Thursday, November 7, 1974

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Page Five

Thursday, November 7, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five


City Center: A lively group

By CINDY HILL a very interesting way," says Wright claims that the com-1
Benjamin Hendrickson, who pany, which logged 50,000 miless
To an outsider, it may have plays Nick in tonight's perform- this year, doesn't view it as1
appeared to be something of A ance. "traveling," per se.
comedown for the Michigan The comment was, perhaps, "We just get in the bus and3
League ballroom: after decades the understatement of the year. the rest of the world turns," he
of being the setting of swish Members of the company re- says.
goings-on, the past three weeks count with relish wild tales of Which, perhaps more than1
have seen it converted into a late-night revelry in strange anything else, accounts for the
sleezy, rundown East Side bar. cities. company's enthusiasm about be-
n aciernt uk ox ands .For the company, every city ing in Ann Arbor, where they
in a corner next to a pinball is an opening night, and the have a one-month residency thisa
machine, and issues of "Life" tensions of constantly-being on year to perform their reper-.
and "Saturday Evening Post," the road often come out in toire, prepare new plays and
circa 1939, are scattered on the rather bizarre ways. conduct workshops.
tabletops. r.,.

for example," says Hendrick-
son. "On Broadway, you could
tell the director, 'I want to playj
this guy,' and he'll say, -Yeah,,
but he's 45 years old.' "
The opportunity is created by
the fact that all the company's'
performers are in their tweet as,
most of them recent graduates

of Julliard's drama school.
As company manager Gl
Alter explained, few perfo
ances of Chekhov's Three
ters feature young actresses
the lead roles. Most don't h

credentials, says that the secur-
ity of a guaranteed job with
a company reduces the jeal'
ousy, upstaging and general
dog-eat-dog atmosphere that
pervades most of the theatri-
cal world.
And besides, she says, in a
to'iring repertory company, the
maid in one play can be the next
play's leading lady.
"You cool it," explains Hend-
rickson. "We get along, we get
along very well."
Time of Your Life, the com-
pany's final play this season,
will continue at the Mendelssohn
Threatre through Sunday.

aria
Sis-
in ;
ave
tiny
age,
age'

Joe (played by Nick Survoy) and Nick (Benjamin Hendrickson) watch a spinning top in
the Pacific Street Saloon, center of action in "The Time of Your Life." Dudley (Jared Sak-
ren) and Harry (Brooks Atkinson) are in the background. The City Center Acting Company's
production of the William Saroyan play opens tonight at Mendelssohn Theater.
Watts captivates the crowud
ba
buti eTns ave5 te music

The half-dozen or so people...........
on the makeshift stage, how-
ever, gave the staid ballroom
panache it never had before.
The City Center Acting Coin-
pany, rehearsing their roles for
tonight's opening performance
of Saroyan's Time of Y o u r
Life, were just hunkering down
for their 3 p.m.-to-midnight
work schedule.
Patti LuPone, her blonde hair
twisted into a topknot, r e a d
through her lines, sotto voce,
with a colleague at the main
table in the "bar."
Nearby, actor Roy Stevens,
who plays Krupp in Sarovan's
play, watched the scene intent-
ly. He was wearing a sweat-
shirt with the City Center motif
- taken from the company's;
performance of Three Sisters -
on it.
Other actors and actresses........
caucused by the set, and direc- It s
tor Jack O'Brien anxiously -on- It gets pr
ferred with stage crew about;are sitting o
props and sets. bus and you
As someone explained, "Tt's ybou, says
his first crack at a modern yours, says
j piece." O'Brien has previously r the
directed the Dallas Civic Opera "When we
and the San Diego Shakespeare walk on the
Festival. Wright.

&
R
T
S

:ssisi:ssi:ssisi:::ssisisisi:ssi:::ss::ssisisi:::ss:

To the company, that me ins the opportunity - or talent.
"no Holiday Inns for a month,"
according to Harper. Alter, an astonishingly t
But, on-the-road doldrums woman who, despite her as
aside, the company members has an incredible list of sta
appreciate the rare opportuni-
ties uniquely afforded to the .ty
touring repertory.
"Actors would walk - stark
naked - on coals from Buffaloj
to Chicago to be onstage," says
Wright.
"You get to play older rules,
TODAY AT

By CHARLES SMITH
Andre Watts is a potentially
excellent pianist who is letting
success go to his head. His re-
cital last night in Hill Auditor-
ium under the sponsorship of
the University Musical Society
was enthusiastically received,
as all of his recitals are, but
as far as musical content goes
it was a disaster.
Watts has a superb technique
and is capable of stunning ef-
fects which can send an audi-
ence into raptures. Unfortunate-
ly, people often forget to look
beyond the technical diversion
of his playing - and he ap-
pears to be relying on that
more and more as of late.
What Watts claimed to be of-
fering was a program of Chopin
and Liszt. What emerged was
an evening of Andre Watts,
complete with theatrics, facial
expressions, and distortions of
the music, plus a poor man's
version of Chopin and Liszt.
The key word of the evening,
was effect, or, if you will, show-
manship. Everything was done
for its effect on the audience;.
to spread the good word about;
Andre Watts and his flashy.
playing, and to pack them in
at his next recital.
Two of the three Chopin noc-
turnes and two of the ten Cho-
pin etudes which Watts played

Prior to their
Nov. 8 apperance
at Power Center
UNIVERSITY
DANCERS
will perform at
12 Noon, Nov. 4 to
8th in our window.
Unique 2/ hr. programs.
But-please keep
sidewalk traffic
flowing somehow.
Wed. & Sat. Eves.
(No Fixed Time)
Music by Autumn (trio)
at

etty bad when you
n (the company's)
re getting defensive
part of the bus is
J. W. Harper, who
role of Blick.
get stir crazy, we
seats," says Bill
on the ceilings,"

The City Center's Acting
Company's fare, by and large,
is stubbornly traditional, with
a repertoire, this year, of Che-
khov, Shakespeare and Mar-
lowe as well as Saroyan.
At least in some ways, 'he'
company itself is stubbornlyi
traditional, too. They are the
only professional touring com-
pany in the country.
And if there was ever a
"traditional" image of the trav-
eling troupe to live up to, They
do that as well.
"We're a very lively group of
people. People react to :is in

"Or hang
adds Harper.


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11


Daily Photo by STEVE KAGAN
Walls in rehearsal

m



physically impossible to hear
anything. This piece suggests
something more interesting to
me than a pianist whose hands
are a blur and whose sound
matches that blur.
The same comment applies.
1..l c to r i +

managed to work
sic, because for

well as mu-
the moment

Watts managed to see beyond
the effect. But as for the rest
of the Chopin .
The octaves etude (Op. 25,1
No. 10) drew spontaneous ap-4
plause because of its unbeliev-
able speed - but surely it
must have been apparent that
because of that speed it was

3 or r esto every nn
Watts played - this music is
really much more interesting
than anything he projected. His
big Liszt piece, -the B minor
Sonata, was milked for every
effect in the book. The fasts
were too fast (and sloppy and
chaotic), and the slows were
torturously slow. The overall
large shape emerged under this

treatment, but all of the subtly,
beautiful moments of the piece
vanished.
This music doesn't have to be
distorted and mangled like this
in order to be exciting-just
listen 'to Curzon's recordings of
Liszt or Horowitz or' Pollini on
Chopin etudes. A really good
pianist finds his projected ex-,
citement within the music, not
from the imposition of effects.
A great deal of Watts's prob-
lems seemed to result from an
attitude of playing down to his
audience. The fact that he re-
lies so heavily on theatrics, that
he appears to be almost whim-
sically distorting the music, and
that his playing last night was
much sloppier and more un-
controlled than anything on his
recordings, suggests that he ex-
hibits consciously. less than his
best musicianship in his public'
playing.
And that is a disgrace. The
people who were in Hill Audi-
torium enjoyed the technical
display, as well they should
have, since some of it was im-
pressive. But those same peo-,
ple have also been cheated out'
of hearing some gorgeous music
played as it should be,, as gor-.
geous music.

FUN STAGE CREW
Needed to Run Sets for
SOPH SHOW
NOVEMBER 11-16
for more information call 163-1101 or 764-1630

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Including
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Epilog'
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529 E. LIBERTY
9 o m.-midnight 7 das
663-8441 663-8452




FM



k

I

Records in review
Another 1950's album has been released on an already wary
public. This time the culprit is Roy Wood and the album is
Introducing Eddie and The Falcons (UA-LA219-G). Why an artist
would want to revive a style of music from a decade better for-
gotten is incomprehensible.
What makes the situation even worse is Roy Wood is a
competent man in the recording studio. His arrangement of "This
is the Story of My Life (Baby)," is a superb blend of a throb-
bing saxophone over a well-conducted orchestra.
What is intolerable is that this album contains every dust-
ridden cliche known to pop music: hand clapping do-wop-a-do
back-up vocals, vapid archaic guitar solos, and heavily vibratoed
vocals a la Elvis Presley. There's even a song about a love af-
fair between a boy and his car.

Last Nightst!
Drogon Aire Ld! { }., a ~ 4N.QP {resnts
LA l E S & G TLi
PG
A Film Concert.
e - 44 SPEAKERS
3300 WATTS RMS
TRUE QUADRAPHONIC SOUl

-jz

IUaCPRENTS MM
and SPECIAL GUEST STARS
)AY, NOV.22
CRISLER ARENA-8 P.M.
Reserved Seats $6.00 and $5.00

L

FRID

t61-9701

SHOuWTIMEuS MOUN.-THRS.: 7:00v-9:00
FRI. rSAT: 7:00-9:00-1100 SUN.: 5:00-7:00-9:00
LAST 6 NIGHTS
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Tickets available now by Mail: Send certified check or money order to
UAC Cibcers, Mich. Union. Indicate Hold for Pick-up at U of M Union
or enclose self-addressed stamped envelope. Box Office sales begin
Tues., Nov. 12, 10 a.m. at UM Union. Sorry, no personal checks.

University Theatre Program
PRESENO)S

0 .

0.1

if
you

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r-

Twenty years ago this album might have been an admirable
achievement. In 1974, it doesn't make it.
-Jeff Myles
0* *
The pianism of Vladimir Horowitz is by now, of course, a
legend, one of the great legends of the 20th century. Although he
is performing in public again, the series of recordings begun
with his retirement from the stage in the '50s continues with a
collection of shorter works of Chopin (Columbia M32932).
This collection reveals the
more typical side of Horowitz'
playing, as opposed to display-
ing the technical feats which are
better known to the general pub-
lic. Half of this album consists
of mazurkas, which are not easy
pieces to play, 'but are difficult
in a less obvious way than, say,
etudes or polonaises. sh
There are a few flashier
pieces here, too - all of them
played impeccably by Horowitz.f

see st
friezeBuilding
news n .I
ARENA THEATRE
happen NOVEMBER b & 7
Free Admission
callI
PLAY LEMONADE
76-DAILY by SAMUEL BECKERT by JAMES PIDEAUX
JOH N STEINBECK WEEKEND 1942
Spencer Tracy and John Garfield portray a couple of wine guzzling loafers
who shrink work and worries in this delightful version of Steinbeck's novel
of free living and loving outcasts. Hedy Larnarr is stunning as "Sweets."
Directed h Victor Flemin. "this film is filled with solid humor ando cm-or

featuring works
3i I:
by
Lucas Hoving
Martine Epoque
Elizabeth Bergmann
Vera Embree
and Annedeloria
II

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