The Times from San Mateo, California • Page 14

14--SonMoteo THE TIMES Prtdov. Morcti 7. 1973 ELLINGTON LEGACY Sallie Wilson and Keith Lee are featured in "The a ballet of birth and reoffirma- tion with an original score by Duke Ellington and choreography by Alvin Alley which the American Ballet Theatre is dancing on March 15 and 16 at Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley UC campus. March 7 thru April 12 Catch Me If You Can An Ingenious Whodunit I A A 1285 HiMidile FoilerCity Fridays and Sat. at 8:30 Adults 25 Students 1275 Reservations: 349 6411 Fine Staging for Hillsdale V'Zorba' Shakespeare In Oregon An Oregon Shakespeare Festival branch "box office has been opened at Books 156 Geary street.

The Festival, located In Ashland, opened its current season with the bard's "A Winter's Tale," which will play in repertory with Sophocles' "Oedipus the King," Brandon Thomas' "Charley's A and Robert Sherwood's "The Petrified Forest." By ROBERT BURMISTER The musical, "Zorba," playing this weekend and next at Hillsdale Schoolj has a.good stage set, a good a good crowd scenes, and that's about it. It was adapted for the Broadway stage from the phenomenally successful movie, ''Zprba the Greek," for purely exploitative commercial reasons, and its script is a classic example of the heavy-handed ruination of everything valuable in the mishandling of a delicate thing of beauty. The people i the Hillsdale production are not the ones to blame that i i i lies i Joseph Stein, John Kander and Fred Ebb, the inept adapters of the original sin. It's easy to see why producer A. J.

Campagna, director Don a and music director Lawrence Short would choose the work for presentation at Hillsdale: it uses a big cast, it fills the huge stage there quite colorfully, and it keeps everybody involved in the production off the streets at night. But as a stage story and as a i a score, it has nothing going for it. The involved characterizations that gave the film its sense and meaning are not possible on the stage, and the music is only one long, hollow variation on the movie's enormously popular theme song. Warren Atkins' scenery depicting a Greek village is very good. One could probably look at it for hours and days on end and still find it interesting.

Director Ralston uses the stage space to the hilt, also with good interest TflNFORflNPflRKfnflLL4. CINEITIRS TM SSS KAYLENZ ''REPORIDIHECOMMIOTER 1 WCHAEl MOWV-viPHfT SuSiN tUK; HOT Plus "WHIrt LIGHTNING" Dtily "Mite" 7:00 i 10- IS. "Ivor US 1:45 Plus "WHITE LIGHTNING" Oocn Weekd-iys f. 4b Weekends Oper 0 3 0 P.M. 12:30, 10, 10:30 6 ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS 10:30, Ut45, 3:05, 3:20, 7:40, 10:00 UA ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS Shows Tonight 7:30 and 9:30 PM.

Continuous from Tonight 6:30, 8:30 and 10:30 PM. Continuous from Beit Actress nominee ELLEN BURSTYN "ALICE DOESNT LIVE HERE ANYMORE" WED 8:40 7:00, SUNDAY 5:00, 8:40 (PG) also Jeff Bridges--Volorie PtT-ine "LAST AMERICAN HERO' i ACADEMY INCLBiSTACTOB lif MINT rapMsr NWHTir 7:15, 9:40 IPO) MiHimi 12:28, 2:35, 4:50 NOMINATED OR 6 ACADEMY AWARDS INCUIMNC BEST ACTOR ALBERT FIHNEY BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS INGRID BERGMAN tlMRTrllHIEY UVMNUCAU. kURTM BALSAM JEMWMECASSa SMCMMEflY JOHN6IEL6UD WENOTNUEfl ANTHONY PQIKWS VANESSA RED6RAVE RACHa ROBOTS RICHARD MOMARK MICHAELYONK PJWUKOUHT HCTURES COVOOTION IN ASSMfflON WTH WT COHEN PffiSENl A JOHN BMBOUBC-nCHAB) GOODWIN PfiCDUCTlffll ACAIU OMsnrs "MURDER ON TIE ORIENT EXTRESr DIVINE SARAH The Saroh Vaughan brings her vocal versatility to the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts on March 13 at 8 p.m. and variety. In his role as orchestra conductor, Campagna gets, excellent results.

Unfortunately it is all lost on a stupid script and a worthless score. The thing is a mere pageant of cameos, not a development of ideas. Hal Grant has little choice but to shout his way through the lead part of Zorba. The writers have given his part only one i i and there's not much he can do to reverse the Patty Whitney is quite strong in her dramatic portrayal of the Chorus' Leader. David a i has a pleasant enough high-placed tenor voice as Nikos, but delivers his spoken lines with stiffly literal phrasing.

Anna-Marie Alaimo. Vivian Chance, and Donna Ralston are attractive in the lead female roles, but make their lines difficult to understand through imprecise diction. All the dancers are good, and all benefit from good choreography by Katina Politz. Stacey Loew and Peter Gundunas are especially successful in their dancing. Special Film Programs With Unusual Themes Special film programs scheduled in the Bay Area this week include: Three popular British comedies from the Elating Studios are being honored at San Francisco State University, Little Theater, 1600 Holl a a i Mob" 1 9 5 1 i be on March 10 at 7:30 p.m.

with A a a i offering, "The Maggie." The director's popular "Man in the White Suit" featuring Alec Guinness will be shown free in the McKenna Theater at 12:30 p.m. on March 12. "The Story of Carl Gustva Jung" on a bill with Fritz Perls' film "Everything Is Aware Process" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on March 6 at the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco. "KES," a British film about a young boy growing up in a coal-mining town who attempts to escape the harsh realities of his life by raising and training a kestrel hawk, will be shown at 7:30 p.m.

on March 7 at the San Francisco Museum of Art, Van Ness and McAllister. "I Love You Rosa," is the THE MOST MAGICAL ELF IN THE WORLD Of MAKE-BELIEVE! He't thf only one who tan taut the life of BUHPflSTlLTSWH From the magical urorlC Of Crn GEORGE MATTHEWS GREAT LONDON PLUS CARTOON FESTIVAL SAT. SUN. 12:00, 2:20 Matinee Ends 4:25 Mar. 7 Mar.

8 Mar. 9 Mar. iO Mar. 11. JUNIORS AM ADULTS Barbara Bladen LEONTYNE PRICE CAST AN ELECTRIFYING SPELL last offering on the "From Israel With Love" series being shown at 3:30 p.m.

at the New Varsity, 456 University, Palo Alto. Women Working" is the theme of the fifth program in "Women Emerging, the iilm discussion series now running at the Clay Terrace, San Francisco on March 9 at 12 and 3 p.m. "Women's Work," "Joyce at 34," "I Am Somebody" and "Janie's Janie" are the titles. "Dawn Patrol, noted American director Howard a i sound i made in 1930, will be screened on March 9 at 2 p.m. at the San Francisco Museum of Art, Van Ness and McAllister.

"An Evening of Laughter," a collection of great comedy shorts featuring Ben i a i W. C. Fields, Laurel Hardy, Buster Keaton and others, will be shown at 8 p.m. on March 22 in the Foothill College Theatre, Los Altos. Why do some attractions with high ticket prices sell out and others, of justifiable importance and comparable quality, fill only half a house? People will pay to see and hear what they like.

Critics, entrepreneurs, theater managers and survey takers ore the last to predict correctly. So it was that Leontyne Price sang to a packed house of adoring fans on Tuesday at the Opera House with orchestra seats priced at $12.50. You couldn't have squeezed another body in without having the fire marshal close down the show. The tall elegant soprano mesmerized her audience with a recital of rarely heard songs with only pianist David Garvey to guide her. But he's an artist to leads, not follows and those who came to bask in the caress of her velvety voice sat spellbound through a low keyed repertoire of obscure pieces, until her encores when she let loose with three operatic arias and a well-known spiritual.

I thought they'd rip up the seats with joy. Recitals are rarely attended by the average music lover. Recitals are given all the time, but seldom by renowned This audience was composed of ardent fans who obviously were a i i a i Miss Price's recordings. They seemed to know her selections and had come prepared to make evident their adoration. "We love you" one would shout from the balcony.

"Thank you Leontyne" another would roar out in solo. She remained composed, regal in grey chiffon and an ostrich feather boa tall, proud and gracious. But she was moved and the fervor of the evening was really something to relish and remember. After selections by Handel, Mozart, Schubert, and Tschaikowsku, she switched over with vocal elan to French songs by Henri Duparc and a long set of Samuel Barber's "Hermit Songs, Opus 29" in English. These gave her voice a chance to change coloring and her phrasing to go from classical intonation to the catchiness and bombasity of story-songs or monologue vingnettes.

Every word was an audible gem with the expressiveness and persuasiveness of her vocal instrument at its peak. The thrill of the evening for me was to hear the international opera star bring such passion and joy into her rendition of the spirituals "This Little Light of Mine" and "Honor! utilizing a style of singing and vocal technique not found anywhere in operatic performance. The effect was electrifying as the audience- went wild, applauding her with unrestrained enthusiasm so that she responded for four separate encores. She's a great lady. And it was nice to see her as herself, not masked behind some predictable character and before an audience not too reserved and polite to let her know how much she is loved and admired.

The $12.50 couldn't have been better spent, it would seem. Had she appeared a second or third night, I'll bet she'd have still sung before a packed house. Leontyne Price has high priority on a lot of budgets. Troy Donahue In Person At Easter Seal Benefit UllEW EHIION See The Circus At It Should Be Seen! Under The BIG TOP! LINCOLN INDUSTRIAL PARK Fowler City, Calif. AVer San Mcitcu Bridge Mar.

5 4:30 8:00 PM Mar. 6 4:30 ft 8:00 PM An Easter bonnet benefit ball will be held at 8 p.m. March 15, with proceeds 4:30 8:00 PM 11 AM-2 8 PM ..3:008 6:00 PM ..4:30 ft 8:00 PM 4:30 8:00 PM CHILDREN To Age 12 To 18 $3,00 BOX AND RESERVED SEATS AVAILABLE AT GATE AND OUTLETS EXPLORAMA'S EXCLUSIVE KWFUTUfiC IEMTH IRAVf AOVEKTUIte FILM DOCUMEHTItlV Produced IN PERSON by JONATHAN HAOAR Inn: S3.N MMy't, Tk km to IM MMN, I.3.. In Jw I. 0.

HWM 7714711. (1 kwr Mwt AM) tt.M In April! "NORWAY" 2:30 7:30 pm SUN. MAR. I MAIN THEATRE, CANADA COLLEGE REDWOOD CITY 1:15 pmFRI. MARCH 7 SAN MATED HIGH AUDIT.

Ml N. Mtmra Stratt going to the Easter Seal Society for Crippled Children and Adults of San Francisco, Inc. Troy Donahue, star of the film "Godfather II," will head the impressive roster of judges for the affair, to be held at the Varner-Wnrd Leasing Company, 548 Fifth Street, San Francisco, publicists Davey Rosenberg and Peter Marino success- staged a weekend Christmas party for kids. Sal Caron and his 16-piece band, will provide the dance music, featuring the vocalist Tony Romano. First prize will be one year's lease on a -1975 corn- pact car and the judge besides Donahue will be We film stars, Jane Janet a i and Terfy Moore, Pat Paterson, tling champion; Aw vello, roller derby queefc; Michael Cleary, KNBR; BUI Holly, KYA; Terry ern KSAN.

and Russ cuse, KSFO. I Valet parking will be prof- ided. THE HOST MAGICAL ELFIN THE WOULD OF MAKE-BELIEVE KIDDIE MATINEE SATURDAY SUNDAY ONLY AT liOO A 2:30 Ail SEATS $1.25 RIIMKISHDSNN MM. Are Fri ItM, 4M, 4Sm. 4:30, BARGAIN MATINEE EVERYDAY ALL SEATS $1.25 DWSQLliEY NOW SHOWING! JFOUUNOTH cototriATum col Itwoftv for NttM) 6th THMLUN6 WEEK Opxt Doty ot MOM 3tM 5:15, 7:25, 9tM "AMOFY VOtT-ACHUMr PAIM THEATRE 170S Mm AVWNM.