Saturday, April 7, 1973 11!1 M I HlGSAN DA IL'% Page Three This, N#KB(RD Tim Buckley to perform here Tim Buckley is a singer. He's a musician too. And a poet. He started off singing in country bands when he was in his early teens, moved to folk and jazz and now, at the age of 25, rock and roll. "I want to entertain now," is the way he puts it. "Full-out, blues-type barrelhouse- rock" is the way he plays it. Born and raised in Washington, DC and New York city, Buckley came to Southern California with his family when he was 10. Following his father's advise that he should get a guitar and learn to sing, Buckley soon found himself play- ing with a bunch of country bands. Changing his style to folk, he found himself singing in the myriad small rooms around Los Angeles. With the help of a manager, he was soon signed with Electra and cut four albums. Buckley's next musical phase took him into a scat- singing jazz period. "I was close to Coltrane as anyone -has come. I even started singing in foreign languages-Swahili, for instance-just because it sounded better. I liked to shock the audience and jolt the hell out of them. It was refreshing." Now concentrating on rock and roll, Buckley says, "I am ready to begin again." Tim Buckley is scheduled to appear in concert with Randy Newman this Wednesday at Power at 7:30 and By ALVIN CHARLES KATZ The 1973 offering of Musket, a no-holds-barred production of West Side Story, opened Thurs- day at the Power Center. A pol- ished and spirited effort, it draws on some of the best of Ann Ar- bor's talent to create a splendid entertainment event. Based on the book by Arthur Laurents, West Side Story is a modern, musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which takes on a new perspective in the environs of the asphalt jungle. Musket's production is a par- ticularly excellent one. Director Robert Chapel pulls out all the stops, employing blatant, unro- manticized sexuality and the un- abashed language of the slums to give the show the toughness it i-equires. The staging is bold and harsh, just like the characters; performers leap from platform to platform and scale fences, all with little apparent-regard for life or limb. The result is a chil- ling atmosphere that constantly suggests the tense struggle of the street. Makram Joubram once again comes through with some first rate choreography which adds further to the effectiveness of the production. Not of the ordinary musical comedy variety, Joub- ram's dances are tense, explos- ive, and frantic, expressing t h e mood of the play to perfection. The show's single set is a re- markable collection of pipes, railings, and chain link fence which captures the b~leak, oppres- sive ainality of the tough w e s t side of New York nicely. Created by Steven Gilliam, it is extra- ordinarily functional, allowing for graceful modifications and a variety of excellent lighting ef- fects. Without exception, the c a s t tvrned in fine performances, fea- turing fine singing and dancing in addition -to accurate and bal- anced portrayals. All the Jets were exceptionally good, espec- West Side. Story! ially in "Gee, Officer Krupke", one of the best numbers in the show. I particularly enjoyed Ann Crumb, who displayed fine ver- satility in the role of Anita, as well as Rick Frank and Ray Neito as th leaders of the two rival gangs. In the leading roles of Maria and Tony, Martha Jean Sterner and Kenneth Marshall were both superb. Sterner was wonderfully naive and starry eyed, while Mar- shall gave his character a believ- able sense of basic honesty and goodness. Both possess beauti- ful singing voices, and their scen- es together were some of the best in the show. Still, the real stars of the show are Leonard Bernstein and Step- hen Sondheim, who wrote t h e music and lyrics. Bernstein's music is not of the pedestrian variety generally associated with musical comedy; instead, it is an ingenious synthesis of many musical forms, jazz and o p e r a having particularly noticable in- fluence. Like the story, the music is filled with tension and excite- ment, and punctuates the p I o t beautifully. Sondheim's lyrics capture the hope and desperation of the characters, and are t h e perfect complement to Bernstein's music. When performed well -- which it was on Thursday night - the score is one of the best ever written for a musical. It is a rare occasion when a production comes along that com- bines fine choreography, intelli- gent and skillful directing, fine performances, and a good play to the extent that Musket's pre- sentation of West Side Story does. Glorious Bach Tim Buckley I--- - 9:00. 'VOMEN'S W COMM UNITY %YMPOSIUM Welcome to the Women's Community Symposium! This is the first co-operative effort of all interested women's groups from the communities and campus area, and the birth of an annual event. The motivation for this event is to reach outside of the academic community and encourage interest, participation and open dialogue among women ofall economic and racial backgrounds. Saturday' APRIL 7 l0am. - 5 PM 'ANGELL 'HALL UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN For more information call: (313) 763-3503, 764-1817. Good times at Ida By BILL ALTERMAN "I envied them," was one pat- ron's comment after Wednesday night's performance of Princess Ida by the University's Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Having performed in a number of G&S production in high school, I have always believed that these productions were more for those on stage than the spectators out front. And it is a beautiful sight when this enthusiasm skips over the lights and into the audience. Unfortunately, while high on spirit, the Mendelssohn Thea- tre production comes up short on technique. The acting, under the direction of Susan Morris, w a s frequently shoddy and the music, under the direction of Eric Stern, was at best average. However, the score, possibly Sullivan's best, and the fast-paced action overcame these faults to produce Ci1nemna SATURDAY 7 APRIL Dir. ROBERTO ROSSELINI 1948. A tremendous naturalness is developed in cr this understated series of 6 disconnected dramatic incidents occuring in Italy during WW 11. Bluntly shows the tragic chasms which open between good people in wartime. Fellini was one of the six scenarists. "A milestone in the expressiveness of the screen . . . it cannot fail to rattle the window- panes of your eyes."-New York Times AUDITORIUM A 7 AND 9:30 ONE DOLLAR a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Oddly enough; this G & S plot has more significance today than it did when first performed in 1884. It is the story of woman's attempt to liberate herself - though as befits a G & S produc- tion, our heroine ends up headed for connubial "bliss"' as the final curtain falls. The title character has forsaken her childhood groom for the life of a women'srcol- lege dean and the unfolding plot reveals everyone's attempt to re- unite her (against her wishes) with her long lost lover. Ashley Putnam (Princess Ida) has a beautiful soprano voice which more than made up for an occasional lack of lyrical clarity. Likewise, her romantic lead, ten- or James Bryan (Hilarion) was excellent, whether singing or act- ing. Kudos also go to Nancy Gil- martin (Lady Blanche) who play- ed Ida's scheming second-in- command to perfection, and es- pecially' to the three frightened soldier brothers, Kevin Casey (Arac) Jim Posante (Guron) and Victor Lindblom (Scynthius). Though guilty of occasional over-acting, they clearly were the center of attention whenever on stage. It was their opening song, "We are Warriors Three," nice- 3rd HIT WEEK! INGMAR BtERGMAN'S aRIESAND W H FME_ 1;S lv soloed by Casey, which seem- ed to loosen up the others. James Drew (King Gama) how- ever, was something of a dis- appointment. Given the tought assignment of singing the patter songs, Drew, or the director, de- cided to forsake acting for vocal clarity. Thus, while his diction is surprisingly good, his "cele- brated snicker and a fascinating leer," leave much to be desired. Dave Johnson (King Hildebrand) likewise appeared wooden wv h e n carrying out his stage move- ments. The female chorus was superb but the men frequently seemed to be lost or out of step. How- ever, much of this could be blam- ed on physical staging problems. With a huge chunk of the stage given over to a three sided castle wall, there is little room left for movement. Conversely, the 24 person chorus had great diffi- culty keeping apart during t h e dance numbers; and naturally the choreography was somewhat limited. A smaller chorus would have permitted a vast improve- ment in mobility. As usual in a G & S production, despite the plot's emphasis on the liberated woman, most or the really good songs in "Prin- cess Ida" are reserved for the men, which is a shame consider- ing the female leads and chorus's vocal superiority. Nevertheless, despite the show's numerous drawbacks, the overall perform- ance was a pleasure to sit. through. CULURECALEI*%AR DRAMA-Gilbert and Sullivan today at 2, 8, Mendelssohn; Society presents Princess Ida RC Players present Chekhov's The Three Sisters today at 2, 8, RC Aud.; UAC-Musket presents West Side Story today at 2, 8, Power. CINEMA-Cinema Guild shows Mizoguchi's Ugetsu Mono- gatarai (Tales of the Moonlight After the Rain) tonight at 7, 9:05, Arch. Aud.; Cinema II shows Rossellini's Pai- san tonight at 7, 9:30, Aud A; Couzens Film Coop shows Viva Max tonight at 7, 9, Cafeteria; UAC-Mediatrics shows Mondo Cane tonight at 7, 9:30, Nat. Sci. Aud.; Bursley shows Anne of the Thousand Days tonight at 9, W. Cafeteria; India Students Assoc shows Amar Prem today at 3:30, 6:30, Aud. E, Phys-Astron. MUSIC-School of Music presents Chamber Orchestra, Paul Makanowitzky, conductor, tonight at 8, Rackham. DANCE-Dance Dept. presents a mini-concert tonight at 8, Barbour Gym. ART-BFA show at the Union Gallery. WEEKEND BARS AND MUSIC-The Ark, Biff Rose (Sat., Sun.), admission; Blind Pig, Boogie Woogie Red (Sat.) cover; Pretzel Bell, RFD Boys (Sat.) cover; Rubaiyat, Iris Bell Adventure (Sat., Sun.) no cover; Bimbo's, Gas- lighters, (Sat., Sun.) cover; Del Rio, Jazz (Sun.) no cover; Golden Falcon, Fifth Revelation (Sat.) cover; Mr. Flood's Party, Diesel Smoke and Dangerous Curves (Sat., Sun. at 3 p.m.) cover; Bimbo's on the Hill, Long Spur (Sat.) cover. By DONALD SOSIN It is not every day that one gets to hear a live performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, and thus it was a great thrill to be at the performance Wednes- day night in Hill Auditorium by the U-M Chamber Choir and Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Hilbish. Th almost three-hour work includes some of the most glorious music B a c h penned, and what made it par- ticularly stirring here was the drama that came from hearing an English text, and being able t respond to the wedding of words and music that is essential to a complete understanding of this masterpiece. Let everyone have this exper- ience at least once - never mind purists who insist on original language versions - if one is interested, one can always study the German text later for a ful- ler appreciation. The use of 24 soloists who di- vided the arias not sung by the principals worked out very nice- ly, as the amount of solo talent in the Chamber Choir was im- pressively displayed. High praise goes to Milton Bail- ey, who sang the Evangelist, and brought to the part all the best qualities of a dramatic singer, while avoiding overstatement. Bruce Hall made excellent use of his remarkable rich bass in the part of Jesus, his imposing presence onstage lent added depth to his interpretation. Soloists Charles Brown, John Hall, Lynda Hamilton and Janet Smith also deserve large ap- plause for their outstanding con- tributions. Robert Clark, harpsi- chordist, deftly punctuated the recitatives, and organist Patrick McCreeless' discreet organ regis- trations added greatly to the total effect. The choir and orchestra sound- ed marvelous, by and large; some shaky string passages and unfortunate tuning problems in the English horns could not dampen 'the obvious enthusiasm of all concerned, and what emer- ged transcended performance problems, and filled the audi- torium with immeasurable seren- ity. The audience, participating in eight of the chorales, included 584 high 'school singers to help things along. Hilbish carried the flow of the work smoothly forward, with per- haps less emphasis to dynamics than could have been; this was most evident when there were deviations from a general mezzo- forte. Otherwise, one had f e w complaints, and was left to bask in the glory of the music, and reflect in amazement that one man could have conceived it all. 8:30 2 All in the Family 4 Emergency! 7 Here We Go Again 9 Movie "Darling" (English 1965) 56Movie "Film Odyssey" 50 That Good Ole Nashville Music 8:30 2 Bridget Loves Bernie 7 Touch of Grace 50 Nitty Gritty 9:00 2 Mary Tyler Moore 4 Movie "Mayerling" (English 1968) 7 Julie Andrews 50 2 Bob Newhart 10:00 2 Carol Burnett 7 Delphi Bureau 50 Lou Gordon 10:30 9 Document 11:00 2 7 News 9 CBC News 11:15 7 ABC News 9 Provincial Affairs 11:20 9 News 11:30 2 Movie "The King and Four Queens" (1962) 9 Movie "The Night of the Generals." (1967) 50 Movie "The Mermaids of Tiburon." (1962) 56 Hollywood Televison Theatre 11:45 4 News 12:15 4 Johnny Carson 1:30 2 Movie "The Nylon Noose" (Germian; 1963) 7 Movie "The Fastest Guitar Alive." (1967) 1:45 4 News 3:007 News 3:30 2 News The University of Michigan I School of Music Presents Debussy's Exquisite Masterpiece PELLEAS AND MELISANDE opera in English Josef Blatt, conductor Ralph Herbert, stage director April 13, 14, 15 & 16, 8:00 p.m. 1 "BEST Picture Director Screenplay Actress (Liv Ullman ) -N.Y. Film Critics Awards Today at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 P.M. Thurs, Fri, Mon, Tue at 7 & 9 only HOW THE WEST WAS WON! The myth and the truth, as seen by the men who civilized the West, and lived to regret it! "As ENTERTAINING as 'BUTCH CASSIDY," -New York Mag. IN THE LIFE AND NO SHORTS! TIMES OF Judge Bean starts promptly at 1 p.m.- S3p.mn.-5.45 -~~74 &31 9U;10t entre Phon 6626264 0 tonight 6:00 2 4 News 9 This Is Your Life 50 Star Trek 56 Para Ml Pueblo 6:30 2 CBS News 4 NBC News 7Reasoner Report 9 Fishin' Hole 56 Consumer Game 7:00 2 Truth of Consequences 4 George Pierrot 7 News 9 Untamed world 50Hee Haw 7:30 2 Young Dr. Kildare 4 Ad'aenturer 7 Town Meeting 9 Getting Together 56 Lenox Quartet-Haydn Opus 20 0 - TONIGHT - contact the frontiers of psychiatry THROUGH TWO NEW FILMS R. D. Laing author of The Politics of Experience Bird of Paradise; The Divided Self; Sanity, Madness and the Family; Reason and Violence. ASYLUM 1972 color Laing's therapeutic commune in London-"This is the only film that shows how we work to help people who feel that society is trying to destroy them." Arthur Janov author of The Primal Scream The Primal Revolution Inner Revolution. 1972 The primal therapy of a 35-year-old college teacher, his actual daily sessions with Dr. Janov, with music by John Lennon. -video commentary- f- - -(. - - -I A - - A