ARTS The Michigan Daily Monday, April 22, 1991 Page 5 IN' ,evie On the Verge of a nervous breakdown The run of the Basement Arts production of Eric Overmyer's On the Verge did not get off to a grand start Thursday evening due to a myr- iad of technical difficulties. Open- ing night, however, is often a problem for Basement Arts, as it serves as the production's first full lress rehearsal as well. So even though its three-hour running time and mismatched lighting scheme most likely left director Richard Perloff on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the abilities and enthu- siasm of the actors managed to il- luminate the stage even when the lightboard failed. The three Victorian explorers, Mary (Mimi Spaulding), Fanny &Joanna Hershon) and Alexandra (Sallie Sills), held on to their own distinct personalities throughout their journey through time. Spaulding held the reigns as leader of the adventuresome trio. Her per- formance displayed incredible range and depth. Her portrayal of Mary left the audience with a complete picture of the woman explorer, rom her strengths to her fears. Hershon's Fanny served as the enthusiastic, orgasmic Miss Manners who, when meeting up with the Masai and her fianc6 Nicky (Patrick Beller), simply exclaimed, "Wow, wow, wow." Hershon's in- nate acting ability came in handy when covering the many technical problems that befell her. Never did her graceful poise falter, even in the midst of what could have been dis- astrous. Sills' ditsy, thesaurus-thumping Alex delighted the audience with her wide-eyed discoveries. She easily transferred from a Victorian ex- plorer to a wave-wiping surfer girl when she landed in the '50s. It may seem impossible for a single actor to pull off On the Verge's eclectic repertoire of male ,characters. Beller proved the span of his range, however, convincingly portraying a cannibal (with the per- sona of his victim Alphonse, from Alsace-Lorraine), an abominable snowman, Fanny's grumpy husband, a chopper-hopping greaser, a super- power named Mr. Coffee, a fortune- - telling dragon-lady, a teenage gas station attendant and, last but not least, a crooning lounge singer *named Nicky. Beller reigns as king of versatility. ANN ARiloR&2 5TH AVE AT LIBERTY 761.9700 $275 DAILY SMOWS BER 6P & ALL DAY TUDAY STUDENT WITH 1..0 3.50 GOODRICH QUALITY THEATERS, INC. Heaven & Earth PG-13 = \The NastyGirl PG-13 "CRP PRESENT THIS COUPON WITH PURCHASED TICKET THRU 5/2/91 Despite the wide range of pro- duction problems, the costumes and props involved in On the Verge were phenomenal. Costume designer Kristin Fontichiaro gathered all the proper accessories to dress the char- acters through the decades. The set was as versatile as Beller. A simple drape sufficed as the backdrop for ice storms as well as star gazing. Overmyer's play is so ambitious in its plot and characters that one wonders if any theater facility would have problems producing it. On the Verge was a mammoth pro- duction for the Basement Arts to undertake, perhaps too big for its britches, but not too big for its ac- tors. -Jenie Dahlmann Gray swims through past In spite of his thick New England accent, his WASPy appear- ance and his stories about boarding school, Spalding Gray is not preten- tious in any way. He talks solely about himself and his life in his monologues; A Personal History of the American Theater at the Michigan Theater last Friday might have been more appropriately titled Spalding Gray's Road to Stardom. But he enraptures audiences by not bragging about his life, but simply explaining it. His manner is some- times said to be similar to a modern Mark Twain's or a WASP Woody Allen's, but it is uniquely Gray's. His performance last Friday was different from other monologues right from the start. While Gray normally starts his storytelling at a desk with a pitcher of water and an outline of his show, there was no desk or notes, only a microphone and a plastic cup of water. "It's not, as advertised, a hilarious Spalding Gray monologue," he said. "It now has a different form where I talk." Gray discussed how he became interested in his art. "Everything has to be a story for me to understand it," he explained. "I couldn't pass seventh grade math because I couldn't understand ab- stracts." He'd get too caught up in the story of the word problems and forget about the mathematics. His scholastic problems most likely came from his undiagnosed Gray dyslexia, although he never blamed the school system for his dislike of school and adulthood. "I didn't want to grow up because I didn't see any adults in my hometown who were having a good time," he explained. But his father sent him to boarding school anyway, where Gray first got a taste of the stage. While many beginning-acting stories seem cliche, Gray's had its unique characteristics. During his first. audition his eyes tricked him and read two sentences intermingled together. He got the part immedi- ately - the play took place in an in- sane asylum. During a performance he improvised an imaginary hop- scotch game and the audience loved it. He called their laughter a cathar- sis for him, and decided to seriously pursue an acting career. But the life of an actor in New York city is poverty and unemployment, and many of his days were filled with long walks through the city. "New York made me crazy and eventually gave me my sense of humor," he said. His first audience for his tales was his girl- friend; talking about their daily ex- periences every evening was their only form of entertainment because neither had the money to go out and buy a television. Gray continued on with his experiences, from '60s experimental group theater to trying out his ma- terial on his therapist, before turn- ing up the house lights and taking questions from the audience -- a new technique by the monologuist. Afterwards, he interviewed a mem- ber of the audience, showing that anybody's life can be interesting. He believes that storytelling has become a dying art that needs to be revised. He even teaches a class in which individuals can determine whether or not they have the talent for storytelling. "Not everyone should talk about himself," he said, and smiled, a rare reaction from Gray. He said that a historian once pointed out to him that the last artists to leave the Roman Empire when it fell were the chroniclers. Although different from the structure of his other monologues, A Personal History of the American was as entertaining as Swimming to Cambodia and Sex and Death to the Age 14. But as one audience member pointed out during the question period, Gray has monologues about his life and now monologues about doing monologues - when will this become too much? -Mary Beth Barber Dancers better by themselves Strictly speaking, the actual dance movements and choreography were very impressive during last weekend's BFA thesis dance, although the movements did not capture the wide range of capability I was expecting. When steps were repetitive or lacked a precise rhythm, they tended to distract the audience from the dance itself. The solo works, however, did succeed at showcasing the technique of the five dancers who put on the concert. The group pieces exuded the thematic dynamics, shifting the au- dience's focus away from the danc- ing style. One of the most dynamic elements of the concert was the mu- sical accompaniment. Deborah Weisbach and Christina Sears compiled various types of at- mospheric sounds, suggestive of easy motion. Sears' solo piece, "Otherworld," created a fluid at- mosphere. You could almost hear the lulling ocean beyond the audito- rium. The piece's first image struck the audience - Sears swung freely on a rope hung from the ceiling, en- joying a pure freedom of movement. When sound was manipulated and stretched beyond conventional usage, it added a frenzied and wild quality to the dances. In Christine Knight's solo, "Aurora," a story- teller read the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. A driving rock rhythm was intertwined with Knight's ex- ploitation of the story. In Knight's group piece, a short film was fea- tured, in which the voice over of an imaginary friend comically comes to life. Neuman's disturbing distor- tion of the voices of Bush and other leaders who were part of the Gulf War propaganda added to the global chaos of her group piece. Pieces in which the music was too staid, such as Weisbach's "Across Landscapes," only created a stagnant atmosphere; that particu- lar piece didn't grip me, although Weisbach presented a pretty scene. In Constine's piece, however, when sound was missing, the dancing seemed naked, but effectively be- came much more vulnerable. Lights not only set the scene, but also shocked the audience. During her solo, Neuman seemed to appear out of nowhere with each flicker of the lights, surprising us with each new pose. Photo flashes glared at the audience in quick succession dur- ing Weisbach's solo piece. She was attacking the audience with her cold light, allowing us to feel some of her own artistic self-doubt. Pieces which drew in the audi- ence were much more pleasing than those which simply wanted to pre- sent their work. Knight and Sears were the most adept at achieving a strong stage presence and direct communication with the audience. Knight proved her talent in ele- ments of drama, facial expressive- ness and sharp dancing skill, as well as providing all the humor for the evening. Sears also displayed her dramatic talent as a poet and story- teller as she recited her own poetry. Her words spoke to the audience, vividly forcing us to enter her world. -Caroline G. Shin Write for summer arts! If you have some back- ground or interest in a form of self-expression related to the arts, call 763-0379 find out how you too can express yourself. 1 /4roundtrip from Detroit London $48S Caracas $28S San Jose, C.R. $285 Paris $349 Shanghai $589 Hong Kong $609 Restrictions may apply. Call for other wrldwide destinations 1220 S. Unrity Ave, Ste. 208 48104 313-998-0200 iii i Stuen TravelI CaiLqtlI madhi m W O @Burnham Associates 543 Church Street (313) 761-1523 OPEN DAILY 8:30-5:30 SATURDAY 11:00-3:00 SPRING/SUMMER LEASES May through August SPECIAL RATES RANGING FROM $200-$500 for eff., one & two bedroom Apts. 1001 S. 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And it's expandable so it can grow with you throughout graduate school or on the job. student price on a PS/27 See what you can do with a PS/2 today-and what it can do > for you tomorrow. The Jeffrey L Weisbe Poetry Award will be announced Please ston by and see us at the Michiran Union Basement in Thta Arthur Miilor