THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Three
THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Three
..
Tower Apts. offer cash to
Mickey Mouse Michelangelo
Counterpoint tickles
MUSKET audience
with fresh comedy
By BOB SCHETTER
Tower Plaza Apartments is offering a sizeable amount
of money to anyone who can design a covering for its
East-West walls.
Tower Plaza is that huge building with the Mickey
Mouse-ear antennae. It is across from the future home of
Ronald McDonald on E. William Street and close enough
to the Michigan Daily building, so that anything tossed
from its windows would probably land on the Editor's desk.
The principal concern of the contest is to find a suit-
able means, preferably artistic of covering textural flaws
in the building's concrete walls. The flaws were caused by
problems in pouring the concrete.
My own personal feeling is that any building as mas-
sive as Tower Plaza could only detract from its surround-
ings. Decoration of the edifice only subdues its obnoxious-
ness. Of course, the converse may be true: the building
may grow even more undesirable.
I presented these fears to Ron Hall, manager of Tower
Plaza and part-organizer of the contest. Surprisingly, I
found him quite personable - not the monster' landlords
are pictured to be. He was quite helpful in answering my
questions and contributed some interesting points to the
conversation.
"We view this as a community affair," commented Hall.
"It is also a good way to get students involved in a prac-
tical problem, not something they have read about in a
book.
"The more people involved in the project, the more
unique the outcome." It is the view of the management
that their building should become a landmark, as cele-
bration of Ann Arbor's sequicentennial.
The following is a true incident. Please beware that it
arose from my-natural distrust of landlords, and not from
anything Hall indicated.
"Can I help you?" the resonant voice boomed authori-
-tatively. I suddenly felt small.
"Yeh;" I said, "I'm with the Daily and.. ." I continued
on, telling him the reasoning behind my presence.
"Well, you're not gonna find anything here."
The guard, plainclothed, suddenly took on Gestapo,
proportions for me. Any second now, I expected to be
kicked out, as a pest.
"Well, isn't there any way I can sorta get the feel of the
building?" There was no way I was about to move closer
into the place. Distrust is a funny thing. No one has to say
anything to feel it.
"You can look in the lobby if you like."
I glanced down the hall. The lobby could be clearly
seen-a small room with fake leather chairs, coffee tables
and a modest scatter rug. The walls were of poured con-
crete, like the outside, with the exception of one wall,
which was of some brown rock overlay.
Turning back to the guard, I asked, "May I speak to
the manager?"
"He'll be in about 1:30. Why don't you try then?" His
manner was gruff and unpleasant.
I said thanks, forced a toothy smile, and pushed the
gold handled doors to the outside.
"No German Shepards today," I thought.
Today is the last day for entries and all will be judged
on April 11th by a five member panel, consisting of ar-
tists and architects from the Ann Arbor community, the
University, and Cranbrook Academy of Art. F
A luncheon for the press and V.I.P.s will be at noon on
the 11th, after which the entries will be presented to the
public. The exhibit will run through the 13th and slides of
the exhibit will be presented to the University as a gift.
By BETH NISSEN
Ann Arbor was blessed Thurs-
day night with the opening of
the shiny pun-filled musical
Counterpoint, written by a local
student. Performed at Lydia
Mendelssohn Theatre at MUSK-
ET'S second show this year,
Counterpoint numbered superb
musical talent, joyful perform-
ance and well-timed dialogue
among its good points.
Three Crayola - colorful cou-
ples are shown as they fall, trip
and surrender to love. All six
lead singers admirably carried
their share of the show, and felt
pretty much at home on their
range.
Eric Riley as the hot-blooded
Mercury tenured the audience
with his clear tenor and proved
his dancing shoes had soul.
Mercury's beloved blondie, Es-
ther, was played spicily - but
at times too gingerly - by Sus-
an Dayton, who is well-rounded
in dancing, singing, and her
dance-hall costume.
Peter Hedlesky as the self-lov-
ing (and yet to be sexually up-
and coming) Hubert, moved sly-
ly and sang gayly, finishing the
show as a collapsed vain.
Valentine, Hubert's second
love after himself, was heartily
Daily Photo by TOM GOTTLIEB
Two of the three lead couples (left to right: Eric Riley, Susan Dayton, Peter Hedlesky and Cynthia
Sophiea) line up for "Counterpoint's" title number.
ARTS
played by Cynthia Sophiea, an
alto-gether accomplished accom-
plice who men used to love and
who men loved -to use.
Michael Gordon as King had
the best voice in the show, prov-
ing he was clearly bass-born.
Karen Mann played King's
love, Purity, as a Jewish type
involved in enough plots to open
her own cemetery.
A cast's system is dependent
on the material it has to work
with, and in Counterpoint, Avi
Kriechman, composer, lyricist
and author of the musical, pen-
ned a punned musical that con-
ducts itself well enough to be
forgiven its cupidity. Contrapun-
tal ping-pong is played between
the musical's plot, music and
dialogue. The frequent plays on
words ribbed a few deep audi-
ence groans, perhaps indicating
an apundectomy was warranted.
Griechman played a piano ac-
companiment that ranged from
rinky tink music to music that
was a tearful earful.
Especially excellent musical
numbers included "Your Affair
or Ours?" where Hubert, Val-
entine and Purity plan revenge
on their rivals and the plot
thickensrto the consistency of
cold Cream of Wheat. Before
the intermission, the plots are
more foiled than two rolls of
Reynold's Wrap.
Progression from scene to
scene was butter smooth, and
chorus scenes were well-prac-
ticed and well-hoofed.
The play is satisfyingly' Cin
derellaed into an ending binding
the three couples into the yoke
of love and gathering audience
approval. And after the curtain
falls and the curtain calls, the
yoke's on us, too.
I-.I
SPARKS BLUEGRASS
Downhome music at the P-wBell
By DOUG ZERNOW
Clint Castor's Pretzel Bell has
lately become the center for an
old, yet truly fresh sounding
style of music in this city. Blue-
grass, a musical form which
some call "white man's soul,"
has finally come of age here, as
well as in the rest of the Mid-
west.
The continuing success of the
Pretzel Bell's own R.F.D. Boys
and Bill Monroe's sell-out per-
formance just weeks ago both
point to the fact that bluegrass
has a large and loyal following
in Ann Arbor. And with Larry
Sparks exciting bluegrass show
last Wednesday it certainly gain-
ed some more fans.
Sparks was in town Wednes-
day for a single evening per-
formance which drew an amaz-
ingly good crowd for a middle of
the week show, yet he had re-
ceived little real promotion. He
and his tight group delivered
three sets of ,superb "down
home" music comprised of blue-
grass standards and a good
amount of Sparks' own material.
The young guitarist, who hails
from Indiana, has a strong, dis-
tinctive voice and his songs have
a sort of blues feel that sets
them apart from strictly country
blues.
The audience semed content to
sit and listen for most of the
night and it was not until Sparks'
fiddler, Ralph "Joe" Meadows,
pulled off an especially good
rendition of "Orange Blossom
Special" that the crowd began
the familiar hand clapping and
foot stomping. Meadows himself
is quite a big name in bluegrass,
as he was the first to record the
classic "Orange Blossom" (back
in 1954) and is considered one
of the top five fiddlers in the
country.
Wendy Miller also played some
fine mandolin on his beautiful
homemade instrument and the
rest of the group are all polish-
ed performers. Yet overall it
was Larry Sparks' singing and
tremendous flat picking that
seemed to hold it all together.
Open and jovial onstage,
Sparks is shy but friendly off-
stage as well. At 27 he has re-
ceived an incredible amount of
success in a field dominated by
usually much older musicians.
He will no doubt ride to the top
of the ever growing bluegrass
music world and he is one per-
former we will hopefully be see-
ing more of in this city.
I I
I
New Tower Plaza?
- .
II
SERGEI BONDARCHUK'S 1968
WAR AND PEACE (Part One)
This film represents the outer limits of the panoramic film, the outer limits of the long film, and thef
outer limits of the attempt of talented filmmakers to bring a great literary work to the screen . . .
everyone with a serious interest in cinema is obliged to see it. Russian dubbed. (No subtitled print
available)
SUN.: WAR AND PEACE (PART TWO)
TONIGHT AT AUD. A
CINEM A 11 6:45 and 10:00 ANGELL HALL
Tickets on Sale at 6 p.m. ADM. $1.25
Z
A WEEKLY LATE NIGHT a RSNAINO
P RESENTATIONN GHT
SFEATURE FILMS
SAT., SUN., & WED. AT
1,3,5,7, & 9:05
THURSDAY & FRIDAY at
7 p.m. & 9 p.m.
WINNER
Best Foreign
FILM
ACADEMY AWARD
NOMINATION
TRUFFAUT S
DAY
FOR
603 E. Liberty
DIAL 665-6290
I
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
NIGHTS
ALL SEATS $1.50
N
I
I
Charles Bronson
Jill Ireland
"RIDER ON
THE RAIN"
11 :00 Sat. night
SHOW TIMES
Mon.-Sat., 7:15 & 9:00
Sun., 5:30, 7:15, 9:00
l,
SAT. & SUN. 1 & 3 p.m.
"SNOOPY COME HOME" (G)
SAT. & SUN. at
5 p.m., 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. ONLY
I
It Pays to Advertise in The Daily
JEAN COCTEAU WEEKEND
SORPHEUS. 1949
The poet Orpheus falls for the Princess (Death), who travels constantly between
this world and the next. The conflict of the real world with that of the imagina-
tion. Short: ANAEMIC CINEMA Marcel Duchamp.
SUN.: Cocteau's TESTAMENT OF ORPHEUS
TONIGHT AT ARCHITECTURE
CINEMAGU7LDand9:05AUDITORIUM
Mediatrics
presents:
starring:
Michael Caine Friday &
and {r !r.., ;.,ie ; . "
and Saturday
Sir Laurencef:
OlivierMARCH29 & 30
nxwkADMISSION
next week:
I
Pando Company in association with Raybert Productions presents
An American Odyssey
JANE FONDA
Academy Award winning performance
as a New York callgirl in
iLUTE
MMMMMMMMMMM"
with DONALD SUTHERLAND
WINNER
OF
10
ACADEMY AWARD
NOMINATIONS
including
BEST MOVIE
I
starring
PETER FONDA - DENNIS HOPPER
JACK NICHOLSON
"Jane Fonda here emerges as probably
actress of her generation."-Life
the finest screen
directed by Denni opper witten by Peter Fonda, Denni Hopper. and Terry Southern,
produced by Peter Fonda, Executive Producer Bert Schneider
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL WINNER_
"A first-rate example of
the compassionate thriller,
--1.. - - &--, .wr, I
"KLUTE is visually stun-
ning, full of surprises, be-
...: . .I
""THE
STING"
I
,I
I