Page 8-The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, September 11, 1991
You don't have to be a big
spender to enjoy Sweet Chaity
who what where when
by Diane Frieden
WVhat musical starred, at one time
or another, Gwen Verdon, Shirley
Maclaine and Debbie Allen, and had
Frederico Fellini as a co-author of
the screenplay?
The Ann Arbor Civic Theater can
tell you the answer in a heartbeat -
it's Neil Simon's Sweet Charity.
And starting Wednesday night,
AACT's own Sue Booth will join
the list of luminaries when she
plays the winsome Charity Hope
Valentine.
, The story centers around
Charity, a dime-a-dance girl who
dreams of meeting a true love. The
audience follows Charity as she
searches for Mr. Right. "She's al-
ways looking for the right person
that will give to her as much as she
gives out," says director Jim
Posante. Along with the colorful
characters she encounters on dates
(including a silently sexy hood and
a suave Italian film star), the audi-
ence is introduced to Charity's girl-
friends at the sleazy bar where she
works. They're all tough cookies
who've been through enough to re-
gard love cynically.
Charity, however, remains
hopeful and continues her search for
that elusive perfect man. Posante
describes her determination as "the
hope that you can control your own
destiny... It's a subliminal theme.
It's the hope of being brave in the
surface of simplistic and innocent
gestures, with a somewhat Damon
Runyon feel to the entire perfor-
mance. Posante says that the
AACT's production upholds
Charity's naivete while preserving a
feel for the free-lovin' time in
which it was written. Yet while
Charity is representative of the
"Leave it to Beaver" American
mentality, the rest of her world is
depicted as more free-spirited, with
a much harder edge.
"Nineteen-sixty-six was a time
of major transition in the country...
all of the freedom movements (and)
'Power to the People' going on help
Charity to preserve her sense of
hope," says Posante. Attempting to
update the musical for the '90s
viewer would be expecting a belief
in an "attitude that couldn't pre-
vail," he adds. AACT has put their
faith in the enduring genre of the pe-
riod piece, and hopes the mood will
translate across to the audience.
SWEET CHARITY will be
performed at the Lydia Men-
delssohn Theater tonight through
Saturday at 8 p.m., with a Saturday
matinee at 2 p.m. Tickets are $14-
$18, but student discounts are
available. For more information,
call 763-1085.
Yo, man, check out some zydeco
born on the bayou. Mr. C. J.
Chenier and the Red Hot
Louisiana Band pump it out for an
evening of rockin' bon temps, dude,
tonight at the Blind Pig. Doors open
at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $7.50 in
advance from TicketMaster (plus
evil service charge).
Just added to the Concert Cal-
endar: everyone's fave teen angst
three-piece, the Violent Femmes,
reflect loudly at the Michigan
Theater on October 24. Tickets go on
sale tomorrow. Also, Blues Tra-
veler, October 18 at St. Andrew's in
Detroit; Tower of Power, October
18 at Alvin's in Detroit; American
Music Club, October 19, in Detroit;
and Jonathan Richman, October
23, at the Ark.
The Revolution is live and in
person, not televised. Gil Scott-
Heron, poetry, blues, jazz, rap,
whatever-meister, brings his unique
form of thought-provoking social
commentary to the Ark on Saturday
for two shows, at 7:30 & 10 p.m.
Tickets are $15 at TicketMaster
(p.e.s.c.).
Booth
face of disaster." As Charity's prat-
falls grow in number, so does her
perseverance.
Originally written in 1966, the
play describes Charity through a
NORTHSIDE
Continued from page 5
move, yet still more interesting
than 90 percent of everything else
flooding the pop market. Ratio-
nalization - I know. But wait 'til
you hear their story.
"We started about two years
ago," Walsh explains. "We started
practicing in a local youth club sort
of thing. About six months we were
practicing. Then the buzz started go-
ing. We had a gig, and the buzz
started from there. Factory (the
large Manchester independent label,
home to the Happy Mondays, etc.)
came to see us... And the second gig
was with the Happy Mondays. It
started from there. We got the deal
from Factory... and it's gone on
from there."
Walsh was not an original mem-
ber of the band. "You see, they had
another guitarist at the time, before
they got the record deal," he ex-
plains. "They did the gigs with the
Happy Mondays. Then they ap-
proached me, said, 'Do you wanna
play with the band?' I said yeah. We
did a few London gigs. I was playing
for a long time before that
own... garage band sort of th
So ever since, poor North
been signed on Factory and
the shadow of the rave ba
Happy Mondays. Walsh a
being influenced somew
them; "A Change Is On Its
their Happy Mondays son
influenced by Mark (Day),1
tarist, yeah, I think he's ex
Walsh says. "I think he'st
guitarist out at the momen
their songs are based on g
aren't they? There's a groov
one ("A Change Is On Its V
can see the similarity. We a
enced by that kind of music,3
Then there's "Weightc
Northside's U2 song. "I li
yeah, especially the early
says Walsh. "But (we're)
rectly influenced by them. VA
influenced by differentl
We've all got different opin
music.
"I like a lot of guita
bands 'cause, obviously, I'
tarist. I don't know, people1
Zeppelin, Zappa, things li
Neil Young. Just really go
1
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
MainStage Productions
P RE SE N TS. .. '_'.
Book by '
kei Sion =. s,
Music by
Cy Coleman.
Lyrics by
Dorothy Fields
Based on an original
screenplay by Frederico Fellini, .
Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Plaiano
Directed and Choreographed
by Jim Posante
Musical Direction by Jim Nissen
For ticket information
For ticket information
iA(
With the Support of
The Michigan Council for the Arts
for UAC / MUSKET's Production of i
. i September 11-14, 1991
at 8 p.m.
Saturday matinee at 2 p.m.
Presented at The
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre
until September 8, call 662-7282
after September 8, call 662-7282
Monday, September 16 @ 7:00pm
In the Anderson Room of the Union
ADVENTURE. DON'T MISS THE BOA
History is happening in the USSR and Eastern Europe
Learn one of the key languages of that region; go there
experience the difference for yourself. The Slavic Dep
ment offers courses at various levels in the followingl
guages and literatures: Russian, Polish, Czech, Se
Croatian, Ukrainian, and Armenian. Also a new cou
The Culture of Central Europe, Slavic 225. CALL 764-5
Chenier
on my tar-based stuff. Like Dermo (Wa-
hing." ren Dermody, vocalist) was int
side has punk stuff and things like that
lives in Drummer's (Paul Walsh, no r614
and, the tion) into dance stuff. The bash
dmits to player's (Cliff Ogier) into the Whp
'hat by and bands like that. We all like di
Way" is ferent things."
g. "I'm Since chickens obviously have n
the gui- rhythm, the band's album title ha
cellent," an odd ring to it; if you wanted to
the best insult Northside, you could say tht
nt... All their songs are copies of other per-
grooves, ple's styles and therefore chicken.
e in that But Walsh says that this isn't whre
Way"). I they got the title. "There's an
re influ- illustration on the cover done 4by
yeah." Dermo's brother," he explaias.
of Air," "It's just an illustration, so we
ike U2, called it that. We had lots of other
stuff," titles but we just chose the faist
not di- thing that popped into our heads.
We're all Factory weren't happy with it at4ihe
people. start, but they don't mind it now
nions on Their songs are intended to-be
"social commentary," Walsh says.
ir-based "I wouldn't say it was politidil.
m a gui- It's just where he (Dermody, tie
like Led singer, who also writes the lyrics
ke that. was at the time. These songs are lite
)od gui- two years old."
The most notorious piece on tle
album is "Shall We Take a Trip?"A
memorable song about drugs whdh
spells out LSD, the guys were not
referring to a family vacation. "It's
and tongue in cheek, about the scenat
the time. People were saying toe
?art- this, take that... People took it fdo
lan- seriously, I think," Walsh says.
rbo- But people in the British mltiic
irse: scene don't take Northside si-
i355 ously. Walsh seems to realize tt:
"There's a healthy (music) scene
over here. I don't know if we ar a
part of it, though. We fit in soqi -
where, but I don't think we artr a
part of it.".
Tomorrow, read about the Dylans.
O(lJ Tim Walsh says, "I've not heard'
lot from the Dylans. I've seen 'e
once. They were... in Manchester.
I didn't think much of them, but they
were just developing then, jult
coming out. It was one of the fir#
gigs they got, but I don't know what
they're like now."
o ple who
nyone w TH AVE. AT UBERY 761470
$3 lf DIL SOWS BEFORE 6P
03.00 DAJLYA.DAY TUESDAY
STUDENT WITH I.D..
sfirst. - - - -- . .
mnt - .,-...*- ....-.-..-..I
tain NOW SHOING
LOVE WITHOUT PITY I
ing THE DOCTOR Pa.1f
swear, - BUY A 22oz. DRINK AND GET ONE
PRESENT THIS COUPON WITH PURCHASED
" J TICKET THRU 9/12/91
BeS evcinTw!BsSevcinTw!BsSevcinTw! e S eriei.on
0
MICHIGAN (
RLcORDS
WE ARE A
TICKET CENTER
1140 South University
(Above Good-Time Charley's)
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Ph: 663-5800
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sun. 11 a.m.- 8 p.m
.$g099
9on
loud CD!
This sale price
6 n
cassette!
Start your
collection of CDs
and cassettel
singles from our
jammed-full
department!
. Guara
. Bast ricI n lTomws
Put in your
This will be our
ad o1 the year!
. . i flJ ". . I'
"* " %ge ~
.U
Custom-er That's you. And I's easy to see wh
whether you're buying custom ier more services
sportswear for yourself or your else got th(
whole family, you-ll get the University
kind of service you deserve at here the custom(
University Spirit. And to emphasize
We provide the highest quality we're giving away
, custom and imprinted bike. So while yoi
garments anywhere. for the best Michig
enter to win yours
" mountain bi
J0
iy the Pei
a than ar
tat way.
Spirit.
ier come
s this po
a moun
ur shopp
an sport
elf a fre
bike.
S
I II
M,
I
* *
* SAVINGS ON BIG JOBS
Enter between Sept. 7 -Sept. 14.1991. FOR ALL CLUBS,
Drawing will be held on Sept. 16, 1991 BUSINESSES, AND
ORGANIZATIONS.
JNIVERSLT Y
S*P*I*RITRCU"
PRINTING CENTER
The Largest Selection of Michigan Sportswear Anywhere. No Books. 401 E. HURON ST.
1203 S. University Ann Arbor + 313-761-2100 769-0560
THE ATTICA REBELLION AND U.S. PRISONS
I,
20 YEARS AFTER ATTICA
a night of relevant speakers, including ... .
FRANK "BIG BLACK" SMITH
Elected to re present the prisoners of his cell block during the 1971 Attica rebellion, he was singled out for brutal reprisals. Having survived torture,
false criminal charges and imprisonment, after 20 years he will soon get his day in court in a civil suit.
AHMAD ABDUR-RAHMAN
The imam of Muslim prisoners at Lakeland Men's Facility in Coldwater, he is a former Black Panther who has served over 20 years of a life
sentence imposed under a law that has since been repealed for a murder that he did not commit. He will speak from prison via a special telephone
hookup.
ALEJANDRINA TORRES
A Puerto Rican independence fighter held at Pleasanton Federal Women's Prison irn California, she claims the right to prisoner of war status under
international law. She will speak by special telephone link.
ZOLTON FERENCY
* ....
m
I
11
'I
*
S
Please Recycle
i
w - - -
C
Check out our HUGE
.
.::m
I
E
A