Page Two
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Sunday, January 23, 1972
Segovia: Classy classicist
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By JOHN HARVITH
Much as Wanda Landowska
resuscitatd the Baroque harp-
sichord in this century, both re-
creating music of the past and
inspiring new compositions for
her beloved keyboard instru-
ment. Andres Segovia has single-
handedly generated a global
concert, audience for the classi-
cal guitar through the undaunt-
d will of his virtuosp musician-
ship.
While it is true that Segovia
has created a whole school of
guitarists and has transcribed
and inspired a classical litera-
ture for them to perform, the
greatest attestation to his awe-
some musical powers is the sheer
diversity of devoted listeners he
has enchanted by his art. There-
fore, the Segovia fans that over-
flowed onto Hill Auditorium's
stage for last night's University
Musical Society presentation in-
cluded both the hardened con-
cert-goer and the rock en-
thusiast.
The only other classical per-
former in modern concert his-
tory who could claim the un-
flinching devotion of such a di-
vided audience was the Irish
tenor John McCormack, and for
many of the same reasons. As
Ernest Newman wrote of Mc-
Cormack:
Thus Segovia achieved brilliant That Segovia could bring pondering today's classical xnu-
moments by lavishing his tech- , down the house with exquisite- tic crisis pause. For here is a
nical and musical gifts on con- ly -sculpted performances of man who, through flexibility,
ventional, third-rate composi- Scarlatti and Rameau as well refinement and sheer communi-
tions such as Tansman's Suite as with flashier Spanish pieces cation in music-making, can
in modo Polonico and Castel- such as Albeniz' Mallorca and make Bach meaningful for the
nuovo-Tedesco's Sonata in D. Torre Bermeja, should give those masses.
C agiC a realit and bringing
it back to the uncgdpol
By BILL LEVINSON
"I've tried to. make you.
aware of our sitaution here.
This is not a cell! Cells rep-
resent life! Cages represent
death! Understood?"
The Cage is a drama about
prison life written by a San
Quentin inmate who was serving
a life sentence.
First performed behind the
prison walls in 1965, it was
titled Le Cage and set in France
in order not to shake up the pris-
on audience which included the
warden. The warden was ap-
palled at the conditions of 1930
French 'jails, and the actors
were amazed at his naivete in
not recognizing his own jail..
Today we are more enlight-
ened. The Cage can be produced
openly by ex felons as a poign-
ant commentary on American
prisons. Friday night Sheriff
Douglas Harvey was part of the
audience, .and was invited by
the actors to take part in a.
"confrontation" (discussion) by
actors with the audience after
the performance. He managed
to avoid the controversy by leav-
ing early.
The Cage is the reality of jail
life portrayed for' those who
have been lucky enough to avoid
it by those who haven't. The
drama takes place in a single
cage (cell). Four convicts -are
confined to the cage: -Hatchet,
Doc, Al, and Jive. They are oc-
casionally visited by two guards
for their routine intimiations
and beatings.
More than entertaining. If
you find it too funny, you have
probably missed the reality. If
you find it too serious, you have.
probably missed the absurdity.
The Cage is an excellent play
in every respect. It deals with
real events with real people both
as the characters and the actors.
It has something to say, "Take
your chains from my legs!
Your chains, your cages, your
walls! I bleed! And you pull my
chains harder?"
But the author was. kind
enough to end such monologues,
with a humorous note so the
audience could watch and not,
have to contend too ..with the
thoughts of those confined. It's
difficult to be depressed after
seeing the play and knowing
you're not caged, but at the
same time it's depressing know-
ilig people (people!!) are subju-
gated to such treatment.
The play is extremely imagin-
ative. Perhaps it's the prisoners.
themselves who, -after years of
confinement, become imagin-
ative in playing roles themselves
to keep frgm going insane in the
simultaneously sterile and filthy
non-environment.-
Most of the interactions were
initiated by Hatchet, a crimin-
ally insane prisoner played by
Jack Clemons.:
At -.one point Jive (Tyrone
Brown), a new, prisoner, is being
tried by his cage mates for the
crime he is now serving time for.
Hatchet, the judge, stands on
the tpilet and holds a blanket
under his chin with his out-
stretched arms and looks to all
te audience like a laudable
migistrate peeking over the top
of his laudable bench.
"Justice first and reason later!
..." his command
". .there ain't no justice,
and if you stop expecting it, you
won't be disappointed" the an-
swer. It's pointed out many
times that no one's guilty in jail,
and the cage court, without the
facts has as good a chance of
determining Jive's guilt as the
legal court.
We, the audience, sit and
watch. We watch Attica; we
watch San Quentin. Sometimes
we become involved enough to
participate in the discussion at
the end of the play or to write
Rockefeller or Reagan (acting
poorly the part of Governor of
California, Clemons pointed
out).
But for the most part we sit
Israeli
Folk Dancing
Every Sunday 12:30 p.m.
HILLEL 1429 HILL
by and watch even at Hatchet's
insistence that, we decide the'
guilt or innocence of Jive.
At another time we are ad-
dressed as God, the one who
answers the caged's prayers. So
the jury becomes God - the one
who can sentence a man to eter-
nal Hell.
He is found guilty and sen-
tenced to what a jail sentence
amounts to in reality, "Only
darkness . . . Darkness, until
your brain screamg for light ...
You'll be told when to eat!
When to sleep! When to get up!
When to think! When to . ."
The acting - is it really? Aft-
er living in such conditions for a
large portion of a convict's life,
it would be difficult not to re-
produce it with realism. Perhaps
the only person who seemed
strained on stage was Lynn Den-
son; playing the guard Lieuten-
ant. But then he has been out
of his cage for less than a year,
and the transition from caged
animal to animal trainer is a
difficult one.
The play concludes with Hat-
chet addressing us, who sit and
watch, "I have done your will,
YOUR WILL". Our will. For we
only watch.
SATURDAY and SUNDAY
The Wizard
of Oz
Dir. VICTOR FLEMING, 1939
STARRING
Judy Garland
with Bert Lahr, Ray Bol-
ger and others who fol-
low the Yellow Brick
Road to the Land of Oz
with Dorothy, the Scare-
crow, the Tin Man' and
the Cowardly Lion.
ARCH ITECTURE
AUDITORIUM
7 and 9:00 p.m. 75c
-GRAND OPENING-
1962 U. of M. Groduate introduces
1211 S. UNIVERSITY
across from Campus Theater
10% OFF WHEN YOU BRING IN THIS AD
Expires January 30th
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WKNR AM/ FM & U of 0 present
Repeat Performance by Popular Demand
IN PERSON
JESUS CH*RIST-.'
SUPERSTAR1
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ONLY ONE $6.00, $5.00, $4.00
4
'UEof D
MEMORIAL BLDG.
SAT., FEB. 5-8:30 P.M.
Joi n The Daily
MAIL ORDERS: Send check or money order to:
J.C.S., U of D PERFORMING ARTS, 4001 W. McNICHOLS,
DETROIT, MICH. 48201. Also available at all J.L. Hudsons
and U of D ticket office:
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MDIAI 0 A4
To the multitude he was the
unrivalled singer of simple
things expressed in a simple
musical way , He never
stooped to small things; he
invariably raised them, and
with them the most unsophis-
ticated listener, to his own
high level.
And so it was with Segovia
yesterday evening. His subtle
rhythmic drive, his incredible
command of dynamic shading
and colored differentiation of
melodic lines clarified the struc-
ture of Four Gaillardes by Dow-
land, three Scarlatti sonatas,
Rameau's Menuet and Sor's
"Magic Flute" Variations. As in
McCormack's case, the lesser
works on the program received
the same intensely musical,
warm and human treatment;
even when undeserving of it.
dm m TODAY AT
-1, 3, 5, 7, 9 P.M.
"AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING
FILM! A TOPNOTCH THRILLER!"
-JUDITH CRIST,
NEW YORK MAGAZINE
IfR
you re curious
about terror...
t
ParmontPfurs Pesnt Main ., rodc onmascitn I,@Sb th DaW~l Jvid flemmllngs
JNMAW, WITTERING AND 7160" DAVID HEMMINGS
rd ceo by Garet'cWgan,0Diected by John M.enz C reenplay by Simon Raven
Bpf( ased an tht ply by GiesCooper Coo. A Paramount Picture
- -
- COMANDIER(CODY
TONIGHT at Hill Auditorirum
$1, $1.50, $2, and $2.50
Tickets available at the door. Show starts at 8 p.m.
Also appearing will be BUDDIES IN THE SADDLE
and THE BOOGIE BROTHERS (Steve and John)
This is the Commander's only Detroit area appearance on this tour.
li
t'
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SUNDAY
COME BACK, AFRICA"
a documentary by Lionel Rogosin about the
life of a black family in the slums of Johan-
/ nasburg, South Africa. Filmed in secret.
Shown at 7 & 9 75c Aud. A
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.:_J
a ..._. _..__...----. .. .
a
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"ONE OF THE
YEAR'S BEST FILMS"
-SHIRLEY CHISHOLM -BELLA ABZUG
-JOHN SIMON -TOM O'HORGAN
"A MUST FOR ALL!
--Bernard
EXTRAORDINARY!"
Drew, GANNETT NEWS SERVICE
FlINAL
The Murders
that shocked the NatioN.
The Trial that still shakes the World.
it, _ .. ..: . .a " irsi'?''''a3 i x/!t4,
COLD & HUNGRY?
(deed a roof and moral support for the long winter?)
l'
CooprtvsOffer an Alternative
* Inexpensive * Houses on Central or North Campus
" Group living e Self governed
" Home cooking " Board contracts on North Campus available
Inter-Co-op Council office: 3N Michigan Union
662-4414 or 668-6826
YOU 'ONLY LIVE TWICE
Would you like to help influence the future course of
events in this University? Investigate the different or-
ganizations that would enable you to do so.
COME TO
Annual Aeti viti lav
PI LOT PROGR AM FI LM SE RIE S
TONIGHT-Sunday, Jan. 23
"Kingof Hearts"
'oublic Health Auditorium 1-9 P.M. 75c
Wed., Jon. 26 "HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY"
ALICE LLOYD-7, 9 P.M.
Sun., Jon. 30 "SALT OF THE EARTH"
ALICE LLOYD-7, 9 P.M,
Wed., Feb. 2 "BATTLE OF ALGIERS"
PUBLIC HEALTH AUD.-7, 9:30 P.M.
Sun., Feb. 6 "HIGHSCHOOL"
PUBLIC HEALTH AUD.-7, 9 P.M.
Sun., Feb. 13 "PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE"
PUBLIC HEALTH AUD.-7, 9 P.M.
Wed., Feb. 16 "THE ORGANIZER"
DI IRIIr LEAITLN AlItr1 -7 D AA
4
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The
SACCO &VANZETrI
Murder Case
"TRIUMPHANT! IT WILL FASCINATE YOU!"
-JudithCrist.NEW YORK MACAZINE
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