ENTERTAINMENT

Junior Marlena Pierce clowns around with members of the Sigma Chi fraternity, 601 E. Seventh St., in her "Clown Baby" identity. Pierce is a journalism major.

Junior's love is the talk of the clown

T t was a hot afternoon. The kind of heat I that chases clouds away and makes the bottoms of your feet warm — even warmer if you're wearing clown shoes. "I was on my way to a birthday that afternoon when I decided to take a shortcut through an alley. I figured it was in the middle of the day, it had to be safe. About halfway along, I ran across an old man walking the other way. I walked up to him with a big grin and said, 'You wanna squeeze my nose?' So he did, and I honked the horn behind my back."

Unfortunately, the aging passer-by was a bit too amused. "I guess he thought if he squeezed other places the horn would honk too. I should've pulled out my handcuffs and toy siren and made a citizen's arrest."

Until more definitive standards are set, clowning will remain the occupation with the highest risk of committing folly.

But that doesn't faze Marlena Pierce, better known to some as Clown Baby. Pierce, a junior, has spent the last three of her 25 years as a part-time clown. After running out of money her sophomore year, she headed home to Alexandria, Ind., a town with a 20 percent unemployment rate, to try to find a media job. During a stint as an announcer for the Elwood FM station, WBMP, she saw several singing telegram performers try to pass as clowns, and fail. Knowing she could do a better job, and make some money at it, Pierce donned the nose.

Clowning wasn't totally new to Pierce. During high school, she performed as a clown before weekend matinees at a local theater — where she also sold tickets. This gave her enough time behind the makeup to realize clowning was a perfect outlet for her creativity. And if the nose fits....

As a fledgling performer, Pierce adopted grown-up clown mentors to speed her socialization into the funny business. One such mentor, "C.J." Wyant, a maker of clown shoes, taught her invaluable lessons on children's magic and creating balloon animals.

In no time, Pierce brought a keen business sense to her antics. "I chose the name Clown Baby because I wanted something the parents and the kids would easily remember," she said between sips of tea.

But a surprising number of her engagements don't even involve young people. Clown Baby's appearances range from birthdays to banquets, corporate picnics to conventions and fairs to festivals. Her business drive, together with her identity as Clown Baby, have opened doors that average students never reach. "I can get right in to see company presidents as Clown Baby, something I couldn't do as Marlena," she said as her smile broadened. "I'd just walk in, and the secretary would tell her boss, 'There's a clown to see you,' and I'd be rushed right in!" Pierce has created a network of connections and some steady clients.

And what's the going rate for a genuinely wholesome clown that makes pregnant dog balloons? "Usually for a 45minute-to-an-hour party, I'll charge $39," she said. "I wanted to be affordable enough so any child could have a real clown for his birthday."

Pierce said perhaps the greatest benefit she gets from clowning is a wealth of memories. "I stopped for a long train on the way to a job, and I noticed a carload of kids behind me, so I got out and started clowning," she said. "A guy about two cars back got out and started juggling." Never missing a plug, Pierce used the spontaneous atmosphere to give the kids some balloon animals and the parents some business cards. But her job isn't always so much fun. "For General Motors' 75th anniversary, I was in makeup for 24 hours in two days, in a 40 degree tent, and I had to be funny," she remembered, shaking her head. "One of the things I noticed at private parties," she said, adding to her list of notso-fun memories, is that "animals can be really strange when they meet clowns."

Pierce has returned to IU to complete her degree in journalism and move on. "I don't want to be a clown all my life," she said. Advertising may be Clown Baby's future forte, but she's not yet certain.

Although Pierce will be an Indiana alumna soon, Clown Baby wears a Purdue pin in anticipation of the inevitable question, "Oh, did you go to Purdue?"

Pulling the oversized pacifier out of her mouth, she replies, "Of course, don't I look like it?"

Brent Ohlmann

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Scandal & John Waite

Angie Gottschalk

Patty Smyth of Scandal

A

throbbing headache, instant deafness and a sexual thrill hardly seem compatible, but at the Scandal/John Waite show last October, the three jelled like baseball, hot dogs and apple pie.

The most memorable aspects of the show, aside from the blaring guitars, were Patty Smyth's skin-tight clothing and Waite's sexy leather pants. What saved Scandal's music was Smyth's strong vocals. She belted out lyrics aimed at frustrated adolescents with consistent vigor and emotion.

The near sell-out crowd, however, didn't respond to Smyth's electrifying performance until the last third of the show, and then reacted exuberantly to an overrated Waite. Waite's pants easily highlighted his performance, with the song "Missing You" coming in a close second.

Waite's band members put a little "jam" into each tune, which contributed more to a headache than to a diversity of musical talent.

George Thomas

John Waite

Pointer Sisters

patience was a rare commodity on Sept. r 29, as a packed house at the IU Auditorium awaited the rhythmic, velvet vocals of one of music's most popular groups — the Pointer Sisters.

Clad in colorful costumes, the trio quickly recognized a receptive crowd and rewarded it with a flurry of Top-40 hits.

Anita Pointer had to have known the answer she was going to receive when she asked the crowd, "Are you ready to have a good time? We've put together a special show just for you."

The women broke out and had fun on hits such as "I'm So Excited," "He's So Shy" and "Slow Hand." Each sister had a personal role in the success of the show by taking her turn in the lead. June Pointer took command over the audience on "He's So Shy," while Ruth Pointer's vocals on "Take Control" were another highlight.

The only disappointment of the evening was the concert's brevity. In many of the Sisters' performances, an opening act performs for about half the show. But while the Pointers were the only group scheduled, they did not alter their act, and the concert lasted only about 80 minutes.

George Vlahakis

Chicago

Eric Marshall

1E' ven though Chicago was more than an hour and a half late, an audience of 11,000 thought the group was worth the wait,

The opening act, comedian Allan Kaye, kept his captive audience in humor for about an hour.

Chicago finally appeared at 10:30 p.m. and apologized for the delay. The group said a mechanical failure in its airplane had forced a flight switch at the last minute.

It was an explosive concert. A somewhat less than rowdy audience woke up when the band broke into a medley of its older tunes. Later, the sounds of thousands singing "Stay the Night" filled Assembly Hall.

Chicago gave a flawless performance as it sang "Saturday in the Park," "Colour My World," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" and recent hits.

Chicago almost stayed the night — giving an encore that lasted 20 minutes. The group said good night at about 12:20 a.m.

Donna Lichtman

The Psychedelic Furs

R ichard Butler really knows how to fill the gap.

Eyeing a lowered orchestra pit in front of him, the eerie, mesmerizing vocalist motioned with apparent disgust toward the cavity and murmured, "This is the most stupid thing I've seen."

Seemingly without hesitation, the audience obeyed Butler's suggestion and rushed the pit, much to the chagrin of IU Auditorium ushers and University police, who could do little more than watch.

Butler and his group, the Psychedelic Furs, possessed this control over many at the group's Nov. 1 concert at the Auditorium. The band kept emotions at high tide all evening. The Furs performed music from each stage in its development, including the eccentric "Sister Europe," from its much acclaimed debut album, "Into You Like a Train," and the band's latest pop single, "The Ghost In You."

Even after the pit had been cleared, the audience crowded near the stage, and Butler rewarded them with an excellent performance. His gaze into the hall's first few rows was commanding and effectively entranced his targets.

Opening for the Furs was a local favorite, Rods and Cones, featuring P.K. Lavengood on lead guitar. The sparse and cool opening crowd eventually warmed up to the band because of brilliant guitar solos by Lavengood on Jimi Hendrix's "Red House" and several group originals.

George Vlahakis

JAMES BROWN

j

ames Brown has a reputation for being the "hardest working man in show business." The "Godfather of Soul" lived up to this title in an energetic concert at the IU Auditorium April 8.

But name recognition was only half the show. Backed by an 11-piece band, including a set of keyboards with the words "God-Father" emblazoned across the front, Brown danced and sang through two hours of hot, steamy soul music. He told the crowd of about 1,500, "I have to do what I have to do tonight."

And he did. In a concert marked by theatrics and emotional punch, Brown proved he is not just nostalgia. On two occasions, he showed he was up on musical trends and displayed at the same time how he has helped forge the development of today's sounds.

Performers such as Prince and Michael Jackson could take lessons in sincerity from Brown, as the singer quickly responded to calls from the crowd for the dancing that has become his trademark. The show's intensity seemed to peak near its end; Brown danced, twirled the microphone and spun to excite the crowd.

While Brown at times lapsed into too many ballads, he also displayed conviction on such slow numbers as "Georgia" and "Please, Please, Please." But his bread and butter were pounding numbers such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," which incited the crowd to shake, sway and move about in their seats and near the stage.

Opening for Brown was the James Brown Revue, his back-up band. The group's set consisted of soul instrumentals by most members of the band. A special highlight of the warm-up was the exploits of a saxophonist who disappeared with his instrument and a wireless microphone into the crowd — executing a hot solo unmatched by any other instrumental.

George Vlahakis

Maynard Ferguson

A

s an audience boomed, Maynard Ferguson returned to the stage, saying he'd make "one more trip to 'Birdland."' On Oct. 14, Ferguson and his 10-piece band took the audience on a twohour trip through years of jazz, pop and bebop.

The trip got off to a flying start as Ferguson opened with "Expresso." After his flashy opener, Ferguson continued a fast pace with other hits. "Bebop Buffet," a demonstrative spectacle, was a medley of 14 compositions by five jazz geniuses: Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Francis Bush.

Ferguson, not afraid to show off his outstanding young band members, stepped aside to display their talents. The newest band member, John Schroder, gave several outstanding performances, especially his soprano saxophone solo during "Central Park."

Denis Diblasio, baritone saxophone, not only wrote several exciting arrangements for the group, but also acted as the group's chief comedian. In concluding "Bebop Buffet," he began scatting nonsense. Taking his singing part seriously, Diblasio had other band members bring him his music, which continued for pages and pages. He played up the "strenuous task" by breaking to wipe his brow. Finally, he pulled out a Playboy magazine to read from as his script ran out.

The band's closing number, "The MF Hit Medley" included "MacArthur Park," "Theme from Itockyr "Hey Jude" and "Birdland," which received an overwhelming response from the audience. The arrangement of "Hey Jude" created great excitement as five band members left the stage to join the audience in an embracing chorus.

Teresa McCrabb

1 C011

C onversations buzzed before Oscar

Peterson's March 2 concert about the artist's special talent for combining technical ability with a close affinity for his audiences.

Such praise is customary when describing the world-renowned jazz pianist, who displayed in his concert that jazz is indeed a form of American classical music.

Peterson, in black tie and tails, nestled behind the keyboards and treated them with great care. At times throughout the performance, he would act as his own rhythm section, humming along and ahead of what he was playing. Even when joined by bassist John Heard in the second set, the pianist continued to hum, adding another dimension to the concert.

Before intermission, Peterson paid homage to the giants of piano jazz — Bill Evans, Thelonius Monk and Fats Waller— perhaps unintentionally creating an allegory for his own achievements.

After the break, Peterson focused on his compositions and interpretations of pop standards. Of them, the highlight had to be his "Love Ballad," which featured a stirring, soulful interplay between the pianist and bassist Heard. The delicate quality of this number worked the crowd into a gentle lull.

Rarely does Peterson tour the country as extensively as he has this year. Judging from the audience reaction after each composition, perhaps it is a practice he should consider continuing. Often the crowd did not stop its applause until Peterson began another number.

George Vlahakis

Liberace

T ook me over," Liberace cackled as he walked on stage at the

IU Auditorium wearing a white fur coat with jewels embedded throughout. As a member of the audience began to touch the coat, he encouraged her saying, "Have a feel; help yourself."

Mr. Show Business brought his 40th anniversary tour to Bloomington in September, with eight costume changes and many slightly "blue" anecdotes the audience enjoyed.

Starting his program with a Gershwin medley, Liberace played something for everyone. His repertoire included standards such as "Stardust" and "Autumn Leaves," as well as classics such as "Bolero" and "The Blue Danube Waltz."

Liberace shared the stage with three other acts: The Brunson Brothers of Provo, Utah, a brass quartet; Rick and Barbara, the Fred Astaire National Dance Champions; and Catte Adams, a singer Liberace said he discovered while watching a Las Vegas telethon.

While the first two acts were politely received, the audience seemed to genuinely enjoy Adams. Liberace called her the next Barbra Streisand — and may be right.

After Liberace finished his final set, a spontaneous medley of audience requests, the crowd gave him a standing ovation to which he responded, "You really want more? I just love that standing up business!" His encore was a moving rendition of "I'll Be Seeing You" that caused many people to go to the stage and shake his hand.

Michael McCullough

Chris Usher (2)

Janie Fricke

anie Fricke, dressed in a dangling leather outfit, took the IU Auditorium stage Feb. 1 and seemed at home with the Singing Hoosiers in the background and "The Reg" sign above her head.

Fricke, a 1972 IU graduate, began her career at Ye Olde Regulator and continued to become a star. Her resume now includes two awards as the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year, two consecutive Music City News Female Vocalist of the Year honors and seven No. 1 country hits. "Just like back at the old Reg," Fricke said following technical difficulties with her guitar at the beginning of the show.

Before performing her latest hits, Fricke took the crowd back to the 1960s. "Back in the sixties there were lots of protests out there," she said, introducing "For What It's Worth" and "Those Were the Days."

Although the songs netted some crowd participation, Fricke was unable to get the audience more involved. "I'm very proud to be here," she said. "I want you all to relax and have a good time." The oldergeneration crowd did as Fricke suggested.

After singing some of her new material, Fricke shared her favorite commercial jingles with the audience. The McDonald's jingle brought great applause, as did Fricke's "favorite little jingle," for Red Lobster.

Later, backup singer Benny Wilson whipped out his tennis-shoe cowboy boots and dazzled the crowd with a hoedown dance. Fricke danced along, but it was Wilson's time to steal the show. "You Hoosiers like that dancin', huh?" asked Fricke.

Before leaving the stage, Fricke shared the following advice with the few students in the audience: "With a lot of hard work and believing in yourself, your dreams will come true."

Lisa Mendel Jim Greenwood

T ounging on a couch and eating an Lapple, Vincent Price, known for his villainous roles, just didn't look...well, scary. He looked more like someone's grandfather.

But the 73-year-old actor's energy is apparent in his frequent lectures on college campuses, his active promotion of the fine arts and even the shriek of delight he gave showing off a Halloween card he bought at the IU Bookstore. "I've lectured at over 400 colleges and I absolutely love it," Price said. "By seeing students' attitudes change, it's really the only way you get to know what's going on in America."

Surprisingly, out of 110 movies, only in 25 has Price been the villain. Hence, he says, he hasn't tired of bad-guy roles. "I've always been a character actor; I was never the sort to play a leading man," he said. "Leading men are very dull people — they're too nice. I really hate them."

Price said he feels today's horror films are just that — horrible. "The language in some of today's pictures is terrible," he said. "I mean, we couldn't even say 'damn' when I started. When Clark Gable said 'damn' in "Gone With the Wind," the audience shook with terror."

Price's current project is promoting the fine arts, specifically in small towns where people aren't "mature" about the arts. "Art is everything, and you can't be closed-minded about it, he said. "1 have this theory that if you consider everything in your life as an art form, then your life is full of things — sculpture, music, philosophy, painting — just everything."

The most apparent feature of Price's work is diversity — from cutting the "Thriller" video with Michael Jackson to dubbing the voice of a rat in an upcoming Disney cartoon.

Although in no danger of losing his fame, Price is conscious of his notoriety and says, "An actor has to have stick-to-ittiveness."

Leslie Guttman

Vincent Price

"The villains still pursue me."

A s Bill Cosby jogged onto the IU

Auditorium stage in Indiana sweats and running shoes, he immediately became a part of each family in the sold-out crowd who attended the performance Oct.

27.

Cosby's show was an appropriate highlight of the festivities of Parents' Weekend. He began by commenting on the close score of the IU-Iowa football game, and joked that the latecomers, who were quietly finding their seats, should have assumed the outcome.

Occasionally puffing a cigar, Cosby continued with lively anecdotes about his family and commented on his happy marriage of 21 years. As Cosby reflected on his experience as a father, he made a plea to fathers to "demand better presents" on Father's Day. "Fathers want more than just a card on Father's Day," Cosby said. "We don't want collect calls either!" he said, referring to fathers with college-age kids. Cosby also engaged in conversation with several members of the audience to create a convincing argument.

Cosby concluded his hour-and-40minute routine by saying apologetically, "Sorry about the football game — You knew what was going to happen!"

Stephanie Yoffee

Josef Gingold

N

early every major American orchestra has a former student of Josef Gingold, IU distinguished professor of music. Eight of his pupils returned to Bloomington Nov. 1 for a very special celebration of the violin virtuoso's 75th birthday.

An extremely personal program of music was prepared for the occasion and for those who crowded into the Musical Arts Center or watched on public television. They were witnesses to a gift of thanks from many who have been influenced by Gingold's talent, courage and modesty. Paul Biss, professor of music — who spent two years preparing for the twoand-a-half hour performance — chose compositions dear to Gingold and those representing milestones in his career.

For example, the program's opening work, Vivaldi's "Concert in D minor for String Orchestra" was chosen because it was the first piece Gingold played under the baton of legendary concertmaster Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra.

While the celebration was memorable to Gingold, it is just one of a number of honors he has received. He was named "Teacher of the Year" by the American String Teachers Association in 1968, was given the Bachman Lieber Memorial Award for distinguished teaching, and was the recipient of a gold medal from the Ysave Foundation.

The diamond anniversary concert simply was a sparkling addition to what has been an illustrious career for Gingold.

George Vlahakis

A night for courting

speech by IU Chancellor Herman B

Wells, a "1908 Gala" ball, champagne, hors d'oeuvres and the Royal Garden Irregulars made the rededication of the Monroe County Courthouse in October an event to remember.

Restoration of the courthouse rotunda began in January 1984 at a projected cost of $1.9 million. During the construction, county offices moved to other Bloomington locations.

Nancy Holwick

John Terhune

Cosi Fan Tutte

Angie Gottschalk (2)

T he IU Opera Theater's production of

Wolfgang Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" was a strong performance of his musical study of the "unfaithful nature" of women.

Julia Parks and Laura Beyer beautifully sang and acted the characters of Dorabella and Fiordiligi, two sisters who are tricked by their lovers into revealing their unfaithful natures. Tod Kowallis and Victor Ledbetter performed the roles of Ferrando and Guglielmo, two soldiers and friends who believe that Dorabella and Fiordiligi are faithfully in love with them.

The character roles of Don Alfonso and Despina were humorously interpreted and expertly sung by Philip Skinner and Virginia Morrison. Both characters are cynics who encourage Ferrando and Guglielmo in their scheme to test the fidelity of Dorabella and Fiordiligi.

Their scheme is a simple one, thought up by Don Alfonso; he bets the two soldiers that if they trick Dorabella and Fiordiligi into believing the soldiers have gone off to battle, the two women will fall in love with other men within 24 hours.

Ferrando and Guglielmo disguise themselves as two Albanian noblemen and each succeeds in seducing the other's lover. The two men are angered and injured by their success, which had been predicted by Don Alfonso and aided by Despina.

The opera ends with Don Alfonso richer for winning his bet, and the four lovers newly attached and wiser.

Gail Coover

Orpheus in the Underworld

he gods, goddesses and mortals of ancient Greece became the audience's contemporaries in the IU Opera Theater's production of Jacques Offenbach's operabouffe, "Orpheus in the Underworld."

Orpheus, a professor of violin, is trying to climb the political ladder of musical success. A marital scandal would ruin his career chances. Eurydice is Orpheus's bored and beautiful wife. The combination of his career preoccupations and her affair with Aristeus, alias Pluto — God of the Underworld — sends their marriage straight to Hell.

Orpheus, expertly portrayed by Richard Russell, would gladly surrender his wife to Pluto. But, under the moral pressure of Public Opinion, a busybody, he journeys to Mount Olympus to enlist Jupiter's help in retrieving Eurydice from the Underworld.

Mount Olympus was a beautiful set, with goddesses lounging on clouds suspended over the stage. Mercury looked like the FTD flower delivery man with a skateboard. Jupiter's costume was more traditional, thunderbolts and all.

In Hades, the audience meets Bacchus, hilariously sung and danced by Michael Bourne. Bacchus's commentary on Reagonomics, pornography and the illegal sale of firearms elicited applause and cheers from the audience.

The closing takes place amidst cancan dancing and wine drinking. Eurydice remains in Hell with Bacchus "because he has the wine." Orpheus returns to Earth, happy to leave Eurydice behind. Public Opinion returns with him happy that the moral thing has been done. And the gods and goddesses have the kind of party Jupiter won't permit on Olympus.

Gail Coover Angie Gottschalk

Angie Gottschalk

Tamerlane T

he IU Opera Theater's production of

Handel's "Tamerlane" was the American premiere of the opera, which was first performed in 1724. Though use of repetitive musical and lyrical phrases, characteristic of music from this time period, caused the production to drag at times, the performers' talents were heightened by the production as well.

The set was simply designed with varying shades of beige. Elaborately costumed performers were set off against this background. The setting and music sharply defined the larger-than-life, passionate characters. Previn Moore, as Bajazet, emperor of the Turks and Tamerlane's prisoner, gave an excellent portrayal of a conquered emperor who remains unconquered in spirit. Michelle O'Brien's clarion voice gave a unique dimension of strength to the powerful and often cruel character of Tamerlane.

Victoria Atwater sang the role of Asteria, Bajazet's devoted daughter and the faithful lover to Andronicus, Tamerlane's confederate, with convincing emotion. In particular, the love duet between Asteria and Andronicus, sung by Gloria Nathan, was sensitively and tenderly performed.

The final climactic scene, in which Bajazet dies after drinking poison Asteria had intended for Tamerlane, is powerful and moving. Moore had an ability to fill out the complex and sometimes conflicting emotions of his character with professional consistency. The final chorus after Bajazet's death is one of hope and regret for the painful events that have taken place between Bajazet, Andronicus, Tamerlane and Asteria.

Gail Coover

La Boheme I

Opera Theater's production of 1Puccini's "La Boheme" was the highpoint of its 1984-85 season. The scenery, orchestra and professional performances of the singers blended to engross the audience in the famous love story of Rodolfo and Mimi.

Luis Felix, who played Rodolfo in the March 2 performance, and Barbara Jo Gilberts, who sang Mimi, captured the ardor of Mimi and Rodolfo's love with their voices.

Rodolfo is a writer living in a cold, attic apartment with a philosopher, a painter and a musician. Mimi is a neighbor, who comes to their door looking for a light for her candle, when she and Rodolfo fall in love at first sight.

Since it is Christmas Eve, Rodolfo invites Mimi to join him and his roommates at the Cafe Momus for dinner. The colorful scenery and costumes of the second act at the cafe reflect the warm joy Rodolfo and Mimi share. At the cafe, Marcello, one of the roommates, encounters his flirtatious ex-lover, Musetta. Musetta wins back Marcello's heart with a vivacious aria, and they join Rodolfo and Mimi in celebrating a romantic and festive Christmas Eve.

The third act takes place in a setting as cold and depressing as the previous act was warm and ecstatic. It depicts Rodolfo and Mimi's romance several months after they first met. Mimi is sick, and Rodolfo fears she is dying. He covers his fears by accusing her of being unfaithful. In a weeping duet, they decide to end their relationship when winter ends.

The final act takes place a few months later. Rodolfo is forgetting his cares by joking with his roommates. Musetta brings Mimi, who was lying in the street near death, to the apartment. Mimi says she wants to spend her last moments with Rodolfo. Rodolfo admits he still loves her, and the opera concludes with him holding Mimi — who has died — in his arms.

Martha Graham

Compared to the smooth, precise V..moves of ballet, Martha Graham's modern dance is a sensory shock.

Graham's emphasis on movement to express emotion and inner conflict did not meet with acceptance nearly a half-century ago. At the time, the passionate performances were considered scandalous.

The November performance at IU included four acts — two recent and the others from Graham's early career. "Embattled Garden" was a twist on the Adam and Eve story. "Errand in the Maze" was an abstract dance depicting a male's attempt to dominate a woman and "Phaedra's Dream" was a love triangle Rudolf Nureyev once danced. The final act, "The Rite of Spring," was set to Igor Stravinsky's music.

One outstanding element of Graham's dance conceptions is her effective stage design. The stage was stark and bathed in blue or yellow light. Her emphasis on geometry was expressed in the choice of oversized sets, such as three-foot-high blades of grass and human-sized wheels. The dancers not only interacted with each other but also with these props.

It is the frenetic energy that distinguishes Graham's dancers. In the final act, performed by the whole cast, a heightened sense of emotional electricity placed Graham's dance in a class by itself.

After the last performance of a tribute year to Graham, the 90-year-old modern dance innovator appeared at curtain call and visited with students and faculty at a reception.

Angie Gottschalk

Nutcracker

he IU Ballet Theater delivered a season's greeting on tiptoe in Tchaikovsky's Christmas ballet, "The Nutcracker." Melissa Lowe and Jory Hancock's performances and a breathtaking pas de deux were highlights of the production. The vibrant performance of the concert orchestra, conducted by James Buswell, added to the colorful rapport the dancers developed with one another and the audience. The production was excellently staged and featured technically strong dancing throughout.

The fairy tale takes place on Christmas Eve when Clara, danced by Lowe, receives a nutcracker puppet from her godfather, Dr. Drosselmeyer. That night Clara dreams the nutcracker comes to life and leads tin soldiers into battle against the evil mice. The nutcracker wins the dreamy battle when he defeats the mouse king in a duel under the Christmas tree.

Dr. Drosselmeyer appears at the stroke of midnight and changes the nutcracker into a prince, danced by Hancock.

The prince takes Clara on a journey through the Land of Snow, where the Snow Queen, beautifully danced by Milicent Eastridge, leads them on part of their journey.

The prince and Clara arrive at the Kingdom of Sweets to be entertained by an array of dances. The Russian dance, the Tarantella, and the Waltz generated a lot of audience enthusiasm.

The Sugar Plum Fairy's variation, danced by Lowe, the prince's variation and their pas de deux topped off the program.

Gail Coover

0

Swan Lake

he Houston Ballet gave an almost flawless performance in the IU Auditorium Oct. 3, but the real beauty of the evening was found in scenery and costumes.

The elegant and colorful attire was created by designer Kim Baker. Deserving equal billing was the scenery of John Campbell Designs Ltd. Audience senses were tempted by the almost-real forests, the lake and the castle courtyard. All of it reeked authenticity.

Not to be overlooked was the ballet itself. Suzanne Longley as Odette/Odile was magnificent until Act II. She faltered a bit in the beginning of that act but then regained her balance. The rest of her performance was stunning.

Dennis Poole may have been shy early on, but he seemed to have an added burst of energy in Act II. Nevertheless, he was almost too timid in his role as Prince Siegfried.

Perhaps the best performance came in a scene at the castle courtyard. Kerri McClatchy, Patricia Tomlinson and Kevin Poe danced a wonderful pas de trois. They were succinct, controlled in their movements and coordinated with one another. Their performance drew sighs and random applause from many in the audience.

Donna Lichtman

Mazowsze

usic is international, with several distinct dialects. Although the lyrics can be in a language foreign to most Americans, the musical message comes from the heart and often bares the soul.

Such was the case when the Polish folk dance troupe, Mazowsze, appeared at the IU Auditorium Feb. 24. The group's performance displayed an aspect of the Polish people few Westerners see — the pride the Polish have for their agrarian past.

The group revealed the special delight it takes in its heritage and culture. Mazowsze reflected the diversity of the small and turbulent land through the performance of dance and song from every corner of its homeland. Waltzes, polkas and ceremonial dances were all performed gracefully and, at times, with astonishing precision.

Mazowsze displayed this cultural diversity in the costumes as well. The performance was marked by countless colorful dress changes, which included the transformation of cast members into the imaginative and fascinating animal characters of the "Karnival" dance.

Mazowsze is the product of dedication and hard work of Mira ZiminskaSygatynskashe, a famous Polish actress and equally acclaimed costume designer, who founded the group with her husband in 1948. Her purposes include the inclusion of Polish culture into the international history of dance.

The group takes its name from the central region of Poland in which the capital of Warsaw is situated, where strife and struggle have produced a folk tradition as well as turmoil.

The audience was easily drawn into the performance and the language barriers easily broken. Mazowsze appeared to be happy on stage, and some of this joy rubbed off on the audience.

George Vlahakis

Tom Hirschfeld

Gigi

refreshing stage production of "Gigi"

Oct. 8 at the IU Auditorium showed new versatility and a little old magic. The production starred Louis Jourdan — not in his original film role of Gaston, the young playboy who falls in love with Gigi, but instead as Honore, a role made famous by Maurice Chevalier. The new touring company presented a delightful rendition of the 26-year-old classic.

Jourdan was joined by two newcomers, Lisa Howard and Tom Hewitt. Howard, dressed in a sailor suit, added charm to the role of young Gigi. As Gigi giggles and frolics about to the musical number, "The Night They Invented Champagne," she displays both innocence and kindness. After Gigi matures, the audience unexpectedly sees her as a beautiful, sophisticated debutante.

Although Hewitt worked closely beside Jourdan, he developed his own interpretation of Gaston. Hewitt said after the show that he had the freedom to develop the role as he saw fit, with encouragement, but no boundaries from Jourdan.

Neither Hewitt nor Howard achieved success overnight. Despite their youth, they have been studying, training and performing for years.

The use of color, sets and costumes captured the 1890s Parisian spirit. As the revolving set changed from a barber shop to Maxim's restaurant, the lighting as well as the costumes changed to a festive red.

The combination of experience and fresh acting — with a creative set and colorful costumes — produced a charming rendition of an old favorite.

Teresa McCrabh

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Seven Brides

Brian Harris 4 4 S even Brides for Seven Brothers" came to the IU Auditorium Feb. 8 and danced its way into the hearts of the audience.

Based on the 1954 film, the musical is the story of Adam and Milly. Adam is the oldest of seven brothers. He goes to town in search of a bride when he buys winter supplies. He meets Milly, a beautiful orphan girl who works at the local tavern. She immediately joins him, happy to leave a life of waiting hand and foot on the local men.

Adam conveniently forgets to tell Milly that she is going to be a servant for him and his brothers. But she doesn't let that get her down. She puts her mind to civilizing the ruffians.

Lani Chenille's portrayal of Milly was excellent. She exuded enthusiasm and goodness in her role. She also danced well, as did the rest of the cast.

As Adam, Paul F. Gebhardt gave a believable performance. The men who portrayed the brothers were excellent in their comical roles. Portraying men who lacked in the social graces and who wanted to get married, they were hilarious when they kidnapped local women for brides. "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" was a show that warmed the heart on a chilly night.

Michael McCullough

Brighton Beach Memoirs

T

he memory of those "naive" teenage days when one remembers discovering the facts of life often evokes a laugh and a smile.

Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs" awakened some of those classic experiences in the memories of the audience Nov. 29 in the IU Auditorium.

Set in 1937 in Brighton Beach, N.Y., the play is the narrated memoir of a 15year-old feeling the pains, pressures and joys of growing up. Though set in the 1930s, the experiences that Eugene Jerome (actually Simon himself) narrates through writings in his diary are universal.

In the first act, Eugene dreams of becoming a professional baseball player and a famous writer but is brought back to reality by the worsening financial condition of his family. Eugene's older brother Stanley takes on the job of explaining "the birds and the bees" to Eugene after he reveals his first encounter with feelings of lust — for 16-year-old cousin Nora. The spontaneous, intimate conversations Eugene has with his brother are perhaps the most humorous and touching of the entire play.

The second act takes on a more serious tone, as it begins with Eugene's father having a heart attack. Then, Stanley leaves home because of guilt over gambling away his whole month's pay. Eugene reflects on the seriousness of the departure in his diary entries. After Stanley closes the door behind him, Eugene says, "This very moment is the end of my childhood." Stanley eventually returns to the hardship-stricken family only to be followed by news that his father's family has been freed from Poland, and will be coming to live with them. The part of Eugene, played by 18-year-old Patrick Dempsey, was performed with an amazing boyishness, yet with moments of composed maturity.

The extraordinary scenery and lighting contributed to the power of the acting and the play as a whole.

IU audiences find charms and challenges in drama season

984-85 marked another season of enjoyable and often thoughtprovoking entertainment from the IU Department of Theatre and Drama. Five plays ranging from classics such as "The Glass Menagerie," by American playwright Tennessee Williams, to Bertolt Brecht's naturalistic epic, "The Good Woman of Setzuan," were produced on the department's main stage in University Theatre this year, while four shows were staged in the T-300 Studio Theatre.

The University Theatre season opened Oct. 5 with Williams's poignant drama, "The Glass Menagerie." Through a careful blend of humor, wit and pathos, Williams paints a sympathetic picture of a lowermiddle-class family bound by frustration. The set, designed by Wes Peters, was attractive and convincing. Barbara Garren was strong as the domineering mother, Amanda. But both James Michael Reilly, as her son Tom, and Christianne Mays, as her daughter Laura, were less believable.

T-300 opened its season Oct. 19 by inviting the audience to "come to the Club tonight." Eve Merrian's Obie-winning offBroadway success, "The Club," gave audiences a humorous vaudeville-flavored diversion while illuminating the serious topic of the advancement of blacks and women since the turn of the century. Director Lisa Nespeca cast women in nearly all of the play's leading roles. The drama opened on the main stage Nov. 9.

A logging company is plagued by acts of sabotage. The local forest ranger has been coming home smelling of dead meat. Not the stuff of everyday life, but it formed the basis for graduate student Steven Timm's thriller "The Forest Game." The drama opened in T-300 on Nov. 30.

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In many ways, "The Forest Game" resembled an elaborate chess game. Building slowly in the first act, Timm's drama grew increasingly tense until the final scene, when various antagonists drew gunfire. "The Forest Game" was IU's entry in the American College Theatre Festival competition. If judges share the feelings that audiences had for this wellconstructed drama, honors should pour in by the bucketful.

With the spring semester came the University Theatre production of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll House," which opened Jan. 25. When the play, which supports the emancipation of women, originally was performed in Europe and America in the late 19th century, it was condemned for lacking moral value. Now, as the drama unfolded on the tiny stage, parts of the audience laughed.

But the interpretation of traditional values was not a laughing matter when the presentation of contemporary playwright Christopher Durang's "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You" received more attention than the cast and crew may have expected — thanks to an independently organized protest by a few Roman Catholic students and Bloomington residents. A handful of protesters were present each night to picket what they called a "bigoted, anti-Catholic erosion of civil rights." They distributed flyers which said the combination of Sister Mary's views and her ex-students' problems implied that "Catholic teachings are ridiculous and adherence to them will result in personal and psychological problems."

R. Keith Michael, chairman of the Theatre and Drama department, rejected the charge that the production indicated anti-Catholic bias in his department. "(Raising a bit of controversy) is what the theatre should be doing," Michael said. "You cannot always deal with popular ideas and be worthy of the name 'theatre."'

The controversy over "Sister Mary" had the side-effect of overshadowing another Durang play, "The Actor's Nightmare," a spoof of the work of William Shakespeare, Noel Coward and Samuel Becket. In short, it was a romp on the best of the past and, at times, had to be Durang at his finest.

Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" was another highlight of the University Theatre season and a twist on most ghost stories. A man's first wife tries to come back from the dead for another fling, and he wishes he never sought a little entertainment from a spirit medium. All involved performed credibly, although Charles Yates, a master's student in acting, occasionally lapsed into overacting.

It was no coincidence that the T300 follow-up to "Sister Mary" was a 900year-old Biblical drama. "The Play of Adam" opened March 22. Mankind's eternal struggle between reason and feeling, the material and the spiritual, was the theme of the medieval drama that featured some excellent acting and inventive stage design.

As spring arrived, it was only appropriate that Bob Merrill's music and Michael Stewart's script about the big top, "Carnival," hit the main stage. The enchanting musical, first performed on April 5, had a little bit of bittersweet romance — just the right formula needed to help usher in another year after much of the serious drama in the winter. "Carnival" delighted in its invigorating, joyous performances. 1984-85 was nothing unique for the theatre department — it was another year of excellent student-staged productions delicately directed by caring faculty. Anything less would have been different for a department that works hard to educate students and please audiences.

Compiled from staff reports

Forest Game

logging company is plagued by acts of sabotage. And the local forest ranger has been coming home smelling of dead meat.

Not the stuff of everyday life, to be sure.

But it formed the basis for "The Forest

Game," an original play by 1U graduate student Steve Timm. The play was produced in the experimental T-300 [ theater from Nov. 30 to Dec. 7. "The Forest Game" resembled an elaborate chess game. Timm captured conversational speech well, and punctuated his script with pleasant, off-the-wall humor. "Forest Game" was meant to be a thriller, and it was. Timm built his tension slowly in the first act, then brought all his skills into play for the final scene — a razor's-edge finale reminiscent of "The

Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," with various antagonists training guns on one another.

As good as Timm's script was, it would never have worked without a talented cast.

Senior Cap Pryor, who played the enigmatic ranger Norman, called the part "by far the most complex and intense character I've ever had to play."

Pryor succeeded in conveying the presence of a calculating, ingenious mind always at work. Norman's counterpart was

Derek (freshman K. Michael Biena), a sinister government agent as calculating and cold-blooded as Norman, but his antithesis in all other respects. Bienz dripped menace throughout his marvelous portrayal. Derek was deliberately kept silent through most of the play — though he seemed omnipresent. Graduate student

James Michael Reilly was excellent as the ever-frustrated Eddie, who finds the entire idea of a forest utterly alien, and grumbles that crickets should shut up. Senior

Suzanne Collins was equally good as

Norman's despairing wife. "The Forest Game" was IU's entry in the

American College Theatre Festival competition. Anything less than high honors would seem unfair to this riveting, artfully constructed play.

Eric Berman John Terhune

The Club

PT-300 opened its 1984-85 season by inviting the audience to "Come to the Club Tonight" with four gentlemen, two bellhops and a pianist. The play offered a peek into life at an exclusive, turn-of-the century English men's club. "The Club," Eve Merrian's Obie winning off-Broadway musical, was a conglomeration of dancing, one liners, sight gags and updated lyrics of authentic 18951905 tunes. All of this was performed by male impersonators. For example, in the case of Greg Pierce in the part of Henry: the character is a male impersonating a female, impersonating a male. Pierce pulled it off well.

What makes this vaudevillian "musical diversion" different than most is that the cast of men is played mainly by women. "The Club" production was a group of musical skits about the idiosyncrasies and habits of men with an attempt at a plot to hold it all together.

Lisa Nespeca directed the cast to a fine mesh of singing, dancing and acting. The humor, especially the sexual innuendos, were handled with great skill.

Adele M. Morrison

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Glass Menagerie

he IU Department of Theatre and

Drama opened its 1984-85 season with Tennessee Williams's poignant memory play, "The Glass Menagerie."

Premiering in New York in 1945, "The Glass Menagerie" was Williams's first major success. Through a careful blend of humor, wit and pathos, Williams paints a sympathetic picture of a lower-middleclass family bound by frustration. He concentrates on the lives of three characters: a mother, Amanda Wingfield; her son, Tom; and daughter, Laura; all characters drawn from Williams's own family.

Amanda, ("an exact portrait of my mother," Williams once said), is an aging, Southern belle who copes with poverty and the desertion of her husband by daydreaming about all the "gentlemen callers" of her youth. Laura, drawn from Williams's sister Rose, is crippled and withdrawn. She also lives in a distorted fantasy world that consists only of her collection of miniature glass animals and old, worn records. Tom, narrator of the play, is a portrait of Williams himself.

Though he aspires to a career as a writer, Tom is forced to work in a shoe factory to support his mother and sister. He seeks relief from suffocating reality by going to movies to daydream of escape.

Throughout the play, the characters waver between illusion and reality, energized only by fantasies. At the end of the play, Tom breaks away from his pathetic situation by fleeing from home — leaving sister and mother behind clinging to fantasies.

The scenery, designed by Wes Peters, was attractive and convincing. Barbara Garren was strong as the domineering Amanda. But both James Michael Reilly as Tom and Christianne Mays as Laura were weak and inconsistent.

Elaine Vogel

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