4The Daily Tar HeelFriday, February 10, 1984
Menard adds Cajun spice to Jazz Series
By DAVID SOTOLONGO
Starr Writer
D.L. Menard, hailed as the "Cajun Hank Williams,"
will perform at the ArtSchool in Carrboro Sunday at 8
p.m.
Menard's performance is the next installment of the
1984 Sunday Jazz Series at the Artschool, located in
ICarr Mill Mall. The Cajun-born songwriter will be
backed bv The Louisiana Aces..
Menard sings in French and English and is considered
one of the country's premier bayou strummers, Anita
' Beste, one of the organizers of the series, said Wednes
day. Beste said the show is not exactly jazz, but Menard
is a performance who the ArtSchool thought might add
luster to the Jazz Series.
"They don't strictly fit the jazz genre, but we wanted
to have them," Bests said.
Menard and The Aces have toured extensively for
more than 10 years and have made annual appearances
at the National Folk Festival. Alter his performance at
Wolf Trap Farm in 1973. one musical magazine tabbed
Menard the "Cajun Hank Williams."
Beste said Menard's exciting style should blend well
with the informal philosophy of the Jazz Series. The
Sunday evening concerts try to mix club and coffeehouse
atmospheres.
The ArtSchool sells domestic and imported beer and
wine during the concert, she said.
"We have what we call an intimate cafe setting."
Beste said. "It's set up halfway between a bar and a con
cert hall."
The bayou beat 'should bring the closet dancers out
onto the floor, she said. Tables are set up inside, and
dancing is usually not the norm for jazz performers, but
with some bands the people do shuffle their feet, Beste
said. . ' ' '
The Louisiana Aces are Dick Richard on fiddle and
if
Rav Laverene on Caiun accordion. Menard, a descen-
dant of French Acadians, has released three albums:
D.L. Menard Back Door, The Louisiana Aces and
Under the Green Oak Tree.
Menard and The Aces have played several folk
festivals across the country and performed at the 1982
World's Fair in Knoxville, Tenn.
The ArtSchool began the Jazz Series in March 1983,
Bests said.
"We're getting very positive feedback," she said.
"There isn't much jazz in the Triangle, and the people
are really responding to it."
ArtSchool Publicity Director Leah Talley said Thurs
day that the ArtSchool is publicizing the Jazz Series with
a drawing for two free round-trip tickets on New York
Air to any city the airline services.
Tickets for the Cajun French concert are $4.50 for
ArtSchool members and $5.00 for non-members. Call
942-2041 for more information.
RLT's 'Saint Joan' a patchwork production
By SHERYL THOMAS
Assistant Arts Editor
The Raleigh Little Theatre's produc
tion of George Bernard Shaw's Saint
Joan, a play about the life of Joan of
Arc, has all the elements of amateur
theatre. Present are the simplistic but ef
fective sets, homemade costumes, pass
able acting with a few obvious stars, and
enthusiastic support from friends,
neighbors, and theatre supporters in the
audience.
The sets that G. Sandor Biro and his
crew have created for Saint Joan are un
complicated and therefore succeed in this
production.
A multilevel main set crawling with
stairs provides director Haskell Fitz
Simons with many staging possibilities.
The characters' constant movement and
use of these different levels provides the
primary entertainment in RLT's Saint
Joan.
In addition to the multilevel set, Biro
exploits drops and the fly-space above the
stage to give distinction to each scene.
The characters who hop about Biro's
set are garbed in costumes that range
from carefully constructed royal raiment
to handmade doll clothes thrown together
as an afterthought.
At times, the actors themselves seem to
be cut from the same pattern, only of dif
ferent fabric.
Those fashioned from, silk are RLT
newcomers Beth Anne Dettman, who
plays Joan, and Robert H. Gault, who
portrays the dauphin.
Dettman literally re-creates the magical
aura of Joan of Arc. Her first appearance
on stage brings a vitalizing presence that
resuscitates the already-gasping play.
Dettman not only brings new energy to
her own role but also stimulates the other
actors to discover new life in their
characters.
The most obvious instance of Joan's
rejuvenating effect occurs during the
lengthy inquisition scene. Used by Shaw
as an opportunity to rehash "the events
leading up to Joan's arrest and charge of
heresy, the inquisition scene becomes
repetitious and boring. Yet Dettman' s en
trance in the middle of the scene perks up
the audience, which lends an attentive ear
for the rest of this final scene.
Likewise, Robert H. Gault's perfor
mance as the reptilian dauphin is exciting
and engaging. Gault's dauphin wavers
between being a wormy, Mordred-like
character and a spoiled, whining child.
His energy, like Joan's, stimulates the
performance of his fellow cast members,
acting as a catalyst among inert elements.
Dettman and Gault's fellow per
, formers are not as interesting. Lines are
garbled, the acting is overdone in valiant
efforts Xo be convincing, and rsome
characters who are supposed to be re
volding turn out to be comic. u
.;
The cast and production crew of Saint
Joan have put forth an effort that should
be applauded. Unfortunately, they have
chosen a play that demands great range
and ability from its actors. An amateur
cast such as RLT's simply does not have
that range.
Students write, direct, act
Hit and Run to present plays
By JO ELLEN MEEKINS
Staff Writer
UNC's Hit and Run Theatre Com
pany will present two plays, Hitting
Town and Somethin' for Nothin',
Saturday through Monday.
. Jeffrey Stepakoff, a sophomore, will
direct Hitting Town. The play tells the
story of Ralph, a 21-year-old Birm
ingham University dropout. He visits
his 30-year-old sister, Clara, and they
spend a night on the town together.
"Commercial radio, dangerous prac
tical jokes and wimpy bars" fill Ralph
and Clara's evening together, Stepakoff
said. He added that the incestuous re
lationship that forms between the pair
shows their need to confirm their vitali
ty. ' Dome Pentesj, a senior, will direct
Somethin' for Nothin', a play he wrote
himself. In the play, flashbacks after a
heroin addict's death reveal the story of
his life with his mother and his
murderer his girlfriend.
Pentes described his play as "three
monologues running together. It's an
experiment," he said.
Somethin 'for Nothin ' also deals with
the girlfriend's inner conflict. She can
not decide if she killed her boyfriend for
his own good or for hers, Pentes said.
Pentes formed the Hit and Run
Theatre Company, a group of about 15
undergraduate actors, directors and
technicians, last semester. "There is no
opportunity in the department (of
dramatic art) to get any decent acting
training," he said.
Pentes explained that he , wanted to
provide himself with a chance to work
with other people and to learn from
them. "We're doing something to keep
ourselves alive and working," he said.
"We need support from faculty,"
Stepakoff added.
The Hit and Run Theatre Company
will, nevertheless, perform in the UNC
Laboratory Theatre in 06 Graham
Memorial Hall.
Pentes explained, however, that the
fact that Hit and Run is an officially
recognized student group "functions as
a safety valve." If the group is for some
reason unable to use department
facilities, it can use the Union or other
student facilities, he explained.
Somethin' for Nothin' and Hitting
Town will be. performed at 8 p.m. and
midnight Saturday and at 4 and 8 p.m.
Sunday and Monday. Admission is
free.'
SATURDAY - 2:00
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL vs. N.C. STATE
CARMICHAEL AUDITORIUM
THIS IS THE BIG ONE!
The season is winding down for this sensational
basketball team get out and support them this
weekend!! r
GO .
BC , u Vyr----3 213 West Franklin St. &
- w m k a a t t , r ; k i
1800 Chapel Hill-Durham Blvd.
Chapel Hill Kiwanis Club
TTV
2J
TV
Make your
love blossom.
liU
Friday, Feb. 10" 5pm to 8:30 pm
Saturday, Feb. 11 0 7am-8pm
University Methodist Church AIMickels $2.50
i Michin Hall Children under six rRr.h
,r accompanied by an aduU
AH the Pancakes you can eat
Coffee. Sausage, Milk
Joel gives
intense show
in Charlotte
By TOM CAMACHO
Staff Writer
Billy Joel sipped his drink, placed
the cup back on top of his black
Baldwin piano and gazed out into the
crowd with an impish expression. His
stirring opening song, "Angry Young
Man," behind him, he chatted in
timately with each section of Wednes
day's capacity Charlotte Coliseum
crowd as naturally as if he were talk
ing with family around the kitchen
table.
Review
Following his warm introduction,
Joel wasted little time, moving into the
52nd street hit "My Life." He then
whistled his way into the hearts of the
audience with his classic "The
Stranger," the high-pitched melody
piercing the far corners of the col
iseum. Joel's Charlotte appearance was the
12th stop on his 21 -show tour. The
tour began Jan. 18 in Providence,
R.I., and will end Feb. 24 in Baton
Rouge, La. The Charlotte concert was
the only North Carolina appearance
on Joel's 1984 U.S. tour.
Joel has successfully played his way
through more than 10 years in the
sometimes-cruel rock'n'roll scene.
Joel's career has envolved from his
first hit album, Piano Man, released in
1973, to his newest, the delightful In
nocent Man. Powerhouse albums The
Stranger, 52nd Street, Glass Houses
' and The Nylon Curtain each reflect a
different period of Billy Joel's evolu
tion. Joel, now 34, played several songs
from each of these albums, as well as
"Angry Young Man" from his 1976
album Turnstiles. Following the
Hispanic "Don't Ask Me Why" off
Glass Houses. Joel played three songs
from his serious and socially conscious
album The Nylon Curtain. After
"Allentown" Joel played the moving
"Goodnight Saigon," a song about
scared soldiers in Vietnam, as several
road crew members arm in arm, sang
the chorus, "And we will all go down
together," He ended the Nylon Cur
tain set with "Pressure."
From his newest album Innocent
Man, Joel played the title cut, "Up
town Girl" and, as an encore, "Tell
Her About It." Another of his en
cores, "You May Be Right" from
Glass Houses, was surely the most
energetic of all the songs Joel played,
sending him all about the stage rally
ing the crowd. For his Final encore, he
Dlaved "Only the Good Die Young,"
a marvelous piece from The Stranger
about teen-age passion.
Joel's two-hour concert was clean
and powerful. His perceptive lyrics
and stirring melodies delighted the
Charlotte crowd.
Nine months of touring each year
appeared to have taken its toll on the
tired Joel. Yet he still aroused the uni
que brand of trance-like intensity for
which he has been known during the
past decade. His concert was moving
a Fine performance for New York's
angry, but innocent, piano man.
Bunuel Festival begins Saturday
By STEVE MURRAY
Staff Writer
Here come the eye-searing images and black humor of Luis
Bunuel.
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, the first of five films
in a Bunuel festival sponsored by the Carolina Union Film Com
mittee, will be shown at 7 and 9:30 Saturday night in the Union
Auditorium.
Bunuel, who died last summer after a 50-year career, earned
an international reputation as an icononclastic director. Targets
of his cinematic satire include manners, sex, morals, dreams and
religion.
Turning audience expectations upside-down, his tactics range
from graphic shock to disparaging looks at social mores. His vi
sion thrives in its extremes.
Sharon Rawlins, a member of the Film Committee, said she
hopes the festival will draw those who are familiar with Bunuel
as well as those who have never heard of him. "Even if they
don't understand it they'll enjoy it," Rawlins said.
In The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, one of Bunuel's
last films, the director addresses a favorite theme of his social
frustration as six friends are repeatedly prevented from din
ing together. In Bunuel's satirical view of the French middle
class, gardening bishop shoots his confessor. This is typical
Bunuel.
Other Bunuel films to be shown this month include the silent,
surrealistic classic Un Chien Andalou, (An Andalusian Dog) a
hodgepodge of blasphemous jokes and visual jolts, including
the infamous eye-slashing, scene. Bunuel, who conceived the
films with Salvador Dali, described it as an attack on the au
dience, saying, "NOTHING in the film SYMBOLIZES
ANYTHING."
Los Olvidados (The Young and the Damned) is a relatively
straightforward account of a boy shaped first by a gang, then by
reform school.
Un Chien Andalou and Los Olvidados will be shown together
at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Feb. 19.
Nazarin details the pilgrimage of a priest across Mexico. With
customary irony, Bunuel points out the shortcomings of Chris
tianity in a morally bankrupt world.
Rounding out the festival, L'Age d'Or, an early Bunuel film,
focuses on the frustrated attempts of a couple to make love. An
audience at the film's release in 1930 threw stink bombs and
hurled ink at the screen in protest.
Nazarin will be shown at 7 p.m. Feb. 29; L'Age d'Or will
follow at 9 p.m. v ; , , '
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The Carolina Union presents THE BLACK LIGHT
THEATER of Prague, Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 pm
in Memorial Hali. Reserved seat tickets are on sale at
the Union Box Office and at the door.
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Please support your Carolina Circle K Club
The Loving
Reflections Bouquet
from your FTD Florist.
Valentine's Day is
Tuesday, February 14.
University Florist
124 E. Franklin St.
929-1119
Send your thoughts
with special care.
Registered trademark d Florists' .
Transwortd Delivery Association. ,
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