entertainment
PlayMakers To
Present Shaw’s
“Misalliance”
The PlayMakers Repertory Co.
preeentation of George Bernard
Shaw’s “Misalliance,” scheduled
March 1-19, will be directed by guest
director Maureen Hefferaan. The
production will feature guest artists
Tobias Andersen and James Prit
chett.
For all three, the comedy is
remarkable in its timeliness. “Shaw
has found universal truths about rela
tionships,” said Ms. Heffeman, who
directed the PlayMakers production
of “Orphans” in 1997. “The play deals
with the conflicts between rich and
poor, men and women, parents and
children, in a way that is thoroughly
recognisable to modern audiences.
“These are the thanes, dialogues
and discussions that we see in our
own livee-but they’re set in England
at the turn of the century, in a class
structure different from our own. All
of this makes the play quite
fascinating,” Ms. Heffeman added.
"Misalliance” provides Andersen
and Pritchett with an opportunity to
play off each other, representing two
very different kinds of British men of
the period.
Pritchett, who is returning to
PlayMakers as a guest artist for the
fifth consecutive season, plays the
role of Mr. Tarleton, the wealthy
owner of Tarleton’s Underwear. "Mr.
Tarleton represents the aristocracy
of trade," Pritchett explained., “He's
a linen draper who made good, and he
has enough money now to be able to
speak his mind. But as the play
demonstrates, neither nobility nor
money cures the problem of how to
deal with one's children.”
Andersen, who is making his first
appearance with PlayMakers, plays
the role of Lord Summerhays, a
former colonial governor who typifies
the English aristocracy. “Everyone
defers to Lord Summerhays even
when he doesn't know the answers,”
Andersen observed. “He has a way of
dealing with the world that makes
him act like he knows more than he
does. But even with all of those ad
vantages, he still doesn’t deal well
with the new generation. ’
The PlayMakers presentation of
“Misalliance” marks the first pro
duction of the play for all three. Ms.
Heffsrnan finds the different levels of
meaning in the play especially
challenging. “It’s exciting to see how
much of the comedy in the play
comes from serious discussions, and
how much serious philosophy comes
from the comedy,” she explained.
Ms. Hefferaan is the founding ar
tistic director of the Unlimited Poten
tial Theatre Company of Very Special
Arts in New Jersey, a company of ac
tors with physical disabilities. She is
the former artistic director of the
George Street Playhouse in New
Brunswick, N.J., and has directed
productions at theaters around the
country.
Pritchett, a native of Lenoir, holds
a law degree and a bachelor’s degree
in dramatic art from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A
New York City resident, he has per
formed extensively in Broadway and
Off-Broadway productions, as well as
in regional theaters. His television
credits include an Emmy Award in
1978 for his role as Matt Powers on
“The Doctors.”
Preview performances ot
"Misalliance” are scheduled
Wednesday, March 1, and Friday,
March 3; opening night will be Satur
day, March 4. Performances will con
tinue Sundays at 3 p.m. and Tuesdays
through Saturdays at 8 p.m.
All performances are in the Paul
Green Theatre, located on Country
Club Road on the UNC-CH campus.
For information, call 1-963-1131.
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Guillaume Reveals Dramatic Side
Of Talents In Movie “Lean On Me”
Robert Guillaume—for nine yean
known and loved by millions as Ben
son, the television character who rose
from being a butler on “Soap” to a
lieutenant governor in his own series,
“Benson”—now reveals a distinctly
dnrtnatic side of his talents by starr
ing with Morgan Freeman and Bever
ly Todd in the rousing, hugely enter
taining new “Lean On Me,” the true
story of America’s most controver
sial high school principal, Joe Clark.
The film, directed and executive
. produced by John G. Avildsen and
produced by Norman Twain, will
soon be released to theaters around
the country by Warner Brothers.
Michael Schiffer wrote the
screenplay, and the score is by com
poser BUI Conti of "Rocky" and “The
Right Stuff” fame.
In the film, Guillaume plays Dr.
Frank Napier, who hires longtime
-friend and colleague Joe Clark
(Morgan Freeman) to the seemingly
impossible task of cleaning up one of
the toughest schools in
America—Eastside High in Paterson,
N.J. Throughout Clark's risky tenure,
he and Napier clash ideological
swords on occasion, but both fight for
the same goals—a better education
for the school’s mostly black and
Hispanic students.
Robert Guillaume was raised in a
St. Louis ghetto by his grandmother,
and he dreamed of becoming the first
black tenor at the Metropolitan
Opera. “When I first stepped out on a
stage,” he recalls, “I did so because
somebody told me I could sing. I con
tinued because it was the only thing
that was chaUenging me."
This ambition directed him to
Washington University, where he
studied voice, and then to a theatrical
apprenticeship in Cleveland. To sup
port his artistic training, Guillaume
worked as a streetcar conductor and
postal clerk, but he finally made it to
Broadway in the musical version of
“Golden Boy” starring Sammy
Davis, Jr. and “Porgy and Bess.”
Guillaume achieved major recogni
tion in the title role of “Purlie!” and
then as Nathan Detroit in the ac
claimed all-black revival of "Guys
and Dolls”—a performance which
earned him a Tony nomination.
Guillaume’s love of theater brought
him back to Broadway in 1985 to
reprise “Purlie!” with Sherman
Hemsley and Melba Moore.
Of his “Benson” role, Guillaume
says, "My whole tenure was to con
spicuously stay out of stereotypical,
sociological traps, To me, Benson had
NEW SOALS-Nhytftm and Hum tingtr Howard Howttt Ms Ebony/Jet
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to be black, someone the audience
didn’t feel was trying to be white.”
Guillaume’s vast popularity with au
diences is now bringing him back to a
new series of his own for ABC, “The
Robert Guillaume Show," in which he
portrays a marriage counselor.
Over the years, Guillaume has ex
panded his arena of talent to include
producing and performing as a suc
cessful singer/entertainer, where he
is much in demand at theaters and
nightclubs throughout the United
States and Canada. He has also co
starred in the Neil Simon film,
“Seems Like Old Times,” with Goldie
Hawn and Chevy Chase, co-starred
opposite Gary Coleman in the
telefeatures “The Kid with the
Broken Halo” and “The Kid with the
200 IQ” (which he also produced),
and is also seen with Robin Givens in
the television movie “Penthouse.”
. \ w \;v—
AI.YSON WILLIAMS
Stases*
Thirty-seven Shakespearean plays
performed by three actors in one
evening? Impossible, you say? Not so
for these three zany New Vaude
villians who peform drama, comedy,
acrobatics and some of the fastest
costuiue changes you are ever likely
to witness in Stewart Theatre on
Thursday, March 2, at 8 p.m.
Leave your textbook at home and
bring your funnybone with you
because this is Shakespeare like you
have never seen Shakespeare before.
“The Complete Worl.s of William
Shakespeare (Abridged)” is exactly
that—all of the Bard’s plays condens
ed into manic three-man romps of
two to 90 minutes each.
The merry trio, Adam Long, Jess
Borgeson and Daniel Singer, in
troduce their theatrical “grand
fromage,” as they call it, by com
menting that it would take 3ft days of
constant sitting to view the complete
works of Shakespeare, and that’s too
long. So, they compress the comedies
into a single reading, compact the
histories into one football game (King
Lear is disqualified as a fictional
character), and attack the remaining
tragedies with a vengeance, all
resulting in 60 minutes of nonstop,
uproarious comedy.
The members of the Reduced
Shakespeare Company consider
themselves port of the “New
Vaudeville” movement on Broadway
popLlarized by the Flying
Karamazov Brothers, Bill Irwin and
Pen and Teller. “My favorite thing
aboutd New Vaudeville,” said Singer
in a recent interview with the Los
Angeles Times, “is that there’s a real
sense of audience awareness, of shat
tering the fourth wall.”
So, come and get into the act with
these crazy guys as they race through
their performance at breakneck
speed. “It’s clever. It’s remarkably
silly. It’s a great sendup of
Shakespeare,” said the San Fran
cisco Examiner. Tickets are
available at the Center Stage Box Of
fice (737-3104) Monday through Fri
day, 10 a.m. to 5:48 p.m., where con
venienLMasterCard and VISA orders
are accepted. Tickets may also be
purchased (cash only) at Ladds’
Book Shop of North Ridge (87M404)
Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to
9 p.m., and Sunday, noon until 5 p.m.
Individual tickets are available at $10
for the general public and‘$5 for
NCSU students. Special accommoda
tions are available for people with
special needs.
Stage One Toure N.C.
With "Charlotte's Web"
Touring to North Carolina for the
first time, Stage One will perform its
production of the play “Charlotte’s
Web" during two shows in Stewart
Theatre on the NCSU campus on
Monday, March U. Based on the
modern classic by E.B. White, the
play is part of the Center Stage
Children’s Series.
Set in the 1950s on a small Mid
western farm, “Charlotte’s Web”
brings to life the fantasy of barnyard
animals who speak to each other and
to the one human they trust. The
story centers around a young pig
named Wilbur who learns the mean
ing of love, friendship and sacrifice
when he is befriended by Charlotte, a
small gray spider who lives in the
doorway of his pen. Through her wit
and ingenious web construction,
Charlotte saves Wilbur from the
slaughterhouse and also makes him a
very famous pig. A host of many
other colorful animal characters add
mischief and fun to this heartwarm
ing tale.
Charlotte, Wilbur and the other
animal characters are represented
with three-dimensional papier-mache
figures inspired by turn-of-the
century antique tin toys. By
manipulating them from the outside,
the actors give the characters move
ment, voice and life.
Having received numerous awards
for outstanding children’s theater as
well as having performed in the Ken
nedy Center’s Imagination Celebra
tion in Washington, D.C., Stage One
of the Louisville Children’s Theatre is
an honor to present and should not be
missed.
In view of the ACC tournament
basketball games on March U, the
performance times have been
scheduled for 10 a.m. and noon, prior
to the l :30 p.m. tipoff. The noon show
is signed for the hearing impaired.
Following both shows, children are
invited to a cookies-and-punch party,
courtesy of McDonald’s, where they
can meet the actors and characters in
person (recommended ages 5-11).
Tickets are available at the Center
Stage Box Office (737-3104) Monday
through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.,
where convenient VISA and Master
Card orders are accepted. Tickets
may also be purchased (cash only) at
Ladds’ Book Shop of North Ridge
(878-4404) Monday through Saturday,
10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, noon
until 5 p.m. Individual tickets are $4
each. Special accommodations are
available for people with special
needs
Wash Your Hands of Colds
It’s said nothing will cure a cold.
That’s why it’s a good idea to avoid
catching one in the first place.
Many health experts say the best
way to reduce the risk of catching
a cold—or spreading colds to others
—is through frequent hand washing.
Clinical studies show the virus
causing colds contaminates the
hands of most sufferers. Hand wash
ing or even rinsing the hands can
help break the chain of infection.
Moui
Powerhouse Vocatm
Alyson Williams Bettina On “Raw”
The all-star matchup on wax of
singer extraordinaire Alyson
Williams and super pro
ducer/manager Russell Simmons has
long been a dream deferred. Sure,
Russell had Alyson sing the lead on
the very first session he ever produc
ed ("Action” by Orange Krush for
Prep/Street Records in 1982) and,
yes, that was Alyson who was singing
backup on records by such Simmons
managed acts as Whodini, Kurtis
Blow, and Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.
Finally, it was indeed Alyson who,
cast by Russell, was featured in a
series of sizzling duets with each of
her male counterparts in Def Jam:
Oran "Juice" Jones, Chuck Stanley,
and Tasban.
But it has taken until the present
moment for Simmons to put the
finishing touches on Alyson’s Def
Jam/Columbia debut, "Raw.”
Naturally, no one is happier than the
project’s executive producer.
"Raw” has been painstakingly
crafted to bear out Russell’s most
extravagant claims. Side one begins
with the gospel-inspired soul of “Just
Call My Name,” a perfect showcase
for Alyson’s powerhouse vocals.
“We’re Gonna Make It” teams up
Alyson with the members of Blue'
Magic, the Philadelphia-based
quintet who are best known for their
tmoochy early ’70s hits.
The same feeling permeates “Not
On the Outside,” a tough ballad
originally cut by the Moments in 1968,
and already revived by Simmons
once before, for Alyson’s Def Jam
iabelmate Oran “Juice” Jones, on
Juice’s “GTO” album.
“I Looked Into Your Eyes,” co
produced by Russell and Vinnie Bell,
stars Alyson in dua’ roles: Dionne
Warwick-styled pop diva and ir
resistible Emotions-styled
background chorus. “I’m So Glad,” a
torrid gospel duet, finds Chuck
Stanley returning the favor Alyson
did him on “Gonna Make You Mine
Tonight,” one of the standouts on
Chuck’s “Finer Things in Life”
album (which is also included as a
bonus cut on the CD version of
"Raw”).
Side two commences with the
album’s title tune. A blistering Huno*
cut, “My Love is So Raw," not only
features a rough rap by Rush artist
Nikki D (“Don’t come into my
Ufe/You’re not cornin’ right. I want a
man I can see when I turn out the
light"), it also spotlights Alyson in a
salty mood. "I don’t need material
things...,” she says. "On second
thought, bring out the ring!” In the
same vein, “On the Rocks” finds A1
Cracking: “You were once my thrill,
like a fine wine, Now you’re Just a
Pepsi, baby, and that’s just not my
style.”
“Still My Number One” was remix
ed by Public Enemy’s Bill Stephney.
“Need Your Lovin'” finds Alyson at
her most kittenish. And “Sleep Talk,"
the first single from “Raw,” not only
features an amusing spoken cameo
by Juice, it was remixed by Hank
Shocklee and Eric *ISadIery
(Stephney's co-conspirators in Public
Enemy) for maximum b-boy appeal.
Alyson comes by her astonishing
emotional and technical range
naturally. The daughter of Jass
trumpeter and bandleader Bobby
Booker (who worked with Count
Basie, Sy Oliver, Cootie Williams and j
others), Harlem-born Alyson had her
earliest training as a dancer, a
discipline she pursued beginning at
age four. She started singing for fun
in high school, but quickly won a lot of
professional attention.
By IMS (after “Action”). Alyson
doubled as one-third of the Capital
Records’act High Fashion and as one ,
of New York’s most in-demand see- '
sion singers, racking up credits with l
the Commodores, Melba Moon, |
Evelyn “Champagne” King, to name ,
a few.
The sessions with Russell Sim
mons’ rapping clients followed (as
well as dates with the Fat Boys and
“Rappin”' Rodney Dangerfield). She
broadened her horizons still further
with a two-month solo stint at the
Memphis Melody nightclub in Paris
during the spring of 1983, followed by
a six-month sojourn later that year as
a backup singer on tour with English
new wave rockers the Gang of Four.
Here in the United States, the
Manhattan showcase of the Soul
Songs tour had the New York Times’
Stephen Holden opining that Alyson
“has -adapted some of the manner
sisms of Patti LaBelle into a
smoother contemporary pop-soul
style,” while Don Thomas of Big Red
News wrote, “The lady stole the
show... It's awfully hard to follow her
act.”
Later in 1967, Alyson recorded a
duet with Juice (“How To Love
Again”) for his “GTO,” a cut that
was subsequently released on Def
Jam’s “Less Than Zero” soundtrack
(and which has been made available
again as a bonus cut on the CD ver
*i'»n nf “Raw”).