Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 10, 1988 0 Jackson's Gents tackles urban issues BY JENIFER BERMAN GROWING up is hard to do. Change hurts. Save the cliche - time does not heal all wounds if you are afraid to confront it. This is 'the theme of Richard Wesley's tragedy, The Mighty Gents, being performed this week by the University Players. The Mighty Gents is the story of the former members of a Newark, New Jersey, youth gang who, as they approach the age of 30, realize that they have lost con- trol of their lives and their futures and can no longer live in the light of their youth. This realization, compounded by the overwhelming poverty of their urban setting, forces them to violently attempt to regain control. Charles Jackson is the director of this explo- ration of Black urban life and youth. "It ex- plores what happens to young men who blindly live for fleeting, instant conquest, unaware that time and life will soon catch up to them - and pass them by,"says Jackson. Through the gang members' ambitious search to achieve produc- tive lives, Jackson realistically and powerfully captures the search for a place in society. The central tragedy of The Mighty Gents comes from the gang members' blind obedience to false rules -the rules through which only the strong will exist and oppression of the weak is justified. Jackson shows how they are vic- tims- through oppressing others, they become oppressed. In this truly powerful and moving drama, this message reaches a number of levels. The audi- ence is forced to consider issues surrounding ur- ban life, oppression, growth, and change. As Jackson explores the lives of the Mighty Gents, we explore ourselves. All in all The Mighty Gents should be a top- rate production. It is a collaboration of a num- ber of well-respected and talented persons, be- ginning with the playwright. Wesley is best known for his screenplays, Uptown Saturday Night and Let's Do It Again . Director Jackson, head of the Black Theatre Studies Program at the University, is a member of the American Theatre Association, the Na- tional Association of Black Journalists, and the Black Theatre Network. He recently played the role of Malcolm X in The Meeting at the Na- tional Black Arts Festival in Atlanta and di- rected the Ann Arbor production of The Meeting while playing the role of Malcolm X. He will also be performing in Bopha! at the Attic The- atre in Detroit in January. The professionalism of this production carries over to the costume and set design. Costume designer Candice Donnelly designed the cos- tumes for the 1987 Tony-Award winning Broadway production, Fences. Set design is by Peter Gurski who coordinated sets for several films: The Rosary Murders, Moontrap, and Collision Course. Lighting is by Dana White who designed the lighting for this year's Uni- versity production, A Chorus Line., and an original score has been composed by School of Music graduate student Stephen Michael Newby. The acting of the University Players should lend an intimacy to this top-rate production. Hope- fully, as Jackson says, we will look at the ur- ban youth problem in a different light, and then maybe ourselves as well. THE MIGHTY GENTS will be performed at the Trueblood Theatre in the Frieze Building November 10-12 and 17-19 at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinee performances on November 13 and 20 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $7 and can be pur- chased at the Michigan League. a Rita (Jillvonia Flowers) and Frankie (Rick Titworth) share a tender moment in the University Players' production of The Mighty Gents. a ~~~~- -- - - -- r - -E SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION FOR I FRE STUDENBh WHO NEED MMN. FOR COLLEGE Every Student is Eligible for Some Type of Financial Aid Regardless of Grades or Parental Income. f a We have a data bank of over 200,000 listings of scholarships, fellowships, grants, and loans, representing over $10 billion in private , 1 " Many scholarships are given to students based on their academic interests, career plans, family heritage and place of residence. ; "There's money available for students who have been newspaper car- riers, grocery clerks, cheerleaders, non-smokers . .. etc. ' Results GUARANTEED.' CALL For A Free Brochure s ANYTIME (800) 346-6401 Hill Street Players Present JULES FEIFFER Directed by Carolyn E. Caldwell Performances At Performance Network, 408 W. Washington November 10, 8:00 pm, November 12, 8:00 & Midnight November 13, 2:00 pm Tickets are available at Hillel, and can be purchased at the door: $6.00, $5.00 for students Juice concentrates on tunes" BY D. MARA LOWENSTEIN ROCK 'n' roll has digressed into a pitiful market where image and tal- ent are comparable commodities. Via MTV, a flashy video automatically makes a "good" tune. True rock fans are hard pressed to find worthy music in a market where hair extensions make millions. There's a solution, however to this visual-placing-audio garbage; its name is Juice, one of DR. VINCENT HARDING 60's student activist/theologian "Black Youth Activism in the 80's" THURS. NOV 10 8PM HALE AUD. BUSINESS SCHOOL Ann Arbor's most talented bands. "We're trying to make rock and roll that has sensibility, music that isn't push-button music"... "We're getting the soul back into rock and roll"... "we've got a lot of love for the music." These words describe the essence of the band, formed a year ago, styling themselves as "Folks playin' music for folks." Sitting in on one of their practice sessions, I couldn't help but notice their wholesomeness, perhaps more ex- plicitly, their "down-to-earthness"; their sound is somewhere between Cream, Creedence Clearwater Re- vival, and the Yardbirds. Sick of the "no-talent-needed" images that rock bands have, Juice is hoping that people tired of flashy visual images will realize the virtuosity and sensi- tivity of the band's music and appreciate it. They are individually talented musicians: Charlie Dentel (lead vo- cals/guitar), Alex Johnson (back- ground vocals/guitar), Ben Wilson (keyboard), Hyatt Yu (bass), and Ahvram Novetsky (drums). Most of the songwriting is done by Dentel with some additional songs by Johnson, Wilson, and Yu. The band members' individual influences are evident in their playing: Dentel - Pete Townsend, Johnson - Eric Clapton, Wilson - Sly and The Family Stone, Yu - Phil Lesh, and Novetsky - Keith Moon. Sitting in Dentel's converted garage/studio and listening to the band rehearse, I found the mood they created "electric." Dentel steps up to the microphone, then back again to allow the other band members a chance to shine. Dentel's voice is infinitely expressive; he uses it as a musical instrument, changing oc- taves as often as he changes chords. Johnson stands beside him, provid- ing background vocals with an in- credible head of swinging hair. Hid- den behind his keyboard, Wilson peers out between his curls and nods to Yu, whose sitting next to him on a stool. Yu seems to provide ji backdrop for the band, moving only his hands and neck and evoking im- ages of dimly lit bars where "dirty" blues are played. Finally, Novet- sky's honest rock 'n' roll provides the heartbeat of the band. The beauty of this band is that while they are working together to provide a synthesized sound, they also respect each other's musical abilities and give each room to solo. My attention was constantly being drawn to one of the musicians, someone always seems to be in the spotlight. Juice is on to something. Realiz- ing that there is a problem with rop1 music today, they're working on tOP solution. If you're interested in rock 'n' roll that deals with more thei apolitical issues and insulting sexq4l images, Juice is the band. Juice fills .the void. JUICE will rock the Blind P,; tonight at 10 p.m. Cover is $3. I LOOK YOUR BEST!! If your hair isn't becom- ing to you-You should be coming to us! DASCOL A STYLISTS SPONSORS: UCAR, Baker-Mandela Center Guild House, OMA, CAAS Opposite .acobson's ; w 9 3 2 9 , , , , . ., Maple Village 761-273 I: U U 'C, University of Michigan WOMEN'S GLEE CLUB FALL CONCERT FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11 * 7:00 PM * RACKHAM AUDITORIUM General Admission $5.00 Students $3.00 Rent a Car from Econo-Car Art Continued from Page 7 twice before they put the brush to the painting." Thoburn brought all of these THE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET FAST RESULTS CALL 764-0557 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK ;- _ "' " / works over from East Germany two years ago when she established her- self as a United States citizen. She deserves much thanks, for it's un- likely that these works would be seen, if not for Thoburn's interest and" commitment to expose the talents qf her friends and other artisans back'n East Germany. Elisabeth Thoburn will examine the exhibit in her lecture, "The S- cial and Political Context of East German Art". The lecture will de held on the fourth floor of the Rac- ham Amphitheater from 7:30 8:30 p.m. A reception will follow. "Art from East Germany" runs fram now until November 22.The exhibit is being held on the Third Floor of the Rackham Galleries. The Galleris are located at 915 E. 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