ARTS



The Michigan Daily

Thursday, September 22, 1983

Page 7

I- ; -

...Reasons to be
cheerful, Part I

Dullness. The symptoms are
showing early this year.
Think about it. The football team
is dull. The music scene is dull
(though some people can still get ex-
cited about Joan Baez). South Quad
is dull. The Daily is dull. The
preachers are dull. The Falklands
war is long over, the prince has a
dull baby (with another chubster
probably on its way), and Flashdan-
ce has become accepted into haute
couture. Everywhere, like the dull
rain muddying the undersoles of
Diag sleepwalkers, the dreariness of
post-everything 1983 falls.

,How then can Joe keep his chin up
amidst Ronald Reagan, Billy Frye,
and Rick Springfield? Where is Ian
Dury when you need him?
But hold. Truth though there's
nothing dazzlingly new to tear you
away from the mattress, andIan
Curtis is still dead, still I have
something to write about. Certain
people, places, and sensations give
pleasure even with advancing years,
minor facelifts and, rarely, glaring
success.
And pleasure, if mixed with an ap-
propriate dose of unpleasure, is
never dull.
Visual pleasure
Picture this: A twenty foot-high
carousel-jungle gym inhabited by
flying fish, multi-colored octopeds,
and other bubbled pinanas, all an-
.AI

chored to one central and six
peripheral poles which, in turn, are
crossed by classic Buckminster
Fuller triangle supports.
On an ordinary day, this wind-
blown fantasy occupies the
backyard of Gerome Kamrowski;
these days, and until October 16, it
stands triumphantly in the main hall
of the University Museum of Art.
The massive sculpture, entitled
"Atrium Construction," serves as
herald piece to a frankly pleasurable
retrospective exhibit by one of
Michigan's more notable emeriti.
Kamrowski, who taught at the
School of Art for 37 years, has a pen-
chant for high texture, groovy
colors, abstractly erotic biology, and
fishy characters with hooves. The
show nicely follows the artist
through his early cubism into some
pioneering surrealist polymorphs,
and includes more recent 3-D work,
some showing influences of
Kamrowski's good friend, Frank
Stella.
Granted, Kamrowski is no Ian
Hunter, but who wouldn't be
cheeried at such titles as "Salem
Witches' Cross Devolved by Laws of
Dynamic Symmetry." Quite an
eyeful exhibit, especially in the land
of such eyesores as the old business
administration building.
Edible Pleasure
Popcorn plain, cheezed, and
caramelled, melts into a new Ann
Arbor haven in the form of Otto's
Crispy Corn on Liberty. True to his
Detroit store form, Otto serves up
something to' lick about. The un-
pleasure: you have to pay to munch.
But not too much. And remember:
unpleasure is a necessary com-
ponent in most cheerfulness. Think
of oral sex without teeth. Second
Chance without nasty bouncers. Ian
Fleming without overt sexism. 'Nuff
said.
Aural pleasure
Left out: Due to unforseen cir-
cumstances, three most worthy
record stores were omitted from the
disc profile in this year's new
student edition. It falls to Printed
Matters to rectify this gross error
and to point out that Wherehouse
Records (2137 W. Stadium), Discount
Records (300 S. State), and PJ's Used
Records (619 Packard), all represent
important cogs in the local tur-
ntable. Wherehouse has the distin-
ction of housing an all-important
CTC outlet (including those all-
important Detroit shows); PJ Ryder
is an all-around good guy who also
manages Non Fiction,- and
Discount offers a decent selection at
competitive prices. Kudos to all.
Cultural pleasure
Be sure to catch the airborne pork
at the term's first Pigs with Wings
show at East Quad's Halfway Inn,
circa September 27. Neurotic
musical tots, the Stress Babies,
highlight the grill. Supported by Ian
Penman.
So, be cheery, be happy. All is not
Brooke Shields, Ian Anderson, and
Kotex. Some, but not all.

Bertolt Brecht's 'A Man's Man' is paing at the Residential College Auditorium this weekend anid stars (left to right)
Martin Walsh, Jeff Wine, Blake Radcliffe, and John Pollins.
'Man': Stratford revisited

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By Emily Montgomery
IT'S UNUSUAL for a theatrical troupe
to devote itself entirely to the works
of a single playwright, at least outside
of Stratford, Canada. Tonight's opening
performance of Bertolt Brecht's
comedy, A Man's Man represents just
such an unusual stage approach.
The play, which runs until October
16th at East Quad's RC Auditorium,
marks the first production by The
Brecht Company since 1980. The comic
wit of the work typifies what makes
Brecht such an enduringly popular
playwright.
A Man's Man, written in 1926, can
best be described as "a comedy of tran-
sformation, or how a human being
becomes a soldier," according to the
play's sponsors. Set near a British en-
campment in India, the plot revolves
around Uriah Shelley, one of four
soldiers in a machine gun unit. When
one of his comrades meets with misfor-
tune during an illegal town looting,
Uriah conspires to pass off a penniless
porter as the missing member of his

unit. The outcome is as unpredictable
as it is entertaining.
Bob Brown, who returns as the direc-
tor of the Brecht Company after an 18-
month association with Chicago's
Wisdom Bridge Theatre, has high ex-
pectations both for the current produc-
tion and for the .successful reunion of
the company as a whole. Brown feels
that the 20 returning members of the
company have "really matured as
professionals."
"This time we intend to be a full-time,
year-round ensemble theatre com-
pany," says Brown.
The Brecht Company's two previous
endeavors, Puntilla and his Hired Man
in 1979 and The Resistable Rise of Ar-
turo Ui in 1980 were both very accom-
plished productions. Although previous
opening night audiences have been
relatively small in the past, Brown
sounded hopeful, remembering "By the
second week of the performances we
were turning people away at the
doors."
A Man's Man -stars Martin Walsh as
Uriah, Blake Ratcliffe as Polly Baker,
Jeff Wine as Gal Gay and John Pollins

as Jesse Mahoney. Original music is
provided by Geoffrey Stanton. The play
will run every Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday until. October 16, with Friday
and Saturday shows at 8 p.m. and Sun-
day shows at 6:30 p.m. Bring your
student ID to this Sunday's performan-
ce for a special $2 discount off the
regular $5 admission. Tonight will be
the only Thursday performance.

Daily Classifieds
Bring Results

_

Jackson's taking chances

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By Doug Coombe
IF YOU thought Jackson Browne had
opted for a life flat on his notoriously
laid-back back, over taking some chan-
ces with his career, think again. In spite
of the fact that his two-night stand at
Pine Knob this summer was grossly
undersold, Jackson has decided to
return to the area for one night, October
23," at Crisler Arena. What's with this
guy?
Maybe he just really enjoys playing
- he certainly seemed to at the Knob.
His set was a hot, compassionate event
that went well over two hours with no
warm-up group beforehand.
Browne's new backup band is even
hotter than that on his notorious Running
on Empty; and that's really saying
something considering the loss of
guitarist David Lindley.
Yes, he did play all his oldies -
"Doctor My Eyes," "The Load Out,"
etc. - but not simply as audience con-
cessions. Browne sang with a joy and

conviction that forced the crowd to
reevaluate songs that seemed doomed
to a MOR existence. The encore,
"Rosie" was transcendant, for exam-
ple.
He also played about five songs from
his Lawyers in Love album. All were
well received, which was surprising
considering how very few people were
familiar with his new album at .the
time. The warm reception is also sur-
prising because the album seems to
represent a change in Jackson's
popular outlook; specifically, it seems
a shot of reality (not the Californian
variety) has encouraged him to take
some stylistic/lyrical chances. Just
watching Jackson Browne take some
chances is refreshing enough for me;
but he also hits target enough to make it
a happy event for all concerned.
The bottom line? Go see him, even if
you're not a hard-core fan. Take a
chance on Jackson Brown; I'm sure it
will pay off. Tickets go on sale Friday
for $10.50-12.50 through the Office of
Major Events.

JOIN US FOR THE
p~EM~~ s~tIST AGE
pREMEa of sOUNDsAG
P~SEPTEMBER 22
930 PM THURSDAY, SEPTEM 22
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p nted every thursday night
SUNST AGE is prese
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