Page 8-The Michigan Daily-Friday, September 13,1991 If my friends could only see me now... i Sweet Charity The Lydia Mendelssohn Theater Wednesday, September 11, 1991 The orchestra blared out the overture's first sexy, raunchy notes of "Big Spender" with such energy that it took the audience by surprise. And as the AACT's version of Sweet Charity continued, the elec- tricity flowed effusively. The per- formances of several of the actors, the musical numbers, and the cos- tumes and the lighting made for an ,exuberant production. As Charity Hope Valentine, a beleaguered but optimistic dime-a- dance girl, Sue Booth conveyed with ease the determined sense of hope and boundless love for which her character stands. Her comedic ges- tures were lively and well-timed. During the "Charity's Soliloquy" number, Booth clearly expressed the loathing that the hostesses felt when they had to dance with a sleaze. A scene with Vittorio Vidal (Peter Kentes), a dashing if obtuse Italian film star, also played well. The supporting actors com- plemented Charity's energy, specifi- cally John 0. Renken as Oscar, the "normal" boyfriend, and Charity's two dance hall pals, Helene and Nickie (Sharon Sussman and Sharon Bianca Greene). Renken's hilarious portrayal of a claustrophobe in a trapped elevator helped to carry along the first act's otherwise flat ending. The hostesses at the dance bar, led by Nickie and Helene, con- sistently received laughs for their apathetic come-on lines. And the harmony between Sussman, Greene and Booth, as the three dream of pedestrian careers in the song "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This," was emotionally charged. Sweet Charity showcases several large chorus numbers. Most notable in the production were the "Rich Man's Frug" and the "Rhythm of Life" songs, which successfully combined toe-tapping music with modern dance choreography. While the chorus itself was not always strong vocally, they filled the stage with force. Perhaps what stole the show was the lighting and costumes (respectively designed by Thom Johnson and Chris Reising). As the musical was a period piece set in 1966, the lighting was primarily in trippy and lurid fluorescent. This quality worked well in the "Rich Man's Frug," a dance club scene fea- turing some aloof, oh-so-mod, mi- cro-minied aristocrats. The cos- tumes definitely helped the viewer relate to the period, with baby doll dresses for the hostesses and plat- form shoes and polyester plaid for their dance hall customers. One large problem with the performance was not the fault of the company, but had to do with the script itself. Sweet Charity is a long play, and the dialogue is dated. Some jokes are no longer relevant to to- day's society; they're just not as funny anymore. To tighten up the performance, since the musical numbers still appeal to the audience, some editing of the original play would have made it more enjoyable overall. Even the AACT's vigorous performance could not lift the play from some of the holes in the dia- logue, but the energy level certainly made the evening worthwhile. Sweet Charity will be per- formed at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater through September 14. For more information, call 763-1085. -Diane Frieden .1 Ouch! Ann Arbor Dance Works returns with a melee of creative energy. Faculty choreographers Peter Sparling, Linda Spriggs, Gay Delanghe, and Jessica Fogel and music director Stephen Rush will present recent or premiere compositions in a jam-packed program. Inspirations include Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and poetry by Langston Hughes and A.R. Ammons. Here, Dance Department chair Peter Sparling shakes his booty in "Double Exposure," a duet with Janet Lilly in which the dancers play randy outcasts of an urban disco-land. Gee, sounds like The Wiz. La Femme Nikita dir. Luc Besson Luc Besson is not just hip, he's ultrahip. No, he's super-ultraiber- hip. His hipness pours out of his body, runs down his legs and forms pools of blue fire around his feet. He is, for all intents and purposes, Johnny Depp-on-earth. Besson's first film, Metro (or Subway, in the English-dubbed ver- sion that's most common in video stores), starred a dyed-white Christophe Lambert as a tuxedo- wearing vagabond. He traversed the nooks and crannies of the Paris sub- way with a bunch of surreal out- casts looking to form a rock band, while simultaneously being chased by two detectives named Batman and Robin who spoke in French but swore in English. The director's latest film, L a Femme Nikita, is equally hip. The basic plot: a Parisian street urchin (Besson's wife, Anne Parillaud) kills a cop; she's (of course!) re- cruited into the French secret ser- vice as an assassin; she gets good at 5TH AVE. AT LIBERTY 761.9700 $3DAIL HW BEFORE 6 PM 3.00 ALLDAY TUESDAY STUDENT WITh I.D. $3.50 GOODRICH QUALITY THEATERS for UAC / MUSKET's Production of II it; she falls in love; she starts get- ting a conscience; and things go wrong. Yeah, but what does Besson care about a plot anyway? He's in- terested in slick-looking shots, cool technology and playing tag with the idea of America (a central part of every hip Europsyche). So, I guess what I'm saying is, don't go to this movie to be moved, but go to laugh and to lap up the juices of a plastic France that wants to be a cellophane America. La Femme Nikita will be playing Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 and 9:00 in MLB 3. -- Mike Kuniavsky See CAMPUS, Page 9 FINK Continued from page 5 ing Coen triumph of style over sub- stance. Members of the "I-didn't- get-it-so-it-must-be-good" school of criticism will revel in Fink's ab- surdities. The rest of us will just say "Huh?" and hope the Coen brothers will hire a good screen- writer soon. I Monday, September 16 @7:00pm in the Anderson Room of the Union I W I L L IAM H U R THE DtOCTORI Cannes Film Festival Winner- Best film Best actor-sBest direction BA RTON AFI K U-M Program in Film and Video Studies and U-M Center for Afroamerican and African Studies Present "Race" Films A series of independent African American and all-black cast films from 1926 to 1953. Friday, September 13-- An Oscar Micheaux Double Bill Al El Buy a 22 oz. drink and get one PR E SE NT THIS COUPON WITH "PURCHASED TICKET THRU 9/20/91 --% i BARTON FINK starts today at the Ann Arbor 1 & 2. God's Stepchildren (1936) Murder in Harlem (1939) Short: "Minnie the Moocher" with Cab Calloway. S. MAIN STADIUM STADIUM ANN ARBOR- SALINE ROAD / S. MAIN WESTSIDE DELI 2220 South Main Street In Woodland Plaza 769-9470 Following God's Stepchildren, Bill Harris, Chief Curator, The Museum of African American History (Detroit), will speak about "Race" Films and Oscar Micheaux. 7 pm - Angell Hall Auditorium A FREE The "Race" Films Series will continue September 20, 27, October 4 F x 47 . r- Under New Management " * ********************************** TALL YOU CAN EAT * PIZZA SLICES .. * HAM OR PEPPERONI * THURSDAYS & SUNDAYS * 4-9PM u8PM * DON'T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR FOOTBALL PARTY SUBS! 2 TO 8 FEET! The S t Oganization De pment Center Presents 43 ALL rganizations' 1 L JOIN THE FUN AND FIND OUT HOW TO GET INVOLVED AT THE UNIVERSITY THE GREAT WALL ' r i RESTAURANT I TODAY, ON THE DIAG 1 u." Specializing in Szechuan, Hunan, and Cantonese " Dinners and Lunches - Carry-outs N N t Best New Restaurant--1988 I ,I , , . I II :I