Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 22, 1990
Whorehouse bodes
good, clean fun
by Kennneth Chow
AT the sight of the title, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, one
cannot help but think of sex, scandals, prostitution and more sex. The play
is about all these things, but, "The bad rep of the play stems entirely from
the title," claims the director of the Musket production Michol Sherman,
"The play itself does not glorify prostitution." Only the audience can
decide the truth of the assertation.
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, based on a true story, is set in a
small Texan town named Gilbert, where a whorehouse has been in
business since its founding 15 decades ago. The Chicken Range, as the
house is called, is at peace with the town until Melvin Thorpe, a Geraldo
Rivera-type character, exposes the little place on national TV. The local
sheriff of Gilbert, who had a relationship with the proprietor of the
Chicken Range, Mona Stanley, refuses to let the sanctuary be exposed and
unwittingly cursed on television. The scandal draws much attention to the
town. The townspeople grow uncomfortable being the focus of publicity
and decide that having a whorehouse in the middle of the town is harmful
to their image and sanity. Finally, the Governor of Texas puts an end to
all the hoopla by closing down the business.
If the story doesn't sound particularly colorful, give the production a
chance. The plot itself won't make the show but the presentation of it
will. Because it is a musical, there will be dancing, singing and several tap
dancing numbers that should grab the audience's attention. But unlike
traditional Broadway musicals, which are backed by elaborate scores, this
production will be backed by simple, up-beat country music with a kick of
jazz that fits into the Texas/country theme.
Although the play may not "preach values or morals," as Sherman
states, it does feature satirically stereotypical characters as a comment on
modern day society. For example, Melvin Thorpe is portrayed as a TV
evangelist along the lines of Bakker and Swaggart, while the wimpy
Governor dares not take a stand because he doesn't want to make any
enemies.
Sherman wants everyone to know that the stage production ofThe Best
Little Whorehouse in Texas is nothing like the film with the same title
starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds. This one is a lot more exciting,
he says.
MUSKET presents THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS
tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Power Center. Tickets
are $5.50 students, $6.50 others and are available at the Union.
1Ii 3diAn~r~

A tale of some

Lord of the Flies
dir. Harr Hook
by Mark Binelli
There are two major schools of thought re-
garding human nature. One side would tend to be-
lieve that if a group of castaways were stranded
on an uncharted deserted isle, they would work
together to attract passing airplanes, gather food,
build tables and huts and record players and little
pedal cars and a night club and even reinact the
storm with a replica of the original ship in order
to ease the Skipper's guilt complex.
But not everybody views life in technicolor.
The opposing viewpoint, a bit more pessimistic,
is that the stranded souls might attempt these
niceties at first, but gradually, after being torn
away from the civilizing conventions of contem-
porary society long enough, would sink to their
instinctive animal roots, smear on war paint,
begin hunting pigs and eventually kill each
other. This darker side of Gilligan was explored'
by Sir William Golding in his novel, Lord of the
Flies, and the most frightening aspect of the
story is Golding's ability to make us believe that
the barbaric acts he describes could and would

really happen.
Most people are prob
overanalyzed tale of a cras
pubescent boys who are eN
(often thought of as the m
the world, but not nece
which to be proud) during
elected leader who wantst
while Jack, his antithesis
base natures of the boys an
those interested in having
own group of Hunters. O
Piggy, the abused, smart
Simon, the sensitive, mart
the Lord of the Flies itself
head that the crazy kids
their first kill, a symbol
whatever you like to call
our hearts.
Visually, the film is e
Director Harry Hook succ
both graphic and shocking
exactly what is going to
image is that of the plan
sinking, feet first, into
screen. The film is also
novel, with the exception,

castaways...
of the unconscious-delirious pilot, who survives
ably familiar with the the plane crash this time around. The only other
sh-landed group of pre- changes are minor, such as the shifting of the
vacuated from England time period from World War II to the present, so
ost civilized country in the kids, now American military school students,
-ssarily something of can call each other dorks and complain about
the Blitz. Ralph is the missing Alf.
to have rules and order The main problem with Lord of the Flies is
s, appeals to the truly not its accuracy, but its length (only about 90
id eventually convinces minutes) which is just enough time to tell the
more "fun" to join his basic story; not nearly enough time is allowed
ther characters include for the relatively competent actors to create truly
fat kid with glasses; compelling characters, characters whom we
.yred Christ figure; and would be shocked to see completely regress;
f, the fly-covered pig's Golding's message still comes across, and the ac;
mount on a stick after tion scenes are given vivid justice, but more dial
of the devil, the id or logue and development could have prevented the@
1 the evil that lurks in story from becoming an almost one-dimensional
allegory, with Ralph being the angel in white (he
is the first one to taunt Piggy about his nick=
extrodinarily powerful. name in the book, while in the film he gallantly
eeds in making scenes defends him from the others), and Jack and the
g even when you know others too easily becoming the blood-lusting
happen. The opening savages. Sure, the movie is never as good as the
e's adult pilot slowly book, but the irritating fact is that this time, it
a totally blue ocean could have been.

fairly faithful to the
of the unnecessary role

LORD OF THE FLIES is playing at Briarwood.
and Showcase.

Joe: Not so lucky to be alive

Joe vs.
dir. John
by SharonI


"Once upo
guy called Jo
lousy job." S
has. Joe and hu
the daily true
TURTI
Continued fro
Count Basie.

the Volcano work at a medical supply factory
Patrick S h(Home of the Rectal Probe -- thou-
Patrick Shaney 'sands of satisfied customers) with
Grimberg just about as much glee as Dicken-.
n a time there was a sian paupers looked forward to the
e who had a really workhouse.
o we're told, and he But Joe (Tom Hanks) is luckier
indreds of others make than most: he contracts a terminal
dge through mud to brain cloud, or so his doctor says.
With a paltry six months left to live
he miraculously acquires the balls to
chuck the whole thing - brain-sap-
LE ping fluorescent lights, bully boss,
endless petroleum jelly. But not be-
im page 7 ~ fore he has asked the drooping-by-
day, though delectable-by-night, Didi
(Meg Ryan) out for a dinner date.

Harvey (Lloyd Bridges) saves the day
by granting Joe unlimited access to
heaps of money, and sends him on
an outrageous mission to a volcanic
South Sea island.
What started as deliberately muted
and gray never acquires quite enough
zest to be more than moderately
funny. John Patrick Shanley, who
wrote and directed Joe vs. The Vol-
cano, doesn't achieve the requisite
pithiness in his script to turn a
rather daft story into hilarious absur-
dity. Joe, a pathetic figure at the be-
ginning, remains pretty much a hap-
less character to the very end.
Though slow paced for the first
hour, the film torpedoes to a rather
hasty and unsatisfactory conclusion.
There are highlights, including a
cameo appearance by Ossie Davis
(Do the Right Thing), who plays a

sartorially wise limousine chauffeur
He is reticent at first to comply with
Joe's demands for fashion advice -
"I've spent all my life finding out
who I am and I'm tired." Davis soon
leaps into the back seat of the car to
give Joe in-depth "style" therapy;
Meg Ryan reappears in a couple of
other guises as the two radically dif
ferent daughters of the unscrupulout
Samuel Harvey. Her lively portrayal
of Angelica, the neurotic, flighty;
artistic daughter injects the flagging
plot with some vitality. Inevitably
enough, Joe falls in love with her
sane but feisty half-sister.
At the finish, we're told, "They
lived happily ever after" as we sus
pected they would - this is after alt
a romantic comedy. A bland end to a
bland story.
JOE VS. THE VOLCANO is playing
at Briarwood and Showcase.

The TURTLE ISLAND STRING
QUARTET performs tonight at 8:00
in Rackham Auditorium. Tickets
are available through Ticketmaster
at $16.00:

At this point, the gloom lifts and
we seem to be set for an hour of
wacky, silly romantic fun. It doesn't
work out with Didi, but what the
hell. Eccentric millionaire Samuel


}4,.. .



v

"
fi'



The University of Michigan Black Media Coalition
and Access Productions
present
e Peopfe Coukff
a musicaf cefebration of the .African.tmerican Spirit
Originally conceived by Elise Bryant and Rod Gailes

Cy

Splashin into Fashion
1990
Saturday MARCH 24 at 4pm
RICK'S AMERICAN CAFE
Please join the University of Michigan Panhellenic Association and representatives
from more than 20 sororities and fraternities as they celebrate this spring's latest
fashions from Ann Arbor's most exclusive clothing stores, including...

March 22-25, 1990
Thurs-Sat 8:00 pm, Sun 3:00 pm
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
located In the Michigan League bldg.

Adapted and Directed by
Rod Galles
Choreography by Linda Spriggs
Original Music by Dr. Morris
Lawrence and Stephen Newby

Tickets $10.00, Students $5.00 w/ ID, available at all TicketMaster outlets, to charge tickets call
763-TKTS. For information on group rates contact Rod Gailes at 764-2745.

THE BAGPIPER
BENETTON
MARTY'S MENSWEAR AND HIS LADY
GERI'S BOUTIQUE
MARTI WALKER
COLLECTED WORKS
BANANA REPUBLIC
BROTHER'S TUXEDO
HAIRSTYLES BY JACOBSON'S

PATRICIA MILES
URBAN OUTFITTERS
EXPRESSIONS
REDWOOD AND ROSS
BIVOUAC
VINTAGE TO VOGUE
CAT'S MEOW
IMPOSTER JEWELRY
COSMETICS BY MARY KAY


Come join us at Rick's American Cafe and enjoy the show.
Admission-$3...Proceeds to benefit the
Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC)

At Columbia this summer, you can enjoy New York whileyou:

+ fu fill distribution and departmental requirements in introductory and
advanced courses
+ enhance career skills (build a portfolio in Introduction to architectural design; try
Business news writing; learn Digital logic)
* immerse yourself in a foreign language (from Arabic to Yiddish)
" pursue your interests in courses on North American Indians, Twentieth-century art, the
human skeleton, New Age religions, sex roles and society, modern American poetry,
number theory, international trade, diatonic harmony, or over 300 others.
First Session: May 29-July 6. Second Session: July 9-August 17.


I


Please send a Columbia University Summer Session Bulletin and ablication form to:


I i l