Ewu To Stage Play Performed Without Dialogue

Thu., Nov. 13, 1997

By Jim Kershner jimkershner@comcast.net

Eastern Washington University presents a non-verbal theatrical experience beginning Friday, “Three Plays Without Words.”

A cast of 22 presents three short pieces, all of which are viewed as if from a distance. The viewers see the actors talking to one another, but cannot hear them. The story is told strictly through actions.

This unusual piece was written (if that’s the correct word) by playwright Elmer Rice in 1925 under the title “The Sidewalks of New York.” The director is Gene Engene, professor of theater.

This “exercise in observation” will be presented at the University Theatre on the Cheney campus Friday, Saturday and Nov. 18-22. All shows are at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5, available at the door, with EWU students and one guest admitted free.

‘The Birds’

Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy “The Birds” will open Friday at the Spokane Falls Community College Playhouse.

“The Birds” is a satirical look at political dissidence and democracy in Athens in 417 B.C. Director Terry Steiner has updated it to include references to today’s socio-political scene. The play is about two comical dissidents who create a new community in the sky, free of the laws and taxes of the ground. Sound anything like the Montana Freemen?

The play opens Friday at 8 p.m. and continues Saturday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at noon, and Nov. 21-22 at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $5 at the door, $3 for students and seniors. The SFCC Playhouse is in Building 5, 3410 W. Fort George Wright Drive.

Paula West in cabaret

Paula West, one of the brightest new stars of the national cabaret circuit, continues her run at Dempsey’s Brass Rail Cabaret tonight and Friday at 8 p.m.

West recently played a two-week engagement at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel in New York. Her show, titled “Temptation,” has been called “smoky, swinging and sophisticated.

She has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald and Sara Vaughn.

Tickets are $12 in advance by calling 747-5362, or $15 at the door. Dempsey’s is at 909 W. First.

‘Fiddler on the Roof’

The University of Idaho continues its popular production of “Fiddler on the Roof” through Saturday at the Hartung Theatre on the western edge of the Moscow campus.

This is the 1964 musical about Tevye the dairyman, based on the Sholem Aleichem stories.

Showtimes are 7:30 p.m., tonight, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for youth and non-UI students, and $3 for UI students. Call 885-7986 for reservations.

‘Give ‘Em A Bit of Mystery’

Tony Church, a 28-year veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, will present “Give ‘Em A Bit of Mystery,” a one-man performance montage of acting styles throughout the ages, at Hartung Theatre on the University of Idaho campus.

It will trace the actor’s art from Burbage to Barrymore to Gielgud. Church is a theatre-artist-in-residence at the UI.

Curtain is 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for youth and non-UI students, and $3 for UI students. Call 885-7986.

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