Sunday, December 14, 1972

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Faae Three

Sunday, December 10, 1972 THE MICHIGAN DAILY 1-'aae Three


SKI CHEAP Via
Fun-Filled MOTORHOMES
r JACKSON HOLE " KEYSTONE
" STEAMBOAT SPRINGS f BRECKINRIDGE
* VAIL & OTHER GREAT SLOPES
Departs Dec. 26, Return Jan. 7
$240-255 for all lifts
(11 days) All food, travel, and lodging
Call Brad, 449-2668; Josie, 769-3718
INFO MEETING: 624 Church
3rd Floor, Mon., Dec. 11-7:30 p.m.

Hello Dolly.
spirited musical

Teagarden and VanWinkle
in concert at
BIMBO'S in Ypsilanti
TUESDAY, DEC. 12
9:00 P.M*


By A. MARK KRIECHMAN
Hello, Dolly is a Sparkle Paint
Musical: glitter is the glue that
holds the show together. Rather
than pinning their hopes-for suc-
cess on a show marked by a
well-developed plot or in-depth
characterization, the creators of
Dolly counted on the momentum
of socko production numbers and,
above all, the dynamic magne-
tism of a Star in the title role
to ram their show into the "hit"
category. Without the razzle-daz-
zle of a Carol, Pearl or Ethel
to blind the star-struck audience
to the musical's failings, Dolly
can be a tough show to sell to
an audience hoping for more
than a mere "suggestion" of
Thornton Wilder's The Match-
maker.
The Ann Arbor Junior L i g h t
Opera met this challenge Friday
by capitalizing on the amateur-
ish charm and usually untapped
energy of that much maligned
minority, the under-10 set. Dolly
failed most noticeably when the
reserved and romantic were cal-
led for, but excelled when the
production concentrated on the
all-out recklessness and exuber-
tonight
6:00 2 60 Minutes
7 Movie
"House on Green Apple Road."
(1970)
9 UFO
50 Star Trek
56 World Press
6:30 56 Consumer Game
7:00 2 TV 2 Reports
4 George Pierrot
9 Tom Jones
50 Lawrence Welk
56 How Do We Get From Here
To There?
7:3O 4 Little Drummer Boy
56 Just Generation
8:00 2 M*A*S*H
4 Christmas with the Bing,
Crosbys
7 FBI
9 Hear Canada Singing
50 Aladdin
56 International Performance
8:30 2 Sandy Duncan
9:00 2 Dick Van Dyke
4 Bob Hope
7 Movie
"The World of Suzie Wong"
(1960)
9 A Very Merry Juliette
56 Masterpiece Theatre
50 Detroit Show
9:30 2 Mannix
50 Nitty Gritty
10:00 4 Night Gallery
9 Weekend
56 Firing Line
50 Lou Gordon
10:30 2 Evil Touch
4 Profiles in Black
11:00 2 4 9 News
11:15 9 Religious Scope
11:30 2 Name of the Game-Drama
4 Wild Wild West-Wester

ance of its youngest cast mem-
bers.
Suzanne Tyra found the cold
but oddly ingratiating machina-
tions of the title role just beyond
her grasp, as she spoke in a
muted foghorn at times difficult
to understand, and sang in a
voice which was fr"'ratingly
fatal in its lack of -arrying
power, but altogether convincing
given the right moments (such as
the intro to "So Long, Dearie")
when the lower range could shine.
In the role of Erich Segal's
worst enemy, Horace Vander-
gelder, Herbert Thompson sang
in a rich and powerful voice
which turned a pleasant little
ditty like "It Takes A Woman"
into a number that's hard to for-
get. He played Vandergelder with
more than enough charm to con-
sume the role's weight in acid
indigestion. A real find is Ken-
neth Tyra as the 23-year-old, one-
life-to-live Cornelius Hackl. Tyra
has a marvelously clear theater
voice, knows where he is on
stage, and captured the essence
of his character perfectly.
As Irene Molloy, Elizabeth Kel-
ly played a nothing role with
9 Movie
"Operation Mad Ball." (1957)
50 For My People
11:45 7 ABC News
12:00 7 Movie
"Seven Cities of Gold." (1955)
50 Man in a Suitcase
12:30 4 News
1:00 2 Golden Gospel
1:30 2 Movie
"California Passage." (1950)
2:00 7 News
3:00 2 News
MONDAY
6:00 2 4 7 News
9 Courtship of Eddie's Father
50 Finstones
56 Since You Can't Take it
With You
6:30 2 4 7 News
9 I Dream of Jeannie
50 Gilligan's Island
56 All About Welfare
7:00 2 Truth or Consequences
4 News
7 To Tell the Truth
9 Beverly Hillbillies
50 I Love Lucy
7:30 2 What's My Line?
4 Mouse Factory
7 Let's Make a Deal
9 Wacky World of Jonathan
Winters
50 Hogan's Heroes
8:00 2 Gunsmoke
4 Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in
7 Rookies
9 Good Life
56 Conversation with Earl Warren
50 Dragnet
8:30 9 David Frost Revue
50 Merv Griffin
9:00 2 Here's Lucy
4 Movi
"Shot in the Dark." (1964)
7 Pro Football
9 News
56 Plotsto Overthrow Christmas
9:30 2 Doris Day
9 This Is the Law
10:00 2 Bill Cosby
9 Man at the Center
50 Perry Mason
56 Net Journal
11:00 2 4 News
9 CBC News-Lloyd Robertson
50 Johnny Mann's Stand U pand
and Cheer
11:20 9 News
11:30 2 Apollo 17
4 Johnny Carson
50 Movie
"Sherlock Holmes in Washing-
ton." (1943)
12:00 2 Movie
"Tiger by the Tal." (1968)
7 News
9 Movie
"Hot Blood." (1956)
12:30 7 Movie
"September Storm." (1960)
1:00 4 News
2:00 2 Movie
"The Wild Blue Yonder." (1951)
2:30 7 News
3:30 2 News

good spirit, but sang in an un-
comfortably insecure voice that
asks more questions than it an-
swers. (And why must she wear
a Bimbo hat in "Ribbons"?!) Pe-
ter Kornbluh acted half his age
when he should have acted old-
er, but his awkwardness played
in his favor. Carolyn Pratt did
very little with an evenPsmaller
part and Sally Lux, with enough
rouge to turn the Nile red and
enough brass in her character ,o
play a Sousa march, was a real
entertainer in a comic-strip role.
In an unforgivable performance
as a totally fingernail-on-chalk-
board whine, Charlotte J o n e s
barely escaped an audience-com-
prised lynch mob.
The sets, designed by Michael
Harrah (who also served as di-
rector) were beautifully executed,
totally functional, and did won-
ders with the most minimal ma-
terials. His comedic staging, es-
pecially in the "Waiters' Ballet"
and the Molloy scene, was quite
good, as were his interesting but
not altogether successful thea-
trical experiments (such as the
old-fashioned silent film-type
strobe effects in "Put On Your
Sunday Clothes").
The lighting, designed by Rich-
ard Beckerman, was spotty in
every sense of the word, while
Peter McIver's costumes were
well-designed and added just the
right amount of color to the
show. Robert Albritton proved a
steady hand at conducting (un-
fortunately, the chorus didn't al-
ways follow his lead). But he
lead an orchestra with "Say A
Prayer" Intonation: you say a
prayer and hope they hit the
right notes. The choral singing
was inexcusable and beyond pray-
er, though I'm sure Betsy Roe
had many problems dealing with
such a varied cast in only a few
weeks of rehearsal.
The choreography by Yvonne
Taylor was incredibly static, fav-
oring a series of perpetual poses
rather than the vivid motion of
dance. Ranging from the embar-
rasing Donald Duck waddle of
the opening number to the irri-
tatingly empthy march of 'As
The Parade Passes By," Tay-
lor's dancers (and I'll resist any
devious remark about "The Jack-
ie Gleason Show") did not dance
- they sort of "gallumphed"
along. Also annoying was the
cast's trick of oozing out a num-
ber, rather than dashing off i
a mindless frenzy as they should
in a show like Dolly. Taylor
would do well to learn that in a
musical, monotony breeds con-
tempt.
Saving the best for last, the
show's biggestbasset was a wild-
ly assorted chorus of waiters,
whose expertise at mass chaos
would put the Keystone Cops to
shame. Especially memorable
were a blonde muppet and his
toothy sidekick. The boy's out-
of-control kicklines, youthful voi-
es straining for the "Outer Lim-
its" and unashamed humor were
most enjoyable.
And so as Dolly Levi s t i l l
chomps away at the "Harmonia
Gardens" (in a simply intermin-
able bit of unfunny "funning"),
the JLO has many other produc-
tions on the boards. They would
do well to remember the high
spirits they so wisely capitalized
on in their production of Hello
Dolly!
"I
}

Daily Photo by TOM GOTTLIEB
University Choir performing in a Benefit Concert Friday night at Hill And.

Mick Abrahams:*
a distinctive sound

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410

By HARRY HAMMITT
Rock has long since turned in-
to a multi-million dollar enter-
prise. As such, companies go to
great lengths to hype performers,
pouring millions of dollars into
publicity campaigns. Just be-
cause a performer is hyped, it
doesn't mean that he or she is
good; by the same token, it
doesn't mean that he or she is
bad. The record companies know
that they have the average buy-
er over the barrel because the
average buyer doesn't have the
time or the money to explore un-
known quantities, and the com-
panies make their pet projects
sound so inviting that they in-
evitably buy them.
This in turn puts tremendous
strain on performers who get no
hype, and it is obviously m u c h
harder to become a success if
the performer has no publicity.
But there are those who gain a
sizable reputation on the strength
of their musicianship and person-
ality.
Such a one is Mick Abrahams,
an excellent British guitarist who
has toured this country several
times, but has never won a n y
wide recognition. Abrahams was
the original guitarist for Jethro
Tull, but left in a short time be-
cause of personality clashes with
Ian Anderson. He formed a band
called Blodwyn Pig which re-
leased a devastating debut album
and a satisfying second album.
More recently, he formed a new
band known as Wommet, then as
Mick Abrahams Band; this band
released a fine first album, and
have recently released their se-
cond album. This album has been
out in England since summer,
but has still to be released in the
United States. Perhaps because
of contractual problems, the al-
bum will never be released-here.
AtLast (Chrysalis CHR 1005)
reunites the talents of Abrams
and jack-of-all-trades Jack Lan-
caster who played opposite Abra-
hams in Blodwyn Pig. Lancaster's
forte is his sax-playing w h i c h
was consistently brilliant w i t h
Bloodwyn Pig, and remains so
here.
Abrahams is definitely one of
the most underrated performers
in rock today. His music is ex-
tremely distinctive, a hybrid
British rock which maintains the
hard-driving beat and the joy
of power, but is irresistibly light
and mellow. His songs are often
blues derived and consist of an
intricate, but 'solid line t h a t
shifts throughout the song. He
is as much at home with t h e
acoustic guitar as he is with the
electric. His voice is powerful
and clear with a fine cuting edge.

His fellow musicians are also
more than capable. Aside t r o m
Lancaster, there is Bob Sar-
gent on keyboards, guitar, and
vocals; Walt Monoghan on bass;
and Ritchie Dharma on drums.
The album is a fine showcase
for Abraham's talents, but as a
totality it falls short of his other
albums. The album is rather
schizoid; the songs are pretty
much balanced between those
by Abrahams and those by Sar-
gent. Sargent is a competent sing-
er and his music is quite nice,
but it clashes with the musical
ideas of Abrahams.
The songs are somewhat over-
produced and sound like a con-
glomeration of Chicago, Blood,
Sweat & Tears, and the Bee Gees.
His best effort on this album
is a thing called "You'll Never
Get It From Me." It's a very
blues-based and features some
nice solos, particularly f r o m
Abrahams. When it comes to
Abrahams' songs, it's a com-
pletely differentgstory. He h a s
written five tunes on this al-
bum, and all of them are quite
high level.
Most of the tunes 'are fast-pac-
ed, but there is an occasional
acoustic number where Abra-
hams takes it easy and plays
some slide guitar in a style that

is at once melodic and complete-
ly his own. His first tune, "When
I Get Back," starts the album
off on the right foot as the band
really begins to move, leading
into an energetic sax solo. As
Abrahams sets himself up for
his solo, the song changes tune
and pace; the rhythm reverts
back during Abrahams' solo and
the song surges to its finish with
all the energy that it had when
it started. "Whole Wide World"
is typical of Abrahams' construs-
tion with the repeated riff, and
just as typically, it yields some
devastating solos from Lancas-
ter, Sargent, and Abrahams.
Abrahams employs a very use-
ful trick in his solo as he mo-
mentarily changes the speed and
spurts out a fine fast run. "May-
be Because" is the best state-
ment of the recent Abrahams
style as he strings a number of
partial tunes together with the
same general thematic pasage,
changing rhythms from fast to
slow and back again along the
way.
This is not the very best of
Mick Abrahams. Nevertheless,
the band has an abundance of
fine talent, particularly in the
team of Lancaster and Abra-
hams. Mick Abrahams is one of
the most exciting and inventive
guitarists today playing on the
rock scene. His music is power-
ful and playful, and it is a de-
light to hear. It is great to listen
to a performer who plays for the
fun of it, carving out a power-
ful music that is enjoyable, but
not ponderous and dense. Mick
Abrahams is such a performer.

i


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ART S

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ENDS TODAY-1:00 and 2:45
"REEFER
MADNESS"


r~h
FILM SPECIAL-Fifth Forum presents a world premier of
Ten for Two, the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, produced
by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, with four showings today
only as a benefit for the Rainbow People's Party.
DRAMA-UAC-Ebony Players present Contribution and
Happy Ending at Frieze Arena today at 2, 8.
SCHOOL OF MUSIC-Michael Nascimben, saxophone doc-
toral: SM Recital Hall today at 2:30. Christine Rinaldo,
piano: SM Recital Hall today at 4:30. Chamber Music
String Students: SM Recital Hall at 8 tomorrow night.
Jo Ann Ogle, conductor: SM Recital Hall at 8 tonight.
POTTERY-Blue Sky Pottery, Handweaving Studio (7280
Platt) sale today and tomorrow 11-8. (runs through Dec.
15)
FILMS-Cinema Guild presents Murnau's Nosferatu in Arch.
Aud. at 7, 9:05 tonight. Cinema II is showing Casablanca
with Humphrey Bogart in Aud. A at 7, 9 tonight. The
Psych. 171 Film Series presents The Great American
Novel: The Grapes of Wrath; Dorethea Lange: Under the
Trees in the Ugli Multi-purpose Room tomorrow at 4.
WEEKEND BARS AND MUSIC-Ark, Jim Ranger and Mary
McCaslin (Sun.), 8:30, Admission; Union Gallery, Dave
Moultran and Lorre Weidlich (Sun.), 8:00; Rubaiyat,
Irish Bell Adventure (Sun.) no cover; Del Rio, Armando's
Jazz Group (Sun.) no cover; Bimbo's, Gaslighters (Sun.)
cover, Classical Trio (Sun.) no cover; Mackinac Jack's,
Radio King and His Court of Rhythm (Sun.) cover.
EBONY PLAYERS
(BLACK MARKLEY COUNCIL)
in Cooperation with
PRESENT
Ted Shine's CONTRIBUTION
AND
Douglas Ward's HAPPY ENDING

plus Douglas Fairbanks in "MYSTERY OF THE
LEAPING FISH" and "SINISTER HARVEST"
SUNDAY ONLY-5:00, 7:00, 9:00, 11:00
"TEN FOR TWO"
Film of last year's
John Sinclair Freedom Concert
double feature Monday thru Wednesday
DOUBLE BOGART FEATURES
Howard Hawks'
"THE BIG SLEEP"
with HUMPHREY BOGART
and LAUREN BACALL
ALSO John Huston's