Olga Vainshtein reads from her book, "images of Fashion: The Construction of Body and Gender, tonight at Rackham Amphitheatre. A writer and Russian University for the Humanities teacher, Vainshtein gives her spin on how images construct our perceptions of bodies and gender. Don't miss out. The reading begins at 7:30 p.m. Free. Wednesday November 19, 1997 5 It's all Goode on piano at Hill Gabrielle Brechner and Angela Lewis star In "Ladyhouse Blues." By Emily Lambert Daily Arts Writer Orchestral musicians and their conductors aren't always good friends. Musicians, educated and inde- pendent, can be less than eager to submit to the guy with the baton. But in the conductor-lessR Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the P musicians are the managers and Ri everyone has a voice. "That's always been for me a great pleasure of working with them, the fact that there's a more personal relationship with everybody there," said pianist Richard Goode, who will perform with the orchestra tonight at Hill Auditorium. "We can rehearse and find our way together without an intermediary and with a maximum of give and take.' Next year marks the orchestra's 25th season, and Goode has collaborated with Orpheus for almost all of those years. In the beginning, he recalled, rehearsals were difficult as all 25 musicians fought to shape each piece. "It was democracy," he said, "which meant anarchy in this case.' Now, however, "it's modified anarchy." To prepare a piece, Goode meets with the acting concertmaster and first desk players. Together, they devise a plan to propose to the orchestra, "and then we hash things out.' EVIEW chard Goode Tonight at 8 Hill Auditorium $10 - call 764-2538 "You're not a conductor, but you are in a way. You are the soloist, a first among equals ... so you get a lot of chance to have your input?. The two Mozart concertos on tonight's program contrast the relationship between the soloist and orchestra. The first, No.9 in "There are disagreements sometimes, and we work it out," he said. "The ideal is a piece of gloriously magnified chamber music." Soloing with Orpheus is an interesting experience, Goode said. Mendelssohn houses *Blues' this weekend E-flat Major K.271, showcases pianistic virtuosity. The second, No.24 in c minor K.491, is "as least as demanding for the orchestra as it is for the piano," Goode said. Also on the bill is Handel's "Water Music," Suite II, and "Lost Waltz," by contemporary composer Elizabeth Brown. Goode and Orpheus are in the process of recording all Mozart's piano concertos, and this tour marks their first time performing K.271, Mozart's earlier work, togethei. Not long ago, Goode played both concertos with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and again with the Orchestre de Paris. He likes to hear different inter- pretations of the pieces, he said, but reserves a special appreciation for Orpheus. "This group, because they have no conductor, have By Christopher Tkaczyk Campus Arts Editor The University's newest theatrical production opens this weekend with Kevin Morrison's "Ladyhouse Blues." More important, the play is directed by a"new professor - someone who hasP enwhat it takes'~ ithin the profes- sional theatrical Thu circle, and who can lend his intelli- Men gence and experi- ence to student actors. "Ladyhouse Blues" is a musical play -- not a musical. The play is set within the era of the first World War. It tells the story of five Irish women (a mother and cr four daughters) who are trapped ithin the confines of their household. They are held captive by the emotional ties that bind people to one another dur- ing times of strife and war. The Madden house is left in the hands of its women; the men are off to war. With the oncoming social revolution implicating a woman's place in society, the Madden women realize that they want to get out of their home and go out to the world as independents. But to do uch a thing at a time when they need one another can bring disaster of the emotional kind. As the soldiers in Europe need the support of their fellow Americans back home, the Madden women need the support of each other to cope with the burden of the times. As many people have done and still do, the Madden women find solace Within music. By singing the blues, Ahey are comforted and consoled. usic serves as a powerful vehicle that carries the women on an emotional level to overcome their obstacles. Because the play is about women, and 'h irsdi :nde not about racial issues, director and University professor Darryl Jones has decided to cast the play colorblind. "I've attempted to present the issues that women of this period faced. This play doesn't involve racial conflict or issues, and once the audi- ence gets over the initislshock of non- iouse Blues traditional casting, ay-Saturday at 8 p m. they will begin to Sunday at 2 p.m. accept the actresses elssohn Theater - $7 as women, and not as actresses," Jones said. "They'll see beyond that. "This is a relationship play, and it's very character driven. There isn't a great plot - the entire play is conversation among the daughters and their mother. Not a tremendous amount of events unfold dur- ing the play. It's very Chekovian. "I found it very important to cast this show with actors who could embrace the material in a truthful way and really embrace the period," Jones further revealed about his casting decisions. "I've seen these students become these women. They've developed true mother-daughter relationships during rehearsals," he added. "As the women of this time period often did, the women of this house entertain themselves at home, in the kitchen. They sing the blues." In past productions, "Ladyhouse Blues" has been played with bittersweet overtones. "I've seen it done in a melodra- matic sense, almost borderline syrupy," Jones said. "With this production, I want- ed to make it as realistic as possible.' Jones, a professor new to the University this semester, has worked within professional theaters all across the country, including Washington's Arena Stage, where he directed and performed in numerous productions. maybe to listen even more closely to what you're doing," he said. "And there is a kind of special plea- sure about playing and realizing that everybody is lis- tening with that kind of attention" Richard Goode will play at Hill tonight. WJLB launches annual 'Coats for Kids' By Jessica Simmons For the Daily Once again, winter has rolled around, bringing with it frigid winds and cold temperatures. Quite often, the only thing standing between you and the harsh elements is a toasty warm winter coat and sometimes even this doesn't seem to be enough. What many of us take for granted some are forced to think about all the time - whether they have adequate clothing to protect them from the cold. What's even worse is that children comprise a large number of those who suffer. In the city of Detroit, this is a particularly serious problem. In years past, quite a few children have missed many days of school simply because they didn't have a winter coat. One Detroit radio station has stepped in to lend a hand in helping to keep Detroit-area children in coats and in school. WJLB FM 98 will be kicking off its annual "Coats for Kids" radiothon on Thursday from the Lord and Taylor court at Fairlane Mall in Dearborn. The two- day radiothon will be broadcast live from 6 a.m. to midnight on Thursday and again from 6 am. to 10 p.m. Friday by WJLB D.J. Mason. Since the inception of the "Coats for Kids" radiothon four years ago, WJLB has been working with major corpora- tions and local merchants to gather gen- tly used coats and monetary donations to help Detroit-area children. The local businesses and corporations involved in the radiothon give either monetary dona- tions or serve as collection points for donated coats. Some businesses do both. "We have a lot of offices adopt 'Coats for Kids' as their charity. They'll collect coats and collect money and bring those down to the radiothon for 'Coats for Kids"' said Maureen Barkume, promotions director for the station. The major . corporate sponsor involved in this year's radiothon is Sam's Club. "They make a donation as well as serving as a collection point for the used coats;' Barkume said. The Detroit community has also been instrumental in the success of the radio- thon. Over the years, the radio station has received thousands of coats and hundreds of thousands of dollars for the purchase WJLB FM 98 'Coats for Kids' SRadiothon Broadcasting live Thursday from 6 a.m-midnight and Friday from 6 a.m.-0 p.m. Call WJLB Vibeline at (313) 962-9800 to make a donation. of new coats from the community alone. "It's incredible. The phones ring off the hook. Last year we raised approxi- mately $150,000 at the radiothon and that was both from people calling in their support and coming down. We even have situations where kids, young kids, come down and donate their pennies, their jars of pennies" Barkume said. The station exhausts every avenue possible for the success of the radio- thon. Aside from relying on business and community cooperation, the station makes various appearances throughout the city, during November, to generate as much publicity and support as possi- ble. The radiothon not only collects money and coats for children, but it also provides entertainment for radiothon participants and radio listeners. Each year, WJLB invites music indus- try recording artists to help provide sup- port and entertainment during the dura- tion of the radiothon. In the past, "Coats for Kids" has featured such recording artists as Detroit's own Aaliyah and 112. This year's entertainment promises to be as lively as it has been in previous ones. Special guests set to appear are Blackstreet, Sounds of Blackness, Taral Hicks, Curtis Blow with Nadanuff and Kimberly Scott. This year's radiothon is expected to be the station's best so far. There is still plenty of time for those who wish to lend a helping hand to do so. Anyone who wants to show their support by donating a gently used coat or by making a cash dona- tion may call the WJLB Vibeline at (313) 962-9800 for more information. 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