WNW * U-Con gaming convent"' kcks f Union. Role-playing go i m s full effect in the Jnion th Su nd 8Wednesday 8 November 10, 1999 £id anmalig ART Tomorrow in Daily Arts: 9 Check out reviews of the Food Network's iron Chef" and tee NBC movie "Leprechaun." irw ove picac hes v e Moral opera ity U 'Susan wk t r al ahAo i::a v 10 s x1 r Performers of " iyanja" perform the f Cot se d asa n the U.S. ¢ «t By Chustopher Tkaczyk Christian Science Monitor in 1997. "For Daily Arts Writer people who are even remotely sensitive, When Renee Fleming sang the title it has a way of triggering a whole emo- role in Carlisle Floyd's "Susannah" at the tional area of ourselves we may not ev Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1993, she re- know exists." illuminated the wealth and beauty of Floyd's political inspiration for the American opera. The production featured opera is said to have been a direct result amazing talent, including that of Samuel r °of the McCarthy hearings of the '50s. Ramey, and was given an encore staging Set in the rural New Hope Valley of at the Metropolitan Opera this past April Tennessee, Floyd's opera tells the story Capitalizing on the recent upsurge of of Susannah Polk, a girl accused of attention to American opera, the " t immoral behavior by the elders of ' er University's School of Music Opera church, who discover her bathing nude Theater will be presenting its own .in a nearby stream. She faces the wrath "Susannah" this weekend. Although no s '- of the religious community, who bet famous names will take to the stage, the her and build evidence to prove her su talent of the University's vocal perfor- posed impurities. The preacher, Blitch, mance department is first rate, and later finds Susannah alone at home and should offer, at the very least, a capti- urges her to confess her demons, uhi valing run. Directed hy professor and -mately convincing her to ted with him. department chair Joshua Major v(,Her brother Sam discovers the evil twap "Susannah will set by Blitch and sets out to right he be conducted by name. Kenneth Kiesler, Floyd has been a large contributorta> a man famous for coi sy if tail sth Phytliathy the library ofAmerican opera, with t er Susannah his direction of Gary Moss and Julia Broxham star in "Susannah" this weekend at the Power Center. one-act and six full-length operas in his the University's delity is death. Eventually, Dniel isteps name for Susanna's brave saving grace. oeuvre, including "Wuthering Height* Power Center bands. Two casts in to defend her, and she is abIc to cele- Floyd's opera is the first great "Of Mice and Men," "Willie Stark," and Thurs.-S.at. at 8 p.m. will alternate per- brate her innocence. American opera after Gershwin's "Porgy "The Passion of Jonathan Wade." Sunday at 2 p.m. formances, with The Biblical tale, consider'd to be and Bess," and is the most well-known Most recently, coal for the fire under one performing the first ever great short story, was pre- contemporary opera to break into the American opera has been added to b Thursday and sented as the beginning of the Book of standardized repertory of regional and Music Prof. William Bolcom, whose Saturday, and the Daniel in the Greek Theodotion version national opera companies. Much of successful "A View from the Bridge" at other on Friday of the text, as well as that of the Old Floyd's music has an American folk the Lyric Opera of Chicago recently and Sunday. Latin, Coptic and Arabic versions. This base, and the influences of Copland in completed a critically-praised premiere, "Susannah ," prefixed placement possibly can be the score are undoubtable. Sung in The opera, his second at the Lyric fol' composed in attributed to the description of Daniel in English, "Susannah" is very melodic and lowing 1994's "MeTeague," is bas- 1956, is set in the deep American south the tale as being a "young lad." A clas- lyrical, and commands attention at every upon the now-classic Arthur Miller pW of "the present" and is based upon the sic morality tale, "Susanna" features the turn. The adaptation of the Biblical story If the University wants to begin a tradi- Apocryphal tale of Susanna (without heroic triumph of virtue over vice, and works well in its Southern environs, tion of performing American operas, it the "h"), a wife who is raped by two the narrow escape from death by an proving that opera isn't just a European might consider a Bolcom masterpiece in elders passing her garden. Because of innocent victim. art form and that the United States is a future years. the laws of the time, her word is The Hebrew translation of the name great setting for classic tales of woe and Tickets for "Susannah" are available ignored, and the men explain she will- "Susanna" is "a lily" a symbol of inno- tragedy. at the League Ticket Office. Student ingly engaged in the affair. The punish- cence and purity. "Daniel" in Hebrew "Music to me is access to the very best tickets are $7 with valid student ID. For ment for her accused and unproven infi- means "God has judged," an appropriate in human nature," Floyd told the more information, call (734) 764-4500. Eveming illustrates memory, heartbreak. By Curtis Zimmermann Daily Ats Writer The first Congolese danc i ever performed in the oiled l premieres tomorrow niighi aii Trueblood Theatre. Even at the rehc;ri for "Liyanja," it was easy to get a..n I the emotional intensity ot' so, The dancing and hard poundin eussion created a powerful au.' i radiated through room. Perhaps this energy is dci the fact that the performance. wh i hased on a Central Afria n if, combines numerous clemen drama, music and dance. The show choreographed by Biza apa mem ber t t~ nirsirit -', dance depari- mesn i le e Liyan the Ann A r based p ea sional Co Iac Trueblood Theater dance p Thurs.- Sun. ichini incldes r a musicn various p the oobe. producer Moe Kamler described the intensity of th is fusion. "There's something qutie exciting stout it that you 'don't usual- ly get from music alone' he d. "Liyanjs" is a retelling of t sior of Mbombe, who decries tha she wl l only marry a man who ca t a wrestling match. The tale fol h 'r ors whom she defeats. It then tes how she was confronted by the waroi Ilele, who, after a fight that lasts for days, finally subdues and marries hsr. Another element othe siory describes how she eats a idc fruit of knowledge and, as a rsslt, becomes engulfed in despair his 'mth draws some strik- sory of Adam and s i n a recent interview a w h Oyi nO (Charles F. G rd ) staeid that the director Dr. al Nanga doesn't ike the com- lisin bcaiuse the myth predates (Ceniia Atfrican contact with C'hristii. Hut he did explain the a i h stories. "There are rt ain ivyr sal aspects to it. One of Sica ot a human being sidden fruit that pro- s idled that the story presented in a shorter version of the re t -its myth literally would tak wsek s to perlorm" OyamO said. 'U se ac ike a repository of oral nwlde that came from Ancient huge. hut this little piece sone is like taking a buck- ci ssisfomtheocean." in ws ihis play as an exper- I Iescriod how he wanted to tale an rian American perfor- n sste that broke away from the m aon troi ons. 'A n ans are a different breed of peopt and .e deserve our own breed of heate Jut iiks we created jazz which wi all over the world and everyone appia d i thati an American clas- ia ms is we can create an American aSo this is not going to looklikeLurpean ,theater" a igures that if the perfor- ma e s successful than the m d he used to express and r e rious aspects of the Atrsan -Sm'rian experience. t he very least, "Liyanja" promis- es tohe angging performance that soines matty music and dance tra- ditions with new theatrical ideas. But if the cxpcriment is a success, and OyaaO ani his associates have creat- ed a completely new style of American theater, then the show sho"ld not be missed. Evening Susan Minot Vintage Books For Ann Lord, memory is as hot, bright and ephemeral as a match struck inside the mind. As she lies dying of cancer, Ann is surrounded by her children, nurses, friends and relatives, all of whom drift through her conscious awareness like wind through the branches of a tree. But when her daughter brings her a pillow filled with balsam needles, a gift Ann received as a bridesmaid in a wedding forty years earlier, she becomes con- sumed with the recollection of a past romantic encounter. "The balsam smell made the torches flare up," and Ann Lord is engulfed by a vivid memory world until the flames of passion, and of her life, finally burn out. Susan Minot's "Evening" (new to paperback from Vintage Books) is poetic and dreamlike, somber and mournful, tragically beautiful. In her third novel, Minot deals with many aspects of human existence. Besides the major themes of love and memory, she also employs parenthood, marital relations, aging and death to describe the complex character of Ann Lord. While Ann in her death bed watches, in effect, her life pass before her eyes, Minot concentrates only on specific moments and events, making us wonder what will be important enough to occupy our last thoughts when the time comes. "Evening" is centered on the July weekend in Maine during the '50s when Ann meets Harris Arden at her friend Lila's wedding. Harris is a mystery at first, wearing dark sunglasses and revealing little about himself. When he first looks at her, it is "as if someone had pierced her chest" Ann and Harris become acquainted very quickly, and eventually slip away from the rest of the guests to get to know each other better. After a brief sexual encounter, Harris reveals that he has a fiancee who is flying in the next day to be at the wedding. Although this is a tremendous blow to Ann, she is experiencing emotions that she has never felt before. She has fallen in love. Harris feels the same way, but when his fiancee arrives and reveals that she is pregnant with his child, he feels oblig- ated to stay with her. The long weekend ends in tragedy with the accidental death of Buddy Wittenborn, Ann's friend and Lila's brother. Ann goes back home destroyed, with a dead friend and a lover she is never to see again. The rest of Ann's life is described throughout the book in flowing short sections and vignettes. Since we are viewing memories through the mind of Ann, we are not given long explanations of her three marriages, five children, careers, travels, and life experiences. It is as if we already know everything about them. But these short sections add so much to Ann's character. We are left with the sense of a rich and multi-faceted personality, one that would take an entire lifetime to fully understand. The novel is framed by conversations between Ann and Harris that take place in the present day, but exist only in Ann's mind. In her hazy delirium of mental deterioration and painkillers, she imag- ines that Harris comes back to say goodbye. Their dialogues provide a running commentary on the events in the book. They describe their emotions, hopes and fears as the novel's central 'narrative describes their brief and intimate moments together forty years before. This technique, although artful and unique, is slightly overdone, and usually offers little new information and insight to the characters and their experiences. "Evening," however, is written in such a way as to give it a floating surreality. Descriptions in the book are like descriptions of dreams. Dialogue is written without quotation marks, so at times it is uncertain who is speaking. Words come slowly out of the air, not out of people's mouths. This reflects the clouded state of Ann's mind as she becomes disassociated with the real world and moves deep- er into the world of her memory. What makes "Evening" especially brilliant is the dramatic use of color and light images. Color is used heavily throughout the book to signify t;, vitality of memory. Ann remembers clearly the colors of the skies, the houses and the clothing people wore. Her present world is one of despair and dreary surroundings, but her memories are paintings of shocking vibrancy. Light is used tt signify memory itself. Memory illuminates Ann' mind and shines light on things that she had- thought were lost forever. As a minor criticism, a greater explanation dur- ing certain parts may have helped in making sev-= eral aspects more understandable. Ann's dead son is given only a page-long reference near the end41 the book, in a scene where her and her then-hus- band Oscar receive the horrible news of-his> drowning. His life before this and Ann's emotion- al response are all but left out. Also, Buddya. Wittenborn's death seemed almost too surreal, cre= ating confusion as to why it was included inithe book at all. Still, "Evening," when viewed on its aesthetic merit alone, is quite extraordinary. We are allowed inside of the mind of a dying woman, whose ls dance through a world of youthful passionV heart-wrenchingly beautiful. When Ann says goodbye to Harris in the last chapter, we know that, death has finally claimed her. A person can stay alive in a ravaged shell of a body by holding tight to memories. When those memories leave the mind, life swiftly draws to a close. The flame grows small and disappears in twisting strands of rising smoke. - Ben Goldstein Graphic M agicia n Prints from the N on S mon MuseUm Taeth-e career and life of this v r nd original 20th-century Sthrough his print work Call 4t9-255-8000 Sorrinfornmation ,rn p mber 1956 ii a, } ja As 0 I" The Toledo ,useum of Art I low-W --r your.worLd.tour/New York.London.Sydney Proving your parents wrong feels good. 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