ARTS The Michigan Daily Tuesday, January 21, 1986 Page 5 Political correctness doe By Noelle Brower WHEN WRITING specifically about political issues for the theatre, there is a fine line dividing a sensitive, informed, and persuasive drama from one that is heavy-handed and narrowly conceived. Unfor- tunately, last weekend's production of Sun Pa in Athens By arwulf arwulf What's the best record ever made by Sun Ra and his Arkestra? No, I'm sorry. The incredible diversity of ex- pression makes it impossible to evaluate this music in ordinary terms, for this is no ordinary sub- ject. Sun Ra has been offering wildly inspired visionary music for thirty solid years now, and each disc stands on its own as a testament of Ra's brilliance, of his superhuman poetic imagination. I stumbled upon two new releases on the Greek Praxis label, and they offer an invigorating glimpse of what Ra has been soun- ding like in the other hemisphere. and alerting the world with their din. Things suddenly fall into shape with a rhythmic chant, "Children of the Sun," featuring the familiar call-and-response singing of Ra and his Disciples. This shifts into Ra's statement for the Eighties, "Nuclear War," with cautionary phrases like First comes the heat/Then comes the BLAST, and gentle chastisement (Don't you care?) Side One ends with a danceable blues, with plenty of hand clapping and reassurance. The second side of this remarkable LP is truly a perfect taste of the charismatic Ra as we know him. "Fate in a Pleasant Mood," first waxed in 1959, is conjured here with im- maculate loving ease, and the in- tergalactic wisdom is spelled out: Your destiny is in the hands offate/ Allyou got to do/ Is to find fate in a pleasant mood Things shift once again into powerfully interpreted traditional jazz, as the Arkestra grinds out Duke Ellington's "Lightnin"' and John Gilmore takes a frighteningly executed solo on clarinet. Ra spent his appren- ticeship working for Fletcher Henderson long long ago, and at times like these, it shows. This incredible record finishes with one of Sun Ra's many theme songs, but perhaps the most famous, "Space is the Place." The Greek audience, enthralled as any sincere audience anywhere would be, receives this with enthusiastic joy. Nobody knows how many recor- ds Sun Ra has made, but we'd bet- ter place this among his very best. An evening with Sun Ra can change your whole life. Don't miss the Sun Ra Arkestra live in Ann Arbor, Sat. February 8 at the Lydia Mendellsohn Theater, brought to you by Eclipse Jazz. Call 763-0046 for details. Children of Sandino at the Perfor- mance Network, lost sight of this precarious line. Tracey Komarmy (of Tracy Lee and the Leonards) opened the pre- show singing a melodic adaptation of Alice Walker's poem "Song,'' proclaiming us a many-colored color- ful people. A nice, if simple raceless sentiment. Next, a series of songs (including the gentle Nicaraguan national an- them), poems, and moving personal accounts presented by two men ser- ved to establish a sort of camaraderie between the audience and the perfor- mers. The second part of the evening, the play Children of Sandino, was adapted by local playwright Tami Spry from the book Sandino's Daughters by Margaret Randall. The book documents the struggles of the women in Nicaragua under the Somosa government and their interaction and co-operation with the Sandinist National Liberation Front (FSLN(. Randall herself collected the material for the book from conversations with these women, and also gave Spry her endorsement for the adaptaion and production. The cast of eight, all dressed iniden- tical fatigues and T-shirts, entered chanting a kind of funeral dirge and carrying large wooden sticks, which were used throughout the performan- ce to stop and start action and im- h sn't justify mediately change scenes. Spry, who the audience also directed the play, used this various journa technique quite effectively. Nicaragua un The plot centered on the story of cast plays dua Mercedes, a young Nicaraguan girl, ween faceless and follows her eventual change from and character: a naive, idealistic girl to one ready to The story of fight for the FSLN to overthrow the table and writ Somosan government. terms, that the Her decision to fight is a result of used to make her growing awareness of the op- lacks in overal pression of her family and friends. Ordinarily,, The turning point comes when she keep myself f finds her brother dead, a victim of his statements bu collaboration with the FSLN, and her sial and diffict friend Daisy brutally raped. play, I think i The rape scene is one of the weakest personally sy points of staging in the production. of human rig Daisy, kneeling on the ground by the and it was no body of Mercedes's dead brother, her that I viewed t former lover, is found by the soldiers who killed him. A soldier stands above her while she is lying tensely on the ground. As he moves his hand slowly and menacingly above her in the air, symbolically raping her, the rest of the cast, also on the floor, moves with her. The government soldiers are raping all of Nicaragua, symbolized in the rape of Caisy, get it? But the posturing and grimacing of the soldiers was so overdone that it is almost comical. Declarations of gruesome facts ab- out the Somosan government periodically interrupt the story of Mercedes. The cast members face and quote details from als about the horrors of ider Somosa. Thus the al roles alternating bet- givers of information s in Mercedes' saga. Mercedes is so predic- tten in black and white ese factual "fillers" are up for what the play ll dramatic skill. as a reviewer I try to rom injecting personal ut given the controver- !lt subject matter of the t is justified here. I am mpathetic to the topics ;ts raised in this play, ot with an ignorant eye he production. But I ob- poor theatre ject to and criticize the manner in which the material was presented. The play's end was especially poor. Facing the audience; the cast put down their sticks, each naming a dif- ferent country in which the U.S. has had questionable involvement. Is this a saga of human rights or a comdemnation of the U.S? If Spry had wanted to increase the public's awareness of this issue she should not have taken such a simple stance that lacks objective insight into the problem. At its best, political theatre can ser- ve as a forum for bringing attention to serious issues; at its worst the theatre's immediacy can be used simply for propaganda. I wish the author had paid more attention to the former. The Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab in Egypt Plus the Cairo Jazz Band, (Praxis CM 106) is unnerving in itself, in light of Ra's obsession with Egypt and its relation to things astronomical. The music itself is inside, withan eastern edge. "Egypt Strut" soun- ds a lot like Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder." "Dawn" is more like the Ra we know, with an ominous glow to it. A beautiful session, direct from Heliopolis in Cairo. I've only gotten my paws on the first volume of The Sun Ra Arkestra Live at the Praxis 84 festival (Praxis CM 108) at the Or- pheus Theater in Athens, and I tell you if volume two is anything like the first, we're in for it. This, like many live Ra albums, is an excellent core sample of the Arkestra's oscillating repertoire; the first three minutes are pure skronk and screech from reeds and brass, stating their business ll presents-... "SIGMUND FREUD AND THE PROBLEM OF JEWISH IDENTITY" on gold rings from mk4l", Wednesday, Jan.22 7:30p.m. at Hillel (admission $2.00) Despite his powerful critique of religion, Freud believed that his Jewishness was an essential element in his identity. In this presen- tation Dr. David S. Ariel will explore Freud's views on Jewish identity and his understanding of Jewish consciousness. Dr. Ariel is President and Associate Professor of Judaic Studies at the Cleveland College of Jewish Studies. JO STENS Stop by and see a Jostens representative this week to save on the gold ring of your choice. Monday Jan. 20.-Friday Jan. 24, 11 am to 4 pm llil li 51YEARS MORE THAN A BOOKSTORE 1429 Hill St. 663-3336 z Y' nN 549 E. University Ann Arbor, MI (at the corner of East U. and (313)662.3201 South U.) 8d 4 Perform Amazing Feats If you believe you have more talent in your big toe than anybody you've ever met, then direct your feet to the sunny side of the street. Because Busch Gardens, that wildly entertaining and exotic attraction in Tampa, Florida, is on the hunt for excep- tional talent to join our rare breed of entertainers. Singers&Dancers Seeking strong male and female singers who dance well, and feature dancers. Bring dance attire and be prepared to show movement ability. Singers are required to prepare short vocal selections (ballad and uptempo) and should bring sheet music in their best key. Accompanist will be provided. Musicians Seeking musicians who play primary and secondary instruments, as well as, Accor- dian, Steel Guitar, Country Fiddle, Tuba and Percussion and brass players experi- enced in dance/marching band style. Musicians should prepare two selections which demonstrate their abilities. Atmosphete Enlerlainers Seeking experienced performers with background in comedy and improvisation. Bring necessary props and prepare a two-minute comedy piece to demonstrate special abilities. To audition, you must be 18 years or older. Auditions are held on a first come basis. Plnn ~to ~inin i j,