The Michigan Daily - Monday. May 1. 2000 - 15 Epps, Lathan score in Love and Basketball' Christopher Cousino Arts Wrter s each spring season flowers in full , Hollywood is always able to rve its audience with something a little w, a little fresh and ultimately, an utter- enjoyable flick. Last vear's "Go" took us through a day in the life of those erratic late Love and teen years, when 3asketball everything is pos- r isible, conse- irade: B+ quetces seem t Qualty 16 & mininmal and 'w ho'case nothing actually goes quite right. This spring, the- aters are dished an assist from direc- tor-writer Gina Prince-Bythewood d her film "Love and Basketball." Audaciously mixing the rornance and tle sports flick, Prince- wood combines the stereotypically minine and masculine genres into a nny, emotional and exciting drama for everyone about the blossoming on-and- off-the-court relationship between two aspiring basketball hopefuls, the tough, quick-tempered Monica Wright (warmly played by Sanaa Lathan) and dreamer, hot shot Quincy McCall (Omar Epps). Beginning in 1981, the film is broken up into quarters (i.e. basketball), each representing a segement of the charac- ters' lives, ranging from childhood to high school to college and beyond. After schooling some kids in a game, young Quincy is more than surprised when a new challenger, young Monica, steps to the court and removes her cap to showv her long locks. The budding relationship between the two sets up in these early years as the 10- year-old neighborhood kids play basket- ball, ride bikes to school and experience their first kiss. While this could have been nostalgic dribble, Prince-Bythewood achieves some wonderfully funny chemistry between the two. Hot shot Quincy boasts the talk, aiming to be like his father Zeke (Dennis Haysbert), a fictious L.A. Clippers star, and gritty Monica walks the walk, holding more than her own when the two get into a fight. Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps play a little one-on-one In 'Love and Basketball.' This striking element of feminism in Monica struggling to hold her own in both a man's game (with Quincy) and the world of women's basketball (with other female players) is what makes "Love and Basketball" such an entertaining film as it works on several levels. Yes, it could be a feminist story about a girl trying to find herself However, it's also about family: Quincy dreams to be like his father Zeke and Monica strives to be different than her stay-at-home mom Camille (Alfre Woodard). And it's a love story too, both between Quincy and Monica and their love for the game. The charming romance (sparked by the comfortable chemistry between Epps and Lathan) rises and falls as Quincy and Monica grow together and apart through the years in dealing with the standard romance plot points (the high school prom, dorm life, being college sweet- hearts). Prince-Bythewood never falls out of bounds in being too schmaltzy or heavy- handed with the material, attaining a bal- anced emotional level in the perfor- mances of Lathan and Epps. Prince-Bythewood hits a game high in the somewhat tired sports genre, adding some fresh features such as shots of Monica's point-of-view on the court dur- ing a game. And finally, here's a sports film that doesn't come down to the final gatne, the final shot, the final moment. It's about people, not just the pride of winning. Prince-Bythewood brought her game to the theaters and all's fair in say- ing: she messed around and got a lot more than a triple-double in "Love and Basketball." Jrban myth of'Angels' shines Jamie Winkler lv Arts Wrter Ancient Greek tragedies prove time- ce again. The Detroit Repertory eater's production of "The Angels of mnos" successfully quotes Greek thology in a modern issue -- home- sness. The balanced and tightly writ- script by Jim Henty takes its base ectly from a Greek myth. In the myth, Zeus throws Hephaistos the heavens making him lame. A lage on the Island of Lemnos nurses Hephaistos back to health before his return to lteav- en. Being in the Angels cotmpany of such L Lemnos kind people makes roit Repertor him a forgiving soul, able to with- Thetg M stand the taunts of other gods who tmock his latmsed leg. . The company's modern version of this story follows Nathan Spandrel, an orphaned men- y handicapped post-teen, who relies the kindness of a community of ieless people in downtown Detroit. roughout the course of the two-hour gicomedy, Spandrel reveals the hard- ps that led him to the streets and his i o "float" back to heaven. e ard Owens, Jr. tackles the tough of Nathan Spandrel. He definitely ves his mark on the play, but seems to ft in and out of his part. The entire ight of the pdtformance is on his shoulders and only- Zeus himself could have succeeded at such a task. But Owens keeps the energy up and the audi- ence involved. The true light of "Angels" is Roy Dennison who plays Spandrel's confi- dant Girtie Colter, a homeless man who knows the streets and prides himself on his honesty with police. He is natural, believable and incredibly endearing. Girtie ties in the mythological themes bv giving advice from a mythology book he has to remind him of his family. The scene where he describes the loss of his grandchildren is breathtaking. The lights din to bathe him in an up-shooting red light. Cast members double as rhythmic instruments adding the beating heart to his woeful tale. Girtie also confronts the stereotype of hotnelessness. He often tells Nathan "don't get that faraway look in your eyes, they'll think you're shooting up." The curtain opens to a silent scene, which introduces the audience to the characters and the setting - a back alley vaguely resembling a family room. The cast of seven acts as lead characters, minor characters and background. The characters slip in and out of scenes that flash back to Spandrel's childhood. He remembers his loving mother, his absent father, his first love, his first sexual experiences, and his life's nemesis: a fourth-grade teacher who abused him. His losses in life make him want to reunite with his mother in heav- en, so he looks for a cold place to chill his body to death. An abandoned baby, who he plans to take to heaven with him, recalls his lost childhood where he was a "perfect being." But the script is funny too. Who wouldn't laugh at an awkward first date, or a boy "discovering himself" thinking about Wilma Flintstone or measuring a run-over cat and calculating that in 45 days it would be flattened enough to cover the entire world? There is real humor in "The Angels of Lemnos," evi- dent in lines such as, "The only thing a bum's got in common with a college pro- fessor - socks don't match" In an interesting little theater in down- town Detroit, this show is not to be missed. STAY HIP AND INFORMED ALLESUMMER LONG. READ DAILY ARTS EVERY MONDAY. aa 22nd Ann Arbor Spring Art Fair* May 6 & 7, 2000 Audree Levy presents 160 of the finest artists and craftspeople in the country. Saturday 10am to 6pm Sunday - 11am to 5pm Admission $5.00 12 and under FREE Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. Ann Arbor, MI Indoor Show 2500 Free Parking Spaces Exit 1-94 at Ann Arbor-Saline Road, turn south and follow the signs. Visit our web site to preview the artists'work and sign up for the $100.00 Gift Certificate Drawing. www.Ievyartfairs.com Don't miss this very Special Event! M Pro-Choice Pro-Environment Republicans *Attend the GOP Convention *Intern in D.C. *Campaign Opportunities Call: 888-4-GOP-CHOICE (446-7246) E-mail: info(ar ym.org