THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Thursday, February 18, 1971 A

THE MICHIGAN DAILY Thursday, February 18, 1971 ~


Dance Company:

A

study

of

bodies

in

motion

By DIANE ELLIOT
Over the years Alvin Ailey has mold-
ed a company in the dance world. His
own choreography often t a k e s the
form of what might be called "jazz
ballet," although this t e r m doesn't
adequately describe the special mix of
modern dance. balletic movement, and
primitive rhythems which is Ailey at
his best. Using the bodies in front of
him, their shapes and the knowledge
of what they can do, Ailey often takes
his inspiration from strongly rhythe-
mic music and ethnic themes which
are close to him.
Sit in the echoing darkened 1heater
'on ,the afternoon before a performance
and watch the company warm up: ab-
sorbed in a world of muscles and in-
ner rythems, dancers flex and stretch
and twist, oblivious to clatter of ,taige
hands.
PHOTOGRAPHY
by
TOM GOTTLI1EB

Alvin Ailey

Grasping the edge of the stage, sev-
eral dancers perform the set ritual of
the ballet barre to the accompaniment
of recorded exercise- music blaring
from the wings; others sit on the floor
twisting sinuously through t h e less
precise regiment of the Graham exer-
cises; a few mark through the intri-
cate jazz footwork of the pieces to be
rehearsed. All these dance traditions
contribute to the unique Ailey style;
each dancer brings the individuality of
his dance training, his ethnic roots,
and his personality to spice the chor-
eographic stew.

41

theatre



Musket's Lady' does it again

By LAURIE HARRIS
You've seen it all before .. .
and you may have even read it
all before. But like good wine,
it's at least worth tasting twice.
Simply, My Fair Lady hasn't
soured with age.
The story has come through
the annals of literary history
from the mythological Pygma-
lion to Shaw's drama by the
same name and finally to Lern-
er and Loewe's musical. Henry
Higgins, played by Ken Mar-
shall picks the unwitting Eliza,
Ginger Myers, from the London
gutter and through the art of
phonetics he molds her into the
model of British society. Even-
tually, of course, the confirmed
bachelor Higgins falls in love
with his completed project. You
must know the interceding de-
tails.
As the Cockney flower girl,
Myers is often too loud and
over expressive in her disjointed
accent; the role calls for an
honest girl and therefore an
honest sound from her vocal
chords, but in general Myers
plays the role well. The m o r e
comedic portions of learning to
speak serve her expressive fac-
ial contradictions better than
her overworked tone of voice.
And Marshall is exquisitely
self centered and despicable as
Higgin's. However, he lacks the
conntrn1 nf the entire stare. and

a bright-eyes peacock sharply
turning his head.
And Joe Hochbein as the
formidable Alfred P. Doolittle
brings all the life and jest creat-
ed by the role itself. Brazen and
happy, he and his two Mutt and
Jeff cohorts, Jamie and Harry,
(Mike Tobin and Morris Good-
man), are the most boisterous
chaps I've had the pleasure to
see.
The most incredible affected
London drawl belongs appro-
priately to Mrs. Eynsford-Hill
(Pat Gold) and her son Freddy
(Bill Hall), dashingly-in-love-
with-eliza, has a beautifully
smooth controlled voice. It is
really too bad that the audience
sees so little of him.
But the audience does get
a view of an extremely versatile
chorus that changes costumes
like a chameleon changes color.
Under the direction of Robert
Chapel and the choreograph of
Makram Joubran the group is
never cumbersome. The two ex-
ploit their singers and danc-

ers in a varied array of styles
and motifs, all coming to a head
in "Get Me to the Church on
Time" as the members of the
chorus cartwheel across t h e
stage and eventually lift Doo-
little's body, like a corpse, on
its way to a marriage ceremony.
Jean Marie Andrzejewski's
costume design is in full light
in the Ascot Races scene. All
bedecked in white and black, the
over-proper Londoners stiffly
bow their way across the stage.
And the University Theatre Or-
chestra, under the direction of
Glenn Litton, was honestly ex-
cellent for the first time in its
career.
What more can I say. My Fair
Lady is still My Fair Lady and
if you're looking for solid en-
joyment . . . go see it. I'm al-
most sure George Bernard Shaw
would not.
My Fair Lady will continue
with one performance tonight at
8, and two performances Friday
and Saturday nights at 7 and
10 p.m.

Funny,
provocative,
andcm
somehow,
ve line."
- New York Times

CINEMA II
"Dial 'M' for Murder"
with GRACE KELLY, RAY MILLAND
directed by ALFRED HITCHCOCK
FRIDAY and SATURDAY 7, 9:05 p.m.I

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- PLUS -
"The Birthday Party"
with ROBERT SHAW .
The film version of the Harold Pinter play
FRIDAY and SATURDAY 1 1
SUNDAY 79

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astern Michigan University
presents
IN CONCERT
loan Serrano
Flamenco Guitarist
SAuditorium $2.00 Students
mary 19, 1971 $2.50 Non-Students
8:00 P.M.
VAILABLE at the door, the Centicore, Ann Arbor
Student Intn'l. Stores
.. :. .w. ,..-....... ;..:

p.m.
p.M.

Pease
Febrv
TICKETS A
Music Mart,

"The Big Sleep," originally scheduled for this weekend,
will be shown by Cinema Guild later this semester.

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Feb. 19, 20, 21
Aud. AAngell Hall

75c
(separate
admission
for each show)

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-COMING MARCH 12,13-
Bergman's Classic - "THE MAGICIAN"

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SUBSCRIBE TO THE MICHIGAN DAILY


DIAL
5-6290

Thurs., Fri.-Feb. 18, 19
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC
dir. CARL DREYER (1928)
Film about the last day of the trial of Joan and her
execution. "Inspired by Dreyer, the company worked
together with an almost mystic fervor. 'It was a film
made on the knees,' one of Dryer's assistants has
said. Falconetti who played the Maid, was never able
to make another picture, as if drained by the de-
mands made unon her by this extraordinary experi-

0


AN ABSORBING
TWIN ENCORE
SHOW

DIAL 8-6416
1214 So. Univ.

"One of the
S Year's Ten Best!I"
New York Daily News
Ali MacGraw - Ryan O'Neal

mAI- - I.m m

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