The Michigan Daily -Thursday, November 15,1990-- Page 7 Theater Review Joe Turner exemplifies Wilson' s5 power by Forrest Green 111 Joe Turner's Come and Gone, but his victims live on and struggle for liberation from his malignant shadow. The University Players' production of this August Wilson play communicates the flight of newly freed African slaves to the North, or rather, the Pittsburgh of 1911. This production glows with the evocative resonance that all of * Wilson's works should be given. While Steve Dixon's reputation does not match that of James Earl Jones, who starred in the New York run of Wilson's Fences, his performance as landlord Seth Holly is still a powerful one. Charles Jackson directs the play, and also played Malcolm X against Dixon's Martin Luther King Jr. in The Meeting,. Other strong performances include Marvin Sims as the entrancing Bynum Walker, a conjure-man who dabbles in super- natural roots and conjurations, and Randall Kirk Gibbs as Jeremy Furlow, a funny, womanizing day- laborer residing in one of Holly's rooms. Joniah Martin turns in a magnetic performance as the omi- nous Herald Loomis. Loomis and his daughter Zonia, played by Kristen Allen, arrive at Holly's house and request a room for a week. As the various characters twist their personal problems about fpr each other and the audience, the essential center of Wilson's well- constructed plot continues to rotate around the foreboding Loomis. It turns out that he is searching for his wife Martha, missing since his capture by notorious slave-catcher Joe Turner, seven years ago. Sharon Tucker gives a passionate, riveting performance interpreting the urgent role of Loomis's wife, exhorting him to leave his relentless demons behind him. Ultimately, Joe Turner serves as a symbol for the plight of all Wilson's characters, responsible for FALSTAFF Continued from page 5 eretta," he explains. Presented in English, Falstaff is done in a way that non-opera literate individuals can appreciate. Preston has attempted to have "the staging of the music support the form of the music," a large step away from the traditional view of individual sta- tionary singers. But Falstaff is not a common Broadway musical. What makes opera different than musicals such as Les Miserables is the ge- nius of the composition, especially Verdi's masterpiece, and the vocal demands on the singers. Performed with the correct theatrical touches, operas such as Falstaff can be the apex of all performance art. Dream Command Fire on the Moon Island We have a file cabinet here at the Daily that is filled with the rather bizarre (and very often low quality) records that artists who are truly des- perate for some print send us free of charge. As you might guess, it's full of garbage. But every once in a while, I sift through it to see if there's anything good. Hell, I don't care - it's not like I'm paying for any of this stuff. So I stumble across Dream Command's Fire on the Moon. It has enough qualities to gain my attention: an interesting cover, a well-known record company and, best of all, it's on CD. But even these characteristics could not possibly save Fire on the Moon from the dumpster (too bad you can't recycle CDs). The music is generally unoffensive; it sort of follows in the popular "rock 'n' roll: with some neat synthesizer sounds' genre and some of the songs actually have promising intros. Then singer Steve Fellows start in. When I first heard his voice, T swore I was being subjected to the, latest Eddie Money record. No kid- ding - Fellows sounds exactly like the Money Man himself. And that's just too much punishment for me. If Dream Command would lose Fellows, they might have a decent shot at some sort of success. But then again, who cares? Coming soon to a cut-out bin near you. -Mike Molitor FALSTAFF will be presented at the Power Center today, tomorrow, and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 g p.m. Tickets are $12 and $9, $5 for students with i.d. at the League Ticket Office. These actors' strong performances make Joe Turner a poignant piece. CHARITY Continued from page 5 haloes as they help Charity through her life, moving the plot along with ethereal hands. Sweet Charity has meaning for those who care to find it. In fact, thinking about Charity, it is wonder- ful that a streetwise woman with her history can retain her optimistic, generous naivetd. Above and beyond the meaning, though, Sweet Charity is a sweet little romantic comedy, a feel-good show. SWEET CHARITY is playing at the Mendelssohn Theatre Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5.50 in advance, available at TicketMaster, and $6 at the door. Quotes of the Day "Hermits have no peer pressure." DAILY --comedian Steven Wright "My dad's been like a father to me." CLASSIFIEDS -Dale Berra, son of Yankees catcher and coach Yogi Berra STUDY IN ISRAEL Zoe Olefsky, Midwest Representative of the HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM will answer your questions on: DATE: Thursday, November 15, 1990 TIME: 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. PLACE: Hillel, 1429 Hill St. their flight from the South in hope for better days. The enthusiastic, zealous Jeremy quits his job when a white man forces an exploitive ulti- matum upon him. And Loomis stumbles into the Holly house one evening, overwhelmed by the stag- gering trauma of his own enslave- ment. He conveys to the others his haunted vision of bones rising out of an ocean - the spirits of kidnapped Africans lost in the Slave Holocaust. It is August Wilson's mystifying depth in analyzing the collective African American, both historical and mythological, that makes Joe Turner's Come and Gone an endur- ing work. As the characters struggle for redemption from the past, it pulls the audience into an empathic spiritual catharsis. The Players' pas- sion in conveying this search is a testament to the persevering power of the human spirit as well as the beauty of the African-American ex- perience. JOE TURNER plays in the True- blood Theater Thurs.-Sat at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. $5, students. Every Thursday 6-9pm is For individual appointments or more information call: Hillel, 769-8361 ly i Thurs No SOUNDSTAGE PRE!, TRINID TRIPO. * AT THE 530 S. STATE, ANN ARBO 10 PM 18&OVER UM ID required 2 STUDENT HfIPPY HOUR LIVE ' BAND! NO COVER!* THE HEBREW UNWERSiTY OF JERUSALEM w AD AT THE Th i The Pig LI $2 pitchers! Washington St. , Liberty . S. Univ. 208 S. FIRST 996-8555 19 and over please * ONE DOLLAR OFF ANY CD IN STOCK TB APPEARING TONIGHT: Happy Hour: See Dick Run 9 pm-2 am: From New York City: THE FLESHTONES *Under 21, $2 beverage minimum required at door. JOSTENS GOLD RING SALE IS COMING! )R 763-2236 with this coupon :]UB -- It's For You! /F YOU DON'T DO US? WUO YOU GO NA DO! INCLUDES THESE TITLES PICTURED FROM BMG AND MANY MORE!!!! , Givethegift of music. , TANGERINE DREAM ANDY P We've got your number in the University of Michigan Student Telephone Directory. FREE OF CHARGE SUMMERS 'Cft Order your college ring NOW. Stop by and see a Jostens representative, Wednesday, Nov. 14 thru Friday, Nov. 16, CHARMING SNAKES - I