Page 8
THE COMPASS
Thursday, October 11, 1990
ENTERTAINMENT
Players to present
next play Nov. 7-11
Photo bj EuftiM O'Neal
The University Players, Elizabeth
City State’s drama troupe, will pres
ent August Wilson’s award-wining
play Joe Turner's Come and Gone as
the opening production of the aca
demic year.
Performances will be on Novem
ber?, 8, 9, and 11 (Wednesday, Thurs
day, Friday, and Sunday) at 8:00 p.m.
in the Little Theater on campus.
Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning
playwright of Fences and The Piano
Lesson, is considered America’s lead
ing contemporary playwright.
Winner of the New York Critics’
Circle Award as Best Play of 1988,
Joe Turner s Come and Gone is set in
a boarding house in Pittsburgh in 1911.
The play’s story centers around the
migration of blacks from the South to
the industrialized North, searching for
jobs and self-identity.
The play has received critical praise
for its humor and passion. AWashing-
ton Post critic wrote, “Joe Turner has
the haunting power of a ghost story.”
Time magazine hailed the drama as
being “August Wilson’s best play!”
, The cast of the University Players ’
pr?duction includes Chester Dunton,
a sophomore Criminal Justice major,
as Seth Holly, the owner of the board
ing house; Sheila A. Reid as Bartha
Holly, his wife; Vincent M. Swift, a
senior Business major, as Bynum
Band beauties
Coming Soon
Walker; Aaron T. Williams, an ECSU
sophomore as Jeremy Furlow; Barry
Gray, a sophomore from Teaneck,
New Jersey, as Herald Loomis; Elain
McLean as his daughter, Zonia;
Brenda Clark as Mattie Campbell;
Joel Deonanan as young Ruben Mer
cer; Jim Bridges as Rutherford Selig;
and Glenda Davis as Martha Pente
cost
Shawn Smith is directing the pro
duction. Stephanie Crouail will serve
as stage manager, and Paula Forehand
is technical director. Sets and light
ning are being designed by Scott
Telford.
Given the strong cast of students,
faculty and staff, combined with the
outstanding August Wilson script,/oe
Turner's Come and Gone should be
an exciting and entertaining event in
the Little Theater.
Admission for the general public is
$3.50. ECSU faculty and staff tickets
are $1.50, and ECSU student admis
sion is Sl.OO. Tickets may be pur
chased at the door on the evening of
the performance.
For advanced reservations and
information, phone the Players’ of
fice at 335-3436 (campus extension
#436).
1
Members of the cast oUoe Turner's Come and Gone include (left to right) Barry Gray, Vincent Swift, Elaine McLean, Chester Dunton, Vincent
Swift, Brenda Clark, and Aaron Williams. The University Players’ production of August Wilson’s prize-winning play will be presented November
7, 8, 9, and 11 at 8:00 p.m. in the Little Theater.
Photo by Kenei Sample
m
’i
Rhythm Nation attacks racism
sexism, drugs, gangs and lies
Jimmel Hines, Demetria Freeman, and Kathy Thomas, dancers for the ECSU Marching Band, show otr their
talent during the Port City Classic Game in Wilmington, N.C.
Jazz artist Monte Croft's album
shov^cases exciting new talent
By Miracle Perry
With Control, Janet Jackson was
out to call her own shots, and to be
totally in control of her life without
her parents telling her exactly what to
do. In Rhythm Nation, she is dealing
not j ust with personal affairs but world
affairs. The album takes a stand on
racism and the effects that it has had
and is having on our world.
InRhyhmNation, Janet is trying to
get everyone to see that we have a
problem with our young people and
that we must start today bettering them
for tomorrow. She not only attacks
racism, but also bigotry in all its forms,
including judging a person by his or
her sex.
“Let us know all that we should
understand are the ways of a person
and their abilities before we judge
them,” she sings, in “Knowledge.”
This theme appears again in
“Pledge One”:
“In complete darkness we are the
same; it is our wisdom andknowledge
that separates us.”
In these and other songs on the
album, Janet seems to be saying that
too many people today judge others
Album Review
by their appearance rather than on
what comes from the heart. Rhythm
Nation deals with the fact that we as a
nation, are a part of what is going on
today, we must try to make a change.
“Miss You Much” deals with an
other of the album’s themes, “love”
(especially the pain and conflict of
love), when she sings “that it feels
wrong when I’m away too long; it
makes my body hot,” because see
misses her lover so much.
Janet tries to express to us that if
you are in love that it isn’t wrong to
express yourself to whomever it might
be because this world needs love, care,
and understanding.
“Escapade” is Janet’s adventure
song. It is about how she has worked
hard all week and now she is ready to
party. This song and video are filled
with action and excitement,
Janet never once fears letting the
audience know that she is a love giver
and receiver. She loves the world and
all of the people that make it work. In
this album she also goes from R&B,
and rap to hard rock with her chart
breaking song “Black Cat.”
In “Black Cat” she deals with the
problems of gangs, drugs, and mur
ders. The constant telling of lies, and
the stealing and heart breaking thai
being a gang member often means,
are very much a source of anger and
pain for her.
Despite the gravity of her themes,
Janet sings this song with a seethinjj
sexuality, and the mood is accentu
ated by the frenetic guitars and the
song's wild, frantic beat.
As with her earlier albums, Janei
puts her heart and soul into her work.
The interesting thing about this
album is its social consciousness, with
its emphasis on racisim, gangs, vio
lence and corruption among our youth,
Today we have to begin to make a
change and Janet is hoping that it will
begin with her.
I would strongly recommend this
album and all of it’s lyrics to any
family that would like to help end
these problems that are killing our
young people. In Janet’s words, “It is
in complete darkness we are all the
same, it is only our knowledge and
wisdom that separates us. Don’t lei,
your eyes deceive you.”
By Tarsha White
He describes himself as “a musi
cian” and that he is. Not only is Monte
Croft a very talented instrumentalist
but he is also a strong vocalist as well.
Croft’sdebutalbum,A//ig/j«rFzre,
is a very soulful and relaxing album
"for jazz-lovers. While most of the
songs are instrumentals, “What Is
,Love?” and “Mandela” reveal Monte’s
ability as a vocal performer which is
very similar to that of Stevie Wonder.
Both songs are soulful and soft and
place more emphasis on the piano.
The other songs on the album are
more fast-paced, progressive jazz-
Album Review
oriented tunes that place much em
phasis on the drums, bass, and the
vibraphone.
“Mandela” is a short but sweet
song dedicated to none other than the
great Mandela. “Mandela” has incredi
bly beautiful lyrics that do a fine job of
describing Mandela. Take, for in
stance, the chorus hnes where Monte
sings, “Mandela, Mandela. When you
said freedom now, they disagreed.
But you have come to symbolize what
it means for all meant to be free.”
“What Is Love?” is also a touching
song of self-pity and once again
Monte’s passionate style of singing
and his unique vocal range are a real
attention-graber.
In both songs Monte shows his
poUtical awareness and concern for
people.
The title track, “A Higher Fire,” is
a soothing traditional jazz piece and is
a basic example of the rest of the
instrumental songs on the album. The
songs make you feel as if you are
sitting in the front row of a great jazz
concert.
A Higher Fire is an enjoyable jazz
work that showcases the talents of an
exciting new jazz artist.
It P/f^ to Advertise in THE COMPASS
—for information call us at 335-3711
.One-act celebrates Black composer
By Veronica Wills
Harry T. Burleigh, the first suc
cessful Black classical musician to
teach, sing and compose, was cele
brated Thursday, October4, in Moore
Hall Auditorium.
Burleigh’s achievements were
featured in a one-act play, Harry T,
written by Trivis Wicker, an Eliz
abeth City native and former director
for continuing education at the Col-
^lege of the Albemarle.
The presentation was done in
Readers’ Theater style with music.
, The audience was treated to “Heav’n,
"Heav’n” and “Little David Play on
Your Harp” as the cast entered from
the back of the auditorium. After they
'reached the stage. Wicker and the rest
of the cast narrated the play, presented
around an arrangement of spirituals, a
Play Review
musical form Burleigh did much to
make popular.
During the play, which chronicled
Burleigh’s life from a childhood of
leading his bhnd grandfather, who
was blind, around town to his struggles
to get into a music conservatory to be
coming the first black to be the fea
tured soloist at St. George Church a
job he held for 52 years.
In addition to Wicker, the cast,
who served as readers and vocalists of
the life and works of Burleigh, con
sisted of Debbie L. Barnes, Diana
Covington, (accompanist) Horace
Fisher, Desiree Roots and Wanda
Wherry.
Fisher dassled the audience with a
dramatic rendition of “Swing Low,
Sweet Chariot,” Wherry exhibited her
operatic talents on “Balm in Gilead”
and Wicker had the audience giggling
with his humorous version of “Hard
Trials.”
The company sang familiar spiri
tuals that had been arranged by
Burleigh, who had heard the songs
sung by his grandfather, who had been
a slave.
Spirituals and gospel music have
important differences, according to
Wicker. “Spirituals are traditional
plantation songs which were sung by
slaves during their daily tasks.”
Under Wicker’s direction, the
group has staged the play at the Uni
versity of Richmond, Virginia State
University and within the Richmond
school system.
The performance was part of the
Lyceum series sponsored by ECSU.
t
Patricia Spencer
South Mills, N.C.
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