The Michigan Daily- Friday, April 17,1992-Page 9 Rouan outdoes *Chekhov Overseas dir. rig itte R ousn by Aaron Hamburger The latest trend in movies these * days seems to be female actor-direc- tors. Jodie Foster got the ball rolling vith Little Man Tate last fall. Then Bh rbra Streisand followed with The Prince of Tides. Now Brigitte Rouan directs and stars in the French film Overseas. In her first film, a com- lex, wistful tale of three women from French colonial Algeria, Rouan outacts and outdirects both Foster and Streisand. - In Overseas, Rouan traces the lives of three sisters by focusing on them one at a time. The film begins with the story of Zon (Nicole Garcia), the moralizing, intensely obsessive sister who gets married so Was Eve really a party animal? Zon (Nicole Garcia) and Gritte (Marianne Basler) bask in the Algerian sun. she can depend on her husband her entire life, and then go insane when he dies. At this point, the film backtracks and shows the same scenario from the perspective of Malrne, played by Rouan with fierce energy. A born manager a la Scarlett O'Hara, Malrne throws herself into her hus- band's business, while he stays at home and reads books. Finally, Rouan tells the pitiful story of Gritte (Marianne Basler), the youngest sister who has a predilection for long engagements and a forbidden Arab man. In the hands of a lesser director, the narrative device of showing the three different points of view of the sisters would simply exist to show the differences between the three main characters. The strength of Overseas lies in the fact that Rouan cleverly reveals the nature of French colonial rule in Algeria and the op- pression of the native Arab popula- tion. In the first segment, the Arabs never appear, but are referred to with distaste. In the second, the film shows the Arabs who are lucky enough to get underpaid jobs for See OVERSEAS, Page 10 America, America dir. Annemarie Stoll Performance Network April 12, 1992 My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty ... or maybe not. Is the country we call home really a melting pot or are we only con- cerned with ourselves? Do we really practice what we preach or do we just preach? Does "Pizza Tom" Monaghan really believe in God or does he just think he's God himself? This month the Performance Network raises these questions with America, America, a satire of today's capitalistic society. Playwright Jay Steilstra has created a musical that deals both with the complex and the mundane, although distinguishing between the two can sometimes be difficult. Steilstra, who also wrote North Country Opera and Tittabawasee Jane, takes good old Midwestern- style music and combines it with modern slams on conservative America. From the talk show to the corner bar to Cloud Nine, Steilstra pokes fun at the Yanks of today. The Company (Peter Ferguson, Sally Horvath, Anne Jackson, Robert Starko and Matt Watroba) seemed at first to be an amateur cast who was rough around the edges, but it turned out to be a surprisingly well- matched, synchronized group. Each player's talents eventually came shining through, cohesively thread- ing together Stielstra's sketches. Ferguson, who sang under the alias of "Pontiac Pete," was the shin- ing star of the show. A local country singer, Ferguson made his acting de- but in top form. He convincingly played many characters, and his great voice was showcased in many songs such as "I Know I'm Home." Ferguson's wildly energetic por- trayal of an NDA (National Dy- namite Association) representative was hysterically funny, as he pro- claimed the benefits of high explo- sives and nuclear warfare for the general public. The obviously scathing attack on the NRA made Ferguson's parody all the more bit- ing. Also giving a stellar performance was Jackson. Her "party animal" portrayal of Eve, who became bummed out when she was kicked out of the party in the garden of Eden, demonstrated her comic abil- ity to lampoon women. She contin- ued the effort playing a lusty Christian bookstore proprietor who continually came on to customers while preaching faulty logic in de- fense of her actions. The best part of Mishka Dudash's simplistic set was the large-scale map of the United States. Iden- tifiable objects were attached to the map, indicating well-known areas of the country such as a record for Motown, poker chips for Vegas, and a dancing Statue of Liberty for New York City. The Hawaiian-shirt clad band consisted of five musicians led by Kelly Schmidt. Right on cue and perfectly casually, the band added that familiar Midwestern flavor to the show with variations on folk See AMERICA, Page 10 T-SHIRT PRINTERY * Ax's MULTI-COLOR PRINTING CHAMPS! * STAFF ARTIST SUPPORT. *2-DAY RUSHSERVICE AVAILABLE. * U-M P.O.#'s ACCEPTED. * LOCATED ACROSS THE BRIDGE FROM GANDY DANCER. NEED AN APARTMENT IN CHICAGO? WE MANAGE OVER 2,000 APARTMENTS IN CHICAGO'S BEST NEIGHBORHOODS BEAUTIFUL COURTYARDS - VINTAGE WALK-UPS ELEGANT HI-RISES Studios froms$350 One Bedrooms from $450 Two Bedrooms from $775 WE ARE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK SUPERA PROPERTIES 312-549-8300 1 I 5% DISCOUNT WITH THIS AD 994-1367 1002 PONTIAC TRAIL ANN ARBOR * MINIMUM ORDER 12 SHIRTS CELEBRATE EASTER at The University Lutheran Chapel 1511 Washtenaw, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 m gate.CHINESE FOOD EF JAN EXPERIENCE TOP GOLD MEDAL WINNER OF DETROIT COBO HALL NATIONAL CONTEST WINNER WASHINGTONIAN BLUE RIBBON BEST CHEF AWARD IN WASHINGTON, D.C. "BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT 1991"-MichiganDaily "BEST OVERALL RESTAURANT 1991"-Michigan Daily "BEST CHINESE RESTAURANT 199 1-Metro Times I'15 Q OFF DINNER MENU with tis ad * Expires May 1, 1992 Lap"Oin ut orDnln n Reservations 868-2445. DINE IN OR TAKE OUT SERVICE 1201 S. UnIversIty 9668-2445 * Open 10:30 a.m. -18 p.m. HALF OFF*, TILL FALL AT WILLOWTREE GOOD FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY Located on Plymouth Road 2 Miles west of U.S. 23 Directl across from U-M North Campus W *Certain conditions apply. Lease expires 7/31/93. Presented by HALL FINANCIAL GROUP, INC. 769-1313 Mon. - Fri., 9-5:30 Sat., 12-4 . Sun., Closed ILLOWTREE April 17: Crucifixion Four Readings of Passion History-12 noon, 1, 2, 3 p.m. Tenebrea Service-7:30 p.m. April 18: Easter Vigil-11 p.m. April 19: Breakfast-9 p.m., Festival of the Ressurection Service-8, 10:30 a.m. gold bond cleaners I- - Amazin' Blue- A co-ed a capetla singing ensemble. Comedy Company- A student- directed and written comedy troupe that perorms once a term and has travelled to other 8i 10hschools. Homecoming - As official University coordinators of Homecoming, UAC plans the parade, float contest, pep rally, and many other campus-wide activities. Michigras - Brings the festive atmospfhere ofeMardi-Gras to U ofdM North Ca-mp pisus ad College Bowl - A competitive quiz trivia contest, beginning with an intramural tournament whose champions travel to contest during the winter term. Mini-Courses - Each term, over 30 noncredit course are offered, ranging from aerobic dance to sign language. Tech Crew - Supplies and monitors the necessary sound and lighting equipment for all the events UJAC sponsors. Committee Chair applications are available at UAC, 2105 Mich Union. For more information call 763-1107. Don't send your winter clothes home - Store themfor the Summer! 332 Maynard St. across from Nickels Arcade 668-6335 668-7017 Chicago's biggest heartbreaker is about to meet his match Pal Joey "llmvol A muammoth tdunmphl The best and boldest Amecn u d - in yars THE PLAYEW' keeps you Laughing ConStantly! Robbins delvers a classic pelfornance, i/ gvr Comic and lethal nuance in the rode Ofhisareer.f A ROBER ALTMAN FILM IIM ROBRIM REIR CMM BR Polai HULLYwUDoI' ERY1HINE YOOTY How can you put the power of AUTOCAD; the world's best-selling design and drafting software, to work for you?