.Arts Friday, June 12, 1981 The Michigan Daily Page 9 'Member' is ode to imagination I By KEN FELDMAN her brother on his honeymoon, against "Local theatre" is often a pseudonym the common-sense warnings of her for amateur night. The standard fare black housekeeper Berenice to stay at consists of a well-chosen script home. trivialized by second-rate acting, often The play is in many ways an echo of requiring apologies for the company's Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" student or amateur status. But no such but with a different thematic direction. apologies are needed for the Michigan While both dramas were sensitive Repertory's production of Member of depictions of the wonder of childhood, the Wedding. Lee concentrated on the racial Not only does it boast fairly strong question, while McCullers' script com- acting, but this production manages to bines racial and social tensions with sexual awakening in a brilliant ode to the imagination. The Member of the Wedding Frankie makes up characters and By Carson McCullers plays to act out for family and friends. But she is caught between these PiwerCenter for thecreations - which she admits are Performing Arts "childish dreams" - and the harsh June 10-13, 981 reality that she doesn't fit in the "real" world. Through Bernice, who is Berenice Sadie Brown ........... Catrina Ganey realistic but still imaginative, Frankie Frankie Addams ................ Roya Meghnot learns to fit in. Amazingly, this change JohnHenrywes...iJonathan Lax is beautifully and subtly portrayed both, John Hallquist, direction; Jan Chambers, by McCullers and by the Michigan sets; Sheradi Cannon, costumes; Gail Repertory company. Gober, lighting; Kathy vancamp,sound. THE ACTING of the three main characters (there is also Frankie's young friend John Henry) is sur- prisingly solid and strong. This is a capture most of the potential of the vehicle that constitutes a real acting Carson McCullers script. And that is challenge, especially for Roya Meghnot saying a great deal, because this is one as Frankie, and while there were brief of the most well-written plays one is moments of stiffness, she met the likely to encounter. challenge at almost all points. The THE PLAY concerns young Frankie overall feel and approach was unspec- Addams' fear and loneliness in the face tacular - but professional - and direc- of the ignorance and boredom of her tor Jon Haliquist must take at least par- small southern town. Superficially, the tial credit for the taut quality of the plot pits Frankie's desire to accompany acing. Also worth mentioning is the set The friendship between Frankie (Roya Meghnot) and Berenice (Catrina Ganey) is an important theme of Carson McCullers' 'The Member of the Wedding,' being performed by the Professional Theatre Program's summer repertory company through Sunday. i by Jan Chambers; it captured the at- mospheric summer world of the script tastefully and effectively. The company must have realized that in this instance their real task was to be restrained and allow the full force of the award-winning script to come through. Though the real star of this play is its author, he couldn't have shone without the restraint of the actors. So go see The Member of the Wed- ding, it's as moving a drama as you are likely to experience on the local level and it is of that rare breed of enter- tainment that makes you think. Rupert Hine the music reveal awareness of other trends outside of thet Progressive Rock sor Even the occas thesizers and vocals ten the fans who ha solution to the Prog dition. As one doctor st time that it's bee Progressive Rock early 70s. For a wl really awful - co coherent, arhythmic lost it for good. Of tremely pleased tha through successfully cent chance of surviv good melodies and a to." Is a surprising Most of their songs are reminiscent of current musical either the Yardbirds' style of revised usual degenerative American R&B or the Hollies' type of mnolence. rocky pop. There's even a token ionally icy syn- reference to the Kinks' early style of shouldn't dishear- gonzo power-chord pop in Nine Nine d hoped for some Nine's "Don't You Know I Need You." ressive Rock con- The only think that saves this stuff put it, "It's the fir- from sounding like a .complete n fun to be with a regurgitation of the original British in- victim since the vasion is the 80s sensibility applied to hile there, it was the music. Even the poppiest tunes ld, rambling, in- have an extra-nasty edge to them that . We thought we'd the Hollies would never have dreamed course, we're ex- of in that pre-punk era. t this one's pulled But still, except for "Obsessed" - I give it a 80 per- their latest English single incor- val - it's got some porating a Link Wray-style guitar, beat you can bop rushing vocals, and Lene Lovich-style background chants - all of these songs -Mark Dighton will leave you thinking about their original inspirations - the Hollies, the Yardbirds, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, The Kinks - anybody but - Nine Nine Nine. 9 _ _ _ _ Rupert Hine - 'Immunity' (A&M - (AP)-Doctors reported today that there are some signs that the dreaded Progressive Rock Syndrome may not always prove fatal, as had been previously thought. Their cause for hope is Rupert Hine's Immunity. Doctors say that the patient in question has pulled through this damaging genre with its beat still in- tact. In one expert's opinion, the curiously muffled - but lively - slap- slap polyrhythms within the body of this album are far more promising than the deathly power-chord thump-thump that has stymied most Progressive Rock victims. Though the lyrics of Immunity still betray some inability to recognize the waking world (this patient's ramblings being described by some observers as "incoherent" or even "irrelevant"), However, tho fact that they are capable of covering all of these musical styles at least adequately (if not with a great deal of flair), keeps Concrete from sinking to an ignoble depth. If Nine Nine Nine settled into any one style and continued to do it with this lit- tle panache, their albums could become intolerable experiences. As it is, the diversity of Concrete keeps it listenable and even (at times) enjoyable, but har- dly memorable. -Mark Dighton LSAT GRE GMAT. Test Preparation How do you prepare for these important tests? Get the facts no cost or obligation f.3246 O e Franklin & xton, Farmingion Hills, Fll~abch-otlaI Ml 4801 (313) 551-2969 J.. it ri . (call collect) Please send me your "What Are The Facts" brochure - Name Add ress Phone Test: LSAT .0 GMAT Q GRE 0 99 Nine Nine Nine - 'Concrete' (Polydor) - Methinks that Nine Nine Nine suffer from a severe identity crisis ... for which they should thank their lucky stars; it may well be the only thing that saves Concrete from total anonymity. You see, this album contains two cover versions of old rhythm and blues classics ("Lil' Red Riding Hood" and "Fortune Teller") that you've probably heard before, and a bunch of songs that sound like something you've heard before. BASICALLY, Nine Nine Nine are ar- dent students of the British invasion. Reporters that go where the story is at. Read the Daily -today!