, 1977-The Michigan Daily
Tirst Breeze' flies
Shenandoah en
By EMILY SCHREIBER
ednesday night, the University
vcase production of The First
eze of Summer opened in the
ablood Theater. It was enjoyable
an involving production, with a
minor exceptions.
ie story revolves around an
rly woman, grand matriarch of
Edwards family. Called Grem-
by her grandchildren, she was
vn as Lucrecia in her youth,
h is revealed in a succession of
ibacks. Her past romances, trav-
and protective lies to her lovers
me apparent, as does her three
itimate children, the eldest of
rn dies. These flashbacks are
rtwined with the story of her two
iving children, Milton and Edna.
ilton's black, middleclass family
s with all the problems and
licts which come about because
his. For example, his youngest
Lou is a motivated student, and
es to work in a hospital for the
mer in preparation for his medi-
career rather than helping his
- R
-
a good
impression
in the
March of Dimes
WALKATHON
THIS1 SPACE COINT IBUTEC) BY THE PUBLISHER
The First Breeze of Summer
Trueblood Theatre
October 26, 1977
By Leslie Lee
Directed by Rhonnie Washington
Gremmar .................. Marietta Baylis
Nate Edwards ..... David Alan Grier
Lou Edwards ............. Anthony Lucas
Aunt Edna...................Anna C. Aycox
Milton Edwards.............John H. McCants
Hattie.....................Char M. Bailey
Lucretia .................Sheila Tanner Cain
Sam Greene ................. Ron "OJ" Parson
Briton Woodward Thomas L. Stack
Reverend Mosely . Dennis Ray Tyler
Hope ............. ....Joyce Bryson
Joe Drake .....................Terry Caza
Gloria Townes ........ Rochelle Leigh McKracklin'
Harper Edwards. .............. Roy Harris, Jr.
father in the plastering business.
Nate, however, the eldest son has
quit high school to work with his
father, realizing that his brother has
a better chance for academic suc-
cess. Nate is no dummy though, and
his business sense tells him his father
is.sacrif icing profit for being able to
get a job. Altercations result. The
two brothers are the antithesis of.
each other - Lou questions his self
identity and rejects his black heri-
tage ,while Nate has a lusty personal-
ity, basic intelligence and maturity,
and takes life as it comes.
The performances on the whole
were touching and impressive. Pro-
fessionalism and believability re-
mained constant throughout the
show. The show climaxes prema-
turely at the end of act II. Unfortun-
ately, there is nothing the actors can
do about this as it is the fault of the
script, not the acting.
Baylis as Gremmar was generally
e+ sponsored by
CBN and the
Mh "Union
4 C S
(vocalist comedi es, etc.)
Call CBN (ioipe)
763- 01 weekda>s 9-2
for op ointment to a dition
too stiff and vocally weaker than the
rest of the cast. Her breathiness
worked for a while but became
tedious and difficult to understand.
She remained warm and human
throughout the play and was not just
a cardboard figure.
Effective and demanding perform-
ances were given by Grier and Lucas
who interacted with much energy
and power. Their scenes were some
of the most memorable of the
evening. The humorous nonchalance
of Grier worked nicely against
Lucas' naive intensity.
Cain was spellbinding as Lucretia.
She aged beautifully from an impres-
sionable teenager to a mature wo-
man with three children. She com-
bined both the strength and need
required for the character both
combining to give us a compassion-
ate character. Cain's physical and in-
ternal beauty radiates from within.
One of the most magical moments
in the evening came when Ron "OJ"
Parson, as Sam Greene, delivered a
monologue about selfworth and
pride. Parson captivated the audi-
ence with his direct approach. Im-
pressive performances were given
by the remainder of the cast, all
displaying character dimension and
theatrical diversity.
The set was realistic. A two dimen-
sional roof hanging over the set gave
a feeling of security and warmth. It
was a home, not merely a house. The
house setting was versatile and
easily adapter from past to present;
lights assisting in the transforma-
tion of time. The projected back wall
of the bedroom and change of
bedspread also aided in time flow,
though some of the scene changes
were too long and slowed the pace of
the show.
The show's music was very import-
ant and especially successful. I was
enchanted by the use of both jazz and
gospel music which when combined
with the fine performances, it was a
marvelous evening.
By SUSAN BARRY
Shenandoah
Fisher Theatre
October 25-November26.
By James Lee Barrett
Music and Lyrics by Gary Geld and Peter Udell
Charlie Anderson.................... John Raitt
Jacob.. .............. .. Dean Russell
James Paul Myrvold
Nathan Robert Quigley
John.... David Russell
Jenny S...Suzy Brabeau
Henry................... ...... Martin Meredith
Robert . ..Steve Grober
Gabriel.........,...............Tony Holmes
War may easily strike one as a rather macabre sub-
ject for a musical. And indeed the result often tries ones
patience; witness the dreary tedium of such offerings as
"Oh What A Lovely War." A musical is practically by
definition innocuous entertainment, and striving for
relevance would seem inevitably self-depreciating.
So Shenandoah, which opened this week at the Fisher
Theatre, doesn't really try too hard to push its message. It
originates with the idea that war is bad morally and
economically, especially for a prosperous farmer who
finds his land in the middle of it. But the philosophy behind
this theme turns out to be weak and often apologetic in its
attempt not to seem unpatriotic.
This war is, of course,the Civil War, and Charlie An-
derson, played by John Raitt, is fighting to keep his six
sons out of it. It's not that the boys are afraid to fight, as
they proclaim in a rousing chorus of "Next To Lovin' I
Like Fightin,' " and Papa Anderson sees no harm in using
force to protect what is his own. He simply can't see the
logic in going out and hunting down strangets to kill. This
viewpoint changes, however, when his youngest son is
taken prisoner by the Union Army.
This seems to 1
movie made in 196
was not a music
thoroughly explore
of the plot.
By the second
ballads had chang
get sticky. This wa
the melodrama ou
along the wayside.
which left the mem
why those tears we
In the final an,
of emotion withou
cutest member in
Gabriel, a child
nearly stole the st
ever, was minimal
questioning its rele
The performa
much entertainme
of the singing Thu
was strong and res
stirring lament of'
mances of the res
barely audible to ai
The dancing, h
Tucker was ener
notable among t
Fightin,' " where
cleverly choreogr
Raitt was some
polished and highly
In short, Shen,
from what was an E
to reach out nostal,
audience and it ach
Guitarist should stick
By BILL O'CONNOR
Bob Franke was playing hard. Ham-
mering on the strings of an ancient
metal-bodied guitar and wailing out the
blues, you could hear him anywhere on
the U-M diag Thursday around noon.
There were no amplifiers or micro-
phones - just one man sitting on a fold-
ing camp stool, playing for contribu-
tions and hawking his rather obscure
album.
Those of us who took the record home'
were in for a surprise. None of those
fine blues licks graced the grooves.. All
songs were written by Bob Franke and
dealt with life's changes, growing up,
friendship and love - all fine subjects,
mind you, but where'd the blues go?
The blues reappeared at Franke's
concert at the Ark on Thursday eve-
ning. They were mixed in with his own
quiet, reflective songs. But how well
can two totally different musics mix?
Unfortunately, not too well.
When Franke sings the blues, his
voice strains itself wonderfully. He
grimaces in the mean parts and grins
when it's funny. But his voice is not
sweet enough for many of his own
songs. In the quiet numbers, he drops
his voice to a baritone like the late Jim
Morrison's, only rougher. His diction
becomes too perfect. As with Joan Baez
PAUL FELLIOT .d BERNARD JAY
The Amecr aCnnao~m rvae Ttx,irc a n Fnacco
r Michael Rdrave
The University of Michigan
Professional Theatre Program
Ann Arbor-Power Center
TONIGHT AT 8 P.M.I
at.: 8 p.m. Sun.: 2& 8 p.m.
PTP Ticket Office
Michigan League
Mon.-Fri. 104_2;5 p.m.
for Info Call (313) 7'56Oso
Tickets also aoalobI!j;.wftt Hudsos
FINAL PERFORMANCE! 8 P.M..
University Showcase Productions
in Trueblood Theatre
PTP Ticket Office
Michigan League, 10-1, 2-5 p.m.
Trueblood Box Office 6-8 p.m-.
FOR INFORMATION CALL:
(313) 764-0450 before 5 p.m.
(313) 764-5387, 6-8 p.m.
Tickets through all HUDSON'S
First
Breeze
0summer
Leslie Lee's
Compelling BLACK Drama
tertains
be the sum of the plot gleaned from the
5 with James Stewart. That the movie
cal probably explains why it more
d the moral and political ramifications
act of the play the lusty hoedowns and
ed to dirges, and the sentiment began to
s where the musical, having squeezed
t of the plot, left the bare bones of it-
A happy ending was swiftly tacked on,
bers of the audience wondering exactly
re streaming down their faces.
alysis Shenandoah cheated its audience
t providing a fair return of plot. The
the cast was little Tony Holmes as
slave, whose enthusiastic animation
ow. His relationship to the plot, how-
. One must accept his cuteness without
vance.
nces of the individual actors wrung
nt value out of their roles. The quality
rsday night was uneven. Raitt's voice
onant and Robert Johanson rendered a
"The Only Home I Know." The perfor-
t of the cast ranged from hoarse and ;
dequate.
iowever, with choreography by Robert
getic and well executed. The most
hese was "Next to Lovin' I Like
fake fights and lively steps were
aphed.
what stiff at first but ended up giving a
dignified performance.
andoah provided much entertainment
essentially truncated plot. It attempted
gically to wring the emotions from its
ieved this objective with charm.
with blues
or Tim Buckley, "I am" comes out "I
ahhhm."
The soft songs make Franke seem
dated. A few years ago, a folk perfor-
mer could present material with an in-
different, distant attitude. This proved
that he or she was alienated. But now
audiences seem to prefer the performer
who gets behind a song and pushes.
Franke needs punch on his own
songs, not just the blues. Although his
banter was informative and amusing
like "Here's a toe-tapper about the end
of the world," his speech was
sprinkled with 60's overtones. He
recommended communal fasting, as
he'd experienced at an anti-war rally,
for "collecting yourself."
Franke's instrumental work was
superb. He utilized open tunings on the
guitar, with full-sounding drone strings
strengthening some fine lead runs. His
performance on his old National steel
guitar would have made Bonnie Raitt
proud. His banjo work, old-time style
frailing, gave sparkle to the few
American ballads he perforried ^
Perhaps Franke would have project-
ed more to a fuller house. He suffers
from the under-promotion problems of
a singer-songwriter without big record
corporation backing. Franke describe
Fretless label on which he recorded as
a "vanity press." His album was
pressed and packaged with the under-
standing that he would buy the first
1,000 albums. He now does his own
booking, PR work, and album distribu
tion.
Still, no one left his Ark concert early.
The two dozen or so who came were ap
preciative and attentive to every word.
They even called him back for an en,
core.
"I don't need clubs, as I'm finding out
by street singing," he said after the
concert. "All I need is myself, my voice
and guitar. Street singing has been a
learning experience.
The University Symphony Band
became in 1961 the first band ever
selected by the U.S. State Department
for a tour of the Soviet Union and the
Near East.
AA/AI'S
PRESENTS
MUGSY
327 E. MICH., YPSILANTI 482-70
i ICAT I
I
ALSO THIS WEEK
First University Showcase
The First Breeze of Summer
Oct. 26-29 in Trueblood Theatre
I
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- a. a
OLLING& LAG Y
IDA WINNING COMBINATION
Life is a Cabaret
Susan Dawson poses as Sally Bowles in rehearsal for the UAC-musket production
of Cabaret which will run from November 3-12.
2nd ANNUAL
HAttOWEEn PARTY
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31
SECO NDCHANCE
REDUCED COVER IF WEARING COSTUME
PRIZES FOR BEST COSTUMES
Featuring Ann Arbor's No. 1 Band:
SECOND ChANCE
516 E. LIBERTY
ANN ARBOR. M1 48108
991-5360
SOPT. PEPPERS*
1028 E. UNIVERSITY-662-0202
9:30 A M.-:00PA.M. 7 DAYS A WEEK
SALE FRI. OCT. 28 THRU SUNDAY NOV. 6
Jazz pianist Claude Bolling performs his own
Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano with
the incomparable guitarist Alexandre Lagoya.
Bolling's softly-swinging French-style jazz piano
coupled with Lagoya's classical/Spanish guitar
is a superb collaboration by two master instru-
mentalists.
RED SEAL
FRESH IOWA MEATS
ground round
98C/Ib.
FRYERS
59/lb.
LARGE EGGS
69C/dox.
HEAD LETTUCE
39C
BANANAS
190/ b.
Rose Vale-can
I