ARTS
The Michigan Daily Friday, October 9, 1992 Page 8
'Life' of Vietnam
by Adrienne Burhans
After films such as "Platoon" and "Casualties of War," Vietnam
seems like old news. But the Serpent's Tooth Theatre (SIT) presents a
unique look at Vietnam's affects on veterans and American society in its
production of the Broadway Obie Award winner "Still Life," written by
Emily Mann, author of "Execution of Justice."
Set in 1980, "Still Life" is a docu-drana about a 29 year-old Vietnam
veteran, Mark, and the two women in his life - his wife Cheryl and his
souhnate Nadine. Mark is a struggling artist who can't put the war be-
hind him in a physically abusive relationship with his wife. Mark's pho-
tographic record of the war is presented in a multi-media pastiche while
the characters tell the audience their stories. The three characters are
present on the stage throughout the performance.
"Still Life" was written based on interviews with Vietnam Veterans.
However some local Vietnam Veterans have protested the play's accu-
racy while others have recognized it as their own experience. In order to
facilitate discussion, a symposium titled "Vietnam Since the War" will
be held after the October 4th Sunday matinee performance at 4:00 p.m.
featuring Veteran Marshall Gaines who will speak on his perspective of
the war, as well as a veteran who opposed the play, and someone of
Vietnamese decent.
STT Literary Manager/playwright/composer-in-residence Kenn
Pierson believes the audience will draw their own conclusions about the
war. "The staging is very unconventional," Pierson said. "The director,
Michael Geiger, told the actors to pretend they were in group therapy.
The characters spontaneously talk to the audience. They each have their
own location on stage. Unaware of each other their monologues are in-
terspersed throughout the performance simultaneously. The audience
will feel like they are having a one-on-one conversation with the charac-
ters."
Pierson hopes the audience will come away with a realistic idea of
the impact Vietnam had on society and its veterans. "There are many
misconceptions about Vietnam," he said. "We want the audience to see
the effects of war from a realistic point of view* and why it is so
important to prevent war."
STILL LIFE performances will be held at the Performance Network
tonight and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets
are $10 general admission and $8 seniors/students. For information call
437-3264 or 663-0681.
Free Hepatitis B Vaccine
Students, age 18 and older, who are eligible for university health service,
with no prior history of Hepatitis B infection or vaccination and who are not
pregnant, are eligible. Must not be in any health science program that
recommends Hepatitis B vaccination (Nursing, Medical, Dental, Lab
Science, etc.)
MUST BE ABLE TO COMPLETE A SIX MONTH STUDY PERIOD.
Contact:
Allergy & Immunization Clinic, University Health Services
207 Fletcher, Ann Arbor, Michigan Phone: 313-764-8304
8:30 am (9:15 am on Thurs)-11:00 am; 12:30 pm-4:00 pm
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If nothing else, "Four Bitchin' Babes" (Julie Gold, Sally Fingerett, Megon McDonough, and Christine Lavin (left to right)) can act "photogenic."
Four Bitchin Babes in Arborland
by Andrew Cahn
Anyone who's ever been to the
Arb, Borders or the Michigan
Theater knows that Ann Arbor is
one of the world's leading centers of
"Sensitive New Age Guys." That's
right, those balding middle aged
men who dress like Richard
Simmons and carry babies in
backpacks.
When the Four Bitchin' Babes
sing their song about this peculiar
breed tonight, it will be these men
who will have the last laugh, for had
they all decided to not live in this
area, the Babes would certainly not
be able to pack a place as big as the
Power Center.
"Ann Arbor is an oasis," said
Christine Lavin, possibly the best
known member of the group,
"because it's had the club, the Ark,
for years, and its had the University.
It's really an intellectual town. A lot
of (contemporary folk artists) don't
play for hundreds of miles around it,
but it's a place we play all the time."
The last time they were in town
was this past January, when they
were one of the leading acts in the
Ann Arbor Folk Festival. The objec-
tive of the festival is to present some
of the Ark's favorite performers to a
large audience at Hill Auditorium to
boost their mailing lists, record sales
and general recognition. Obviously,
they were a big hit, for they are now
headlining a show at the Power
Center.
"Of course we'll be wearing our
power outfits, and taking our power
lunches there," Lavin said.
Anyway, the double whammy
they received because of the festival
was that the band in itself is a show-
case of four solo performers, each
performing her material with the
others backing up. All four women
- Lavin, Megan McDonough, Sally
Fingerett, and Julie Gold - have
their own individual careers and fol-
lowings, but do not put them on hold
or abandon them for the sake of a
mercenary super group. The Babes
are basically four friends helping
each other out.
Their objective, though not on as
grand a scale, is much like
CSN&Y's; a group whose success
has resulted from emphasizing the
individuality of the members over
the permanence and uninterrupted
unity of the actual group.
"Were all pals," Lavin said.
"Sally and Megan each have chil-
dren at home and they only come
once or twice a month to do these
shows. What will add to the
longevity of what we're doing is that
we're not in each other's faces all
the time."
On the other hand she said that
recording a studio album has
changed things a bit. "What the
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record made us do is rehearse
more," she said. "It's been very fun
tossing out harmonies and not being
very exact in what we're doing. We
now need more intense rehearsal
time because we've only scratched
the surface of what we can do with
each other, both vocally and
musically."
Stylistically, each of the four
women are unique enough to keep
the show from sounding homoge-
nous, yet not so distant as to turn the
show into a mess. Lavin is like a
perky, yet cynical cheerleader,
Fingerett is the serious, literary Joni
Mitchell type, McDonough is a well-
versed musical historian, and Gold is
a Brill Building-esque, NYC tune-
smith.
The most important aspect of the
group is that each member's songs
bring out sides of the others on stage
that are not usually seen. Even
though Fingerett is all business
when she performs her emotional
"Home is Where the Heart Is," she
really hams it up on Lavin's quirkier
numbers. Even though they have
been performing as solo artists for
years, their vocal abilities and
knowledge of musical theory
becomes most apparent when they
harmonize. It is especially effective'
on the more serious tunes, like
Gold's "From a Distance." (Yes, it's
that Desert Storm song.)
There are some who think they
should stick to more numbers like
those, and that the comic elements
get a bit tired after a while. One
Lavinhead I know said he wasn't
planning to go to the show because,
as he said, "Do I really need to hear
'Prisoners of Their Hairdos' again?"
Paraphrasing Lavin' s lyrics, how-
ever, that guy is just a prisoner of his
thoughts, and that's worse than
being a prisoner of his hair.
BUY ME, BRING ME, TAKE ME,
DON'T MESS MY HAIR! LIFE
ACCORDING TO THE FOUR
BITCHIN' BABES will be at the
Power Center tonight at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $17.50. For more info
call 763-TKTS.
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