Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, January 27, 1972 Page Two THE MICHiGAN DAILY Thursday, January 27, 1972 -drama- lack theater cies out at U' By JOANNA DANEMAN Black theater at the U~niver- sity of Michigan can no longer be ignored. The University Play- er s' production of Ceremonies in Dark Old Men by Lonne Elder cries out its existence with vehe- mence propelled by brilliant, black performers. Set in a slum barbershop in Harlem, the characters struggle through an environment in which they are predestined for destruction. In this psyheologi- cal and social prison the vic- man who supports her men with sensitivity and insight into the psychological problems of the. relationship between black men and women in this society. In the first scene the tempo seemed a bit restraining for Hunt, who sometimes' lacked sufficient. response from Dar- sealle Head as Parker's eldest son Theo. By the end of the act, however, Head boosted his per- formance up to the level of the. other members of the cast. Wil- lie Brown,' as the younger son Bobby was consistently good throughout. Nelson Alston, as Blue Haven was also excellent in his role of the: racketeer and victimizer of his fellow black brothers. He was the instrument of destruction in the play, and accurately portrayed himself not as the villain, but as a fel- low inmate who is only given the role to play., He, too, is a casual- ty of the system. Edward Welch and LuJuana Tucker were flaw- less* In their supporting roles, The :direction of the play did not establish. itself fully in the first act;. In the second part of the* performance, the. power of the :play,"and the .skilled act- ing of the performers made up for the slight deficit. The first act did, .however set the fore- boding mood for the passion of the: second act. The set' for the play, designed by, Richard Schreiber, was ver- satile, complete, and uncumber- some. It. gave proper mood to the production with realistic un- pretentiou s, props that contribut- ed to the play scenes rather than distracted. The costuming by Zelma Weisfeld was expertly handled, and at all times was intergral to the production. Ceremonies is not only a tri- umph in black talent at the Uni- versity, it is a political victory.' For too long a time has the Speech Department neglected its important black members, ig- nored their genius, and was sparing with the production of plays belonging to not only b 1 a c k, but to contemporary literature. The power and emo- tion of this production will not permit this blatant omittance to occur again. The play will be, at Mendelssohn Theatre until the 29th and is a rare opportunity not only to see a fine production but more so to see the great potential that these black, gifted artists have for a living black 'theatre at' the University. Announcing a Conference on WOMEN & RELIGION from the perspective of Women's Liberation Feb. 18G-20 Jewish, Block, & Non-Western Women Participants Needed to help run Workshops ALL INVITED-- if interested please call 764-7442 CEREMONIES1 IN DARK .::. O D M E Mendelssohn Theatre IHRU SAT. Box Office open 12:30 UAC - DAYSTAR presents E I The Place to Meet INTERESTING People! BACH CLUB Featuring SUSAN WALLER, flutist accompanied by David Cornet Constantinescu, pianist 3 Bach Sonatas: B minor G minor A major Refreshments: Aunt Esther's fish chowder THURSDAY, JAN. 27 8 p.m. S. QUAD, W. LOUNGE No Musical Knowledge Needed Absolutely Everyone Invited further info: 663-4875 or 763-6256 "Gordon the great Lightfoot, finest singer among all the folk troubadours.. A GREAT TRIP he's euphoric." -San Francisco Examiner "Lightfoot invites the audience to. listen' to the picture flow."1 --Chicago Sun Times :.. strangely beautiful and moving ..:'" --Daily Express/London g. SAT. 9:00 P.M. GOODBYE COLUMBUS BURSLEY HALL 25C POPCORN CHARGE GORDON LIGHTFOOT SAT., FEB. 12-8 p.m.--Hill Aud. TICKETS: $4.50--$3.00--$1 .50 on sale now Michigan Union, noon-6 p.m. and both Salvation Record Stores I -Daily-Rolfe Tessem tims destroy each other by the very means they 'design to es- cape. This is the tragedy, and the tragedy is a reality of the black experience in America. Andre Hunt developed the role of the former vaudeville dancer Russell Parker with phe- nomenal power. His incredible chant of "Daniel in the. Lion's Den" prepared the audience for his even more emotional mono- logue at the close of the play. He was equally supported by Lo- lita Hernandez as Adele, who played the role of the black wo- Forest fires born more than trees 611111 Tonight MAN WITH THE MOVIE CAMERA Dir. Dziga Vertoy Russia. 1929, Silent One of the most' complex and experimental works in film his- tory. A dazzling demonstration of Vertov's "Kino Eye" theory, questioning the very nature. of film reality. i. ALSO RCED N IGHTMARE narrated by Jak. Webb Featured in the CBS documnen- tory Selling of the Pentagon, this this was made by the U.S. Arm- ed Forces I nformation"Service to teach Americans _what_, life in Hometown, U.S.A.. wo~uld be like under' Communist ;domnina- tion. ARCHITECTURE AUDITORIUM 7:00 and, 9:00, p.m. 75c I CLIP AND SAVE ii , r , / r _ r r , Ir r I WCNFM 89.05 7 MUSIC FOR EVERYONE iiI I r r r 'c PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE .3Sunday Mon.-Thurs. I'I 'I9-12 Classical 9-11 Morning Show 112-2 Broadway 114 Rock 2-4 Blues 4-7 Folk 1, r 4-6 Blues and Jazz 7-8 Community. 6-7 Reporters Round Services STable 8-11 Rhythm and Blues 7-8 Black _Edition 11-3 Progressive Rock 11-3 Progressive Rock Friday Saturdan I , 19-11 Morning Show. 9-5 Rock I114, Rock 5-6 New Release 1' 146 Folk 6-8 RockI S 6:30-8 Live Folk8-1RyhanBle 8-11 Rhythm and Blues 11-3 Oldies how 111-3 Progressive Rock I /I * LOCAL NEWS ON THE HOUR-EVERY HOUR 5-11 P.M. it SPORTS WRAP-UP-7:05 & 11:05 P.M.r r Rachel, Rachel dir. PAUL NEWMAN starring : JOANNE WOODWARD 75c JAN. 27, 28, 29 9 P.M. STO CKWELL HALL I o AR t}atI}JSI{C} ?) CA.::tG t'G.'t . 0 INFORMAL BAROQUE MUSIC CONCERT v -. Sunday Evening at 8 p.Um. BACH--Brandenburg Concerto Number Four Michael Avsharian, violin Marianne Milks, recorder Eric Van. der Schalie, recorder MARAIS-Trio for Baroque flute, violin, and harpsichord FUX--Sinfonia for 2 oboes, bassoon,and strings BIBER-Two Sonatas for 7 strings and harpsichordf Li St. Clarre's Episcopal ChurchI AT 2309 PACKARD (one light south of Stadium Boulevard) Tickets $1.75 PARTIC I PATE IN STUDENT GOVERNMENT: L.S.A. Student GovernmentI I 1!