The Daily Telegraph from London, Greater London, England • 13

TELEVISION RICHARD LAST Homebirds rule the roost THE RATHER TRICKSY title Reluctant Chickens (BBC heralded an over-tricksy Play For Today" about a well-to-do middle-class family whose offspring refused to fly the nest. Thomas, Max, Maty and Roy were all more or less grown up, single, doing well in their careers, and firmly anchored in the gracious parent home somewhere in London. Thomas, a deputy headmaster, habitually referred to himself as 66 head of the family." This misnomer oddly unrebuked by his father (Patrick Troughton), a and harassed GP. Perfaring, had stopped noticing. walled freedom older of couple their wanted own home in their declining years, but hints about breaking away and marriage went blithely unregarded.

In despair the doctor's wife (Gwen Watford), looking absurdly young be the mother of a 40-year-old) put the house up for sale, a amid cries of recrimination and disbelief. was a enough theme, overturning valine more usual tied-to-mother syndrome, but written and directed (respectively by David Cregan and Gareth Davies) with such brittle contrivance that the characters became little more than, smart labels. At different times I was put in. mind inverted Hay Fever," without the Master's magic touch, of Brian Rix with socially conscious overtones. In the end I found the artifitoo uninvoking for ciality of Reluctant Chickens" long drama.

Still, Mr. Cregan's quick-fire script yielded some MUSIC nice touches. Was there connection between the essential immaturity of younger characters and the fact that they all raised individual GUARDIANS over the elegant breakfast table? Perish the If "Play For Today" saw its older adults as representing maturity and stability, S.W.A.L.K. (C4), Thames's new serial for teenagers, puts them down practically as cavedwellers. Frankly I can't believe in a 1983 household where a bright 14-year-old is kept in ignorance of the fact that her older sister is lined up for a shotgun marriage, especially since they share the same bedroom.

The cartoons, and Prunella Scales as an agony columnist peering out of a screen porthole, don't help much. Perhaps Paula Milne's six part series will settle down into ITV's answer to Grange Hill," perhaps not. I'll need teenage viewer guidance on this one. Sticking resolutely to its lowkey approach, Just Another Day (BBC 2 provided an almost sobnambulistic condusted ramble round Sotheby's. mention of such outrages as the.

buyer's premium to rock anyone's boat. Best moments were provided by close of saleroom faces, with the excitement of other people's money changing hands, and an American lady who had brought in tabletop sculpture of a helmeted blonde female. The artist is called Valkyrie," she announced confidently Sir Geraint's magic Pasquale By PETER STADLEN THE FUTURE looks gloomy without Sir Geraint Evans's Don Pasquale. He is singing the part for the last time during the current of Donizetti's opera at Covent Garden, in a revival of Ponnelle's production, first staged in 1973 to celebrate the singer's quarter at the house. As ever, this artist's choice persona can be sensed both in the old bachelor's incredulous anticipation of marital bliss and the crushed dismay at humiliation, or again when his revengeful resilience is given voice--and still what a the 66 Cheti cheti patter duet with Malatesta.

had to be the encored, insistence "Slightly varied, at audience altogether bewitched by Sir Geraint's formidable victory over the dangers of routine. Happily, the comic opera's soloistic quadrangle was further. enlivened by all manner of dramatic cross-currents. Delighting us with the playful ease of her coloraturas, and of thrills consisting for once of two distinct notes, Luciana Serra's new Norina proceeded from Aldeburgh String Trio, Sara Watkins By ALAN BLYTH EVEN IN this age of musical enlightenment, the repertory for string trio is heard too little at concerts. The Aldeburgh String Trio has been doing its bit of late to remedy the situation.

Last night at the Queen showed Elizabeth how Hall the it group much achieved. Beethoven in his Op: 9 Trios was already as mature a composer as in his earliest quartets. The writing in the piece in Minor is as serious and taut as in any of Op. 18, and in the major Adagio suggests the inwardness of the composer's great slow movements. Mark Lubotsky, Simon Rowland Jones and Karoly Botvay, individually and together, played it with secure undersome passing standing and princentration: also typically to the medfontributed flat work is less demanding on the mind and smaller in scale than his works for four instruments but its lyrical attributes and charming invention responded well to the generous treatment it received, particularly in the elegiac Andante and perky Finale.

Dohnanyi's Serenade is an even more attractive work, one of its composer's best, sitting quite comfortably between the late 19th. century German tradition and the more extrovert world of his native Hungary. There was true virtuosity in the Aldeburgh Trio's interpretation and a wholehearted empathy with its technical and emotional demands. Sara Watkins joined the strings for Mozart's Oboe Quartet. Her tone is not large but keen and true always at the service of her lively thinkinto and Trio.

well integrated with teasing, coquetry to mock shrewishness, until the shock of actually slapping her duped husband's face brought touching remorse reflected in some unexpectedly limped, lyrical singing. As Ernesto, the young Mexican Francisco, Araizo, new to the house but vividly remembered as the Fenton of Karajan's Salzburg 66 Falstaff," knew how to convey the emotions of the ardent lover purely through the way he deployed an outstandingly beautiful, melting tenor. His Serenata "om'e gentil fully earned its ovation. Jonathan Summers has by now developed his stronglysung Dr Malatesta into a formidable Don Alfonso like manipulator, resourceful even to the point of arousing suspicions with regard to any past relations with Norina. The young Italian born American Guido Ajmone Marsan, conducting at the Royal Opera for the first time, showed a distinct flair for balancing the buffa Donizetti against the romantic one.

The production has been sparkingly restaged by Richard Gregson. PO, Weller Janet Baker THE ROYAL Philharmonic Orchestra under its principal conductor Walter Weller gave us an evening of astringent romanticism at the Festival Hall last night, juxtaposing neatly if somewhat cloyingly two works, Wagner's 6 6 Wesendonk Leider and Mahler's 5th Symphony, which includes movements of the most perfectly contained and uncontainable, Wagner's yearning. case these are the two celebrated songs, Im Treibhaus and Traume." which are sketches for Tristan and which stand out above the other three like a glistening sunrise. Dame Janet Baker was the soloist and she traced the langorous contours of these two songs with measured and almost embarrassing intensity. Weller secured an even paced, shapely enough account whole.

The orchestra's playing in the symphony was particularly distinguished, moot the conductor's overview palpably discernible, although one could give him the credit of benevolent intentions. It was a performance which lagged behind one's expectations for Mahler, never swept on ahead of them, or swept them right away. The most successful movement was the Adagietto, that monument of aspiration, where simple adherence to the letter ensured that the correct impression stylistic excursions complicated stylistic of the scherzo the conductor's conception was weak and the Orchestra's execution insufficiently deft. The great span of the opening pair of movements was pedestrianly traversed and textural differentiation, definition even, was seldom acutely observed. The brass were too clamorous throughout, the violins never brilliant and frontal enough.

P.W.D. DANCE FERNAU HALL Ay Mario Maya AY! JONDO," Mario Maya's flamenco show opening at the Bloomsbury Theatre last night, is in general on much the same lines before with Senor Maya attempting to show the persecution of the gipsies in Spain through the ages. This time, however, the cast includes a superb bailaora, a female flamenco dancer called Carmen Cortes who is an artist of the rarest quality. In her Taranto dance she shows marvellous command of spiral, sinuous movements of arms and hands, with footwork beautifully judged SO as to bring out the mood of lamentation the singing, and subtly changing facial expressions in The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday, April 13, 1983 13 THEATRE Mrs Malaprop finds a new exit line By JOHN BARBER THERE IS 'SO little to censure and so much to praise in the 19 new production of The Rivals at the Olivier, it must come high among the National's recent successes. John Gunter has designed an elaborate and graceful simulacrum of Bath's elegantly mannered terraces.

It suits well the poses, postures and pretences of Sheridan's wonderful characters. These are all absurd. Yet they must not be mocked played with conviction. They must walk the knife-edge between the artificiality of the plot and that approximation to credibility which the audience should expect. The director, Peter Wood, has achieved this.

The mischievous comedy of love at boy poses, of 23, never descends into written by a brilliant farce, however nearly it teeters towards it. So silly young Lydia, dreaming of eloping with a dashing ensign, is properly confounded when her lover turns. out to be, in disguise, the dull respectable fellow her aunt has chosen for her. Several performances are outstanding because they add some delicious extra to the people as conceived. Michael Hordern gives us all the choler in the pompous Sir Anthony Absolute but he is the funnier because he is also a dispeptic gourmand.

-Tim Curry gives us the humpkin Bob Acres, the booby squire but adds a coy bashfulness which makes him endearing. Above all, Geraldine McEwan as the queen of the dictionary Mrs Malaprop, has embellished her role with care and loving detail. With needling eye, snarling pout and shaking head, this quintessential harridan pauses thoughtfully before selecting each precise wrong word. With this goes a stupefying compla cency, and even some new Malapropisms: her exit line is now Men are all Bavarians!" I did not fall in love with the interludes, unwanted music, when supernumeraries fussily set up salon or parlour upon the streets of Bath. And some of the speaking, or the microphoning, was unfortunate.

But the comedy remains hugely enjoyable, with a good hoity-toity Lydia from Anne Louise Lambert, a handsome Jack from Patrick Ryecart, and a capital Fag from Barry James. Only the admirable Edward Petherbridge disappointed as the over-sensitive Faulkland, who cannot see his mistress laugh without deploring her, indelicate levity. No doubt this subdued performance will grow, in a production which should achieve a long life. a a Geraldine McEwan and Michael Horden in Sheridan's The Rivals which opened at the National (Olivier) Theatre last night. POURING OUT the plaudits for Buddy Rich-in fact, not only Buddy Rich and his Orchestra the man and his prodigious of the drums but his succeed--for obvious reasons to Marcus orchestra also--is be- those who know how ill he has playing super's, delightfully monontous.

been how could the occasion soprano stunning Critics from Albuqerque to fail? airing, Zagreb are in danger of dis- The simple answer is that it and under the weight of didn't. After a medium-paced and appearing, enthusiastic start during which one or two that the So it should be sufficient to of the numbers resembled Rich display. report that the current Buddy nothing more themes which herald the best than those rather Rich tour, now nearing its end, brassy on 66 West has been the glittering success American 6 in cop dramas, evening TV the we suspected it might. The music dug earnest. which in Barbican concert was fairly It was gratifying to hear audience typical too.

With an audience Critic's Choice again one the third so overwhelmed in advance, of the band's better numbers- all before. and willing the great man to on which star reed man Steve gratifying The Queen casts an embracing spell JAZZ played a marvellous saxophone solo. Several ballads were given an too. In particular, Body Soul." Love for 'Round Midnight proved band is not all bravura himself played one solos I have ever seen Side Story," and the ended with Birdland," suitably brought the to its feet for perhaps time. We had seen and it was no less for that.

0-60 in speed By KEITH NURSE AS AN EPIC of passion on the empire spanning scale, 66 Antony and Cleopatra does not exactly lend itself to reduced theatrical circumstances of any form of physical consignment. The functional, Pit at the intimate Barbican and is emin- ently. comfortable arena, but a dark-walled studio seems at first sight, no place for a Queen. Whatever. the reservations, they soon fall way as Helen Mirren's Queen of Egypt begins to cast her all-embracing spell.

In fact the background brings her strikingly beautiful 12.9 sec. 95 mph. performance even more into focus. The overall effect seems all that it was when this Royal Shakespeare Company production opened last October at The Other Place, Stratfordupon-Avon. To see this sensuous tigress lording it in figure-hugging shifts in her palace, is to sample, truly, all the power and voluptuousness of Shakespeare's "A Very Woman." Her transformation after Antony's also accomplished with palpable conviction.

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BY DESIGN. FUEL ECONOMY FIGURES (1300 MANUAL) URBAN CYCLE 28.8 MPG (9.8L/100KM) STEADY 56 MPH 42.8 MPG (6.6L/100KM) STEADY 75 MPH 32.1 MPG (8.8L/100KM). FIGURES FROM MOTOR, Gambon's Antony offers a striking a lusty, bearded campaigner, sweens his woman physically her feet and carries her away on his broad shoulders. The ensuing clinches are red hot and full of passion in this decidely robust production directed by Adrian Noble. Photo forum The Council is to hold the first two open forums Arts.

on photography the Triangle Arts Centre at Aston University, Birmingham, April 29. Max. which shea imbues the characteristic flamenco scowl sombre poetry. In all her dancing one may see flamenco at its best: full of duende (devilish power), technically impeccable and building up well throughout each dance. The two singers, Juan Jose Amador and Curro Triana also performed very giving their songs the "depth and power needed in cante jondo.

Mario Maya has a good deal of technical expertise but his gifts for choreography are limited and his dancing suffers because he tends to let it slacken off at the end instead of building a crisp climax. His "face remains monotonously morose, whereas he would create a much finer effect if he changed his expression to suit the moods of the different dances..