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ENTERTAINMENT
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OOOOOOOOOOQ
Ebony Fashion Show
Hves up to its name
OOOOOOOOOOQ
By Sylvia Purvis
For fashion fans who could no
longer contain themselves after
last year’s Ebony Fashion Show,
“Sizzle,” this year’s show,
“Seduction,” definitely lived up to its name.
“Seduction,” which took place Oct. 12 at 8
p.m. at the Kermit E. White Center, was a
feast for not only the eyes, but the body and
soul as well.
From hemlines above the knee to sultry
evening gowns which draped models’ bodies
with justalittle“peek-a-boo” tease, this year’s
fashions added up to an evening of total se
duction.
This was especially evident in the evening
wear section of the show. The models glided
down the walkway in clinging gowns with
low-cut bodices while love songs by Pamela
Fernandez and June Holmes played.
The outfits featured work by famous de
signers like Pieire Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent
and Geoffrey Beene.
For the sportier woman, the sldrts were
higher, with bold colors. Lingerie was soft-
iooking, with the just the right amount of lace.
Colors were predominantly black, whicli
created a mood of romance and mystery, and
enhanced the women’s femininity.
The men had a more suave and debonair
look, with dark suits and jazzy ties.
Although he clothes were alluring, the real
atlention-getters, as usual, were the Fashion
Fair Models. This year there were quite a few
new additions, likeN.C.’s Leon Craig, Phila
delphia’s Craig Schley, and St. Louis’ Latona
Cavitt.
Craig, 23, was a sheer delight for the female
members of the audience, which included
ECSU faculty, students and guests. When
asked to sum up his job as a Fashion Rair
model, Craig said, “It’s exciting and different.
If I weren’t a Fashion Fair Model, I would
have become a youth director.”
Craig said that God helj)ed him get his job as
a model. And he offered these words of ad
vice: “Go for what you want, but always make
sure you put God first.”
Craig Schley, 25, had no problem turning
heads. “Before this I was a volunteer fire
man,” said Schley. He had these words of
advice: “Whatever you want, pray for it, and
if it’s meant to be, it will be.”
Both Schley and Craig, who bore a striking
resemblance to each other, added spicc and
Photo by KtchArd Mclndre
excitement to the show.
Newcomer Latonya Cavitt was also a lovely
addition to the show. Cavitt, 22, was a student
al the University of Mississippi before she
became a model.
This year’s fashion show was a prime ex
ample of the old adage, “Things get better
with time.”
Photo by Richard Mclntlre
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University's Lysistrata features laughs galore
Photo by Richard Mclntlre
Police Commissioner (Tom Williams) tries to convince Lino (Eric
Anthony Harris) that men don’t really need women, in the University
Player’s production of Lysistrata.. The hilariously, bawdy play by
>^ristophanes was adapted and directed by Shawn Smith and ran
November 9,10,11, and 13 .
By Nancy Forter
The basic plot of Lysis
trata is a simple one.
The women of Greece,
tired of war, go on a sex-
strike. Under the deter
mined leadership of Lysistrata, an
Athenian wife, the strike succeeds,
and the play ends happily with the
former enemies singing and dancing
together.
But there are an awful lot of laughs
along the way - in the University Play-
ers’ Novemberproductionoftheplay.
Under the direction of Shawn Smith,
the 30-member cast has a lot of fun
with the drama, and they successfully
convey this feeling to the audience.
In the opening actLysistrata (Marsha
Lynn Williams) is trying to convince
the women of Greece that the only
way to bring their men home from the
war and have peace is to deny them
sex.
Although the women want the war
to end, they balk at giving up sex.
“I’d walk through fire before I’d
give up sex,” says Kleonike (Candace
Newman), and the ensuing conflict
generates some of the play’s funniest
moments.
Lysistrata is finally able to prevail.
however, and the women, unite m
their conspiracy to end the war.
“Fate Ues with the women trying to
save the world with negligee’s” says
Kleonike.
The humor shifts into overdrive wi th
the appearance of the men, whose
antics keep the audience in stitches.
The leader of the men, Uno, (Eric
Harris), has many funny lines, and he
performs with verve and spirit. Har
ris’ delivery could have been a little
more precise, however. His speech
made it Uttle hard to understand him
at times.
The women take over the The
Acropolis treasury but Lysistrata has
to constandy watch them to keep them
from sneaking home to their husbands.
The girls’ efforts to escape create some
hilarious moments.
Myrrhine is finally allowed to taunt
her husband Kinesias (Alex Perry) in
order to launch a campaign among the
men that will bring surrender. The
scene has the audience roaring with
laughter.
Myrrhine offers her love, but first
she has to have things just right. She
needs several items to make them more
comfortable: items such as a cot,
mattress, pillow, blanketand perfume.
Each time she leaves, poor Kinesias’
pain and frustration increase.
When Kinesias thinks the time has
finally come for relief, she jumps up
and pjinounces, “You will have to vote
tor the treaty or no sex. ”
Kinesias moans, groans and begs
for attention from his wife Myrrhine
in this very humorous scene. And Ki
nesias’ bent-over posture gets lots of
laughs from the audience. A touch of
walking bent over for effect was fine
in one scene, but this device is used too
often, especially when when every
man in the play walks the same way;
it drags on and passes being funny.
One of the play’s many highlights
comes when the men perform a rap
song, which gives the play a delight
fully modem touch.
Many lines are sexually blunt and
keep the audience in stitches. The cast
gets totally involved in the play and all
work together. Kleonike and Lysis
trata are very well cast for theippitfls,
and there is a good chemistry be^een
the two. Newman’s insouciant humor
contrasts nicely with Williams’ regal
bearing and manner.
Tom Williams gives a spirited per
formance as the police commissioner,
and Gretchen Wicker’s perfonnajice
of Unolaya is also notable. Crsula
McMillion’s earthy Southern vdfiion
of Lampito is very funny. /
The play ends with two songs that
are especially fitting. The cast sings
and dances to “This Land Is Your
Land.” The final song is “He’s dot the
Whole World in His Hands” a^ Ihe
characters have the audience join in.
Lysistrata was sponsored by the Uni
versity Players and the Departmfeiit of
Language, Literature T.and
Communication.The play was .cho
reographed by Gene Owens and st^ge
managed by Lynne Chapman. ‘ ’
Ziggy's reggae album blends jazz, pop, soul
T V
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By Chad Allen
■pbeat, unique and refresh
ing appear to be three
worthy adjectives used to
describe Ziggy Marley
and the Melody Makers ’ latest release
^"Conscious Party”. This album is a
'welcomed oasis in today’s desert of
' top forty gumbo.
' The four member band from Ja-
I maica, which includes three of Bob
Marley’s children, generates a hardy
reggae sound while also blending in
elements of jazz, pop and soul. Lead
and backup vocals melt all these ele
ments into one smooth and peeriess
musical experience.
“Conscious Party” contains ten
tncks. Only two of those tracks left
me bored and detached. “Dreams of
Home” and “We Propose” were the
two songs that contained an unin
teresting beat and could be saved by
meaningful vocals and political rheto
ric.
The remaining eight tracks were
solid. “What’s True” grabbed me the
hardest of all these tracks. This se
lection was very playful instrumen-
•ally while having fun but seductive
vocals. “What’s True” reminded me
of the late great Bob Marley because
of its “feel good” reggae tone.
Other stand out selections include
“Have You Ever Been To Hell” and
“They’re Not Just Good Friends” as
well as the title track “Conscious
Paity.” These three held the album
together as a whole since they were
elements such as an enticing beat and
examination of social issues. These
songs could stand alone on any reggae
album.
A review of “Conscious Party
would not be complete without men
tioning two songs Aat I feel have built
a bridge from reggae to pop music.
“Tomorrow People” and “Tumblin’
Down” are truly appealing to both
groups. Each of these two selections
contain soft but strong vocals. They
convey a cheerful mood which makes
it very difficult not to like the songs.
Despite repetitious lyrics in some of
the songs, “Conscious Party” left me
with a sense of enlightened satisfaction.
I felt the album was stable from an in
strumental and vocal standpoint.
Vocals on this album were intriguing
and somewhat eerie. Ziggy Marley’s
voice in some of these songs sounded
just like his late father’s. This only
made the LP even more delightful and
enjoyable.
'lir \ is id daughters of
famous musicians, Ziggy docs not
appeiu' to rely on his father's music as
a blueprint His sound in unique just
like that of young aspiring Bob Mar
ley. Ziggy Marley and his band seem
to be picking up where his father left
off ten years ago.
Bob Marley and the Wallers were at
the pinnacle of their success ten years
ago. After the Jamaican bands wide
spread success in Europe they came to
the United States with momentum
supplied by a successful European
concert tour during which crowds of
over one hundred thousand attended
some shows.
This tour was preceded by their
“Exodus” album which brought the
band international acclaim. Songs such
as the tiles cut “Waiting In Vain” and
“Jamming” made the United States
and European charts while the Lp it
self stayed in the charts for fifty-six
weeks.
Bob Marley and his Waiters became
the most influendal and innovative
reggae band ever. They set the stan
dards for all reggae bands. Not only
their standards but their musical con
tent and performances were profound
and penetrating.
The music produced was mostly
influenced by their religion, that being
Rastafari. This religion, which origi
nated in Ethiopia, was the very core of
the Waiters’ music.
Like so many reggae bands. Bob
Marley dedicated many of his songs to
the oppressed and poor while also
making political and social statements.
He often sung about love and the power
of ganja. Sometimes his music was
controversial but at the same time,
brilliant.
At the age of thirly-six Marley died
of cancer. Up until this lime he was
making plans to begin an American
lour with Stevie Wonder. This tour,
which never materialized, most cer
tainly would have established his music
here in America.
Not since those last days of the
Marley era has reggae seemed to cap
ture the attention of American music
lovers. Although, in recent months,
bands like Ziggy Marley and UB40
have started to gain widespread ac
ceptance. Determining factors for this
sudden popularity are difficult to de
termine. Maybe some of those top
forty listeners have finally awakened
after their long dreams of musical
monotony.
Whether reggae is here to stay or
just a passing fad remains to be seen.
;n
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I nti%
I'holo by Richard
Lysistrata (Marsha Lynn Williams) rails against the hard-nosed Pojj^
Commissioner (Tom Williams). The Police Commissioner is unrece
tive, however, as Lysistrata tries to explain why she has convince'd t'
women of Greece to go on a sex-strike.