Sound troubles sink 'Showboat' The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, October 31, 1978-Page 7 I By NINA SHISHKOFF Way back in 1927, when musicals were produced without microphones and speaker systems, Showboat opened to immediate success. Now, 50 years later, it took these marvels of modern technology to ruin the Michigan Opera Theatre's production at the Music Hall.. During the entire first act, a malfun- 'ction caused the amplified. sound to flicker and fade, turning the best efforts of the singers into undistinguished mush. During the second act, the speakers worked perfectly, but this transformed the faint but exciting 'sound of a live performance into the acoustically perfect, yet detached, sound of a stereo recording. JUDGING THE quality of the per- formances, therefore, was a tricky thing. When Barbara Meister, who played Magnolia, daughter of the showboat captain and the heroine of the ,-story, sang her first few songs, she didn't seem to be able to keep time with the orchestra. Was it her fault, or was it ,caused by some distortion of the speakers? Were Barbara Bean and Wayne Bryan, as the second-rate comedy-dance team, really giving such ,bad performances, or did it just seem that way? Not only was the timing of the first few songs off, the timing of the whole first act seemed flawed; time dragged, and the scenes seemed choppy. Each scene was a mini drama: a meeting at the dock; a conversation in the kitchen; the performance of a play-within-a-play in the showboat's auditorium. The bridge between them was always a short passage of music from the or- chestra to signify a passage of time. As the orchestra played, a slide-projected image of the showboat was shown against the lowered curtain. Unfor- tunately, for reasons unknown, the ap- pearance of that image came to be win- eingly painful, like Chinese water tor- ture. Perhaps if director Frank Egan had skipped the musical pause just on- ce, it would have made the crucial dif- ference. the third scene, and only reappears later to sing the knock-out song, "Bill." We are left with Magnolia as our focus; she is so unprejudiced and sweet, that it is very tempting to dislike her. The famous songs from Showboat, "Ol' Man River," "Make Believe," and "You are Love," seem to have become famous in spite of the show; any power they might have had is deadened by endless repetition as the sixteen-year span of the story just keeps on rolling along. AND YET THE Opera Theatre's production can't be condemned. It has many strengths, all of them simple, basic strengths that don't stem from fancy acoustics. _ song on the stage-within-a-stage is a comment on he surrounding action. The frames around the back drops and even the playful use of a spotlight to ac- centuate key moments reinforces what is implicit in the story itself - that the lives of the performers are a con- tinuation of their performances. THE COSTUMES are subtle and very effective. All the white women wear pastel shades, while the blacks wear earth colors. Julie wears gold, so that she contrasts with the rest of the Southern belles even before the disclsoure of her mixed parentage. The most basic strength is the talent of the performers. After a slow start, Barbara Meister and Ron Rusmann, as Magnolia and her erring husband, per- form very well. Meister even manages to make Magnolia likable. Dan Tullis sings "Ol' Man River"with admirable restraint, never once falling to his knees or wiping sweat from his brow. As Cap'n Andy, skipper of the showboat, Dick Solowicz steals the show. One scene alone, when an over- excitableaudience member scares away all the actors during a showboat performance and Cap'n Andy has to finish it playing all the characters him- self, is worth the admission price. Julie is played rather nondescriptly by Gloria Hodes, until she gets into the song "Bill." The sound system made it hard to tell, but it might have been the musical highlight of the show. With a production like this, spon- taneity is the key. Even bad sound is excusable. A live performance, even an uneven one, is better than a fine stereo recording. The use of amplified sound for a live performance, becomes a grave issue in a case like this, if the final result is to produce a stereo re- cording of a mediocre performance. Daily Phone Numbers: Billing-764-0550 Circulation-764-0558 Classifieds-764-0557 Display-764-0554 News and Happenings-764-0552 Sports-764-0562 I Ellie (Barbara Bean) warns the local girls about "Life Upon the Wicked Stage" in Michigan Opera Theatre's production of "Showboat." HOWEVER, HE had to work with what he had. Showboat, a Kern and Hammerstein musical based on Edna Ferber's novel, is a hopeless case. Although it purports to be seriously toned, dealing with interracial marriage and marital desertion, it wades. in piousness and melodrama that kills any significance it might have had. Good characters are wasted. Julie, the black woman passing as white, has the potential of being the powerful focus of the story. Instead, she disappears in No fault can be found with the opening panorama. It shows the double- decked showboat with the dock in front of it, the branches of trees above it, and the river sweeping back majestically. The backdrops in the minor scenes have painted frames around each one - a deliberate attempt to remind us we are watching theater. The musical is about the showboat and its performers, and each play or FRITZ LANG DOUBLE FEATURE SCARLET STREET (at 7&0O) A middle-aged mousey cashier falls in love with a gorgeous gold-digger, who is abetted by her sinister boyfriend, to break him. With EDWARD G. ROBINSON and JOAN BENNET. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE (at 9:05) The story of a three-time loser, dogged with his new wife to a tragic fate, despite their hopes. With HENRY FONDA and SYLVIA SYDNEY.. One Show $1.50OLD ARCH. CINEMA GUILD .B. Bth Shows$1$2.50 ODAU. The Ann Arbor Film Cooperafive presents at Aud. A TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31 SISTERS (Brian de Palma, 1973) 7 & 10:20-AUD. A De Palma's pre-CARRIE thriller features Siamese twins, a gruesome killing, and a surreal, hallucinatory dream sequence in a Hitchcockian mix of humor and horror. Brought to a high-tension climax by a chilling Bernard Herrmann soundtrack, SISTERS ranks with PSYCHO & CARRIE as one of the scariest films ever made. "A bizarre film! Macabre fascination, horror chills . . ."-CUE. "An ultimately skin-crawling triumph . . ."-Rex Reed. With MARGOT KIDDER, JENNIFER SALT. THEY CAME FROM WITHIN (David Cronenberg, 1976) 8:40 only-AUD. A Aphrodisiac parasites attack the residents of a modern apartment complex and turn them into raving nymphomaniacs. "An unabashedly lurid and mar- velously imaginative amalgam of science fiction, pornography, a nausee, and obscene horror."-CINEFANTASTIQUE. "One of the bloodiest films ever made-and the audience thought it was funny."-Frank Jackson. Be warned,, this exploitation classic is not for the prudish or frail of heart! Tomorrow: Bunuel's ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE and THE CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALD DEL LA CRUZ .a I ROMAN POLANSKI 1966 A circus? No. Under the glitter, just magic CUL DE SAC A tale of a whimpering asexual whose gorgeous wife loves him enough to dress him in her nighties. Interrupting this strange form of bliss is a gang- ster needing a hideout. Mean and sadistic or slapstick comedy depending on your perspective. Berlin Film Festival-Best Film Award. Polanski still thinks it is his best film. With DONALD PLEASANCE, FRANCOISE PORLEAC, JACK MacGOWRON & JACQUELINE BISSET. WED: Alain Tanner's RETURN TO AFRICA I BY JOSHUA PECK "Hi, I'm Blackstone, Jr., and I owe my present career to Jiffy Pop pop- corn!" While a little bit too commercial at times, Harry Blackstone Jr. came short of saying that during his Sunday performances at Power Center. Overlooking the circus animals, and a saturation of crass music and dancing; the dark-haired magician amused and ultimately astonished his faithful followers, though one is moved to question the sanity of those who would shell out $10 for two hours of deceit. It Jcomes a lot cheaper than that, -especially during election season. Unfortunately, there was a lot in the show that should have been discarded. ~tFlabby-thighed dancers hoofed out two perfectly awful numbers. One capitalized on the overworked sci-fi theme, as the dancers leapt gracelessly about the stage in hideous costumes and wigs while the band blared out Star Wars and Close Encounters music. ANOTHER NUMBER saluted America in the basest, most moronic fashion. ,For three minutes, it seemed that salutes and the colors of the flag are the country's sole admirable qualities. My companion, an education major, thought this segment of the .show thinly veiled indoctrination aimed at the many young children watching. But the heart of the show - Blackstone's sorcery - was enter- taining and diverse. The magic tricks he performed ranged from the bizarre to the mundane. An effect labeled "the .greatest in the world" was, ironically, the easiest to unravel. A woman climbs into a cannon. It is fired, and she vanishes from the cannon. The "trick" becomes painfully ob- vious, however, as we see the woman "materialize" in a box onstage via a passageway on the stage's floor. The real magic of this trick is that he was able to avoid choking on his words as he again called it the world's best. HOWEVER, there was also the most baccling trick of all - involving a light bulb which defies the laws of physic's, as well as the audience's expectations. Unscrewed from its socket offstage, the bulb continues to glow as it is carried across the stage by Blackstone. Not a big deal but then the truly inex- plicable happens. The luminescent orb leaves thea magician's hands upon command, and begins to hover over the house, above the watcher's stunned expressions. Wires are out of the question as an explanation, as audience members could hold the bulb and check, and they would have been seen or felt as they moved over the crowd. Apart from the spectacle of a woman being sawed cleanly through by a rotary power saw, sanstthe usual con- cealing box, Sunday's show contained nothing objectionableseven to the youngest child, Does that make it min- dless trash? Hardly. It's just that won- der is a sensation people of all ages can enjoy together. If he would just ditch his horde of clumsy dancers,and his godawful salute to Amerjca, Blackstone would appeal even to the snobs among us. We Make You Feel Better UM Stylists at the UNION Chet, Dave and Harold Nov. 1st& 2nd CINEMA I TON ITE AT 7a9 ANGELL AUD A. $1.50 - LOGO CONTEST! Design logo for Cinema II (to be used on our film schedules & posters) & WIN free admissions for two at all our winter films. DEADLINE Nov. 7th. Send entries (as many as you want) to LOGO CONTEST, Cinema 1I, c/o 909 Church St., Apt. No. 2, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 DISCO DANCING. 3* TONIGHT 3rdANNUAL H1ALLOWEEN PARTY S $50in cash prizes for 4 top costumes * & dozens of other prizes no cover charge for those in costume over 950 people last year STILL THE BEST LIGHT SHOW AROUND * 737 N. Huron Mon-Sat (at Lowell, just east of the E.M.U. Campus) Open 8:30 pm * A career in Iaw~ without law school Ater just three months of study at The Institute for Paralegal Training in Philadelphia, you can have an exciting and rewarding career in law or business-without law school. s a lawyer's assistant you will be performing many of the duties traditionally handled only by attorneys. And at The Institute for Paralegal Training, you can pick one of seven different areas of law to study. Upon completion of your training, The Institute's unique Placement Service will find you a responsible and challenging job in a law firm, bank or corporation in the city of your choice. T he Institute for Paralegal Training is the nation's first and most respected school for paralegal training. Since 1970, we've placed over 2,500 graduates in over 85 cities nationwide. J f you're a senior of high academic standing land looking for an above average career, contact your placement office for an interview with our representative. -",We will visit your campus on: A FULL SERVICE MEXICAN RESTAURANT with DANCING NIGHTLY presents Cisco's Disco Ann Arbor's Premier Discoteque 611 CHURCH ST.-NEAR SOUTH UNIVERSITY 995-5955 I THIS WEEK MANN THEATRES Wed. Matinees mVILLAGETWINAll seats $1.50 MAPLE VILLAGE HOPPING CNTER 76.13O until 4:30 Fm h re s SHOW " d h r Ex TIMES Sat-Sun-Wed 1:30 I i 6:30 9:05 Mon-Tues- Thurs-Fri 6:30 9:05 m nA A 1I h T D T1 0GCZ P Fg 7"E CA MEXICO-TEACH-IN: lectures, workshops on political, economic, and social conditions in Mexico. November 7-9, 1978. Michigan League Ballroom. $1.00. UAC-Special Events. MAN OF LA MANCHA: 'The story of Don Quixote's impossible dream. Winner of 5 Tony Awards. Nov. 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 at 8 p,m. Matinee Nov. 5at 2 p.m. Nov. 11 at 9 p.m. Tickets $4.00 and $4.50 and may be purchased at Mich. League 10-5:30 and at the door. MUSKET. SIDNEY LENS: writer. A contributor to "The Progres- sive," has written on domestic and international issues; will speak on the nuclear arms race, the topic of his latest book, The Day Before Doomsday. Tues., Nov. 6, 8 p.m.; Schorling Aud., Education Bldg. FREE. VIEWPOINT LECTURES. COFFEE HOUSE: Student group performs for students in informal atmosphere. Tues., Nov. 7; Wed., Nov. 8, 8 p.m. University Club. FREE. UNION PROGRAMMING. BALLROOM DANCING SIGN-UPS: sign-up for mini-course which begins Nov. 8, anytime this week or TICKET CENTRAL. $15 for single/$25 a couple. UNION PRO- GRAMMING.