S - The Michigan Daily - Friday, January 31, 1997

'Smoke' (
By Kristin Bartus
For the Daily
As a new millennium approaches and
technology continues to advance at a
rapid rate, the status of love and the
soul remain virtually unchanged. The
MorrisCo Art Theatre expressed this
idea in their pro-
duction of
T e n nes see R]
Williams' romantic1
play, "Summer and
Smoke." The entire
ensemble high- Perfort
lighted the timeless
nature of romantic
relationships in this early 20th-century
drama that takes place in the deep
South. Beneath the surface of thick
Southern drawls and outrageously large
(yet wonderful) floral hats, the cast suc-
cessfully brought out Williams' charm-
ing and intriguing characters and

explores complexities of love

'Big Night' at the Michigan

;E
Si
rm.

themes.
After a prologue involving the two
romantic leads as 12-year-old neighbors,
the play jumps 15 years into the future.
Alma Winemiller (Diane Boggs) and Dr.
John Buchanan (Stephen Hill) reunite to
face strong romantic tension. In spite of
their mutual roman-
tic inclinations,
V I E W however, the two
ummer and cannot achieve
Smoke common ground
because of their per-
ance Network sonality differences.
Jan. 14, 1997 Alma embodies the
stereotypical pris-
tine and ladylike preacher's daughter,
while John is the reckless, womanizing
son of a doctor. Alma (which translates as
"soul" in Spanish), allows her soul to
guide her through life, as John relies on
his physical body.
The two struggle to sort out their feel-

ings for each other and their personal
problems. Alma attempts to deal with
her lost youth, after spending her life
bearing the "insufferable cross" of an
unstable mother. John's reckless lifestyle
comes to an abrupt halt when the bullet
of his lover results in his father's death.
The rest of the cast provides elements of
comic relief through their humorous pre-
sentation of southern lifestyles.
Boggs provided a strong perfor-
mance, creating a believable and lov-
able handkerchief-clutching belle who
blossoms into a self-confident woman.
Hill created a recklessly likable charac-
ter, though he played the charismatic
and melancholy sides of John better
'than the drunken, sexually aggressive
Hohn. Together, the two performed a
bang-up job portraying the sexual ten-
sion and desire between Alma and John.
Other members of the ensemble also
contributed stand-out performances.

Julia Broxholm played John's lover,
Rosa, (the stereotypical Mexican woman
as created by Williams) with a nice bal-
ance between seductiveness and emo-
tion. It was unfortunate that her charac-
ter did not play a larger part in the action.
Williams' romantic venture enjoyed a
pleasant and fairly unblemished perfor-
mance. The only exception was the
slightly distracting, swaying windows
(of the Winemiller and Buchanan
homes), which hung from the stage
ceiling. In light of the timeless theme,
the frilly blouses, gentlemen's vests and
old-fashioned telephones served as
effective, yet subtle reminders of the
era.
The MorrisCo ensemble carefully
accented the comedy, the emotions and
the complexities of love in Tennessee
Williams' "Summer and Smoke"
through its realistic portrayals of
charming Southerners.

Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott make their directoral debut with this
subtle, funny and critically acclaimed film about two brothers (Tucci and
Tony Shalhoub) struggling to keep their restaurant afloat with the help of
dames Minnie Driver and Isabella Rossellini. "Big Night" Is playing on
Saturday at the Michigan Theater at 4:30 p.m. Admission is only $5 for
students and $6.50 for others.

I *


RECORDS
Continued from Page 5
Various Artists
Space Jam Soundtrack
Warner Sunset
Any CD featuring both the Bugster
and Air Jordan on its cover is bound to
sell - regardless of song content.
But fortunately, the 14 cuts on this
Warner Sunset soundtrack are of such
distinct quality that regardless, of
whether you put Michael Jordan,
Michael Jackson or Tito Jackson on the
front cover, the album would still
deservedly sell like hotcakes.
R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" is an
Absolut example, of how sweet the
R&B side of this soundtrack really is.
And he's not alone in delivering vocal
punch. Monica's voice has definitely
matured, and her ballad, "For You I
Will,' showcases her still-growing tal-
ent excellently.
Also, one mustn't overlook All-4-

En Vogue?" and "(to Jordan) I hope
you go bald," stole the show from
White.
On the flip side, the hip-hop portion
of this album isn't quite as strong,
although the premier song, "Hit 'Em
High;' is all that. Featuring the collabo-
rative efforts of B Real, Busta Rhymes,
Coolio, LL Cool J and Method Man,
this Monster's Anthem is one of the
freshest cuts on the "Space Jam" sound-
track.
The "That's the Way" Spin Doctors /
Biz Markie duet is, ah ... interesting at
best. Coolio does a decent job with
"The Winner," but he's never struck me
as a strong lyricist. So his undying
appeal ever since "Fantastic Voyage"
still has me searching for answers. Still,
I expect him to fade on that MC
Hammer tip any day now.
Also fading fast is Salt-N-Pepa. And
continuing their string of weak singles,
they release a rap remix of "Upside
Down," for which the title "Twisted All
the Hell up" would have been better.
Lastly, you can't turn this CD off
without listening to Bugs Bunny him-
self rapping on "Buggin'." Parodying
the all-too-often-fake-"I'm da mack"
attitude rappers often exude, Bugs
shows how stupid many of these unnec-
essary boasts sound. Out of the mouths
of bunnies.
- Eugene Bowen

Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny love to groove to the "Space Jam" soundtrack.

One's "I Turn to You." Sounding a great
deal like MJ (Jackson, not Jordan) on
this song, these guys' vocal harmony is
something to behold.
Giving us a little taste, of that ol'

school bizness, D'Angelo (whose '94
album, "Brown Suger" remains one of
the best albums of the decade) brings
us "I Found My Smile Again." His sig-
nature voice - as distinctive among
today's singers as Al Green's was in
years past - is as smooth as they
come. Meanwhile, bad-boy baritone
Barry White is joined by high-pitched
crazy boy Chris Rock on "Basketball
Jones." Honestly, however, Rock's
zany comments, like "Where the hell is


U U

Bad Company
Stories Told & Untold
Atlantic Records
I must confess to having a weakness
for Bad Company. Everybody has one
or two guilty musical pleasures: A
Menudo tune here, a Thompson Twins
song that raises the hackles on the back
of your neck.
Bad Company
is my deadly sin. I
like them, the lov-
able little cheese,
balls. And what:
prevents this
album from being'
a total waste of Y
aluminum is the
material. The
record consists of
previously unre-
leased material a
and reworks of old
tunes, with the Bad Company
spirit of the old
performance styles in mind. If you like
Bad Company - indeed if you have a
horrible little passion for the genre -
you'll like this record.
"Ready For Love" is just like you
remember it, dripping with stylized licks
and breathy vocals: A song to play while
"getting it on" in the back of a Camaro
HUGHLEY
Continued from Page 5
"But my wife'll stick with me
through thick and thin. I once asked
her if she'd leave me if I lost an eye
or something, and she said no. Then
she asked me. Hell yeah I would. I
couldn't see it. Everything you had
on this wedding picture you should
have with you. Now, I'm not talking
about divorcing; that's too expen-
sive."
With Hughley, it's non-stop laughter.
"But seriously, I've very happily
married. In fact, my wife is coming to
Detroit with me."
Nice save, D.L.
PRINTING
LOWEST PRICES!
" HIGHEST QUA LITY!
FASTESTSER VICE I
* 1002 PONTIAC TR.
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with a girl named "Stormee." "Shooting
Star,' the homage to life wasted by the
rock 'n' roll industry is as good as it ever
was, with occasional poetic moments,
some actual, genuine emotion. -
The real gem is the retooling of
"Can't Get Enough" Done as down-
home country stomper, complete with
faux gospel back-up vocals (read: white
girl) and a stripped-down trap set,' the
effect is something like the feeling yoi
have after you eat
an entire bo' of
chocolates or
screw your neigh-
bor's wife. You
know you should-
n't have enjoyed it.
so much, but you
did, and would
very much like to
do it again.
But the rest of it
lacks that same
pure, corny fire.
"Oh Atlai.a"
showcases soino
minimalistic guitar work and a simple
pulse, but the rest of the songs are nei-
ther entertaining in their predictability
nor interesting in their innovation. For
Bad Company fans only, but if you
already happen to be a convert, you'll
dig it
- James Miller
"I admit, I get a lot of slack for som;
of the things I say and the way I say it,.
but there's a lot of material in my act
that is positive and real," Hughley con-
tinued. "I just want to be the best
comic I can. And it's scary to see that
finally happening. Everybody wants to
be great at something. From the
moment I picked up a microphone, I
knew that this is what I was supposed
to do.
"I'm truly blessed. I love what I do
I've been all over the world, and Ive
even performed before Bill Clinton.
How can I not like what I do? There's
nothing better."
Come to the Fox Theater on Feb. 8 at
8 p.m. and experience the best.
READ
T HE DA ILY
RECYCLE
TH E DA ILY.

RO~M

Gr°
'-a"'' ' ..

NARN
WITH LOVE
i Tile SpiritusaVoltage of C.S. Lewis
An original Drama Written & Performed by
MARK L McPHERSON ASC.S.LEWIS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2,7:00 pm
The Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room
530 State St., Ann Arbor
sponsored by: Canterbury House, First Presbyterian Church,
and St. Mary's Student Ministry
admission: $5.00 at the door
for information, call 665-0606

The University of Michigan
School of Music

PHI


Sunday, February 2
Music Link Contemporary Concert
McIntosh Theatre, 3 p.m.
UMGALAS Progressive Concert
Blanche Anderson Moore Hall, 4p.m.
The Concord Trio
Andrew Jennings, violin; Jeanne Kierman, piano; Norman
Fischer, cello
" Beethoven: Trio in E-Flat, Op. 1, No. I
" Schumann: Trio No. 2
" Svoboda: Passacaglia and Fugue, Op. 87
Museum of Art, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday-Sunday, February 6-9
TanzMusik
University Dance Company
University Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Kiesler, conductor
Power Center for the Performing Arts
Thu.-Sat. 8 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m.





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In Honor of Black History Month
African American Romance Novelist

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The New Challenge
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