arts entertainment
Beauty from page 47
people didn't really know about it. I felt it
was the most emotionally affecting struc-
ture I had ever seen."
Determined to photograph the plant
from different angles, Reyes Taubman also
became curious about other places in the
city. Working with maps and suggestions
from family and friends, she decided on a
book three years into her imagery, which
also came to feature shots taken from a
low-flying plane.
Architect Albert Kahn designed the
manufacturing facility that became
pivotal to her work, and Reyes Taubman
considers him the strongest Jewish link
in the book. Many of the buildings shown
reflect the diversity of his innovative
structures.
"I think Albert Kahn probably is the
most important American architect,
yet he's vastly overlooked:' she says of
the man who also was at the helm of
commercial high rises, synagogues and
homes. "He could do every style of build-
ing, and he planned so many buildings
that remain as monuments in Detroit."
Detroit: 138 Square Miles is anchored
by pictures without captions as suggested
by book designer Lorraine Wild, who did
not want typefaces to distract from first
impressions and visual flow.
The captions are in the back, next to
thumbnail versions of the larger pic-
tures. They were written with the help of
Robert Fishman and Michael McCulloch,
University of Michigan historians.
The introduction to the visual narra-
tive is by mystery writer Elmore Leonard,
who describes Reyes Taubman's images
as reflecting "beauty in despair, and
sometimes a glimmer of hope." Picture
choices were made with the help of
Marsha Miro, retired art critic and anoth-
er MOCAD founder.
"I felt that people could understand
architecture in a very clear way in
Detroit," says Reyes Taubman, who grew
up in Washington, D.C., and lived in New
York, where she recently introduced her
book at a reception hosted by Friedman
and other friends at the Whitney
Museum of American Art.
"In other cities, it's much harder to see
the periods because of different uses, but
Detroit has been successful at maintain-
ing the authentic nature of buildings of
the 1950s and 1960s.
"The Wayne State University campus
has so many great examples of period
architecture, and it becomes an impor-
tant place to see because of that."
While architecture dominates the pho-
tographic essay, the images are rounded
out with some people, maybe in a bar,
and landscapes, like a placid area next to
the Detroit River.
"I don't think of any of the pictures
as sad:' explains Reyes Taubman, who
came to regard herself more and more
as a preservationist through her massive
project. "I think it would be sad if the
pictures didn't exist." ❑
Inside Samuel C. Mumford High School, slated to be demolished; a new high school
will be built where the football field is currently located.
Bob-Lo Boats (foreground); U.S Steel Ecorse Oxygen Plant (background). Some
of the shots in the book, divided into East, Central and West sections, were taken
from a low-flying plane.
Detroit: 138 Square Miles can be purchased through MOCAD
(www.mocadetroit.org ) or Amazon.com .
David Mame s Race
JET production takes an insightful look at prejudice and human nature.
Ronelle Grier
Contributing Writer
I
f playwright David Mamet is right,
every human being — from the
unabashed bigot to the self-pro-
claimed liberal — harbors at least a
modicum of racism. Mamet explores this
issue in the current production at Jewish
Ensemble Theatre. Race is a play that is all
at once intriguing, somewhat disturbing
and highly entertaining.
Like most of Mamet's works, Race is a
drama with multiple levels. On the surface
is the primary plotline: A wealthy white
businessman, accused of raping an African
American woman, engages the services of
a law firm consisting of two experienced
partners and their young female associate.
Complicating the mix is the racial makeup
of the lawyers; one of the partners is white
while the other partner and the neophyte
associate are African American.
The incredibly talented John Manfredi
plays Charles Strickland, the arrogant and
self-important client who claims he has
been wrongfully accused. My only corn-
50
February 9 • 2012
plaint about Manfredi is that we don't get
to see more of him because his character
has considerably less stage time than the
other three actors.
Lisa Lauren Smith plays Susan, the nov-
ice attorney who alternates between inse-
curity about her inexperience
and scorn for her superiors and
their prospective new client.
She flaunts her sexuality as she
moves around the stage in a short-skirted
suit and high heels at the same time she
condemns the men for responding to her
in anything less than a business-like way.
Harold Uriah Hogan gives an impressive
performance as Henry Brown, the African
American law partner who makes it clear
that the success he has achieved does not
negate his heritage or his inherent beliefs
about the differences between the races.
Hank Bennett, who plays the white law
partner, Jack Lawson, assumed the part
only 24 hours before opening night, when
original cast member Steve Blackwood
left the role, citing artistic differences with
Director Christopher Bremer, according to
the Detroit Free Press.
According to Bremer, who also is JET'S
managing director, Blackwood was given
the option to stay on but chose to leave the
production after being criticized for evalu-
ating the performance of a fellow actor.
Bennett, who Bremer described as a
"real pro;' does an admirable
job with a part that requires
long and wordy exchanges and
a variety of constantly shifting
emotions. During last Saturday evening's
performance, Bennett was still referring to
a script, although this was hardly notice-
able because the play takes place in a law
office where the characters are naturally
holding legal pads and other forms of
paperwork.
The single set, by Set and Props
Designer Jennifer Maiseloff, is a simple yet
effective rendition of an office, designed
as a backdrop for the characters and
the drama. Costume Designer Mary
Copenhagen dressed the male actors in
expensive business attire befitting their
roles while Smith's suit reflects her femi-
ninity as well as her professional status.
Bremer does an excellent job directing
REVIEW
a play that relies more on dialogue than
physical action. The intriguing plot twists
- and unexpected character revelations
make for a compelling and stimulating
production. However, theatergoers of the
prim and proper sort would be advised
to skip this play, which abounds with the
profanity and racial and sexual epithets
typical of Mamet's work.
Race is a well-acted, cynical yet enlight-
ening portrayal of the pervasive nature of
prejudice. It is a satisfying and thought-
provoking experience, especially for those
who enjoy having something to talk about
on the way home from the theater.
❑
JET presents Race through Feb.
19 at the Aaron DeRoy Theatre in
the Jewish Community Center in
West Bloomfield. Show times: 7:30
p.m. Thursdays, 5 and 8:30 p.m.
Saturdays, 2 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays
and 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb.15.
$40-$43 with student and senior
discounts. (248) 788-2900;
www.jettheatre.org .