046rd
ALEXANDER NEVSKY
DETROIT
SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA
y INN
Fri., Oct. 13, 8:00pm
Sat., Oct. 14, 8:30pm
Sun., Oct. 15, 3:00pm
NOVI
who lives upstairs), two of the
customers are revealed to be un-
dercover police who have been
staking out the place, and one of
the four remaining people must
have done it. Hmm.
In between, there is a pile of
local humor and familiar refer-
ences. Tom Suda cannily imi-
tates Carol Channing in Hello
Dolly and jokes appear which
everyone can get— all at a
breakneck pace. Then, to every-
one's surprise, onstage and off,
the houselights come up and —
well, now I really can't tell you
anymore, but you'll like it.
The evening is expertly di-
rected by Matt Callahan, who
has been involved for many years
with the production and who has,
it is rumored, played every male
role. It has the kind of detail and
gets the kind of laughs that one
would expect from a piece that
has been honed for over 15 years
while playing 24,000 perfor-
mances to almost 4 million peo-
ple. I mean, if it's not working by
now, then what?
But it is. And with this very
good bunch of people, all of whom
are also having a great time, you
will too. Heck, in the performance
I saw, a light bulb accidentally
exploded, and O'Conner, as Offi-
cer Thomas, had the presence to
draw his gun and point it at the
ceiling, just to make sure no cul-
prit was lurking about 40 feet off
the floor.
Is it great theater? Probably
not. Is it a great evening in
the theater? You bet. Don't miss
it! ❑
Rock-Solid Elton
The _pop icon brings his show
to the Palace this weekend
GARY GRAFF SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
He's had fallow periods, but
t's fair to say that Elton
during
the '90s John has been on
John's life has changed re-
markably in recent years. a roll again. Besides The Lion
During 30 years of making King and its hits — "Can You
music, the British pop icon has Feel the Love Tonight" and "Cir-
encountered his share of zealous cle of Life" — John has been
fans and aggressive groupies. pounding out more hit albums,
But now, he notes, "I get accost- including 1992's The One and
ed in airports by six-year-olds." this year's Made In England, his
That would be because of his 31st album. He is once again a
songs for Walt Disney's The Lion radio staple, thanks to singles
King, on which he collaborated such as "The Last Song," "The
with lyricist Tim Rice. The One" and "Believe."
It may not be his best work —
soundtrack album roared to the
top of the charts, selling 7 million none of this stuff stacks up
copies and netting John both Os- against '70s material such as
"Levon," "Rocket Man," "Satur-
car and Grammy awards.
It also expanded his fan base day Night's Alright for Fighting"
or "Candle in the Wind" — but
by a generation to the junior.
"When you write something John still commands a formida-
Like The Lion King, you write it ble presence in the pop pantheon.
He was rightfully honored in
for kids," John, 48, says in a spe-
cial interview distributed for his Britain earlier this year with a
prestigious Lifetime
current Made in England
Achievement Award for
for the U.S.A. North
his Outstanding Contri-
American concert tour.
bution to the British Mu-
That's what Disney want-
sic Industry. On the legal front,
ed me to do.
"A lot of Disney movies have he successfully sued two British
full Broadway scores, and they're tabloids for libel.
And on the humanitarian side,
beautiful. But they wanted me
his
Elton John Aids Foundation
to write a pop score, so I wrote the
songs with kids in mind. .I mean, — funded by royalties from his
how can you not when a song is singles, performances, sales of his
stage costumes, a celebrity ten-
about a wart hog?"
"But it's for the kid in every- nis tournament and an annual
one; it's the 6-year-old kid or the Oscar party — has raised $5.5
56-year-old kid. It reached its million for education and assis-
target because I get kids at the tance programs.
"For a decade or more, people
airport who say, 'We love The
Lion King, and that's the reward have tended to view Elton John
only as a commercial figure,"
you get for it."
Of course, John has been no Bernie Taupin, John's longtime
stranger to rewards during his songwriting partner, told Time
career, from the critical praise magazine earlier this year. "He
that launched his career during was just this character from the
the early '70s to his string of tabloids. Now he's totally alive
seemingly nonstop hits during ... He's become stronger, and he
that decade — a dozen Top 10 en- wants to prove himself again."
tries alone between 1973-76.
ROCK-SOLID page 104
I
N
Lan Shui, conductor
Claudine Carlson, mezzo-soprano
Choral Union of
the University Musical Society
Thomas Sheets, director
GREAT
RIBS
AND
SEAFOOD
PROKOFI EV's Film Score
Alexander Nevski , with a screening
of the original film directed by
Sergei Eisenstein
Friday evening's performance will be
preceded at 7 pm by a pre-concert
conversation with Claudine Carlson
and Alexander Nersky Producer
John Goberman.
Sponsors: Fri: .4NR Pipeline and Media
Sponsorship by WQRS-FM 105.1
Sat: Howard & Howard
Sun: Comeriea Incorporated
LIVE
JAZZ
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
FEATURING
MIKE FLEMMING
7 PM - 10 PM
HUDSON'S. HARMONY HOUSE,
& BLOCKBUSTER MUSIC
CALL-FOR-TIX (810) 645-6666
DETROIT
OPEN EVENINGS TUES. - SAT.
43317 East Grand River
(Just East of Novi Road)
(810) 305-5856
NEEME JARVI, MUSIC DIRECTOR
COMING NEXT: ()COMER 19-22 JAMES GALWAY, flute
A New
Russian Folk Orchestra
"RUSSIAN
SOUVENIR"
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