J
'Streetcar, 'South Pacific
Friday. September 16, 1977 The Daily Tar Heal 3
Area theaters open in style
UNC students have a variety of choices for
quality theatre entertainment in the
Durham-Chapel Hill area this weekend.
Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named
Desire opens the Carolina Playmakers'
Repertory Theatre fall season; the Village
Dinner Theatre is presenting Rogers and
Hammerstein's South Pacific, and the
Pocket Theatre in Durham is bringing Jesse
and the Bandit Queen back for two last
shows, by popular demand.
The Pulitzer Prize winning Streetcar will
run from Sept. 15 through Oct. 2, with
performances at 8 p.m. Tuesdays through
Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. Sundays.
This production of the sultry American
classic is directed by Bill Ludel, a graduate of
the Yale School of Drama and director for
the Playmakers version of History of the
American Film last spring.
The show features five Equity
(professional actors' union) performers who
bring with them an impressive list of credits
(one comes direct from the Broadway run of
Annie Christie another from the award
winning movie Judge Horton and the
Scottsboro Boys. The cast is rounded out
with the UNC Drama School graduate
students.
Good seats are still available for all
performances and special student
subscriptions and "late rush" tickets are
being offered. Prices for various types of
tickets may be obtained by calling the box
office at 933-1121.
A Streetcar Named Desire will be
followed by Peter Shaffer's Tony Award
winning play, Equus, Oct. 13-30.
Though Autumn's chill may have been
nipping at you the past few mornings, you do
have one last chance to luxuriate in a
luscious summer scene. For just about the
duration of Carolina Indian Summer (five
more weeks) the soft breezes of South Pacific
will waft across the Village Dinner Theatre
come evenings.
South Pacific is based on James
Michener's Pulitzer Prize winning Tales of
the South Pacific. The classicly romantic
Rogers and Hammerstein musical is set on
an isolated South Sea island and boasts a
cast of more than 20 professional actors,
singers and dancers who have worked
themselves into a 1940's frame of mind.
You've probably seen the original palm
sprinkled album cover showing Mary
Martin (as the spunky, all-American
"Ensign Nellie Forbush") making eyes at
Enzio Pinza (as the mysterious, very
European "Emile De Beque"). Or perhaps
you recall blonde Mitzi Gaynor's
indescribable "Honey Bun" number from
the film version of the Broadway hit. At any
rate, even if you are the sort who thinks
"Some Enchanted Evening" is Saturday
night at the corner bar you're still likely to
discover something in this show that will
appeal to either your sensual nature or your
sense of nostalgia (for summer breezes and
the 40's).
South Pacific opened Tuesday and
continues every night but Mondays at the
Village Dinner Theatre near the RDU
airport. Cost for dinner, set ups and show is
$12 per person Sunday through Thursday
and $14 Friday and Saturday. Reservations
are necessary. (1-596-8343).
Pocket Theatre of Durham is pleased to
announce the return engagement for two
performances only of Jesse and the Bandit
Queen. Due to popular response to the play
in the Triangle area Pocket Theatre will
bring the play back for two performances on
Friday Sept. 16 and Saturday Sept. 17.
In David Freeman's two act play, Jesse
James and Belle Star. . ."mated by
history,. . .riding the wild pampas together,
the burning dust of the desert in their lungs"
attempt to set the record straight as to "who
they really was and what they really done."
The play is concerned with Jesse and Belle as
they struggle to find their own identities and
gain control over their lives. Most of the
biographical information is true. The main
fictional element is their relationship. The
play opens just before Jesse and Belle are
V . I III IJ .111 LIIIIL. I. 11.1 mill I Ill iiiiiiii .lu...uu ua
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Stanley Kowalskl (Michael Medelros)
and his wife Stella (Elaine Bromka) in a
scene from A Streetcar Named Desire.
killed, and we see them act out their lives
from a final point of perspective in the
instant between their awareness of danger
and their moment of death.
Jesse and the Bandit Queen was originally
presented as a staged reading at the 1975
National Playwrights Conference of the
EugeneO'Neill Memorial Theatre Center. It
was given a full production by the New York
Shakespeare Festival at the Public Theatre
and was selected as one of the Ten Best Plays
of the 1975-76 Season.
The Pocket Theatre is located at 804
Fayettevillc St. in Durham. Curtain time is
8:30 p.m. and tickets may be purchased for
two dollars either at the door or at the
Regulator Bookshop.
The pink is gone, the bricks are back at Spanky's
By BILL WATERFIELD
DTH Contributor
When Spanky's Restaurant and bar
opened early this month at the corner of
Franklin and Columbia streets, Chapel
Hill gained a very desirable and much
needed eating establishment.
Spanky's, named afterSpanky of Our
Gang, combines a fine atmosphere with
a unique menu. The restaurant exhibits
an attractive, brick exterior and a
tastefully restrained interior of
varnished wood, brass trim and glass
chandeliers a sharp contrast from the
pink decor of vlayberry Ice Cream &
Sandwich Shop, the previous occupants
of 101 E. Franklin Street.
The atmosphere at Spankv's is not
crowded or murky and allows diners to
be comfortable and relaxed. However,
the seating area is not large, and chances
are you will have to wait unless you eat
dinner before 5 p.m. or after 8 p.m.
Lunch, according to manager Dean
Veros, has been very busy.
Once seated, patrons can view
passersby through the expansive front
windows or dine at the partially
secluded tables toward the back.
Spanky's is owned by Harrison Ewell,
who also owns Harrison's on Franklin
Street. But there is a distinct difference
in the purpose of each establishment.
Spanky's concentrates on a more
ambitious and diverse bill of fare.
Where else can you get an artichoke, for
example, or a seafood crepe? Prices are
aimed at students looking for a
complete dinner or a quick lunch.
"We've kept the sandwiches under
two dollars to keep them within
students' range," Veros said.
Sandwiches are available only at lunch.
The London Broil dinner and the
chicken, vegetable or seafood crepes are
among the more popular items. Salads
range from the house green salad to a
large, seafood salad containing shrimp,
scallops, and crabmeat. For dessert,
Spanky's offers fresh strawberry crepes,
chocolate pie and pecan pie.
Spanky's serves food until 9 p.m.
Mondays-Thursdays and until 10 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays. Spanky's is
closed on Sundays.
The Mayberry Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop melted away but Spanky's, a new
restaurant and bar, provides a complete dinner or quick lunch. Spanky's is owned by
Harrison Ewell, who also owns Harrison's on Franklin Street.
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LET THE
MUSIC
KEEP OUR
SPIRIT HIGH"
&
"Oh, don't be mad! Everyone who's anyone will be there!"
Friday and Saturday Nights
CROSSWIND
Music Starts at 9:00
929-3824
IW J1" WffiPHW ft
128 E. Franklin St. Downtown