ARTS
Wednesday, January 23, 1991

The Michigan Daily

Page 7

Doing hair, exploring the soul
by liena Bush

Robert Harling wrote his highly
acclaimed play Steel Magnolias in
only ten days. David Hunsberger, di-
tector of the Ann Arbor Civic The-
&tte production of Harling's play,
attributed the script's brief gestation
period, as well as its unique ability
to make the audience laugh and cry
simultaneously, to inspiration from
Harling's own life.
.Steel Magnolias takes place en-
tirely in Truvy's beauty salon in
Chinquapin Parish, Louisiana, Har-
ling's home town. The play chroni-
cles the life and times of five women
'f varying ages and different stratas
of society.
It opens on the wedding day of
Shelby, when the young woman and
her mother are having their hair set
for the afternoon affair.
Imnmediately, the audience learns of
the bride-to-be's severe diabetes.
Hunsberger noted that soon after
lierling's arrival in New York, his
ister died of diabetes. In addition,
unsberger commented that Harling
enjoyed a close relationship with his
family, especially with his mother
and sister. It follows that in his play,
the close yet turbulent relationship
between Shelby and her mother,
M'Lynn, is written very realistically.

The other characters in the play
are also poignantly drawn. Anelle,
the new beautician, has a mysterious
past. The two older women, Ouiser
and Clairee, make it a point to learn
about Chinquapin Parish's newest
resident. The love/hate relationship
between Clairee, the Puckish widow
of the former mayor, and Ouiser, the
bitter, sardonic woman who holds
the record for outliving husbands, is
reflective of the play's effective jux-
taposition of joy and sorrow.
Hunsberger said he believes that
this isolated setting enhances the
sense of community and intimacy
that the characters share. Despite
their difference in lifestyles, the
beauty salon is the place where the
characters achieve equality and can
share anything. Along with town
gossip, they share their feelings
about the. men in their lives.
Hunsberger cited the setting as a
major difference between the.
screenplay of the popular film and
the stage script. The film included
the world outside of Truvy's, and the
audience encountered the men. In
the play, however, the audience must
depend solely upon each woman's
testimony, a unique quality that
Hunsberger said he hopes would not

only enhance the intimacy and sense
of community among the characters,
but also intensify the audience's em-
pathy. The play provides no male
characters through which to judge
the validity of the women's stories,
and as a result, the viewer gets to
know the characters move intimately.
Though Harling derived his title
from a colloquialism, Hunsberger
related another explanation, though
he is skeptical of its truth. A friend
told him that a Steel Magnolia refers
to a primitive hair-perming
apparatus resembling a brass tree,
the branches of which connect to a
woman's head. About his friend, the
director said, "[He or she] might
have been kidding, but. . . it sure
could make sense."
Hunsberger said he perceived
Harling's play as significant in its
depiction of women dealing with
birth, marriage and death, with "a
tensile kind of strength that belies
what you see on the surface."
STEEL MAGNOLIAS will be per-
formed at the Lydia Mendelssohn
Theatre tonight through Sat. at 8
p.m. and on Sat. only at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $10-$13, with discounts
for students and seniors.

If the phrase "dancin'fool" has ever applied to anyone, it's Gregory Hines, who has once again made the mistake
of trying to act. This time,,he plays killer android hunter Jim McQuade, depicted here with Renee Soutendijk, who
plays both the killer android and its inventor, Dr. Eve Simmons.

Eve has a

'Agree? Disagree?
What'syour opinioni The Daily wants to hear from you. Send or
bring letters-to the Student Publications Building at 420 Maynard
Street. Or you can bring in letters on Macintosh disk or send
the m via MTS to "Michigan Daily."

CLASSIFIEDS

Eve of Destruction
dir. Duncan Gibbins

1

I

i

by Jen Bilik
A disproportionate number of hor-
ror movies stem from two books that
have become ingrained in our
culture as mythical archetypes: Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein and Robert

case of penis
Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and dicate cu
Mr. Hyde. While Frankenstein indi- realm of
cates our worst fears about science, making
technology and reproduction, Dr. regurgita
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde derives its hor- themselv
ror from the psychological acuity Eve of
with which it plays out the ludicrou
"doppleganger" theme - the inter- matches
play of two characters, one of whom sociologi
acts out the repressed desires of the as a w
other. experier
Quality films would seem to in-

envy
ultural myth, but it's in the
f B-movies and poor film-
that these stories are
ated, without awareness of
ves as purveyors of tradition.
f Destruction, though
sly and entertainingly bad,
:s its predecessors as
ically interesting rather than
worthwhile entertainment:
nce. It's a veritable hodge-
See EVE, Page 8


CLASSFIEDS SPRING BREAK 1991

SPRING BREAK-DAYTONA BEACH,
Ocean front hotel, party daily w/us. $79.50/
par, person, quad, full 7 nights, central loca-
tion to all clubs. Showboat Inn, 1220 N. At-
lantic Ave. Daytona Beach, 32118. Call 1-
800-835-1041 for reservations.
SPRING BREAK IN BARBADOS
Rent cottage that sleeps 3 for $400/wk. Call
764-0449 for more information.

mar ooricast
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SPRING BREAK!
Cancun & Puerto Vallarta
Affordable Oceanfront Condos
Complete packages from $499.00
Freebies included
'Only 15 seats left, so call now!
Lisa: 662-1271
CondoWorld:1-800-543-7856
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South Padre Island, Texas. The Radisson
Resort on the beach- where it's all at! Music,'
bar on beach. 2 bdrm., sleeps 6, $950/wk.
Also 3 bdrm., sleeps 8, $1050/wk. Owner,
813/642-5483.
STUDENT TRAVEL BREAKS AT
STAMOS TRAVEL
For best European/Greece airfares. We're at
Kerrytown Mall. Call us 663-4400.
NEED BIG CASH FAST? Max invstmt.
less than $4.00 w/basically no labor! Send
stamped slf-add. envel. to: Boxholdr (DEPT
UMI POB 10265 B'burg, VA 24062-0265.
HERB DAVID GUITAR STUDIO 302 E.
Liberty. 665-8001. Repairs-Winter tune-up
specials. Lessons: Pay for 4, get 5.
VOICE LESSONS MM U of M Beg. to
Adv. Musical Theatre to Opera. 973-6603
......... .................
FOR SALE ROUND TRIP Northwest ticket
anywhere in U.S. call Tim 998-2554
FORMER STAFF OF THE
VIDEO YEARBOOK:
" Alfred Hitchcock
" Francis Ford Coppola
" Steven Spielberg
" Leslie Nielsen
" Spike Lee
" Martin Scorcese
" Rob Lowe
" David Lynch
" Stanley Kubrick
" Friz Freeling
" Mr. Vinnie Yankavootie
JOIN THE CLUB!!
MICHIGAN VIDEO YEARBOOK MASS
MEETING
7PM WED. JAN. 23, UNION.
WOLVERINE ROOM.
GREAT GIFT IDEAS
New U of M Songbook
Available at Borders, Moes, MDen $29.95.
AFRO AMERICAN DANCERS Male &
female wanted for upcoming video
production, specifically looking for ballet &
modem dance performer. Dance majors or
those with onstage performance experience
preferred. Call Lisa at 663-5305.

ANOUNCEMENS
CARIBBEAN-$189! Why freeze here when
for only $189 you can be in the sun of the
Caribbean or Mexican coast for a week. R/t
air. SUNHITCH(tm), (212)864-2000.
SURPRISE SOMEONE,
WITH A0
PERSONAL FID !
Personals will be
specially priced at.-
$1.00/line
for the days of
)anuary 24 and 25
THE VIRGIN MARY HAS BEEN AP-
PEARING in Medjugorje, Yugoslavia for al-
most 10 yrs. Call Caritas-Birm., AL. 205-
672-2000.
MODELS WANTED no exp. necessary.
BLUE WOMEN, a calendar featuring women
of the U. of M., now recruiting models for
1992 16 month calendar to be in bookstores
next August. Call 487-2995
ASIAN AMERICAN MALES
AFROAMERICAN FEMALES
Needed for audition Sat. Jan. 26 in 1051
Freeze Bldg. for leading roles in upcoming
film. Call Lisa at 663-5305.
BEAUTIFULLY REMODELLED APT. on
Geddes. 2 female roomates needed. Great
9rice! Parking, heat, water incl. Must see!
FURN. ROOM in Bums Park home. Ldry.,
fireplace, pkng., $285 + util. 2 non-smoking
grads. Prefer same. 930-6112.
LOOKING FOR 4TH ROOMMATE. Own
reasonably priced room in lge., charming
home. Walking distance to campus &
shopping. Call today MM at 668-6906.

FEAEWANTED TO SHARE ROOM -
3 bdrm. apt. Sublet to May/Aug. $250. x998-
1958.
LOOKING FOR ROOMMATE to share
large, comfortable apt. on Walnut Street. Call
MM 668-6906.
LOOKING FOR ROOMMATE to share
apt. Reasonably priced. Packard near central
campus. Call MM at 668-6906.
ROOMMATE NEEDED male for 4 person,
2 bdrm apt. near Bluefront. Util. incl. free
park. $220/mo. 1 mon. FREE! 665-9123.
ROOMMATE WANTED- for 8 month
lease starting in Sept. at the Ponds Apt. south
of Stadium on Packard. 2 bdrm. Call Victor
at 764-0939.
TO SHARE A NEW SPACIOUS 1650 sq
foot mobile home. Offering own room, bath,
laundry, fireplace and deck. Scio farms Es-
tates Park west of A2 $350/mo. incl util. Day
994-0501 ext 227 eves 747-6898. Non-
smoke fern start 2/1/91
If you're going to talk about
The Environment,
MAKE IT COUNT!.
Call Citizen Members of Statewide
Environmental Group, PIRGIM, to work for
long termsolutions to pollution. $6-10/hr.
part-time eves. Call Luke 662-6597
SUMMER JOBS
Rocky Mtn resorts looking for
Midwest students!
Over 800 jobs!
Get your application, preparation
guide. names and addresses to
35 resorts.They've entrusted
"Summer Jobs" to find students.
Send $9.95, name. address. and
school to
Summer Jobs, Box 47961.
Mpls. MN 55447

."--,.

Your Summer Job
more thanjust emploYmen..


r

wron" l


L oe=

Working with'Children
in the outdoors.



C suministrotive
staff and other leadership POsitions.



..drum-mmum - -

Interviewing at Hilel: Tuesday, J
Other dates: 2/11, 2/19, 3/7, 3/20, 4/
Sign up:. Call Hillel, 769-15
Questions? Call Lew Hamburger at

f
fan
(9, 4:/17, 25
i06
t 66

2
t
1
E
t

Tamarack Camps are Jewish resident camps
directed by the Fresh Air Society of Detroit.

I

_ -,


.. .. _ I

WANTED:

STUDENT

u

PHONATHON
CALLERS

I

Part Time Employment

The School of Education will interview students by phone who will be
hired to callalumni nationwide for an alumni fundraising phonathon.
$6.00 per hour, incentives, bonus pay,




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