn Ave. Arrives in Pitt. in approx. 3 1 / 2 hrs. New York City—Stops at Port Authority and Rockaway Mall in Dover, N.J. (lower level at Sears) Arrives in approx. 4 1 hrs. ROUNDTRIP PHILLY Greyhound $29.95 USG $24.25 Savings $5.75 ONE WAY Greyhound $15.75 USG $12.75 Savings $3.00 Tickets will be on sale in the HUB April 13 through April 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. • U-034 Wilde's cynicism, which can be interpreted as wit, was brought for ward in the first half as Price, adopt ing a Mark Twain-like delivery, spared no member of the audience from insult. On women, Wilde said: "They can talk brilliantly about Any subject providing they know nothing about it." On honeymooning brides: "Every American bride goes to the Niagra. And the site of that waterfall must be her second greatest disappoint ment." On literary peer George Moore: "I can think of no other writer who leads his readers. to the latrine then locks them in." On poetry: "There are two ways to dislike poetry. One is to dislike it naturally. Two is to like it ratio nally." On temperment: "I do believe one's temper should be like Mr. Whis tler's painting. It should be kept from the public." At the outset, Price came off as slightly arrogant to his audience, but apparently that was all part of Wild e's often egotisticalpersonality. "By the way," Price asked, "where is Schenectady?" The Crucifer of Blood by Paul Giovanni A mysterious blood vow and diabolical murders set Sherlock Holmes -and-Dr. Watson - on their most fantastic adventure. Presented by The Pennsylvania State University Resident Theatre Company PITT $28.85 $20.50 $5.35. $13.60 $ll.OO $2.60 "When .I arrived in your states," Wilde said during his tour of AMeri- .can cities in the early 1880 s, "the first ; person I met was a customs official. He wanted to know what I had to declare. I said, 'Only my genius.' " Wilde's "tragedies" of his convic- ; tion, inprisonment and subsequent ailments were introduced in the first half and expounded upon in the sec ond. In his misery, Wilde left England and had been living in a self-impoied exile in Paris. ; The play's only' weakness was its abruptiness in transition from Wild e's wit to his misfortunes.. Price did not give his audience an opportunity to adjust from the "comedy" to , the :1 "tragedy." This, however, is not un common in one-man perfomances which try to capsulize one's life. One-man shows have the tendency • to be either very good (Hal HolbroOk as Abraham Lincoln) or very bad (Ed Nelson as Harry Truman). They are 11 successful only when the audience fails to see the actor as an actor and only concentrates on the character. 4 In "Diversions and Delights," Vin cent Price may as well have sat with 4 , ..1 the rest of the audience. Friday night la belonged to Oscar Wilde April 30; May 1-2, 5-9, 12-16 The Playhouse Ticket Prices: Student/Child/Sr. Cit.- - $2.75, 3.00 General-$4.75, 5.50 .. Reservations 865-1884 (URIC Box Office - Arts Building Lobby; 11:30 AM - 6:00 PM Mon-Sat) • NYC $61.00 $45.00 $16.00 $32.10 $23.75 $8.35 • By BECKY JONES Daily Collegian Staff Writer Pulitzer prize-winning composer Dominick Argento received enthu siastic and well-deserved recogni tion at an outstanding performance of three of his works in Schwab Auditorium Saturday night: The works were as varied as the mediums for which they were writ ten, and the evening offered an inter: esting blend . of light-hearted and more somber music. The first piece of the program was a delightful programmatic work called "Royal Invitation or Homage ,to the Queen of Tonga," performed with precision by the Musica da Camera, the University's chamber orchestra. A variety of coloristic techniques worked together to bring scenes of another place and,time alive for the audience. The creative use of varied 'thtietdations, such as pizzicato and staccato, made the lines bright and lively. . - :; The Press Box Bottle Shop 11 AM - 2 AM Mon. - Sat. 50 different brands SYLVESTER STALLONE in "NIGHTHAWK" (R) MON 200.4:01143:00-0:0010:00. $1.50 ALL DAY TUE thru FRI 8.00 81000.31.50 TUE ENDS THUDS 000 E 945 $1.50 MON &TUE Argento: colorful, vibrant, diverse Ron, Grun In addition, the prominence given the wind soloists gave the chamber orchestra a flurry of new sounds not usually heard from the string-domi nated group. The precision of the performance lent crisp clarity to the scenes of each movement. Only a few flubs in the winds, especially the horns, flawed the even quality of the sound. Especially delightful was the third movement, which describes the fox trot lessons of the Queen. The da Camera played the movement with a bouncy swing that further brought the audience closer to the music. The second work on the program was "To Be Sung Upon the Water" for soprano, clarinet and piano, per formed by Trucilla Sabatino, Smith Toulson and Lawrence Loeberon, respectively. After the vibrant, colorful perfor mance of the "Royal Invitation," the cycle of eight songs on poems by William Wordsworth seemed dry by comparison. Ragtime classics The delightful music of Mozart on Fifth filled the HUB Ballroom Saturday night. The young group of ilu;ee street musicians have an unusual flair for presenting Scott Joplin, Glenn Miller, Beatles and classical Mozart arrangements. Although there were a few squeaks and squeals from the band's reed instruments, the musicians successfully captivated an audience of 150 who delighted in listening to a varity of Joplin ragtime pieces ' And different styles of music they did play, as the group slowed down from ragtime to Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" and finished up with The Beatles' "When I'm Sixty Four." -By Scott Fritsche Although Sabatino had little prob lem reaching the unusually high notes required by the score, her performance was uninspiring. Even the audience seemed to get increasingly restless during the number. The program closed with the world premiere performance of "Peter Quince at the Clavier" by the Penn State Singers. Although the style of this piece did not seem as easy for the audience to relate to as the "Royal Invitation," they responded enthusiastically to precision performance of Brown's well-trained group. Especially _outstanding was the dynamic control of the singers, which gave each line distinguishable shape and form. Overall, the performances made for an enjoyable evening of music that showed contemporary compos ers can reach the hearts of their public. Symphonic Band sunny and bright By REBECCA CLARK Daily Collegian Staff Writer Though the weather was dreary and somber yesterday, the inside of Eisen hower Auditorium was bright and alive with the sounds of the Symphonic Blue Band. Under Dr. Ned C. Deibl's direction, the band skillfully performed an exciting and enjoyable concert. With spirit and professionalism, the band performed music by composers such as Shostako vich, Persichetti, Offenbach, and Alex ander. • Pieces like "Jubilee," "Chimes of Lib erty," and "Colossus of Columbia" were performed with ease and grace. Throughout the concert, one might have forgotten that the band members were students for they played with such exper tise. In his usual magnificent style, Deihl directed with skill and magical emotion, guiding the band through each number with care and poise. Flutist Peggy Shipley (12th-music edu cation) performed a solo, "Night Solilo quy," and though her performance was good, it was much better when the other band members played along with her as often her notes were flat and dull. Trombonist Erik Edvar also delivered a solo performance during the three and a half hour concert. Unemotionally and spiritlessly, he performed "Morceau Symphonique" playing the number with little or no magic at all. Overall, the two soloisis did not con tribute much to the concert. But fortuna tely, the band helped to ease the dullness of the their lackluster contributions. The band as a whole performed an extremely outstanding concert. With each performance, the Symphonic Blue Band gets better and better. APPLICATION ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR - EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT EXECUTIVE COUNCIL WORKING REPRESENTATIVE TREASURER SECRETARY and COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN GET INVOLVED WITH ... AUMIO, FOR MORE APPLICATIONS CAN NOW BE PICKED UP AT THE ALlis4, OFFICE IN 20-A HUB. APPLICATIONS ARE DUE 4/17/81 U• 026 . . Keep Happy Valley beautiful. Dop't litter. .„,_:,..t, ~.,