The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 16, 1989 - Page 7 Playwright P. J. Gibson Birdie takes off I a,,yY makes the personal universal Soph Show production showcases new talent BY KENNETH CHOW L ONG Time Since Yesterday, a play by P. J. Gibson that portrays middle-class Blacks, obsessive love, and deteriorating friendship, has been playing in the Trueblood theater for a weekend and has been well-re- ceived. Gibson herself attended the performance last Thursday. "I always go to them if I'm invited," Gibson said. "I want to see if my plays are universal. If a play works in Min- nesota, and it works here in Ann Ar- bor, then I know it is." In LTSY, five college buddies are reunited after the death of their close friend, Janeen. As the story unravels through a series of flashbacks on past events, the audience finds out that Janeen committed suicide after her husband Walter caught her in bed with Panzi, a lesbian. Through this episode, Gibson criticizes middle- class, professional Black organiza- tions that are designed to educate poor Blacks into the middle class. "Their intentions are honorable," said Gibson, "but what they turned out to be is something different." According to Gibson, these parents "use their children as their tools to survive." Janeen is a prosperous woman with parents who belong to the Trees, a fictitious social organi- zation. In the play, Janeen is heavily influenced by her parents. She mar- Gibson criticizes middle- class, professional Black organizations that are designed to educate poor Blacks into the middle class. "Their intentions are honorable," said Gibson, "but what they turned out to be is something different." ries Walter because of their respec- tive parents' wishes. "These people aren't going to do anything to disap- point their parents in their lives - not until their parents are dead any- way," said Gibson. And in the play, Janeen seduces Panzi into commit- ting adultery after the funeral of the former's father. "And that's why (Janeen) kept saying that she felt good even though she knew it was sinful. It's because she finally did something without her parents' con- sent." Another of Gibson's criticisms on such organizations is their atti- tude toward Blacks of other classes. "Of course, when you have some- thing like that, it is also very arro- gant," and along with the arrogance the "discrimination of light-skinned Blacks against dark-skinned Blacks" has developed. Gibson knows this well, since she was born into a poor family and was a victim of class dis- crimination. This is probably best reflected by Alisa, a successful woman who was abandoned by her parents as a child. Alisa keeps the secret away from her well-raised friends until the day of Janeen's fu- neral, for fear of the same discrimi- nation. As to how well the actors per- formed, Gibson remarked, "Every production is different. Sometimes actors can make a line which has never worked before work, but then sometimes (an actor misses lines)." Gibson then adds that she liked the interaction between Laveer, Panzi, and Janeen in a flashback scene in Act II. Gibson continues, "It is hard for this cast to understand the part because the characters are supposed to be products of the '60s, and they (as 20-year-old actors) don't have that knowledge." Nevertheless, "they are still women, so they know how a woman is supposed to feel," and within the limits, the characters were well interpreted. Gibson spent only three days in Ann Arbor, but she "really enjoyed the town" - especially the window shopping trip she had with some of the cast members. THE DAILY* CLASSIFIEDS ARE A GREAT WAY TO GET FAST RESULTS CALL 764-0557 BY JAY PEKALA DECKED out in poodle skirts, bobby socks, slicked hair, jeans, and saddle shoes, the cast of the Soph Show is busy preparing for tonight's opening of Charles Strouse, Lee Adams, and Michael Stewart's Bye Bye, Birdie. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1960 and includes such tunes as "One Boy," "A Lot of Livin' to Do," "Put on a Happy Face," and "Kids." Cast member Kathy Garchow says, "It's incredible how students can put on a production like this. The whole show is run by students." And R.C. student and chorus member Tonya Powers added, "The best thing about the show is the cast. They're incredibly talented." The cast for this show is made up of first-year stu- dents and sophomores who have been rehearsing under Director Wendy Lippe's watchful eye. "We interviewed, and Wendy has a good background," commented Co- producer Janet Komorn. "She shone from the other di- rectorial candidates." Komorn says she's incredibly pleased with the way the show has turned out. She con- fided that at the first rehearsal, she thought it would never pull together, but after all of the time and dedica- tion the students put into Birdie, the results are pleas- antly surprising. Co-producer Stephanie Glogower also reiterated how much fun she thought the show was go- ing to be. The story of Birdie rests in the culture of the late 1950s. It's the story of a teen idol (not unlike Elvis) who announces that he's going into the military. Young women fall at his feet, mothers swoon, and men long to be so hip. As a promotion cooked up by Birdie's manager, there is a drawing to chose a woman who will receive one last kiss before Birdie goes into the army. Added into the story is the manager's secre- tary who wants to marry him, and his mother who doesn't want the marriage to go through. Actor Michelle Watnick, who plays the mother, Mrs. Peter- son, describes her as, "an old Jewish woman who's not actually Jewish, and she doesn't want her son to marry his Spanish secretary." Costumer Carrie Stevens told me, as she was in the midst of fashioning shriner's red fezzes, that she had an interesting time creating the costumes for the whole cast. "The '50s have brought themselves into the '80s. Some people even have saddle shoes," she added. In order to preserve his macho, pelvic-thrusting im- age, actor Tom Daugherty (who plays Birdie) did4't want to share too much of the secret of his appeal, but he did jest, "I'm only in it for the babes." BYE BYE BIRDIE will be performed tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater in the Michigan League. Tickets are $5. Alice on a well-tied shoestring CLASSIFIED ADS 11 * * ATTENTION: Supreme Course Transcripts, the LS&A lecture notetaking service, has the following notes avail, at Aiphagraphics Printsho s at 715 N. Univ.: Anthro 101, Anthro 161 Anthro 368, Astro 101/111, Astro 102/ll , Class Civ 101, Comm 103, Comm 320, Econ 201, Econ 202, Econ 395, Geog 101 Geol 100, Geol 101, Geo 107, Geol 115, col 222, list 160, Iist 200, list 332, lust 366, Physics 125, Physics 140, Physics 240, Poli. Sci. 395, physiologs 101, Psyh 171, Psych 331 psych 36.Cal 663-6816 for more info. 1gUY QUALITY. DIAL A JEWISH STORY. Another project of the Chabad House. Call 995-5959. GREEKS FOR CHOICE Happy Ilour at Rick's Friday Nov. 17 3 to 8pm ALL fjResNDS W LLCOME to come support pro-choice HOSPITALITY begins with something from our wine cellar and liquor department. Village Apothecary 1112 S. Univ. RYAN SOB EL I know you always wanted to see your name STRESSED OUT by papers, profs exams, life? Take a 1-hour vacation with a full body massage! Debra Rozek 663-7547. TRUTH IIOUSI--I Love You!! Happy Holidays from your "Trez", Kim. P.S. Craig - A big pine cone thank-you for al you do! g 67 VOLVO 1225 good mach. excel. body. Red, 4-door, good interior. 345-6223. '81 CHARGER 2.2 Great condition, sun roof, $1,950 (or best). 971-8954. COLT E 1986. AIR, STEREO, METALLIC GOLD. Brand new clutch and exhaust. Highway miles. Mint condition. Must be seen. $2750/neg. 665-6375. GRE EK GA B RATEiRNYIES AND SORORITIES - Formals are approachin We have it all from Glassware to t-shirts. %e Cloz Company. Call Jon 994-4045. GREEKS FOR CHOICE Hriapy ou at Rick's Frda Nv.17 3 to8pm ALL FR INDS WILCOME to come support pro-choice BY LORENZO BUJ W HILE much of the academic world is presently mired in the postmodern discourse of simulacra and textuality, Aaron Davidman qui- etly invokes such terms as "subjective expression" and "organic process." Davidman is directing Alice in Wonderland, this week's offering by Basement Arts, the student group that puts on weekly performances in the Arena Theatre, in the basement of the Frieze building. Alice is taken from the Manhat- tan Theatre Project's 1970 adaptation of Lewis Carroll's text. Director An- dre Gregory (My Dinner with An- dre) and his small crew went through two years of rehearsals be- fore they unleashed the play on East Coast and, eventually, international audiences. Looking at Richard Avedon's photographs of that production, one sees to what extent Gregory invoked the kinetic, the contorted, the gym- nastic muse. Davidman is no differ- ent. With stage manager Bob Bell- knap at his side, and with only three weeks of preparation, he has man- aged to generate irrepressible bodily energies from his core group of six actors: James Ludwig, Joshua Leavitt, Elissa Cohen, Molly Surawitz, Lucy Liu (as Alice), and Fred Adler. Davidman believes that "the po- tential for expression is in human beings, not in the text, or in props and costumes." He finds process the- ater, experimental theater "more ex- citing" when compared to the bour- geois aesthetics of stage realism and naturalism, and has little time for "couch dramas of the Neil Simon va- riety." Lewis Carroll's text, on the other hand, "pursues the silly and the nonsensical" and so challenges the moral sobriety of its "high Victorian milieu." As one may expect, Alice will be minimalist but certainly not static. There will be no shortage of physical intensity as bodies crawl, sprint, or sprawl across stage, as faces twist and grimace, as voices range broadly across emotional regis- ters and language defies empirical and metaphysical logic. Even while working within the $100 maximum alloted to them by the Basement Arts budget, Davidnan and his ensemble should have no problem filling the Arena Theatre to its 120 person capacity. A laboratory/workshop for gtu- dents, Basement Arts functions under the Theatre department and the School of Music. Its three under- graduate co-ordinators - David, Le- ichtman, Amy Forman, and Jennifer Hahn - work busily, scheduling a new show every week. Earlier this term, they showcased Tracers, a Vietnam story that was particularly successful; they are currently receiv- ing and evaluating applications for next semester's lineup. ALICE IN WONDERLAND starts tonight at S p.m. It plays tomorrow at S p.m. and on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 5p.m. Liberty. 65-8001. Lessons, repair, music. II3ANEZ Electric Guitar & case. Must Sell. $275 Call 769-3082, Doug. WEE5END1 YVMAGAZINE Frday. inThe Daily 763-0373 MIDDLE EAST CULTURAL NIGHT Celebrating the 1st Anniversary of The Palestinian Declaration of Independence andS p.m. I Puerto Rican Association presents the Seventh MICHIGAN PUERTO RICAN WEEK .I NOVEMBER 13 - 20, 1989 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18 8:30 PM - 12:30 AM NORTH CAMPUS COMMONS, on UM North Campus Bus Route, parking available Music and Entertainment provided by K-CHE Orchestra I REFRESHMENTS FREE ADMISSION TAKE A STATION BREAK. First, pause for station identification. It'll be easy 'cause there's always a little Caesars Pizza Station nearby. Besides great pizza, C - you'll also love our pasta, salads and sandwiches. Take your break in-or take it to ~ - go. Either way, take it with one of our money _.saving breaks below. SANN ARBOR 1220 S. UNIVERSITY 665-2034 M VALUABLE COUPON U - -O M M VALUABLE COUPON E T -mM0VALUABLE COUPON a 1 TWO SMALL T TWO MEDIUM I BABY * I PIZZAS I PIZZAS PANIPAN., 1 with cheese I with cheese I and a single and 2 toppings* I and 2 toppings* I 16 oz. Soft Drink1 IA gm I A g r ! ~ SO YOU'RE GOOD IN MATH If yOu have a strong math aptitude and a business orientation. (math major not required), the actuarial potential. profession offers unlimited career The Equitable, a financial giant, is the third largest US life insurance company. As a member of our Actuarial Training Program, your skills will be developed through a series of varied job assignments and continued formal education. Iv yr A unique work-study summer internship is also available assistance provided for out-of-towners). (housing Submit your resume November 13-28 at the Career Placement Office in order to schedule an on campus interview. To learn more, come to my presentation on February 6 at 7:30p.m. at the Michigan Union.