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<i> Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press</i>

Peter Ustinov, whose roles have ranged from Babar the Elephant to Rome’s mad emperor Nero, is playing Beethoven’s ghost before packed houses in West Berlin. The play, “Beethoven’s Tenth,” was written by Ustinov and has been performed in the United States and in Britain. However, its West Berlin debut at the Schiller Theater marks the first time Ustinov has delivered his lines in German. Critics say Ustinov’s often deliberate German delivery adds to the performance, increasing audience empathy to the character of Beethoven, who makes a grumpy visit to the 20th Century in a rumpled coat and wig, after 160 years in the grave.

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