Seton Hall University - Galleon Yearbook (South Orange, NJ)

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(Continued from page 28) presentation than one might have been led to anticipate. Under the direction of Dr. James McGlone, the student actors— for the most part —managed to hold their own in what is ba- sically a performance of actors who are re- hearsing for a performance of Mo by Dick , hence the title. This at times too clever idea allows a minimum of importance to be at- tached to costumes and sets; it permits girls to read the parts assigned to boys, and so forth. This spectators are to consider as of little con- sequence, because come opening night, they assume, or at least they are supposed to as- sume, that all will be rectified. Above all, kudos go to Mark St. Germain, whose principal role was that of Captain Ahab. With a black cane substituting for Ahab ' s missing leg, St. Germain limped to an anything but lipid portrayal of the monoma- niacal Ahab. His work certainly stands as one of the finest performances on the boards of the circular theatre in recent years. He also took on the parts of the acting company ' s manager and Fr. Mapple. As Ishmael, Scott Bernstein, although he allowed his too formal physical movements to prevent the damp and drizzly November in his soul to manifest itself, salvaged his part somewhat with an exciting narration of the play ' s final scene. Owen McEvoy ' s sparse but adaptable sets and props served this production profitably, as did the background noises and music. McEvoy ' s lighting though— or rather, the lack of it— was a dismaying detriment to the show.

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MOBY DICK REHEARSED by Mark Ortolani Photos by Dave Emmerling Approximately twenty years ago, that giant of the American stage and screen, Orson Welles, took on that giant of American litera- ture, Moby Dick , and emerged from the con- test neither victorious nor defeated. Instead, Welles came out creative, forming as he did a play, based on the epic work by Herman Melville. Entitled Moby Dick— Rehearsed, the play deals with many of the subjects with which the novel deals, especially the confrontation by man with the forces of Nature, Good, Evil, Destiny and himself. Unlike the novel, how- ever, the play does not contain the vast range of characters which the novel has, nor does it offer the intensity, the power and the gran- diosity of the novel. It is no wonder then, that Welles 7 work both intrigued and frustrated critics and theatregoers alike upon its pre- miere. Similar reactions were remarked when the Theatre-in-the-Round fared better with this (Continued on page 29)

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HK A PRESENTS KRESKIN by Bill Grau Photos by Guy Taylor, Tom Ludington You had to be there. Unless you saw it in person, you just couldn ' t believe it. The show was sensa- tional; the star was typically amazing. Some 800 people witnessed the Amazing World of Kreskin on February 24 in the Student Center Main Lounge. What they saw was a 3-hour display of mind-reading, the power of suggestion, and other psychic phenomena. Sponsored by Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, it was a show that people will not soon forget. Kreskin— veteran of thousands of public appear- ances, guest of every major talk show, and author of a book about extrasensory perception— truly proved himself to be a total performer. A come- dian, magician, and mind-reader extraordinaire, he started the show by performing several difficult card tricks. His first mind-reading demonstration revealed some fascinating information about several audi- ence members. Shocking them with his knowledge about their lives, Kreskin correctly identified sev- eral social security numbers, a birth date, a few names, a peppered steak lover, and the president of the University Chorus. At his request, several audience members were challenged to hide Kreskin ' s pay check in a place where he could not find it. After much debate, the group decided to hide it in the shirt pocket of a member of the lighting crew. You can easily guess how this routine ended. Kreskin, who was seated in an adjacent room while the check was hidden, easily located the check by focusing on the thoughts of the group leader. A 1963 graduate of Seton Hall in psychology, Kreskin introduced each segment of the show with some comments about different forms of psychic phenomena. He described hypnosis as a laugh- able hilarity. He said that one need not fake the idea of hypnosis to get people to do things. The suggestion of an idea can cause people to act. My subjects know they are not hypnotized, yet they do the things I request only because of the powers of suggestion. These remarks were shockingly illustrated by some 50 audience members. Summoned to the stage to participate in the show, the group re- sponded to his every command or suggestion. Clasping their arms above their heads, they soon found they could not release their grasps. A sim- ple snap of the fingers by Kreskin soon solved that problem and also later allowed them to open their seemingly glued-shut eyes. Mr. Amazing soon had the group believing they were holding animals in their hands. Parakeets, dogs, mice, and chickens were rather mystically present to the group as they peacefully petted their animals. Two members of the group even chased their animals around the room. One walked his dog down the aisle while another snatched his (Continued on page 31)