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Page 10 -The Michigan Daily -Tuesday, June 19, 1984
Joe Jackson
gives quality,
not quantity
By Byron L. Bull
J OE JACKSON opened his Saturday
night Pine Knob concert with a
song entitled "Body and Soul" and
proceeded to pour ample amounts of
both into what was a supremely enter-
taining evening. It was a relatively
short concert, not more than
90 minutes, but what is lacked in
quantity is more than made up for in
quality.
Jackson is one of those entertainers
so full of enthusiasm and so at home on
the stage that he seems to have been
born there. As he cavorted and gyrated
about the stage with seemingly
ceaseless energy, Jackson's gawky
frame became absolutely graceful.
Witty, amiable, not the least bit self-
indulgent, he exhibited a commanding
presence on stage. And he sang in a
strongly resonant voice, full of delicate
emotional nuances.
Backing him up was a six man band,
as versatile as it was virtuosic. Band
members frequently swapped in-
struments during the course of the
show, dashing over to a keyboard,
picking up a flute, or tapping on a
xylophone to add appropriate little
ANN AROR2
INIVIDUALTHEATRES
$1.75 TUESDAY ALL DAY
1 WEEK RETURN ENGAGEMENT!
"A SPECTACULAR FUSION OF
IMAGE AND SOUND" -Newsday
"RICH IN IDEAS AND OVER-
POWERING BEAUTY" -senesiskel
-flourishes. The entire entourage played
with a mixture of intensity and flair
that marks a well oiled ensemble.
The evening's repertoire consisted
mainly of recent material, with assor-
ted old favorites thrown in for surprise.
The emphasis was on uptempo.
Jackson and company were out clearly
to have fun, and did so with a con-
tagious excitement.
"You Can't Get What You Want" and
"Heart of Ice," both from the recent
Body and Soul were particularly strong
sets. Their slightly nostalgic, soulful
flavors were captured with a glowing
brillance, due in large part to the two-
man horn section and Jackson's own
saxophone playing.
"T.V. Age" and "Stepping Out,"
from the Night and Day release, lacked
some of the brightness and crystaline
quality of the recorded versions, but
were done with a driving rhythmic
delivery that more than comensated.
"Steppin' Out" in fact was executed
with so much force and power that it
became one of the show's highpoints.
And to lighten things up, Jackson ser-
ved up a ingeniusly quirky
arrangement of "Is She Really Going
Out With Him" scored for piccolo,
violin, tamborine, and accordian.
The sound was nothing less than
pristine. The mixing and amplification
were expertly handled, almost com-
pletely free of glitches. My only com-
plaint would be with Pine Knob's steel
and concrete structure, which robbed
some of the clearness at times.
Interestingly, Jackson seemed
slightly ill at ease with Pine Knob's
fesitval atmosphere, clearly used to the
more intimate surroundings of an en-
closed auditorium. At breaks between
songs he made sarcastic (although not
malicious) comments to audience
members who shuffled about the aisles
socializing and running to and fro.
Jackson and band gave a very
professional, thoroughly satisfying per-
formance. If this is his last tour as has
been reported, then the live music
scene has lost one of its more engaging
assets.
W-arner
trims
roster
Warner Bros. records has long been
one of the industry leaders when it
comes to sporting a strong roster of
talented singers, songwriters, and ban-
ds, but recent poor sales have caused
them to drop several well-known ar-
tists.
As of today, Van Morrison, T-Bone
Burnett, and Bonnie Raitt are all stars
without labels.
A spokesman for the label explained
the decision to let the trio go,
"economics," he said. "We're here to
make money - I know it's a very
strange concept for people who aren't
in the record-making business."
- Joseph Kraus
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6
0
Linda Ignasiak (right) prepares for her role in the upcoming production
resulting from the Barrier-Free theater work shop.
"
Barrer-free theater
explores handicaps'
DAILY 1:00, 7:05, 9:05
"A PURE DELIGHT"
-TheDetrotNews
"THE FUNNIEST FRENCH FILM SINCE
'LA CAGE AUX FOLLES' AND A LOT
BROADER IN ITS APPEAL"
-Newhouse Newspapers
PIERRE GERARD
RICHARD DEPARDIEU
A film by FRANCIS VEBER
(PG)
DAILY 1:00, 7:20, 9:20
By Jeff Frooman
f'VE ALWAYS been a little uncom-
fortable around people who are
handicapped. I've never been sure
whether I should go out of my way to
give them special attention, or go out of
my way to not give them special atten-
tion. Questions like these have bothered
me. Even the issue of whether I should
be bothered by these questions has
bothered me.
UNTITLED: A Theater Arts EXPO
is a play that investigates the issues of
being handicapped. It introduced able-
bodied people to differently-abled
people through the theatrical medium.
In the words of artistic director J.
Drew Picard, "In general, society has
seen the handicap issue in black and
white. We are exploring the grey mat-
ter that is often overlooked and
carefully avoided. Our purpose is to
bridge the gap of understanding bet-
ween the two communities." And so
while the play may not provide you with
any clear-cut answers, it will at least
give you some fresh perspectives on the
questions.
The script for the play was written
collectively by the performing ensem-
ble. While the actors have no previous
acting or playwriting experience, they
make up for their lack of professional
polish through their sincerity. Indeed,
the performers aren't simply acting,
they're actually playing themselves.
They've all lived the roles they play.
And so on one level the performance is
very personal. -
On another level, though, the play
touches emotional chords universal to
us all. The actors express emotions
we've all felt; the only difference is that
we may have felt them in different
situations. Perhaps one reason we've
experienced the emotions of hurt,
anger, and frustration is that we're all
handicapped in one sense or another.
It's just that for most of us, our han-
dicaps aren't as readily visible from the
outside.
But they are there. And that's why
this play is also a play about everyone,
and not simply about the differently-
abled people on the stage.
The play is produced by Barrier Free
Theater, a project funded by the
Michigan Council for the Arts. Barrier
Free Theater is a new theater troupe
that is affiliated with the Common
Ground Theater Ensemble. The pur-
pose of the Barrier Free Theater
project is to knock down the. barriers
that exist between people - barriers
that are the result of a lack of contact
between groups of people in our society.
Barrier Free Theater provides an op-
portunity for people to get together and
get to know one another.
UNTITLED: A Theater Arts EXPO
will be showing at the Performance
Network on June 28, 29, and 30 at 8p.m.
There will also be a Sunday matinee at
2 p.m. on July 1. Each performance
lasts less than an hour. Also each show
will be interpreted for the hearing im-
paired. Tickets vary from $3.50 to $4.50
depending on what you're able to af-
ford. The Performance Network is
located at 408 W. Washington in Ann
Arbor.
0I