Is 'Heidi' speaks to everyone By MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO "I wrote this play because I had this image of a woman standing up at a woman's meeting saying,I've never been so unhappy in my life."' So said Wendy Wasserstein of her play "The The Heidi Chronicles Hilberry Theatre March 11, 1994 Heidi Chronicles." Since Wasserstein's goals for this play seem to contain such a feminist bent, one would expect all other viewpoints to be alienated in production. But not at Wayne State's Hilberry Theatre. The Hilberry company has liberated "The Heidi Chronicles" with extraordinary performances, and has brought out Wasserstein's message not only to women but to all people. Roxanne Wellington plays Heidi Holland, an art historian with a specialty in work by female artists. Through Heidi, Wasserstein transports us from 1989 to 1965, and then brings us up to the present. Laced with her own insights, opinions and always clever humor, Wasserstein gives us an accurate (or so my companion informed me) portrait of the Baby Boom generation, "the kids who grew up in the '50s, protested in the '60s, were the 'me's' of the '70s and the parents of the '80s." While the other characters in the play seem to be satellites revolving around Heidi, Wasserstein (with the help of a very adept cast) gives other characters a chance to develop - most notably Scoop Rosenbaum (Terry McInerney) and Peter Patrone (Christopher Newman), the men whose relationships with Heidi shape her the most. Terry McInerney does well with Scoop, the fast-talking lawyer/ journalist. Christopher Newman gets his well-deserved chance to shine as Peter, the sarcastic gay doctor, dubbed the "leading pediatrician in New York under 40." Newman gives Peter (the stereotypical gay friend) some depth, which is admirable and refreshing. An excellent ensemble rounds out Pearl Jam was being stingy and wouldn't allow us a photo pass, so here is a promotional photo of the group. Concert's one to remember After all the hassles, Pearl Jam simply entertains the production. Lynnae Lehfeldt does well with Susan, the comedy role; Jinny Pierce gets to let loose as Fran, the lesbian-"furry physicist from Ann Arbor." But it is Roxanne Wellington's honest and heartful portrayal of Heidi which makes Wasserstein's play work. Wellington executes smoothly the transition from the Heidi at the Eugene McCarthy rally to the Heidi the art historian to Heidi the single mother. And we are with her-rooting for her - every step of the way. Scene changes are aided well by a melange of rock music - everything from Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" to Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus." Neil Carpentier-Alting's sets serve as a wonderful frame; large canvases on wooden easels are sometimes paintings, sometimes windows, sometimes walls. Working jointly with the sets is Maja White's lighting design , making good use of projections; in fact, the two meld together so well that it's hard to tell which is responsible for what effect. It's hard to designate the parts for which Wasserstein deserves credit and the parts for which the actors deserve credit. Wasserstein's blend of wit and subtle commentary gives her a fresh slant on this generation. Through Heidi she creates the voice of women; through her other characters she creates the voice of a generation. At one point in the play Peter comments to Heidi, "My world gets narrower and narrower. A person has only so many close friends. And in our lives, our friends are our families." Peter is specifically referring to his position in the gay community, but Wasserstein (through Newman's Peter) allows the statement to apply to Heidi as a single woman. Wasserstein's play, through these adept portrayals, comes to life for not only the baby boomers who lived it, but for other people (this critic included) as well. THE HEIDI CHRONICLES runs in repertory through May 6 at the Hilberry Theatre (4743 Cass, Detroit). Tickets are $12 ($9 student), $14 ($11 student) and $16. Call (313) 577-2972 for specific days and times. By TOM ERLEWINE No matter how Pearl Jam played on Sunday night, the show would have been the concert of the year. No other show could have gathered as much hype, attention and frenzy as the boys from Seattle and very few nn rnrrs* r rvrriu :w CONCERT REVIEW 1 d .UVINU&M r«ricrr. 0 Pearl Jam Crisler Arena March 20, 1994 other concerts could have lived up to the hype, as Pearl Jam's performance did. Much like the Who in the '70s, Pearl Jam's power doesn't come across as well on record as it does in concert; their anthems were made to be heard live. In concert, the riffs are energized, the band is tighter and the rhythm section is more supple and funky. Naturally, the center of attention is Eddie Vedder, but that is almost by default - nobody else in the band possesses any sort of charisma, no matter how talented they are as musicians. Vedder, on the other hand, is relentlessly charismatic, continuously prowling the stage, hunching over his microphone, shaking hands, playing with the microphone cord and dripping wax from the numerous candles on stage. Vedder spends most of the concert holed up into himself, concentrating on his performance, making his explosions all the more energetic. During their nearly two-hour set, Pearl Jam ripped through nearly all of their hits, beginning the show with "Jeremy" (which wasn't played the previous night in Detroit) and including almost half of "Ten" and "Vs." and both of their songs from the "Singles" soundtrack, among other rarities. The very length of the show worked against the band - after a while, the sheer volume of songs and the band's intensity is simply exhausting, not exhilarating. Still; .he music that was there was splendid. Pearl Jam's music is arena rock of the highest order - gigantic songs with enormous riffs, sing-a-long choruses, righteous anger and terrific, unironic performances. So it's too bad that the power of the music was over-shadowed by the external factors of the concert. Of course, getting tickets was nearly as difficult as winning the lottery, but forget about that for a moment. At Crisler arena there were at least three security checks - checking your wristband as well as your ticket stub - before anyone could enter the main floor. Before the show, no one was allowed to stand on the main floor, everybody had to sit, so the place looked like a giant love-in. Once the opening act Grant Lee Buffalo hit the stage, everybody surged forward as if it was Pearl Jam. After seeing and hearing that GLB's rock is not as mosh-ready as Pearl Jam's, they settled down for a while; surprisingly, after a few songs, the crowd was very receptive to the band. It became clear that most of the REEARCH HEORMAUM Largest Ubrary of Information in U.S. 19.278 TOWS CS ALL SUBJECTS Order C4a1iog Toay with Visa MC or COD 00 8O-351-0222 Or, rush $2 00 to Research Information 11322 Idaho Ave #206-A Los Angeles CA 90025 audience got tickets from scalpers. No matter. Anyone who paid that much money deserves to go to the show. But because of that, the audience acted differently than most. Instead of the violent moshing of most concerts at St. Andrew's (or even Nirvana at the State Fairground) it was pretty tame, with a lot of pogoing and mild body-surfing - it was a crowd of people that learned how to mosh through the "Evenflow" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" videos. But that again represents the greatest triumph of Pearl Jam - they have unknowingly popularized a once-underground culture. Now, they're trying to ignore their popularity while playing into stadium- rock conventions, not only eagerly but honestly. Pearl Jam's music is genuinely heart-felt, making their concerts more than a standard arena- rock experience. It is the kind of concert that people will remember 20 years from now. "The Heidi Chronicles" brings the Hilberry Theatre to life through May 6. S M est.197 ActionSoortsMar SALE! SALE! 419 E. Liberty 2 Blocks off State 6&3-6771 ANGELL SCHOLARS The following students were among those recognized during the Honors Convocation program on Sunday, March 20. These individuals have demonstrated the highest level of undergraduate academic success by achieving seven or more consecutive terms of all A's and earning the designation Angell Scholar. The University of Michigan congratulates these students on their superior scholastic achievement and wishes them continued success. SEVEN TERM ANGELL SCHOLARS Hook The Big One! Inko's the copy center L) In Celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Office of Minority Student Services Proudly Presents The Honorable Harry Lee, J.D. Eric L. Austin Ryan Lee Baker Elizabeth Bidigare* Rachel M. Blum* Sharon Braslaw Liam Patrick Caffrey Brian Chen James Edward Hartnett Karl David Iagnemma Brian Kalt N. Goldie Mantel Cynthia D. Montgomery Duane Quinn Nykamp Carolynn M. 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