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ofiein neshdeding he‘s lewyer temfy Mason daring a FASS siit entitled Where Thare‘s a Show provides FASSinating experience for audience Coral Andrews Chronicle Special "Every masterpiece is made up of concealed admissions, calculations, lofty puns and riddles FASS, U of W‘s beloved theatrical alma mater, which will be 25 years old next season may not be considered a masterpiece to some, but it is certainly made up of concealed admissions, calculations, lofty puns ... Lofty puns??? Wait a minute. Okay, lofty puns and a multitude of riddles. Fassinating ... fun And Severe Socialization ... Oh, oh, it‘s catching. There was the games party, the ‘hot and sleazy‘ party, the before party, the during party, the after party, the aftermath, and the math after for some of the luckier cast members. The Last Will and Testament, The Screen Play, this year‘s FASS production directed and dissected by Suzanne V. Langdon, despite all efforts to subconsciously confound anyone involved, was an overwhelming success and murder on unsuspectâ€" ing laugh banks. With a cast of oneâ€"hundred plus it‘s literally impossible to cite all credit and discredit where it is due, yet Scream Play was just as much fun for the audience as it was for the players. â€" Obviously an enormous amount of thought went into this mammoth effort. o And FASS was dead funny. With names like Sue Doe Intellectual, Earl E. Tobed, Dee Ceased, Max Milk, V.L. Scallopini, and Paul Tergeist, the play on names just the initial thrust of this diabolically witty production. Headwriters Linda Carson, Jim Gardner and company have over the_years built their unscrupuâ€" lous comic insanity. In this year‘s achievement they left no gravestorie unturned, keeping their wits about them and about everyone else. _ This year‘s supreme satire centred around the _ So ends this FASS critique, with TIMâ€"BITs, macabre, featuring an array of detectives, puns, Barry Manilow albums, green ink and a goodly Moon Units, puns, ,yon JIrapp3, PPPS, Mtâ€", FH}Q», , $YRR!Y,0/,G!PPRPROD, SLPLALY DEAFSâ€" 44504 454 44 e a 6 e a e & Jean Cocteau, 1928 puns, ghosts, Russians, The Jekyll Family, puns, and cats ... (Still at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto) FASS didn‘t ‘pussyfoot‘ around, with fastâ€"paced script, running or walking gags (depending on audience response), colorful sets, ingenuitive stage bag, and amusing. sideâ€"stage vignettes. Notable participants Bernie Roeh! in his third consecutive old man guise, Kevin Diwebolt, as an obnoxious hardâ€"hat enginer, and Pat Presti as a demure but discerning artsie, all proved there are no small parts, just small actors. Steve Kuleshynyk as. the everâ€"suffering Mr. Cujo, complete with grappling hook, and vaccous demonic stare, earned his share of morbid mirth with ‘When the tough get going they blow away everything that moves‘. John Young as Billy Butler (rather like Gobby Grusome from the Flintstones) was horribly lovable with his manâ€"machine eating Herbie and Jim Gardner‘s Hercules Parrot was another Fassâ€"inâ€"nating portrayal. Favorite FASSlines: "I never wanted to be a cultist, I always wanted to be a lumberjack, (but sadly Mr. "Grasshopper®‘ Carette did NOT sing the legendary Monty Python anthem. BAD FASS!! "Old Bloodhounds never die, they just start to smell (Dave Mackett was excellent as a dodering Sherlock Holmes)." He‘s so stupid, he lost a battle of wits with a civil engineer,‘ * ... And Lionel ... "If you are an expert in musical comedy, you‘ll know it‘s time for the whole cast to sing." Jim Gardner‘s piano was possibly passable. Robin Purchit‘s sax was utterly unforgivable, and the parody songs were earcatching and a little bit cheeky, especially the Russians "Got to be a Communist Plot", set to Pick a Pocket or Two from musical Oliver. Old gags never die, they just begin to smell, or hit Jack Benny reruns ... S They did sing and will again next year, when FASS turns a quarter of a century old. O WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1986 â€" PAGE 17 Ross MacDonald Chronicle Special Lost In The Stars The Music of Kurt Weill A&M 6 Long before iconoclasts such as the Sex Pistols were sticking their tongues out at the political and musical establishment, a young composer was setting Germany on its rightâ€"wing ear. Kurt Weill, a classically trained musician, was a driving force behind the Bauhaus movement, a period from 1920â€"1933 that served as a ‘creative outlet for his growing disillusionment with the times. Germany was in the midst of a political upheaval and by the time Nazi control was imminent, Weill was indeed a bitter man. Equally outspoken regarding the social turmoil which was taking place was writer Bertolt Brecht. Weill admired his work, not only for its leftâ€"wing overtones, but because its defiant nature seemed like the perfect vehicle for his own compositions. During this time, the partnership produced several major works which explored a number of social themes. The music had a dark, dissonant quality to it, a perfect match for Brecht‘s growing interest in Marxism. But Weill was also a master of subtlety and nuance, qualities which compleâ€" mented the underlying current of hope in Brecht‘s lyrics. In 1927, Weill was commissioned to enter a one act opera in the Badenâ€"Baden musical festival. His choice of lyrigal content was a series of poems written by Brecht and the ensuing collaboration lasted three years. The Three Penny Opera, which opened in 1928, was the first and most commercially successful collaboration. Others included "Rise And Fall Of The City of Magoganny," which is still part of the Metropolitan Opera repertory and "*The Seven Deadly Sins," a work that signaled the end of the association. Following the dissolution, Weill came to America where he continued to lash out at the issues of the time. He produced a number of Broadway hits and one in particular, *"‘*Lost in The Stars," left an indelible impression on the public consciousness. It was to be his last artistic success. Two years later, in 1950, he passed away. Weill‘s influence on various forms of contemporary music, is widespread, as evidenced by the cross section of artists who have recorded his work. Several of his songs have been popularized by performers whose musical backgrounds are as diverse as the music itself. ‘"Mac The Knife,‘"" from The Three Penny Opera, was a hit for jazz great Louis Armstrong and an even bigger one for Bobby Darin. "Alabama Song," from the Rise and Fall, was done by the Doors while Knickerbocker Holiday produced ‘"September Song" which was recorded by both Bing Crosby and Willie Nelson. While an assortment of jazz musicians have recorded much of his work, rock musicians have been reluctant to follow suit. Lost In The Stars, conceived and produced by Hal Wiliner, is an ambitious attempt to see what an odd ball group of rock musicians could do with Weill‘s music. Willner, who has previously interpreted the work of Thelonius Monk, felt that the defiant quality of Weill‘s music was perfectly suited for rock and roll. To illustrate the flexibility and paradoxes of Weill‘s music, Willner draws from a wealth of musical sources. The selections Willner has included illustrate the chilling intensity that characterizes much of Weill‘s work. And Weill himself probably couldn‘t have chosen a more appropriate collection of artists to do justice to his music. The numbers from The Three Penny Opera feature Sting doing a harrowing, deadpan version of "Mac The Knife," Stan Ridgway injecting some of the Wall of Voodoo spell into the "Cannon Song‘‘ and Tom Waits â€" the one artist here who probably best represents Weill‘s musical personality â€" on ‘"‘What Keeps Mankind Alive." Other memorable moments include a chilling Chris Spedding/Marianne Faithful collabortion ‘"Ballad of The Soldier‘s Wife," the ever unpredictable Lou Reed doing a haunting version of ‘"September Song" replete with funky horns and scratch guitars, and the title track, featuring jazz compatriots Carla Bley and Phil Wood. Thirtyâ€"five years after his death, the music of Kurt Weill is being brought to life, and deservedly so. Not only is Lost In The Stars a testament to the timelessness and complexity of his work, it‘s also proof that sometimes, rock music has the power to transcend its own sophomoric tendencies.