ARTS
The Michigan Daily
Monday, April 14, 1986_
Dance disp
McEwen's "Take Two;" a
typical modern dance piece
By Noelle Bro wer utilization of movement and
Performed to Philip Glass'
CLECTIC is a word that is used
much too often these days, but
eclectic is aptly applied to the mixed
bag of talent that presented itself this
past weekend at the School of Dance.
The show was Young Choreographers
in Concert, a concert comprised of six
individual dances by various un-
dergraduate dancers/choreographers.
The evening opened with Joy
"Floe," McEwen's choreog
complelmented the fluidity of
music. The dancers moved q
catching all the rhythms, eve
creating a nice layered effect.
The second'presentation was
Alexander's "Take a Little Tri
hodgepodge of old and new
creatively blended together ti
the backdrop for the piece.
Byrne's Music from the Kne
lays var
rather provided the bulk of music used.
in its Though the piece became jumbled in
style. parts, the originality and clever use of
piece, music, slides, speaking over music,
graphy and eclairs, combined with the
Glass' psuedo-cool of the performers, made
quickly, it the most entertaining piece of the
ntually evening.
Doug Engebretsen's "Sampler"
s Alison was a simple solo piece that
ip." A Engebretsen danced himself.
music Engebretsen acted out a sort of
o form pastoral using Rachmaninoff's
David "Vespers" as Gothic mood music.
e Plays Like Alexander's piece before it,
iety
"Sampler" was part
theatre, but on a much m
level. Dancing was
existent here, which w
piece. The little d
Engebretsen did do see
an afterthough. B
Engebretsen's earnes
through presenting his o
Americana.
Kimberly Abell's "5
was reminiscent of "Tak
use of the convention
Modern Dance. The da
ted well with one anoth
andorigi
dance, part rapport among tnemselves that
pore personal culminated with a nice ending.
almost non- Abell's choreography blended well
weakened the with the music, Prokofiev's "Five
ancing that Sarcasms."
med more of "Field of Vison," choreographed by
3ut overall, Joy Elena Grad, was another
stness came highlight of the evening with its sim-
wn version of plicity. Everything was kept to a
minimum: the movements, the
5 Sarcasms" costumes, the atmospheric music,
ke Two" in its "Sheltering _ Joy" of King Crimson.
al forms of Grad worked within the boundaries
ncers interac- she set for herself in a deft manner
er, building a eschewing anything that wasn't
Page 5
nality
needed. She met all of her goals.
Ronna Rochell's "Elemental
Rhythms" closed the evening's per-
formance. This piece was especially
interesting in Rochell's manipulation
of her five dancers, including herself.
At first, the dancers were entangled
together in a breathing lump, slowly
moving in rhythm together. Then,
they each broke away practically
hurling themselves at each other. Of-
ten, a dance piece involving more
than one or two performers can
become disjointed, but Rochell used
her dancers in a clear and forceful
manner.
Anatol catches a healthy case of
Spring fever
By Dave Turner
T iHE UNIVERSITY PLAYER'S production of Anatol,
which ran this past weekend, gave its audience a
variety of glimpses into the various aspects of the play
without revealing the whole; because of the episodic
nature of the play, the production proved successful.
The audience was presented with enough doses of
uproarious humour, brilliant acting, and a tangible
message that kept them involved in a play which didn't
exactly reach out and demand their continuous atten-
tion.
ANATOL is about love, and a central character who
through seven different episodes, pursues a wonder-
fully romantic but sadly naive vision of a relationship.
As Anatol moves from a young country girl to a sultry
actress or two, a married society woman and several
others, the message is clear: love in a strictly romantic
and passionate manner is a pleasure to pursue, but im-
possible to keep. Anatol is no more enlightened at the
end, when on the eve of his wedding day he sleeps with
an old flame and must then confront her with the truth of
his impending marriage.
The failure of the main character to progress cements
the episodic nature of the work, allowing the audience to
view each scene independently, and the scenes on their
individual merit since they contribute to the whole. In
this sense the play depends upon the acting ability in
each scene, and that is what made this production work.
The title character, played by Leif Olson, was plagued
with mouthfuls of lines which were incoherently rushed
together. These were usually psychological ramblings
on the nature of love. A failure to emphasize them broke
the only connection from scene to scene. Olson,
however, was wonderfully antagonized by Andrew
Shotland in the role of his friend Max, who sardonically
pointed out Anatol's failings in a hilarious manner. The
seven women were the real gems of the production, and
they allowed Anatol and Max to play off their per-
sonalities from scene to scene.
Each female role was played well, and Jennifer
Graham's Ilona provided a splendidly dire warning for
Anatol's future in the final scene when she promised to
return to avenge his marriage. Director Patricia Boyet-
te is to be congratulated for these very strong perfor-
mances.
Set designer Amy Glenn's skeletal and over-sized
gazebo provided a constant reminder of the light and
airy quality of the play. The lace patterns on the top
emphasized the feminie aspects of the action, and they
added a colorful glow under David Bowling's soft
lighting plot.
On the whole, Anatol provided some excellent oppor-
tunities for fine characterization, and for the most part
these were more than obtained. Its episodic nature
allowed it to work without much continuation from scene
to scene, and let the audience enjoy each comical
situation as it came.
Record!
Green on Red-
No Free Lunch
(Mercury)
A rock and roll band like Green on
Red should have a bit of grit to their
sound. Not to say that they should be
sloppy (especially with an amazing
guitarist like Chuck Prophet) - but
gritty.
You see, Green on Red write about
those (gritty) aspects of life which are
not so pleasant. They've seen it all,
those boys. Dan Stuart may still only
be less than three decades of age, but
he sure as hell wants you to realize
he's been around. On the band's last
album, Gas, Food, Lodging, you knew
what Dan and the band were singing
about. Whether it was a dad telling
about how his 16 kids died, or an old
boozer's whelping, Green on Red told
of American life from their roadside
view, slithering through this nation
belly-down.
A band like Green on Red should not
sound slick. This is the main flaw in
their latest EP, No Free Lunch.
The record kicks off with "Keep on
Moving" - and you just know
something's up as soon as you hear
the snappy drum beat. Glassy-
smooth piano parts weave into the
tune. But Dan Stuart's vocals, on the
other hand, are as harsh as ever. In
fact, you might even say he's a lousy
singer - but on the band's old
material (and especially as a live act)
this never mattered. The stuff was
raw and gutsy, and everything found
its place. On spots of this record,
however, Stuart's grating vocals
stand out like a cactus in a meadow.
"Honest Man" and Willie Nelson's
"Funny How Time Slips Away" are
both songs which would have worked
much better within the context of the
last record, where characters were
really allowed to develop with the
music. But among the smoother,
fuller production of this EP they just
seem pathetic. Stuart's got the soul
in his voice but the arrangements are
just too neat and clean.
Fortunately, there are a couple of
songs on No Free Lunch that do work
well. "Jimmy Boy" kicks up a Chuck
Prophet-led screaming guitar storm,
and "Ballad of Guy Fawkes" is a
fierce piece of material where Stuart
wails in character, Ghandi's just a
dreamer, and Lennon he's a fool,
'cause you gotta kill to eat.
The most ironic statement on this
EP is clearly in the title track, which
recounts the band's history. To a
western romp they hash out:
Well we moved out to L.A., city
of hope and sin. But all our
friends were Republicans, or on
heroin. Then we made a record
for a local company, and we
traded our souls for guaranteed
misery,
and all together now, No free lunch
today, I'll buy a steak but I'll take
it out of your pay.
Yea, Green on Red certainly know
what's up. They're no fools. But in
light of this new record, maybe we
should assume that they got a little
hungry and left that "local company"
for a good, free steak? -Beth Fertig
John Fahey - Rain Forests,
Oceans, and Other Themes
(Varrick)
John Fahey is the high priest of
folk guitar. Albums like Blind Joe
Death and Of Rivers and Religion
reveal a deliberate spiritual quality
that is hard to mistake. He often
seems to play at two speeds: slow,
and dead slow. Yet he creates a
velocity as if by sleight of hand. But
let's not slight such beautiful hands!
This new LP is Fahey in fine form
even by his high standards.
His own compositions here are
stately and slow; rife with ideas.
"Rain Forest" is a steady rolling
sound stream of tropical lushness and
moisture where the bright sun oc-
casionally peeps through the thick
greens. "Ocean Waves" is infused
with a touch of bucolic.
But the real highlights of this LP
are found in Fahey's interpretations of
an astonishing array of great com-
poser's works. Luis Bonfa's "Samba
de Orfeo" from the Black Orpheus
soundtrack is tailor made for Fahey's
timings. A thing of rare beauty and
poignancy. And who but Fahey would
dare to match up Jimi Hendrix and
Furry Lewis? Who indeed? His
brilliant medley of "May This Be
Love" and "Casey Jones" is as
amazing as you would think, and the
seague betwixt the two a piece Af
magic. As if these ventures are nbt
daring enough, Fahey tackles the
"Lullaby and Finale from the
Firebird" by Igor Stravinsky like it
had been fair game for folkies all
along, This is regal springtime in-
spiration suggesting new genesis.
--Marc S. Taras
POE
S
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Monday through Friday
Our new menu features
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Come see for yourself.
10% off to all students
with proper ID
Expires April 30, 1986
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