-"-THE MICHIGAN DAILY Arts & Entertainm ent Friday, January 21, 1977 Page Five J FISHER THEATER SHOW ALLURING ti .---,.. Equus. Stra n By STEPHEN PICKOVER passions form the basis for the boxing arena, surrounded byj and MICHAEL JONES boy's psyche: Yet profession- the audience on all sides, and HORSES have been a major ally, he realizes that the fer- it is within the ring that doctor' influence in western civ- vent emotion have to be sub- and patient battle their prob- ilization, both in the magical dued in order to relieve the lems. The bouts include not literary world of fantasy and boy's torment. only the present time sessions, in the development of our ad- A L A N, an adolescent of but - also Alan's flashbacks vancing . technological tedium. seventeen, is sent to Dr. Dy- which are acted out with in- They have been man's compan- sart because of a bizarre and tense fervor. The transitions ion, slave and in some cases, horrifying action he took- made are clear and precise. master. against the six horses in his Keith Mcllerrnott as Alan A horse's ability to keep its charge as a stable - groom. We was superb. The audience was human owner's. admiration find that he is the product of' able to catch glimpses of his stems from its immense a fanatically religious, disturb- need and 4vish to be helped, strength, tempered with a do- ed mother and a tyranically though his tough facade was al- mestication that maintains its puritanic father. ways present in the first act. innate individuality and wild From his mother, Alan was The hard side of his character,, character, conditioned to adore and wor- the cool intelligence and in- And horses have a special ship Jesus, never to forget how stinct about people was well fascination forhchildren. Wit- he suffered for nrankind. The balanced against the childwin ness the multitudinous chil- worship of Christ is transferred pain, lying in bed curled into a dren's stories, like Black Beau- to horses when his atheist fath- fetal position. His passions and ty and My Friend Flicka. With er replaces Alan's picture of pains were mind tingling. this special relationship be- Jesus with a striking portrait Not'only a character within tween man and horse,, Peter of a horse's head. Alan calls the action, Douglas Campbell Shaffer, author of Black Com- his new god Equus. When he acts as narrator for the au- edy, creates a powerful theme transgresses against Equus, he dience as well. While his so. for his newest play, Equus (now blindsthe horses toescape liloquys in the first act some- playing at Detroit's Fisher from his shame. He comes to times lacked dynamics, ' the Theater). trust and accept the doctor as second act found him in good Equus is a play that deals someone to whom he can con- form. His powerful perform- with a human psychological fens his sin. tante brought the disappoint- confrontation between a psy- The $rodu ction at the Fisher ane, brghtrthe ndisaont- chiatrist, Martin Dysart, and Theater uses some creative ments worries ro ances land patient, Alan Stramig. Dr. Dy- Ianid effective staging tech-'pi fDsr o ie fAa' sart is characterized as a great niques which enhance the pssion was or qinutensi tay creative thinker, who after tension between the charac- his realization of figurative er- years working within the ters and also makes demandsst i realms of child psychiatry, upon the audience. Perhaps one sonality destruction. finds himself relying on earlier of the most best devices em- THE SHOW was not without techniques. He has fallen into ployed is the liberal use of its major faults. True, the au- a rut which had stifled his suggestion, set off by synec- dience was fully concentrated creative imagination. At pres- doche. Alan's room is repre- and focused upon the action to ent, he describes his condition sented as a bench, a sand beach such an extent that its atten- as "professional menopause," is simply defined by the mother tion was not even distracted by a period of doubts in which he shaking imaginary sand out of a nude scene, which served to questions the validity and pur- her shoe, and Alan leads an enhance the beauty - horror of pose of his work. He wonders imaginary horse by an imagi- the situation. However, the plot if he is creating passionless nary rein. Horses were depict- was too predictable. Like an machines robbed of their per- ed by men with wire hooves Agatha Christie mystery, each sonal identity. On one hand, he and horse heads, making leg jigsaw piece fit nicely into feels jealous of Alan's strong and neck movements which place and nothing was left to emotions because of his own I added to the believability, question. Upon leaving the the- sterile life, and realizes these THE SET is analogous to a ater, we felt , no wonder, in- --- - - quiry or sensation of catharsis which was unfortunate, as E llin ton te potential for these evoca- New El gton LP ve responses was there. We saw a good show and the Cinema W Friday - The Producers (Nat Next Stop, Greenwich Village (O Special Section (Aud. A Angell, 7,S the Sundance Kid (Couzens Cafe., Saturday - Butch Cassidy (Couzens Cafe., 8, 10); Special Se 9:15); Seven Beauties (Old Arch. ance (Nat. Sci. Aud., 7:30, 9:30). Sunday - Phantom India, 4 Arch. Aud., 7, 8, 9, 10); Jules et Ji All weekend - Black Eman (668-6098); A Star is Born, The The Pink Panther Strikes Again; (769-8783); King Kong: Michigan ula: Fifth Forum. (761-9700); Th 5296); The Silver Streak: Fox Vill A NEW, REGULAR PREI t Preh" Note - PRELUDE is a new idea addition to the Daily Arts Page Mus that wvill appear the day of each last University Symphony Orchestar whe Sconcert, It will offer informa- gra - plus tion about one particular piece in the program including the PI coinposer's life history during will the period of composition, per the formance problems, hints on teen what to listen for, or corn- of3 ments on the concert's format.Ifollo We hope these short features Jap t il help you enjoy and under- Bcom stand these free monthly con- Bac certs to a fuller extent. Sucp wor By ROSALYN KUTNER dur sens The format of tonight's con-i cert in Hill Auditorium at 8 A p.m. is one that the Ann Ar- con bor audience has yet to experi- of, ence: a collage of 48.5 minutes mus , of non-ston music. ens kekend . Sci. Aud., 7, 8:30, 10); ld Arch. Aud., 7, 9:05); 9:15); Butch Cassidy and 8, 10). and the Sundance Kid ction (Aud. A Angell, 7, Aud., 7, 9:05); Deliver- -part documentary (Old im (Aud. A Angell, 7, 9). uelle: Campus Theatre Seven Percent Solution, The Movies, Briarwood (668-8480); Young Drac- e Enforcer: State (662- age (769-1300). VIEW OF USO: in the Eastman School of sic in Rochester, New York year and received an over- lming reception. Such a pro- m is scheduled for tonight a few more surprises. [ECES OF contrasting eras be alternated. For example, concert will begin with six- nth century Baroque music Thomas Tallis immediately owed by a contemporary anese number. Some other posers will be Berlioz, J. S. h, Gershwin and Mozart. ;h a fusion of musical con- ts and styles is novel in the ld of formal concert proce- es and sure to create mixed sations. nother unusual aspect of the. cert will be the positioning the performers. Since the sic is continuous, and five embles and seven soloists Women 's art exhibit ends By ANGIE NICITA IF YOU HAVE walked into the main lobby of the North Cam- pus Commons lately, you were probably struck by a new view. The Ann Arbor Women Paint- ers arn using-' tis foyer for their Winter 1977 exhibit (which ends today). Many mediums were display- ed in this years show. Acrylics, watercolors, ink, pencil, oils, pastels, silkscreening, mono- prints, and photography were all represented. Besides the many different mediums, there were also vari- ous styles of- art in the juried showing. Landscapes, still-lifes, abstracts, seascapes, non-repre- sentational, figures, and realist- ic pictures all appeared. First place inthe show went to Johnnie Crosby's "Frag- ments," an abstract watercolor. Done in deep blues, rusts, and browns, it was one of the most thought-provoking paintings dis- played. Reva Gotlieb's watercolor, "Huron Valley Parkway," took= second place. It is a landscape displaying an excellent use of fall colors. A PHOTOGRAPH titled "Sun- flower," by Genevieve White captured third. It portrayed a single bloom against a brilliant blue sky, and framed with shite matte. Finally, honorable mention went to the only mono print in the show, titled simply No. 117. This work by Bernadette Heath was a circular piece on white matte, done in deep blues, pinks, purples, and deep green. Reedy structures coming upI from the base of the circle seemed to suggest seaweed. One of the most striking pic- tures in the exhibit was an un- titled work by Monique Seibel. It was a pencil sketch of a little girl in traditional dress wearing a puzzled and rather' unbelieving stare, an expres- sion that was captured beauti- fully. There were a few interesting textured things in the show al- so. "Mist" by Hermine Brown, and Crosby's "Aerial View" both exhibited the use of raised surfaces. Overall, the show had some interesting aspects and there .was some impressive talent, but in totality it was not as large or of as good a quality as it might have been. AtNNAI2IICL [ELA CC-CU "+s s@@ssssssssss @@s@ O*@e***@**s TONIGHT in MODERN LANGUAGES BUILDING FRIDAY, JAN. 21 7, 8:45 & 10:30 BANANAS MLB 4 (Woody Allen, 1971) Allen's humor at its height. The only logic is the logic of fantasy. A thoroughly alienated tester of Rube Goldberg gadgets takes off for a South American country where he is transformed info a revolutionary with a false beard. Louise Lasser in her best non-Mary Hartman role. "An inde- cently funny comedy.-"Vincent Canby. SHOWTIMES-7, 8:45 & 10:30 ADMISSION $1.25 SATURDAY, JAN. 22 in MLB- WERTMULLER'S "ALL SCREWED UP" SUNDAY in MLB- WONDER'S "ALICE IN THE CITIES" FRI.-SAT. MARY McCAS AND JIM RINGEF SINGER-SONGWRITER $3.00 LIN Rolling Stone: "An exceptional album right up there with today's best. McCaslin's unorthodox guitar tunings create unusual, ethereal melodies of striking beauty." "Jim Ringer seems pluckld out of a Tijuana barroom," features amino xvne mr mrnlnrae TT"fntr_ By ARTHUR LUBY THE WAVE of Duke Ellington recordings released since his death have been of uneven quality. Certainly, such albums as The Queens Suite and Recol- lections of the Big' Band Era have to be counted as unexem- plary samples of the Duke's music. However, Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session (Atlantic SD 1688) recorded in 1963, but left unreleased until now, is one of the very finest collections of jazz violin presently available and. one of the truly outstanding Ellington recordings not issued while he was still alive. The album was originally to be called Duke Ellington and his Fiddlers Three, a more accurate title considering that one of the three fiddlers, Svend Asmussen, is actually a vioist rather than a violinist. The violinists are the well known Stephane Grapelli and the late Ray Nance, a very versatile musician probably bet- ter remembered for his warm -often tender-trumpet solos, a feature of the Ellington b r a s s section for more than twenty years. ALL THREE fiddlers were given one number to themselves backed only by a rhythm sec- tion made up of Ernie Shephard, a bassist whose solid broad tone is certainly a highlight of this album; Sam Woodyard at drums, and Ellington himself. Perhaps the best of these selec- tions is Grapelli's version of "In a Sentimental Mood" which is the most evocative and emo- tional ballad he's put on wax either before or since this re- cord. incuding the much lauded recordings he later made wish Oscar Peterson. Ray Nan-e is given Billy Strayhorn's "D a y- dream", an unfortunate choice simply because the recording of this number' made by .Joxiny Hodges on alto sax in the late 1930's is so fluid and graceful that at times one might mis-1 take his alto for a violin. Nance's solo inevitably 4'ffers by comparison and in the end reveals just how complete the Hodges solo really was. It's a pity that Nance was put in- that acting was marvelous. untor- v 11 P 11a ,AicA f~lua l Y1 ,aavl tunately, it captured the view- Gustav Meier, conductor of will be performing, not everyone er only so far, and while one Gstv birnosutge. wished to be pulled into the the University Symphony Or- position, for throughout the rest web of higher complexity and chestra, once heard a concert Tonight's collage is a unique of the album his bluesy ,mn emotional stress, the play holds in Belgium that began every divergence from the formal eti- slow, thoughtful version of one at arms length. Thus it piece on the final note of the quette of serious concerts, and ing the most striking of the semIqu anb adt three fiddlers. s have only partially achieved its preceding piece, eliminating all should be a unique experience Asmussen, carefully guided by goal. applauses. He introduced the for the audience as well. Ellington's deft placement of his own piano chords; provides a of Ellington's reed section, and The Professional Theatre Program "Don't Get Around Much Any- Best of Broadway Series more" which is preferable to the numerous and often banal DON'T JUST READ vocal versions of this num-ber madr by Ellington and others. THE SHORT STORIES During the remainder' of the album, Paul Gonsalves and Rus- i sell Procope, longtime members of Ellinton's reed section, nd SET trombonist Booty Wood,, a r e bro'ught in to create the sort of lush instrumental backdrop to the violin and viola solos wlich Sherlock Holmes Ellington was such a master at PA YI creating'for any soloist u n d e r "Sherlock Holmes" offers a nostalgic glance at another place and another era. his direction. Particularly inter- g g esting among this group of rnm Fri.-Sun. at 8:00 p.m.; Sun. at 2:00 p.m. bers is the recording of Billy Power Center Strayhorn's "Pretty Little One" a piece with the sort of yearn- FOR INFORMATION CALL: 764-0405 OR 763-3333 ing feel which was so charac'er- istic of Strayhorn's composi- tions. might be as memorable for El- lington's piano playing as for the fine violin playing. His playing is snare, yet rich in tinassal chord combinations and rmy- thms. Notice the fine, reflective variation on the well-worn piano intro for "Tdxe-th 'A' Crai, and the way he subtly increas- es the intensity of both his and his musicians' playing in "String Along With Strings". PAUL MAZURSKY'S 1976 In the end, the album is 't fur- ther testimonial to Ellingtnn's} N EX T STO P importance as a pianist as well as a composer. -RIENTA R-G-GREENWICH VILLAGE The life of an aspiring young actor who leaves his smothering mother AT and defeated father in Brooklyn to embrace the Bohemian life of Green- P'JIa Hous wich Village in the 50's is poignantly re-created by Mazursky and acted by Lenny Baker. Shelly Winters plays the Jewish mother. "It's We buy, sell, Oappraise, clean Mazursky's own 'Americord.' And I like it better than Fellini's."-Pau- used Orient rugs line Kael. THE CRITIC-a short by Mel Brooks. " Sheepskin Coats " Jewelry 0 Pipes * Tapestries 0 More! SATURDAY: SEVEN BEAUTIES 320 E. Liberty 769-8555 CINEMA GUILD TONIGHT AT OLD ARCH.-AUD. 7:00 & 9:05 Admission $1.25 who have supported its COSTA-GAVRAS 1975 fund, PIRGIM announces a ANN ARBOR PREMIERE SHOWING Cancellation OF e $1.50 PIRGIM fee. SPECIAL SECTION Sun.: TONY BIRD from South Africa SINGER-SONGWRITER An excellent writer with a great deal to say. 215 N. Main Ann Arbot 66.7758 1421 HILL 8:30 761-1451 'am I . AS. BAss AS S BeSAs The one... The only... The original The innovative and now famous casuals. crea uppers and bouncy sole of natural gum rubb RA SS"*$A SS 'V ted by Bass with tough leather ber that wears the Bass name W " W proudly and leaves a fashion footprint wherever you go. Comfort, durability 04 and great good looks.., combined with shoemaking know-how and tradi- tional craftsmanship. iL SS CA 0 wwI 90 +r0. PIRGIM thanks thoseN public interest work. For those who wish not to f Pirgim Fee t I i Your tuition bill shows the