The Michigan Daily-Friday, February 22, 1980-Page 7 'Eden' falls short of paradise By GILLIAN BOLLING Eden concerns the tensions between blacks of Southern origin and blacks of -West Indian origin during the year 1927 New York City. Unfortunately, the. cast seems primarily to be going through the motions of creating tension and as a result, the conflicts are hollow and the emotions melodramatic. The play takes place in the Sari Juan Hill area of New York where blacks of different heritages live together. The author, Steve Carter, lived in the area during the 20's and subsequently wove his memories into Eden, which first ap- eared in the late 60's. Despite some period costumes on the women and a set with homey, old-fashioned touches, the play has a distinct 1960's Teel to it. Swear words are tossed around far too frequently, losing their effect, and the theme became one of futile anger. However, the anger was subdued as the players act with an undue amount of opening night reserve. They lack aban- don and the confidence behind it which could add some spark to the ensuing confrontations. THE FRICTION occurs between the two families when Eustace Baylor (Roy Harris), a Southern black, falls in love with Annette Barton (Viki A. Nelums) the West Indian girl next door. Harris has moments where his character is genuinely involving, but he fluctuates erratically from gee-whizzing with his hands in his pockets to spouting off without due provocation. Harris does his best to bring a breath of life and believability to his love for the girl whose family considers him unworthy, but his energy is not reciprocated by his love object. Viki A. Nelums whines her way through the part of the Barton's youngest daughter, talking her lines expressionlessly. She and Harris never really connect and since the young lovers' relationship is central to the plot, the drama doesn't achieve the intensity necessary to make it interesting. THE SURROUNDING cast members fare a little better. Anna C. Aycox, as Eustaces' irascible but lovable Aunt Lizzie, is an animated portrayal, and quite funny. She is one of the few who seems to actually enjoy being on stage. KayJona Jackson and Rhonnie Washington, two of the strongest mem- bers of the black actors' group, are un- fortunately cast in the lesser roles of another son and daughter in the Barton family. They both are talented and ver- satile and the overall production would benefit if they had been given the more substantial lead roles. . Rocky Davis is the fourth member of the Barton children. He uses his tall, lanky physique to convey humor and create a presence in the form of Nimrod, the son who always disobeys his father's harsh demands to study his heritage and history. Davis' acting provides a good exam- ple of how Eden could go much further. He needs to project his character more, so that we will not simply hear lines recited, but become personally in- volved in the family's problems. He possesses the talent, yet he does not exercise it to the fullest. None of the ac- tors appear to be working near their full potential. ADMITTEDLY, they were saddled with a play that alternates between heavy moments dealing with racial prejudice and incredibly banal scenes designed to let us share in a family's most embarassing moments. Joseph Barton (Willie 'Junye' Brown) plays the rigid father who refuses to let his family become "American" and have their West Indian heritage weakened through assimilation. In one scene, he gives a hokey patriotic speech that is about as dramatic as a history tex- tbook, complete with the scratchy sound of a recorded band playing in the background and a bright spotlight on him. After establishing his undying loyalty, Mr. Barton brings out an old uniform and a few slides of black leader Marcus Garvey appear shot on a screen behind the set. The slides give the im- pression of being an afterthought, stuck in to add variety and the 1960's desire to show a use of "mixed media." kTHE DIRECTOR, guest artist Mel Winkler, simply does not give his actors enough to do. During long speeches,. many share Viki Nelum's problem of distracting, dangling arms, and after effective.-moments, the actors are often left having to pause; as if to decide which way to retreat or where to turn to some unmotivated line of action. WINKLER DOES some fine work in directing Fran L. Washington as Mrs. Florie Barton. Washington portrays the Barton mother as a sufferer, involving and creating sympathy as we see her being victimized by her environment. Enduring a loveless contract marriage with her husband Joseph, she pleads with her daughter Annette not to miss a chance at love and compassion, despite the difficulties which the cross-cultural relationship will bring. She frees her daughter to see Eustace and thus sets the fated young lovers' union in motion. She is the only character who we see emerge, evolve and change, projecting a feeling of having been affected by the "tensions" of the play's theme. - elis- [3RKQ T M~OMENS - Fr ayU MA RCRfRED ___ CUtARUE HADEN/ED 8LACK WELL - r, - UI Tickets/$65 in advance ON SALE NOW/MICILUNION800 For more information/763-2071 , _II 6K i PROFESSIONAL THEATRE PROGRAM presents FACETS PERFORMANCE ENSEMBLE'S DAKE SOLSTICE THURSDAY, FEB. 28, 8 PM - POWER CENTER Tickets at PTP in League CALL 764-0450 .7 Aunt Lizzie (Anna C. Aycox) and her nephew Eustace (Roy Harris) pose for posterity in Steve Carter's play "Eden". Directed by guest-artist-in- residence Mel Winkler, "Eden" runs through this Saturday, February 24 at the Power Center. O PECmey mer sees oil1 stability soon -i.' LONDON (AP)-Representatives of six OPEC members opened a strategy session yesterday, with Venezuelan Energy Minister Humberto Calderon Berti predicting calm will return to *iorld oil markets by June. Calderon spoke at a news conference at the Venezuelan Embassy before the start of a two-day meeting of the long- term strategy committee of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC. The session was held - behind closed doors and under tight security at a London hotel: The conference was expected to take up a recommendation by OPEC technicians for regular quarterly or *emi-annual price hikes pegged to currency market fluctuations, economic growth rates and inflation in the industrialized world. OPEC PRICES have more than doubled 'to around $30 per 42-gallon barrle in the past year. Eleven of the 13 OPEC members hve posted price hikes since Saudi Arabia kicked off the latest round of increases with a $2-a-barrel Dump to $26 on Jan. 28. The strategy committee comprises the oil ministes of Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Nigeria and Venezuela. Its chairman is Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, oil minister of Saudi Arabia. Yamani arrived here at the beginning of the week, but returned Tuesday to the Saudi Afabian capital city of Riyadh because of the hospitalization of King Khaled. The oil minister was expected to return to London yesterday to preside over the talks. Calderon told the news conference several months would be needed to restoe stability to oil markets and reach an accord on prices because consuming countries currently have substantial oil supplies in storage. AGREEMENT COULD come at the next scheduled OPEC oil ministers' meeting June 9 in Algiers, Algeira. The strategy panel could call for an earlier meeting but Calderon, president of the oil ministers' conference, yesterday rejected previous calls for a special session. "World reserves of oil normally run at around four billion barrels," he said. "Because of the mild winter we have had it (the reserve) now is estimated at five billion barrles, which mens that there is a surplus in world oil inventories of about one billion barrels. "Until this surplus is absorbed, it is impossible to revert to a traditional unified basic price on which to operate the system of automatic price increases we are now discussing," Calderon said. OPEC oil production is 30 million to 32 million barrels a day, about 98 per cent of the cartel's capacity and half the world's output, Calderon said. of l~ A NIGHT OF CELTIC MYTH AND MAGIC -9i I 916- MAJOR STUDIO SNEAK PREVEW TONIGHT 9:15 PM She was married at 13. She had four kids by the time she was 20. She's been hungry and poorShe's been loved and cheated on. She became a singer and a star because it was the only way she knew to survive. LEITI N EIMERICEtII DEiNCE II L 4 1-2.3- salsa, cumbia, samba, disco, & wild music also Film and Slide Show' e $eXCo S6TU RDIY, FEB. 2.3 university club 8:30 michigan union $2.00 cash bar a nicaraguan benefit sponsored by the Committee for Human Rights in Latin America and The Michigan Solidarity Commit- tee. or- - I - NW% ti l' ' II . Feb. 18-29 IvIWO , , '"" gathering place halfrrom on all beverages from 4 gpqF~. niiv * a IOIJTPD a