12 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 13, 1994 'Six Degrees' of closeness at Hilberry a#I By MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO The story of John Guare's "Six Degrees of Separation" falls into the category of "strange but true." It's Six Degrees' of Separation Hilberry Theatre November 28, 1994 this strange tale more than you'd like. The play opens in the East Side, high-rise Manhattan apartment of Flan and Ouisa Kittredge (Michael Hankins and Lynnae Lehfeldt), two private art dealers. (Flan and Ouisa - have you ever heard two more nouveaux-riche names?) They appear violated, horrified and aghast, and they proceed to tell us their story. Flan and Ouisa are wooing a rich friend/potential investor, and their soiree is interrupted by a bleeding stranger claiming to have been mugged. The young Black man, Paul (Kevin Kenerly), claims to know their kids from Harvard, so they take him in, clean him up and give him their son's pink shirt. Within minutes the four are enjoying a gourmet dinner (which Paul has prepared), as Paul sips brandy and tells them tales of his father, Sidney Poitier. Coincidentally, Dad is making a movie of "Cats" and would they all like to be extras? The rest of the play goes on to show similar incidents and the after- math of those incidents with other couples, as Paul cons his way into their homes and their hearts. "Six Degrees of Separation" refers tothetheory thatevery person is "bound to every one on this planet by a trail of six people," writes John Guare. That theory is never illustrated in the play, but since "every person is a new door, opening to other worlds," Guare has created wonderfully rich characters from Flan and Ouisa down to the parade of incidentals which traverses the stage. As the strength of the script lies in its creation of well-rounded charac- ters, the strength of this production lies in the rendering of those charac- ters. Especially outstanding are Bartholomew Philip Williams as one of those things you discuss at a cocktail party, gesturing broadly with one hand and clutching a glass of White Zinfandel with the other. But when it is rendered in as fine a production as the Hilberry Theatre's (running in repertory through Febru- ary 3), you can't help but be drawn into Paul's mentor and Larry J. Campbell as a gullible actor, both of whom get screwed (literally) by Paul. Kevin Kenerly gives an astound- ing and courageous performance as Paul, making him soft enough to be You'll look at these people and wonder how they could have been taken In. You'll vow never to be so gullible. But somehow it will ring a little too true. sympathetic but hard enough to be a convincing con artist. Michael Hankins is also quite strong as Flan. The only faltering performance comes from, surprisingly, Lynnae Lehfeldt. Ouisa needs to reach out to Paul while standing by Flan, and while Lehfeldt projects those conflicting emotions, her sincerity is a little un- believable. Neil Carpentier-Alting has designed an unrestrained art-deco apartment, with avery nice floating two-sided Kadinsky painting. The partition/screen is a nice touch; the silhouettes of Paul and the hustler having sex is much more strik- ing than the full view. Missing is the in-your-face naked hustler which stirred up the Broad- way production. Here, when Ouisa discovers Paul and the hustler, David Orley bursts out in an abbreviated black bikini, and that is just as effec- tive (if not more so). You'll look at these people and wonder how they could have been taken in. You'll vow never to be so gullible. But somehow it will ring a little too true. You'll find yourself sucked in by Paul's art as well. You'll be drawn in as much by his charm as by the promise of appearing in the movie of "Cats." And that is where Guare is successful. He hits that weak- ness in all of us, and you'll be sur- prised at the results. Ann Arbor's own Big Chief will blow the roof off St. Andrews on Saturday. Big Chief comes home By MARK CARLSON Nail down the furniture, lock the kids in their rooms and start pumping iron - Big Chief is coming home. That's right, Ann Arbor's favorite rock gods are bringing their powerful blend of funk, soul and hardcore back to their old stomping grounds for the final show on their current U.S. tour. Along with tour mates the Goats and Dandelion, Big Chief is set to rock St. Andrew's Hall just in time for the holidays. The Chief are definitely ready to rock Detroit once again. "By the end of a tour, we're, like, totally tight, and can really rock through the stuff," said the Chief's main man and lead vocalist Barry Henssler, commenting on how they usually start tours off in Detroit, when the band isn't at the top of their form. With what the band refers to as a "really strong bill" of themselves, the Goats, and Dandelion, Big Chief has been touring nationwide in support of their major-label debut album, "Plati- num Jive." While "Jive" and their previous album, "Mack Avenue Skull Game" (released on the ultra-famous Sub Pop record label), both incorpo- rated a vast arsenal of funk, soul and even hip-hop, with the patented Big Chief power crunch, fans should ex- pect a more stripped-down live show. While the band is quick to use such embellishments as horn sections and backup singers in the studio, taking a whole entourage out on the road can get pretty ridiculous. Henssler ex- plained, "The Goats take care of the more straight-up hip-hop kinda vibe, and we're just doin' our rock thing." Translation: Secure all valuables and stay close to the door. This probably means that the band will be playing quite a few of their older ditties from their first two full length albums, "Drive It Off' and "Face." As far as the "Mack Avenue" material goes, expect to hear some pretty different interpretations. Though considered by most of See CHIEF, Page 17 SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION runs in repertory through February 3 at the Hilberry Theatre in Detroit. Tickets range from $9 to $16. For specific dates and times, or ticket information, call (313) 577-2972. Lynnae Lehfeldt, Michael Hankins and Kevin Kenerly star in "Six Degrees of Separation" at the Hilberry Theatre. I Innovation Opportunity .1 ZS Associates is a rapidly growing, entrepreneurial consulting firm old, we work in 49 countries, employ 125 professionals, and have driven by creativity and enterprise. Just 10 years offices on both sides of the Atlantic. We combine our knowledge of sales and marketing issues with sophisticated analytical techniques and innovative software tools to provide clients with real-world solutions. 7S nffers careers opportunities to talented people who want to make a difference. 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