The Michigan Daily-Sunday, January 30, 1983-Pageo. Fredricksen rises to Madman's' challenge By Chris Lauer D iary of a Madman, part of the Michigan Ensemble Theater's latest repertory, is a masterfully con- ceived blend of classic and experimen- tal dramatic technique. Erik Fredricksen's one-man performance as IPoprishchin, a Russian peasant unable to cope with the reality of the world, is an eye opening balance of humor and tragedy. Trampled by the world, Poprishchin gradually finds his own reality-a war- ped idealism that he finds ultimately unsatisfying. Fredricksen guides the sole character and the play to an un- forgetable climax. The play will be performed at the New Trueblood Arena for one more weekend, February 2-5 at 8 p.m. and on February 6 at 2 p.m. The cast and crew will be available for discussion after Thursday night's per- formance. The original Diary of a Madman, a short story written by Nikolai Gogol in the early 1800's, is not an obvious can- didate for stage adaptation. Though the short story consists of nothing more than diary entries, Walter Eysselinck, writer and artistic director for the play, smade an excellent adaptation. The changes in Poprishchin's mental state and his haunting final lines are ideal for the straightforward dramatic build up and climax that is the standard form for a dramatic play. Eysselinck's master stroke is that he was able to see this in Gogol's short story and makes it work as a play even thought it has only one character. Eysselinck is able to extrapolate the spirit of Gogol's short story onto the 'stage with fidelity by thinking and doing as Gogol. The result is a play with consistency of which Gogol could only approve. Erik Fredricksen handles the in- credible responsibility of being the only actor on stage with an excellent and moving performance. With gradual changes in action, expression, and voice, Fredricksen produces over the course of the play changes in Poprish- f Erik Fredricksen plays Poprischin in MET's production of 'Diary of a Madman.' chin that are nothing less than haunting for the audience. The constant development in Poprishchin's mental condition and the fact that Poprishchin always has something new, often bizarre to report, offsets the risk of a single character and keeps the audien- ce absorbed. Diary of a Madman is an unusual dramatic event. Performed from a central stage in all directions to audience, this innovative play gives the audience a look inside a man's head to see his hopes-and to see his devastation. Lester shakes the Pig By Mike Cramer RIDAY AND SATURDAY night the Blind Pig Cafe was the site of performances by some of the area's greatest blues artists. Detroit's Willie D. Warren and his Brush Street Blues Band shook the little basement on First Street, with a lot of help from special guest Lazy Lester Johnson. (I think Lester was only officially booked for Friday night, but he was having such a good time, he said he'd be back again Saturday.) Neither Willie D. nor Lazy Lester is a new face in the blues business. Willie D. Warren spent more than a few years in Chicago playing with Otis Rush and others before he brought his talent and his twelve string Gibson to Detroit. His band in- cludes three young white guys (flashiest of whom is "Ralph," the sax player), and Little George Jackson, who's really been around. Among others, Little George toured with Sonny Roy Williamson, who thought highly of him enough to sing about him in "Start Me Talkin'." Although he played second man to Willie D. and Lester, he was quite a stage presence, picking some great leads and occasionally poking jibes at Lester. Lazy Lester, who calls himself "an old black cajun from Louisiana," grew up in Baton Rouge, and later played Chicago and recorded in Holland and England. He turns fifty this year, and says he began singing when he was about six, under the informal tutelage of his mother, who used to "sing every mornin' while she was fixin' daddy's lunch." He began playing guitar soon after he began singing, and evantually taught himself to play drums, bass, and har- monica, for which he is best known. He told me how, when he was young and "greener than goat's milk," he landed his fir- st recording job with a big-time blues artist, first by talking his way into the studio, and then "just by playin' the harp". He went on to tour and record with people like Jimmy Reed and Buddy Rich, and he also cut four albums of his own. Lester is a very talkative guy: friendly, funny, full of stories. He tells a lot of "punny" jokes ("Who's the pianist? That guy over there is! He's had so much to drink, he's the peein'est guy in the whole bar!"), and he offered his philosophies on life, love, and marriage. (He was a little fuz- zy on marriage, though; he told me he'd never been married, but told the audience he once "got married thirteen times in one week"). Talking to Lazy Lester was a treat, but seeing him on stage was fantastic. Despite the talent of the Brush Street Blues Band and their leader Willia D. Warren, Lester was unquestionably the star of the show. Throughout the evening, he and willie took turns on the stage. Each of them crooned through slow tunes and jammed thorugh rowdier ones, in a balanced mix of love ballads, "bluesy" blues, and rockin' numbers like "Kansas City." Lester has a great voice, and put it to good use in superb versions of "Caledonia," Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man," and a lot of other songs which I quit trying to keep track of. Even when Lester wasn't on stage, he was the star. He made his way around the room, stopping to drink, joke, and talk with the fans. At pauses in the music,his laughter (and the laughter of whoever he happened to be sitting with at the time) could be heard above the din of the crowd. He is an exhuberent man: according to his friend Willie D., "he ain't lazy . . . he just gets tired sometimes." , Willie D. Warren, Little George Jackson, and the Brush Street Blues Band, and especially Lazy Lester Johnson, put on a great show. And the tight, friendly atmosphere of The Blind Pig was a perfect place to see, hear, and feel it. When asked if he'd be back again, Lazy Lester replied, "Does a wild boar shit in the woods?" Can Lazy Lester play some great blues? Does a wild boar shit in the woods? IRecords ,... Marvin Gaye - 'Midnight .Love' (CBS) "When I get this feeling, I want Sexual Healing/Sexual Healing, baby, is good for me. " SEXUAL HEALING. Quite a concept I love that concept. Sexual Healing. A glowing review. Sexual Healing Well, Marvin Gaye did not think of that phrase-somebody else on the album is credited for it. I - Sexual Healing.There, however, has not been one song this year, or in a very ling time-including anything by Bill or Willie Nelson-that should not be in- please" on "Til Tomorrow" is alone worth a three quarter erection rating in Hustler. "Sexual Healing" is not the first song on this album, nor the only song on Mid- night Love. All the songs on this album have one thing in common, however: Marvin Gaye sings on all of them. He played on all of them too. Makes me feel good to know that when I say Wow, that new Marvin Gaye Album!!, I don't have to credit anybody else. Returning foal reaches electro soul goal. Marvelous Marvin makes Motown majorily midgets mentally, marrying modern machines meltingly mouth muse-moos. Motown let Marvin go. Duh Duh Duh. Marvin did have some help, including the Box. Baby, come in, let's relax a while. 'll turn down the lights. POP Because, with the layered lilt, hearing Marvin ooze and slink and growl out "babys" and "girls" make you realize that if you sing it with a lot of Sexual Feeling, that is not manufac- tured by long haired blow dryed '70s thirty-year old I've-been-working-the- bar circuit-for-years-and-I'm-about- due watered down metal kids, it just makes you, well, smile broadly. Smile a while and screw on a Marvin mile. Motown magic man with master plan: Sexual healing "helps to relieve the mind, and it's good for us." A whole soul super bowl, at least as good as a glazed roll. - C.E. Krell Subscribe to t-.J %2,'V.