Arts & Entertainment
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Tuesday,.April 5, 1977
Page Five
Irlrrllf
Chapin wows Hill crowd
Join the Daily's '
Arts Department
Phone 764-0552
By CRAIG LEON
IT'SSTORY TIME again,"
said an energetic Harry Cha-
pin to his eager and responsive
audience last Friday night at
Hill Auditorium. The crowd
cheered hearty affirmations and
Chapin replied with a wide var-
iety of songs that left them wet-
eyed, mellow, or occasionally
roaring with laughter.
Harry Chapin is most notedl
' h . for his story-telling style of
song with its usual narrative im-
pact. He has two gold albums, a
gold single, and several Oscar
SandGrammy award nomina-
Stions to his credit. To the audi-
ence's delight, he played his
best known works "~W*O*L*D"~,
"Taxi", "Cats in the Cradle",
and "Circle" near the end. of
the concert.
As easily as he could bring
his fans down, Chapin lifted
them up with some country &
, western and playful jazz inter-
spersed throughout the evening.
The audience's shouts to the
chorus of "Bananas" virtually
Daily Photo by JOHN KNOX shook Hill Auditorium. This was
Cha in only a small indication of a
p stage rapport which was free
Musc Manstruggles for polIsh
flowing, humorous, occasionally in this country and throughout
bawdy, and refreshingly natural. the world. Chapin himself found-
He spoke about his songs, joked ed this organization five or six
with his band, and played years ago. His dedication and
games with his audience, as- sense of purpose are so strong
signing parts for them to sing. that almost half of his concerts
AS AN ARTIST, Chapin feels ! are benefits. In Harry Chapin,
personal ideology and artistic
that participation with people is ideals are harmoniously combin-
essential for creating a greater ed in a way in which neither is
awareness and perspective. Al- compromised and the result is
lowing himself to rest, he signed certainly impressive.
autographs and talked with his
admirers during intermission Backstage after the concert,
and after the concert. His con- he was a bundle of energy pac-
stant desire for involvement per- ing back and forth within the
haps explains why his songs snrall dressing room.
touch people's, consciousness so
I
I
deeply.
or writing feature
stories a b o u t the
drama, dance, film
arts: Contact Arts
Michigan Daily.
Most of Chapin s works por
tray characters who seem real
and who have everyday prob-,
lems. He makes it easy for peo-
"MY CONCERTS are not like
the Concert for Bangladesh," he
stated, "even if all the money
from my almost one hundred
and thirty benefit concerts each
year were put towards feeding
each of the millions of starving
people in this country, the re-
sult would be too small to do
any good. I think the best way
is to educate and sensitize peo-
ple to the problem."
Prior to the concert he was in
Washington talking to legislators
about his organization and
ideas. The reason why the con-
cert started a few minutes late
can be attributed to the simple
fact that Harry had just gotten
off the plane and only had time
yWO PUBLIC-SESSIONS
with
Prof. Avraham Yassour
Dept. of Political Science, Haifa University
"Face to Face With
a Kibbutz Family"-
(Prof. Yassour will be joined by his wife and
college-age children, all from Kibbutz 'Mer-
chavia).
TUESDAY, April 5-4:00 p.M.
Angell Hall, Aud. B
"Israelis and Palestinians"
WEDNESDAY, April 6-8:00 p.m.
1429 Hill Street
i
By STEPHEN PICKOVER the long scene changes. The
orchestra was beautiful-brash
[VHE CITY SLICKER, travel- and boisterous without overpow-
ing salesman got the stuck- ering the singers.
up, soon-to-be-spinstered librari-
an. So Professor Harold Hill THE ONE ASPECT of the show
(Terry Arment) and Marian Pa- that miscarried, at least in the
roo (Sally 'Bublitz) live happily first act, was the choreography.
ever after. When the music slinked, the
So what? I wanted more. Not3 dancers waddled, and while lilt-'
from Meredith Wilson's plot or ing tunes set feet tapping, the
music, but from the perform- choreography idled dippily. I
ance, which was, unfortunately, overheard one. theater-goer re-
inconsistent. mark that he "could really be-
The only excellent aspect of lieve this in 1940 Iowa." And
the show was the music. Musi- that wasn't meant as a compli-{
cal director Lawrence Iser did ment.
a marvelous job arranging and Act I, "Wells Fargo Wagon,"
up-beating many of the show's exemplified safe and satisfac-
brassy tunes, especially the in- tory dance routines. The cast!
cidental numbers used 'during was arranged in a line across
the set and bobbed up and down tion and restraint to their roles,
like ducks to show their excite- being both sugary sweet, amus-
ment, when they might have ing and pensive on cue.
done _ cartwheels and grand
promenades.T
ALL VERY TRAGIC, because
choreographer Marcia Milgrom
had a feel for the jazzed-up
music. Her active imagination
surfaced in the number "Shi-
poopi," a superb blend of frenet-
ic movement and intricate dance
steps that were markedly ab-
sent in Act I.
Singers and actors Arment and
Bublitz created wonderful char-
acters and both were vocally
sound and pleasant. They
brought the necessary imagina-
Dirk Denison and Kyle Don-
nelly shone in the respective
roles of Marcellus Washburn
and Eulalie Shinn, the mayor's
blowsy wife. Donnelly's charac- .
terization - a cross between
Divine (of Pink Flamingoes
fame) and Glinda the Good
Witch never failed to evoke guf-
faws, wwhile Dirkson's combin-
ation of dopiness and sincerity
added a touch of humour to his
scenes.
NOT ONE OF THE KIDS in
the cast was snotty and loud-
mouthed, and blessedly, they
weren't that cutesy kind of Mar-
garet O'Brien - the type that
you always want to slap..They,
were all adorable, especially
Dan Cunningham, who played:
Winthrop with a lovable lithp.
The elaborate sets, which
changed constantly were inter-.
esting, and credit is due direc-
tors Milgrom and Robert Bian-
co for starting the action be-
fore the sets were fully up, re-
lieving much of the tedious\wait-
ing.
ple to see their fellow man with to put on a fresh shirt.
love, empathy, and compassion. "Why are you so energetic?"
He spoke briefly about World I queried.
Hunger Year, an organization "When I'm eighty years old
which is concerned with educat- and looking back, I don't want
ing people about the problem of to see something I didn't do,"
starvation and malnurishment was the reply.
3t
IE7'N&SONGTOF
EARI'h S ONGS {
KRONOV T GIRAUDOUX
1
8PM '-~:~ -o
APRIL 78,9 EAST QUAD AUDITORIUM
73ingo misses the jackpot
By SUSAN BARRY
J'ODERN DRAMA, in order!
to achieve the relevance
that makes it interesting to its
contemporary audience, must
successfully explore an original!
interpretation of some aspect
of life, or attempt to reflect
life in a realistic manner. "True,
expression," said Alexander
Pope, "clears and improves
whate'er it shines upon, it gilds
all objects, but it alters none.".
The playwrights of the 70's
have attempted this achieve-
ment from various strange and:
cryptic angles, the results of
which are sometimes patheti-
cally and annoyingly obtuse.
Last week's Showcase Produc-
tions' presentation of Edward'
Bond's Bingo was a prosaic ex-
ample of this tendency.
It is certainly a credit to the
man's genius that, after 300
years playwrjghts still have Wil-
liam Shakespeare to kick
around. But it makes one won-
der what would motivate an es-
tablished writer to' attempt a
morbid character assassination
of a man who, although obvi-
ously his aspiring biographer's
creative superior, is -not around
to vociferate his misrepresenta-
tion. However, in this case, good
taste and common sense pro-
vide a strong defense. Bingo is
a play which neither reflects,r
illuminates, evaluates nor even
apparently contains life.
Shakespeare to his daughter. In- formances. Bruce Gooch as Ben
deed, any excess of emotion di- Jonson at least gave life to an
rected at this cardboard char-,j historically improbable encount-
acter seems logically improb- er. Diane Tasca lent a great
able. Judith relates to her fath- deal of compassion to her por-
er only in terms of his will, trayal of the old woman. And
which consequently excludes Jack van Natter was villainous-
her, and she expresses concern ly calculating as Coombe. Even-
only on that account. Glen Pruett as Shakespeare,
But apart from this gruesome gave a solid, though somewhat
dialogue the audience is most stiff performance. The play's
offended by the play's tedious, tedium was definitely not catis-
actionless plot. Banalities un ed by the 'acting.
supported by engaging violence The plot simply seemed to.
are doubly boring. A short play move with about the pace andl
seemed to last forever. enthusiasm of an existentialist!
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RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE PLAYERS
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ONE POSSIBLY redeeming
scene succeeded mainly because'
of some rather compelling per-
sermon. "How long have I been
dead?" wailed Shakespeare cum 1
Camus. At that point it was
about ninety minutes.
HOT OVEN GRINDERS
A New Name and a New Taste.
For the First Time in Ann Arbor.
Only at
BELL'S'
S. STATE AND PACKA RD
OPEN 11 A.M. TO 1 A.M. SUN. THRU THURS.
11 A.M. TO 8 A.M. FRI. AND SAT.-995-0232
FFREE DELIVERY
The Doobie Brothers have come a long way in five
years. Their distinctive sound has brought them pheno-
menal success. Marc Bolan originally heard the Doobies
and signed them as the opening act for the T. Rex tour.
During the tour, the Doobies first single "Listen to the
Music" hit the charts making a dream come true: the
lead act had outshined the main attraction. They were
on their way. According to Pete Townshend of The
Who; the Doobie Brothers' consistent singles success is
due to the sheer listenability of their records. But their
gold and platinum can't hold a candle to their unfor-
gettable live performances. Using two and sometimes
three drummers in concert, the rhythm section, alone,
is guaranteed to keep you on your feet. The hit-filled
Ddobies concert, April 20, should be just the thing to
celebrate the end of classes and get ready for exam
week...
As summer approaches so do the perennial outdoor
concerts. The barrier to rock music has ended at Chi-
cago's Soldier Field, where Emerson, Lake & Palmer
will appear May 29. And, believe it or not, the National
Park Service has given the go-ahead for a July 4th
concert in the Grand Canyon ...
TRY OUTS!
FOR
OUT OF DARKNESS
(a total theatre experience by Barry K. Pugh)
Wednesday, April 6, 1977
at Detroit City Dance Co.
821 W. Baltimore (at Third)
6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Out of Darkness is a unique concept in theatre uniting
poetry, music, acting, modern dance. and improvisation
around a single thematic line: Darkness as a universal con-
cept. (primordial darkness; darkness of creativity; soul and
death-the ultimate Darkness). This total theatre experi-
ence offers the individual actor great possibilities for crea-
tivity.
-NEEDED--
Actors Stage manager
Interpretive poetry Makeup artists
readers Special effects
Playwrights technician
Photographer 'odorologist'
Listing designer graphic artist
Assistant director
All who are dedicated and talented are
welcome to participate.
For further information contact Barry K. Pugh at 898-6453
(Individual tryouts by appointment for those unable to
appear on April 6).
Out of Darkness will be presented from Thurs.,
June 16 thru Sun., June 19 starting at 8:00
- __ .... - !I. n.
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0 Fy, non-stop lets
a Charter rates for individuals of
all ages membership in a club or
organization not required
* Dozens of flights to choose from
0 Soend 2 to 17 weeks abroad
* Eurail, Britrail, passes, car rentals
and package tours available
0 Small deposit confirms your
reservation
* ACT NOW-Must be reserved at
least 46 days in advance
s SPACE IS LIMITED-BOOK NOW
0 Meal and cocktail service enroute
rd
F -
Doo AeYs
BOND GIVES US an impotent,
narcissistic Shakespeare who
ended his career, not with a
cleverly contained salute to his
art, but with a profound sense
of having lost the presence of
mind to continue writing. Unin-
spired fingers 'excrete black
ink," and Shakespeare spends
the remainder of his tortured
days in apathetic, self-righteous
condemnation of the insensitive.
hypocrisy of his contemporaries,
while negotiating shaky land
deals and doling out loans.
"Don't be angry because I
hate you, Judith," intones
r--
DANsoftr#
310 MAYNARD
HAPPY
HOURS
Tuesday
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JANKA McCLATCHEY
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Wednesday
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