Page 8- The Michigan Daily -Tuesday, October 3, 1989 You Strike: Firm but rocky I BY JAY PEKALA FOR 90 solid minutes the three actors in You Strike the Woman You Strike the Rock act, sing and dance stories depicting the lives of Black women in South Africa under apartheid. Their ac- cessories are few. They have no elaborate set or props, and they convey various characters with the simple addition of a hat or scarf. The energy that Poppy Tsira, Thobeka Maqhutyana and Nomvula Qosha project is remarkable, even if it is not enough to keep the show from faltering in the end This past Sunday evening, the Michigan Theater presented the Market Theatre Company's production of You Strike The Woman You Strike the Rock to open the Michigan's 1989-1990 Drama Season. The Market Theatre's Johan- nesburg-based troop has gained a reputation for performing local works that reflect the oppression of South African Blacks by apartheid. In the past, the company has presented such important plays as, Woza Albert and Bopha! which not only entertain but raise our awareness of the injustices perpetrated in South Africa by the controlling white minority. Clothed in plain dresses and aprons, the three women of the play, Sdudla, Mampompo and Mambhele, each bring a unique voice of experi- ence to the marketplace on the outskirts of Cape Town where the three toil to sell their chickens and oranges. Sdudla reflects the older generation, recalling the country before white misrule and commending her own efforts to end the oppres- sion. She is proud to have spent time in jail and is ready to face unjust police arrest during the play. Mambhele and Mampompo both represent younger women who have never known another existence but who still dream of a better life away from the incredible burdens and demands which are constantly being placed on them. Together the three women bicker amongst themselves, chase thieving children, and do what they must to earn a living for themselves and their families. Unlike other Market Theatre productions, You Strike is often confusing because it details an ar- bitrary series of events. It does not follow a single story or idea but shifts focus from one woman to another. This could be effective if the audience were not also trying to decipher the dialect and to understand the context of the various vignettes. The play is most effective on an emotional level. The depiction of the women riding into Cape Town each morning on the crowded bus or waiting at the post office to receive money from their husbands, or the symbolic rape of a black woman by a white boss are hard hitting and emo- tionally portrayed. It is these scenes which are most able to draw our sympathies. By their na- ture, the events presented are political but the im- pression they give is more like documentary than commentary. However, when one of the actors pedantically denounces the injustice of apartheid, this gesture instantly translates to propaganda. Once some- thing identifies itself as propaganda, it is com- mentary, and this play's subjectivity makes it less authoritative. The impact is lessened even if the message is important. The most striking element of the production is its use of music. No matter how serious or disqui- eting any situation is, the three women are able to break into harmonious song. And it is music which acts as a universal opiate. After a woman is fired from her job, the actors sing a chant to God which evolves into an emotional refrain and dance. The wild activity serves to soothe the tension and desperation that all of the women endure. It is this strength that Mambhele, Mampompo and Sdudla are most proud of. And despite all of the hardship and cruelty they suffer, they are strong and deter- mined to survive. Once we see the determination of these women through the various scenes, the play does not take us farther, and the last half hour becomes fairly monotonous. The last few minutes portray an at- tack by the white army on Black children, but the incident does not have the impact that some of the play's other events have. As a result, we are left wanting either more or less, some sense of end- ing. .: h LC,4 4i _.,._, . Discover Nirvana in the flesh There ain't recesses any more. You've gotta make your own. And you'll find an ex-suhh-lent one early on tonight at the Blind Pig when Sub-Pop Rock City's Nirvana (That's NUR-VAHN-UH, not Near-vanna!) open a triple bill at the Blind Pig at 9:30 p.m. Mdtorhead is almost in the range of lead vocalist Kurdt Kobain; it is definitely within reach of the rest of the band. Bassist Chris Novoselic tackles some pretty dynamic lines considering the genre; the show should be more fun than playing king of the jungle gym. Lips Continued from page 7 tive, tight guitar rhythms, and even a piano ballad called "Shaved Go- rilla." The Flaming Lips, like many all- male bands, seem unable to escape a lack of vocal range - the absence of contradiction and harmony created by similar sounding male adolescent voices. This is not a problem easily remedied. What they lack in vocal range, though, they make up for with a desire to keep their listeners off-balance. They don't let similar tunes and styles go back-to-back; rather they choose to interject pieces like "Shaved Gorilla" and the mid- tempo "Chrome Plated Suicide" be- tween the harder-driving music to create diversity. All this leaves me wondering what to expect for the show at the Blind Pig. I'm sure, to begin with, that it will be loud. I'm almost sure, too, that the Flaming Lips will not get caught up in trying to pound the audience to death with this loudness. Sheer volume does not seem to be their plan of attack on Telepathic Surgery, and it probably won't be Tuesday night, either. I do expect the mixture created on the album to show itself presenting an enjoyable variety of noise. THE FLAMING LIPS with opening acts STEEL POLE BATH TUB and NIRVANA play tonight at the Blind Pig at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, slightly higher at the door. tt It !i tt t LoLq t MIt t I F N- . fA er 4a - ehk u: .. ''" ' ^ - '..._ M Yes, the Beatles reunion rumors have again proved to be false, buti cheer up. The Bliss, a student rock band with decidedly Liverpudlian; streak in their guitar-based rave-ups,: plays their debut gig at the Univer- sity Club tonight. Show up around 10 p.m. and bring about three bucks for cover. Wear comfortable shoes. FOR THE BEST: Crew Cuts-Flat Tops Princetons-Military THE DASCOLA We're the central research and technology source for the Bell operating compa- nies. 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