The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 17, 1997 - 9 'Barrymore' traces life of Broadway star By Tyler Patterson For the Daily On a rented stage for a single night, a legendary Broadway and Hollywood actor must find a way to reclaim his stage prowess. John Barrymore stag- gers out of the wing, drunk and deject- ed, and a future Broadway show begins. Barrym ore, played by a Hollywood and \ Broadway legend in his own right, Music Christopher Plummer, is an old Through Jan. 1 man. He cannot remember lines anymore and he has trouble focusing on the moment, often drifting to narratives on different points his life. At one moment, he could bring to life his esteemed grandmother, "Mum Mum." At the next, he might tell a funny story about his shameless broth- er or his drunken father. Or he might give touching tribute to his departed friend, Ned, who pushed him to suc- ceed. The voice that occasionally calls from the wing, Frank (Michael Mastro), is Barrymore's prompter. He calls in the lines that Barrymore forgets and, with increasing impatience, pleads with Barrymore to focus. Frank's lack of physical presence keeps the spotlight on Barrymore, and rightfully so. Barrymore's drunken nasti- REVIEW Barrymorm Hall Center for the Performing Arts 19, 1997. Call 963-2366 Barrymore than character, based same name who from 1920 to ness is often funny and always sincere, partly because he is alone on stage and partly because of Plummer's delivery. It's hard to imag- ine a better fit for Plummer. Like the on the actor of the. starred in 34 movies 1941, Christopher and give full range to the text. Written by William Luce, author of other stage biographies, including "The Belle of Amherst" about Emily Dickinson, the prose offers a mix of reflection, humor and philosophy. As an actor proficient with the classics, Barrymore is allowed the leeway to quote the great works of Shakespeare. Rather than detract, Luce's structure provides perfect poetry to an old actor's diminishing ability. Luce's reflective style, with Plummer's inspired delivery, humanizes Barrymore to levels of raw and shame- less vulnerability, that only we, as strangers, could understand. Had we known Barrymore, we never could have seen him as he was then: childish and spoiled, apologetic and proud. An old man, Barrymore is haunted by a number of things: his career, his family, Ned and his ex-wives. Always mixing humor with revelation, Barrymore describes his marriages: "I wasn't good enough for any of my wives ... but I didn't tell them! I let it come as a surprise." We learn more about the man and his departure from the world of theater to Hollywood, where blackboards with his lines written on them are strategically placed around the set. As we discover the troubling dynamics of his family, his love for his ex-wives and his scandals, we see a dynamic and pained individual. His success as an actor makes his failure as a person all the more painful, while his age begins to take its toll. It is easy to feel sorry for Barrymore, yet there is something triumphant about the way he struggles. His brilliant hon- esty and humor, in spite of the misery he's feeling, add a nobility that recalls the professionalism of an age when the- ater was born and reborn every evening. We are reminded of a time when Broadway actors represented a kind of elite status given more often nowadays to professional athletes. In March, one of those actors, Barrymore, will be returning to Broadway for the first time in more than 50 years. It can be assured that every night when "Barrymore" hits the stage in New York, as it did in Detroit, an important part of theater will again find life. Plummer has spent a lifetime acting. Since the age of 17, Plummer has been acting professionally, and his experi- ence carries over well on stage. Plummer's voice is full of rich histo- ry, deep and grating, bellowing his lines with the full of thespian power. His movements around the set, staged mas- terfully by Gene Saks, are meaningful U Christopher Plummer stars as John Barrymore in William Luce's play. II U Chaq's back with a third"% time charm Shaquille O'Neal You Cant STOP the REIGN *terscope It seems that Shaquille O'Neal's life has recently been about radical changes. He left Florida to be a Laker (guess he heard Snoop's conversation with that kid on his newest release, "The Doggfather"). To top it off, he's released his third album. And this one is actually good! I guess the third time ally is the charm. "You Can't STOP the REIGN" has some pretty decent raps in it. His trib- utes to his stepfather ("It Was All a Dream") and his fraternity (the his- torically black Omega Psi Phi - "Big Dog Stomp") are two examples of Shaq's much-improved studio flow. His vocal action has been strength- ened not only in delivery, but also in versatility. "Shaq Diesel" and "Shaq Fu - da eturn" can't begin to touch "You Can't STOP the REIGN" in the number of differing cuts it contains. On this album, Shaq's transitions range from the rap ballad ("Let's Wait a While") to more hardened sounds ("Edge of Night"). And no less impressive is the sheer 9 Collage promises variety Shaq released a good album this time. number of top-ranked rap guests who appear on this album. Mobb Deep joins our 7-foot backboard smasher on "Legal Money." Lord Tariq and Jay-Z dish out some memorable rhymes on "No Love Lost," which incidentally has some of the best beats of any song on this album. Snoop, NAS and Biggie Smalls also give a taste of their money-making lyrics. "You Can't STOP the REIGN" can't make up for two weak albums released in the past few years, but it does serve as a starting point for other, more pro- fessional releases worthy of a listen. It'll be interesting to see whether Shaq really has improved and honed what I never before acknowledged as true rapping skills, or if "You Can't STOP the REIGN" is just a fluke occur- rence of good luck - like the occa- sional, pearl-guarding clam. - Eugene Bowen By Stephanie Love For the Daily It only happens once a year: More than 300 School of Music students col- laborate in a conglomeration of every musical genre imaginable. Tonight's 20th annual Collage Concert, featuring 18 performances by 15 groups from P1 the School of Music, promises to Col be one of the most impressive con- Free admission certs of this term. ticket from Hi The Collage Concert is presented by a member of the conducting faculty on a rotating basis. This year the artistic director, or "collage czar," is Kenneth Kiesler, director of University Orchestras at the School of Music. But as Kiesler said, the success of a concert of this nature depends on the work of many people behind the scenes. The technical aspects of the concert are coordinated by Roger Arnett, who has put in many hours of hard work to make sure the staging of each group runs smoothly. In addition, Kiesler relies on the talents of a stage manager, a score reader and lighting, sound and recording staff. According to Kiesler, the concert functions "like a collage or kaleido- scope of the great variety of activities available at the School of Music. Just like in a collage, you have many differ- ent pictures adjacent. The audience can hear a seamless fabric of jazz, contem- IL )n w Hill , porary art music, string quartet, band, orchestra, improvisation, opera, etc." Additionally, Kiesler has faced the reality of turning the technologically outdated Hill Auditorium into a con- ducive modern "theater." As Kiesler noted, "Hill Auditorium is not a theater in E V I E W terms of sophisti- cated lighting. The age Concert logistics of getting Tonight at 8:15 the performers on Hill Auditorium and off stage and with general admission Auditorium Box Office the lighting aspects always cre- ate a challenge." Despite the difficulties posed by a concert featuring so many different per- formers, Kiesler finds that "one of the most enjoyable times is the dress rehearsal when most of the School of' Music is all there together. It's fun to be able to hear everyone else. "Usually a classical concert has two or three kinds of groups. But with this con- cert there are so many different kinds of music. The exciting, jarring, thrilling jux- taposition of those groups means that you can have orchestral music going into jazz into marimba into musical theater into string quartet," said Kiesler. A live concert always has the poten- tial for unexpected surprises. Kiesler's idea of insurance for a successful con- cert lies in the preparation. "You always do the best preparation you can do - but it's a live perfor- mance, so you never know what's going to happen." . - Ann Sportswi for 1119 S. University Arbor, Mkhigan 48104 (313) 747-8272 oss from Goad 'tim.bnh.s) ear and Rne Clothing Men and Women , , Dresses for Fonnals and Semi-Formals! Tricky lands at St. Andrew's Tricky, with his dark, hip-hop flavored, electronic sounds, will be floating into St. Andrew's Hall tonight for a show that will sonically hyp- notize you. This tour, in which Tricky performs for more than two hours in near - total darkness, promises to deliver the full experience of his two acclaimed albums, "Maxinquaye" and "Pre- Millenium Tension." Now ask yourself, what can be better than a show like that? Though it won't be a hip- shakin' show, you'll be in for a head-noddin' good time. Opening acts will include DJ A Guy Called Gerald and Jeru Tha Damaja. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show is for 18 and over. Don't miss out on a great time with Tricky. Who knows what tricks he'll have up those sleeves of his. Come on down and check it out. The University of Michigan School of Music Sunday, January 19 Lecture/Recital by Ellwood Derr: "Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de St. George: Black Composer, Violinist and Athlete in Late Eighteenth-Century Paris" Color slide presentation followed by performance of St. George's Sonata in E-flat for flute and harp by Lydia Cleever, harp, and Robin Rhodes, flute McIntosh Theatre, 4 p.m. Monday, January 20 Martin Luther King Day Concert Ensemble and solo performances by School of Music faculty and students Rackham Auditorium, 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 22 Guest Recital by F. Gerard Errante, clarinet . Music by Bunce, Errante, Graham, Bestor, Winkler, Thompson Lowenstein Britton Recital Hall, 8 p.m. Thursday, January 23 Music Engineering Seminar Series Russ Berger, acoustical consultant: "Room Acoustics" 2044 Moore Building, 4:10 p.m. Friday, January 24 Faculty Recital by Erling Blondal Bengtsson, cello " Hindemith: Sonata, Op. 25 . Dallapiccola: Ciaccona, Intermezzo e Adagio " Bentzon: 16 Etudes, Op. 464 . Kodaly: Sonata, Op. 8 Britton Recital Hall, 8 p.m. Sunday, January 26 Stearns Collection: Virginia Martin Howard Lecture Michael "Chikuzen" Gould: "The Shakuhachi" McIntosh Theatre, 2 p.m. Michigan Chamber Players " Derr: Six Songs of Sundry Sorts for soprano, saxophone and piano with Melody Racine, soprano; Donald Sinta, saxophone; and Logan Skelton, piano-Ann Arbor Premiere . Mozart: Serenade in C Minor for Winds with Harry Sargous, oboe; Deborah Chodacki, clarinet; Fred Ormand, clarinet; Richard Beene, bassoon; Peter Unterstein, bassoon " Beethoven: Piano Trio in D "Ghost" with Louis Nagel, piano; Andrew Jennings, violin; Anthony Elliott, cello Britton Recital Hall, 4 p.m. great scores... .,-T I. " The only MCAT course in Ann Arbor that has 56 years of test prep experience behind it. * Personal MCAT attention...a KAPLAN Hallmark! * The most effective test taking strategies! * Expertly trained instructors teaching you what makes the MCAT tick. Last chance...Class starting now! Super Bowl Alternative Concert . Music of William Bolcom for Violin and Piano Paul Kantor, violin; Stephen Shipps, violin; Andrew Jennings, violin; Henry Rubin, violin; Ali Jennings, violin; William Bolcom, piano; Eric Larsen, piano I.A j Eb U' III .i s a ...i ce a ... r! ..dillmommomm. _,