ARTS
Tuesday, September 18, 1984
The Michigan Daily
Page 5
Interesting sights and
sounds close Cruisin'
By Hobey Echlin
It was with mixed feelings that I
entered the U-Club Ballroom for the
last night of Cruisin' Ann Arbor II,
featuring The State with Suddent Death
and the Evaders. The U-Club is a far
cry from the small clubs and halls these
bands are used to working in. How does
one react to a show that features bands
with some degree of an anti-authority
theme, where coat-and-ties take your
money and check your I.D., and more
importantly where club policy concer-
ning your affiliation with the University
determines your admittance? Usually
not too favorably, I answer. Let's see
what happens here.
A disappointing cancellation by the
billed opener Stolen Legacy definitely
foreshadowed the mood of disappoin-
tment that dominated the rest of the
show.
The Evaders took to the stage with a
tiah ca t nhrrpi dt by dninatino
bass lines, churning neo-psychedelic
guitar, and outstanding vocals. But
their set lacked any real originality,
echoing such past (and present)
classics as the Yardbirds, Jefferson
Airplane, and the Pretenders.
Musically they were the best band of
the night, but their neo-psych set left
me clueless.
Their only real high energy number
sacrificed such essential elements of
the Evader's sound as clear vocals and
crisp harmonic guitar.
Sudden Death came on next, playing
an archtypal brand of the heaviest
metal this side of Venom's At War With
Satan L.P. Extremely slow, their
death-dirge set was visually personified
by their black leather and pentagram-
clad appearance.
Their metal theatrics contrasted,
however, what I felt was a weak set
characterized by an ill-utilized drum kit
and a very thin sounding bass. And
when the bass player took off into the
audience with a remote amp hook up,
only to emerge atop a table near the U-
Club bar, I wondered if he was goint to
start passing a hat next.
Talented guitar work did nonetheless
impress me as it contrasted the rest of
their limited death-dirge sound.
After an unnecessary time delay, the
headlining State finally mounted the
stage. Now call me ignorant, but I ex-
pected a set at least a little reminiscient
of their fantastic No Illusions E.P.
Instead, their sound showed a
dramatic shift from Minor Threat-
influenced to a seemingly Misfit-
influenced sound. But they definitely
lack the energy and the appeal of the
Misfits, though The State's vocalist
tried his damnest to appear as a rein-'
carnate Glenn Danzig (Misfits) with a
dash of Jim Morrison's stage presence
to boot.
Let's hope Cruisin' Ann Arbor III will
end on a brighter note than a mismat-
ched set of bands in an even more
mismatched setting.
And more importantly, lets hope the
best band will come on last. Oh well, it's:
only rock and roll.
Uoily Photo by DAN HABIB
The State opens the last night of 'Cruisin' Ann Arbor II at the U-Club.
... . . ra- - - _ ., tg t set c aracer e y oam au , g /
Titanic Cabaret remains afloat at the HalfwaI Inn
By Emily Montgomery
"13 LEASE KEEP your eyes
asphyxiated on me," The
Great Zucchini (David Issacson) ad-
vised the crowd gathered in the Half-
way Inn in East Quad last Friday night
and they were happy to obey.
The not-so-amazing, but genuinely
entertaining foreign escape artist, who
speaks English quite "flatulantly," is
just part of the mixed talent comprising
the cast of Brecht Company's Titanic
Cabaret.
The comedy, written by Brecht
members Blake Ratcliffe and Jeff
Wine (also the production's director) is
set aboard the Titanic during its last
two hours afloat.
V. The main conflict resides in a bet
made between William Steale, (Blake
Ratcliffe) the Cabaret's emcee and
Colonel John Jacob Astor (Matt
' TMapovich) part owner of the vessel
and also Steale's landlord back in the
states.
If Astor laughs during the Cabaret
show, he agrees to lower Steale's rent.
If he doesn't laugh, Steale agrees to ac-
cept an increase in his rent payments.
The first act in the Vaudeville show
was comedy duo Spike and Mike. (Jeff
Dorchen and Aaron Alpern). Although
Colonel Astor held true to his promise
and remained somber, the audience
could not supress their laughter.
Especially when Alpern, a large man
by any scale donned a satin dress and
mop-top curly wig to "practice" a
female impersonation skit at the urging
of Dorchen, his frame structure op-
posite.
M ayolo to
visit campus
Award-winning Columbian film-
M maker Carlos Mayolo will speak in
Auditorium D of Angell Hall tonight
following an 8 p.m. screening of his first
feature film, Flesh Of Your Flesh.
This Columbian gothic love story
between an adolescent and his half-
sister takes place during the 1950s when
the country is ruled by a strong military
dictatorship and there is a brutal un-
declared civil war among the people.
The love story becomes a horror tale as
well as a political parable. Reality and
magic are intertwined as the vampyre
myth runs parallel to the exploitation.
Mayolo has had a well-known career
in documentary, fiction short films, and
commercial filmmaking before taking
his own original screenplay to the
screen.
Tickets for this exclusive U.S.
premiere, sponsored by the Ann Arbor
Film Cooperative, are $2.
The big. guy/little guy, smart
guy/dumb friend routine is all too
familiar, true, but here it seemed to
work. They weren't Abbott and
Costello, or even Laurel and Hardy.
They gave their characters something
more, and the audience appreciated it.
Dorchen shines alone in his sexist -
but humorous - singing number, "I in-
vented the rubber girlie." His partner:
an inflatible doll from any adult
specialty shop.
Susan Bolohan as Ava "Swoony"
Bubbles, provided musical diversion
with three original tunes (written by
Paul Hodgins). One particularly in-
teresting piece was called "What would
I do without a man and his advice?"
The song had heavy feminist under-
tones, expressing the woman's
movement of the day. Bolohan is one of
the better female singers in the Brecht
Company. She sang acapella for her
last number, further proving her talent.
Obvious favorites of the crowd were
the combined antics of Barbara Thorne
and Geoff Safron, who portrayed
Shakespeareans Sarah Burnsoft and
Cornelius Podboy II, respectively. As
they ran through a 15 minute comedy
version of MacBeth in an improvised
Monty Python style, the audience gave
off a constant roar.
Safron was especially amusing as he
started each scene from a pose which
really has to be seen to be fully ap-
preciated.
Four more performances of Titantic
Cabaret are planned for Friday and
Saturday of next weekend. Curtain
times are at 7:30 and 10:30 each night.
Ticket prices are $4 and $3 for students
and seniors.
ANN AROR
2 INDIVIDUAL THEATRES
5th A~e 0+Litbery 761-0700
DAILY MATINEES
$1.75 TUESDAY ALL DAY
'UNDER THE VOLCANO' IS
INTELLIGENT ... BEAUTIFULLY
ACTED AND DIRECTED"
-USA TODAY
ALBERT FINNEY
JACQUELINE BISSET
ANTHONY ANDRE WS
NO ONE CAN LIVE WITHOUT LOVE!
DAILY 1:00, 7:30, 9:40
BS.. -dliu pT-xi^^ *nem7rtn her
The Halfway Inn is located at 710
Church St.
Says Ratcliffe, co-writer and lead of
Titanic, "We're taking the ideas of
I
rsrent na pshig them further..
than he ever even pushed them." Looks
like they're pushing in the right direc-
tion.
USHERS
--' l
MASS MEETING
Tuesday, September 18
Kuenzel Room
Michigan Union
7:00
VETERAN USHERS
Those who have worked
at least one Major Events
concert in the past.
7:30
NEW USHERS
Those who are interest-
ed in working at Major
Events concerts but never
have in the past.
..s
---- -E-V-
R E
Medium Soft Drink wjith
1
('
WINNER OF 8 OF AUSTRALIA'S
MAJOR FILM AWARDS -
INCLUDING: BEST PICTURE,
BEST DIRECTOR & BEST ACTRESS!
"RICHLY ATMOSPHERIC...'
-Sheila Benson, L.A. Times
"A VERY GREAT FILM."
Judith Crist, WOR-TV
"A MARVELOUS MOVIE..."
-Dino Lalli, KNBC Channel 4 News
. 0
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