Former Olympian highlights Congress
A University alumnus who
placed a close second to Jesse
Owens at the 1936 Olympics is
returning to campus for another
Olympic event.
gram entitled “Peak Perfor
mance.” The program will con
sist of a six-person panel discus
sion to begin at 4 p.m. in the
EMU Dad’s Room. Athletics
Mack Robinson
Mack Robinson will attend
the opening days of the Olym
pic Scientific Congress and will
take part in a Friday public pro
Photo courtesy of University archives
West coach Doug Brown of
Eugene will also be a panel
member.
Robinson will be guest of
honor at a Eugene Hilton lun
cheon Wednesday in honor of
his 70th birthday. He will arrive
in Eugene tonight after serving
as youth ambassador to the
ARCO-Jesse Owens Games in
Anchorage, Alaska.
Robinson ran just one stride
away from Owens in the
200-meter run at the historic
Berlin Games.
A native of Pasadena. Cal.,
Robinson earned conference
championships in the low
hurdles and the long jump dur
ing his two-year stay at the
University. His efforts helped
lead the Ducks to an undefeated
dual meet season in 1938.
Robinson, who transferred to
the University from Pasadena
Community College, also held a
national AAU title in the
200-meter run.
Another member of Robin
son’s family has earned a niche
in sports history. In 1947, his
younger brother Jackie suited
up with the Brooklyn Dodgers
as a second baseman and
became the first black to play
major-league baseball.
Play’s upfront messages are ‘pertinent’
As the house lights dim, a
casually dressed quartet of
musicians wander onstage and
go into a spontaneous version of
the classic “Green Onions.”
The rest of the cast filters on in
the same informal manner, and
the band goes through-a prac
tice run of their song “Feel the
Love.” Joe, the band’s manager,
watches from stage left. The on
ly person missing is the lead
singer, Heather Jones.
Heather is a TV actress turned
pop star whose success had
been based on saccharine love
songs and an unthreatening im
age. She’s done a little growing,
however, and a little learning
since then. And now she’s writ
ten a new collection of songs for
a radically new act that she’s
ready to audition for Joe.
“I’m Getting My Act
Together and Taking It on the
she’s trying to give her act
meaning.
The conflict comes when Joe
expresses his dissatisfaction
with this new direction. He
argues that Olivia Newton-John
and Linda Ronstadt are not
“ball-breakers,” his term for in
dependent women. It becomes
evident that Joe represents the
attitude Heather is addressing
in her music.
The show moves quickly and
defines the characters early on.
The strongest character is, of
course, Heather, played with
confidence and assurance by
Priscilla Lauris. Lauris provides
a powerful, dynamic voice for
the show’s engaging musical
numbers and carries that
presence into her character. Her
backup singers hold their own
in the skits they perform
together.
The sound is crisp and clean,
which is vital to the production
as the songs’ lyrics contain
much of the show’s punch.
The only problems come
when the band overpowers the
singers, which is rare, and
when the harmonies come a lit
tle off register, also rare.
Overall, director Lynda Cza
jkowska has created a well
rehearsed aura of informality
which makes the show feel ge
nuinely spontaneous. She con
versely has the cast heighten
their acting style for the skits
within Heather’s act, making a
solid distinction between the
acting in the these routines and
the acting of the characters.
By the end of the show, the
manager-performer relationship
in the act becomes an ap
propriate metaphor for the rela
Emerald photo
Priscilla Lauris (center) shines as Heather Jones in the Robinson Theatre production of “I’m
Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road. ”
Road” is the story of Heather’s
new outlook on life and rela
tionships. The schlocky love
songs that she used to sing now
nauseate her. After an unsuc
cessful marriage and a hard look
at herself, her parents, and
society in general, she’s ready
to sing about what life is really
about and how it could be
better.
Her new act is a mix of upbeat
songs with sharp, perceptive
lyrics; soft, touching ballads;
and short skits that both parody
and define the problems she ad
dresses in the songs. In short,
The character of Joe the
manager is sketchier than
Heather. Bob Hirsh plays him as
a diplomatic Dabney Coleman,
with a little less presence and
more understanding, but
ultimately suffering from an in
ability to overcome his own pre
judices. Hirsh does an ad
mirable job of making Joe per
sonable and likable despite his
faults and despite the lack of
depth the script provides.
The music is what keeps the
show moving so quickly, and it
provides the high points as
well.
tionships of men and women,
which is the focus of the show.
Though a little short at an hour
and a half, “I’m Getting My Act
Together’’ is a pleasant show
with wit, good music, a relaxed
atmosphere, and an upfront but
unforced message. Its “hip”
message may be dated and ob
vious by now, but it doesn’t
make it any less pertinent.
The show plays July 19, 25
and 26 and Aug. 3, 4 and 10 at
the Robinson Theatre. All per
formances are at 8 p.m. Call
686-4191 for ticket information.
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