1989_12 The Daily Collegian December 1989

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Page 8    Monday, December 4,1989
The Daily Collegian
Brecht play a sight to see
'The Private Life of the Master Race'opens at CSUF
3Dm ITOttB
By Moore
By Anastasla Hendrix
EntertoinrnentEdttor
Beginning long before the lights
went down and the first line was
spoken, the opening performance of
Bertolt Brechfs "The Private Life of
the Master Race" was a sight to see.
From the "blood"-stained display
windows and guard boxes in the lobby
to the Nazi banners and leather-clad
S.A. guards pacing inside the theatre
as the audience took their seats, the
show was on a mission to make a
statement
Although the play does not follow a
standard chronological development
of characters and events, It deals with
its content in a different and equally
effective manner.
Made up of a segmented collection
of scenes interspersed with recita¬
tions of Nazi doctrine, the play depicts
the horror and fear that people were
confronted with under the constant
surveillance of the Third Reich.
Scenes that depicted how certain
malcontents were dealt with by the
government and how parents were
afraid that their children would turn
them in if they voiced any opposition
were combined wtth graphic displays
of violence to recreate the tension of
the time.
Some scenes were more poignant
than others but they focused on
powerful emotions and couldn't help
but be absorbing. The play is an
excercise In ensemble acUng, and the
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FALL 1989
USED BOOK
BUYBACK
Main Level
Patio
DEC 11-22
Dec 11 Mon 8:30-6:30
Dec 12 Tue 8:30-6:30
Dec 13 Wed 8:30-6:30
Dec 14 Thu 8:30-6:30
Dec 15 Fri:. 8:30-4:30
Dec 16 Sat 10:00-2:30
Dec 18 Mon 8:30-6:30
Dec 19 Tue 8:30-6:30
(
Dec 20 Wed..... 8:30-4:00
Dec 21 Thu: 8:30-4:00
Dec 22 Fri 8:30-1:00
"'-
Kennel Bookstore buys back text¬
books from students. Old edition.
loose-leaf, poor condition, over¬
stocked texts cannot be bought
.,
back. Ifthe text has not been reor¬
dered, a wholesale price is offered
based on its current market value.
-.
REGISTER TO WIN A $200
GIFT CERTIFICATE! (May
be used to purchase textbooks or
merchandise of your choice in
Kennel Bookstore.
cast pulled it off with uniformly high-
quality performances.
Special mention should be given to
Ncdra       Colleges-Diggers      for      her
portrayal as the title character in the
slxth'scene, "The Jewish Wife."
The set also acted as an integral
part In relaying the concept director
Brad Myers was presenting
With the floor painted blood-red
This is shock-theatre.
It is powerful, captiva¬
ting, scary and emo¬
tional all at once ...
and the swastika emblem center
stage, the visual Imagery was
impossible to avoid. The barbed-wire
fencing behind the audience and
oscillating spotlight shining across
the comers of the theatre added to the
blatant display of uneasiness that
faced many in that era.
The wood and wire screens upstage
were   functional   and   appropriately
suited to the actor's needs, whether
they were using it directly for
performing space or draping
themselves upon it in the background.
Although Myers adapted several
parts of the script, the most dramatic
variauon came after the final scene.
Addressing the issue of neo-
Ndflsm, the actors stand on either
side of a round "American" flag, with
a white swastika in place of the stars.
Reciting statistical Information
reflecting the rise of pro-Aryan
support groups, newspaper circulars,
etc., the actors on the opposite side of
the "flag" met each recitation with a
rebellious "NOP
This is shock-theatre, it is power¬
ful, captivating, scary and emotional
all at once, but it can occasionally
border on being exploitative.
Audiences will either like the
heavy-handed style of being forced to
deal first-hand with the traumas that
ordinary people faced in Nazi
Germany or they won't - but the
message is valuable and deserves to bar
heard.
Don't miss it.
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" ... Ana remember, we don't know how they
will react to our appearance, ap It you see one
Juat stand perfectly motionless ... "
Thought for the day...
'When sluing for hows
inning rwr. andSstaiing
to numb, slast at die Unit
wdile bumps on the ceiling
and see bowmanyfaces of
cartoon dtaracten you can find.
-The Poetry Editor
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