Portland observer., March 16, 1972, Page 6, Image 6

Page 6 Portland Observer
/'OH n
Thursday, March 16, 197.;
IM )
OHS/. HI I I I
BOP CITY
Entertainment
Bop City Records R A B; S p iritu a ls
W e ship a n y w h ere
Located
5 1 3 0 N E U n io n
Earth Day A rt
show set
Ih e O regon E n v iro n m e n ta l
Council announced that an en­
vironmental a rt e x h i b i t ,
•'Earth Treasure H unt," w ill
te held at the downtown M ult­
nomah C o u n ty L ib ra ry on
Earth Hay, A pi il 22. i>pen to
a ll, the show w ill be an oppor­
tunity (or concerned pe sons
to express their ideas and
feelings about the environ­
ment using the many mediums
of a rt - photography, music,
collage, sculpture, poetry,
painting, display, film , etc.
"W hat on Earth do You
Treasure and what Endangers
it? " is the theme of the show.
The OEC intends to exhibit all
entries received and, after tne
show, to use many of the con­
tributions for permanent dis­
plays, traveling exhibits, and
g ifts to environmental groups.
E ntries o r announcements of
S u n » // Oawi.
Photographer j Mat»
intent to entei must be sent to
the DEC otfice(43l5s,W .C o r­
bett, Portland, Oregon 97201)
by A p ril I.
Jane Lyle, of the OEC Edu­
cation C o m m it t e e , com­
mented: " E a r t h Treasure
Hunt w ill feature artworks by-
people who don't usually con­
sider themselves as a rtists
but who h a v e strong tee I mgs
about the environmental c r i­
sis. Entries can focus on broad
issues ("clean a ir versus the
c a r") o r on nanowei ones (a
rural neighborhood versus a
housing development), llie y
can be simple (a snapshot, tor
example) or e la b o ra te ^ film ),
constructed from found ma­
te ria ls or with the usual a r­
tis ts ’ supplies. An informa­
tional poster is available in
small or large quantities from
the DEC office (222-3369).
Block Opera star
gains success
Cabaret singer Liza M innelli in the kitchen of her rooming
house in the A llied A rtis ts release "C a b a re t” , the film ver­
sion of the hit Broadway musical. The film version authen­
tica lly recalls the synthetic gaiety and decadence of Germany
in the early 1930‘ s when human values were dra stica lly chang­
ing and the Nazis were coming into popularity.
Black Drama
Part 2
A brief analysis of two pre­
sentations shows how various
playwrights go about "height­
ening th e consciousness."
"T h e Black T e r r o r " is a no-
holds-barred look at revolu­
t i o n . Wesley, a 26-year old
who graduated from Howard
L'niversity at the d a w n of its
b la c k student activistm ove-
ment, said he was inspired to
w rite the play in 1970, after the
police raids on Black Panthei
Party headquarters inLos.An-
geles and C h ic a g o . "The
M a n ” in " A in’ t Supposed to
D ie” is not only the brutal cop:
he is a white symbol above the
stage, who pulls the strings
over the black ghetto as if tne
residents were puppets.
While the surge of black
drama is welcomed by blacks,
many c ritic iz e what they con­
sider an emphasis on the neg­
ative. " j e t " magazine c ritic
P e t e r Bailey, for example,
pi aised " A in ’ t Supposed to
D ie” and "B la c k T e rro i . " But
he ad d e d , "Even if just lor
novelty’ s sake, it w o u ld be
great to see a play where black
folks move and groove to­
gether to accomplish a desired
go a l." This fee ling was echoed
even by some of the cast of
"B la c k T e rro r ."
Such a presentation would be
"T he Psychic P retenders," in
w h ic h all ends well, with
united and le a r n e d blacks
moving f o r w a r d . Wesley
maintains that "B la ck T e r­
r o r " is positive, inasmuch as
the d e p o s e d revolutionary
survives and already ha s
vowed to engage in tedious
community organization.
B u t whether the drama is
"negative” oi “ p o s itiv e ",to ­
day’ s black in the th e a tre -re ­
gardless of his age-(eels that
his prim ary target is the black
audience. This is true of vet­
erans l i k e E a rl Sydnoi, who
portrays a black middle-class
Lncle Tom in "B la ck Ter­
r o r ," and "Inne; C ity 's "
Paulette Ellen Jones, a rela­
tive newcomer. Ed Bulhns
said this is because, "u n lixe
the cracher culture, we have
something to work foi - nation
bu ild in g ." Some sa y that
though th e y accept lucrative
roles "downtown", they would
prefer - and feel their basic
r e s p o n s ib ilit y
is - w o r k i n g in
black theatres "uptown.’ ’
But several also (eel they
have a message for whites - as
well as well-heeled blacks.
They have different w a y s of
doing th is. The blacks in " In ­
ne; C ity ," fo r example, con­
vey the message mainly by in­
jecting their black personali­
ties into their r o l e s . Miss
Jones, adlibbing, sometimes
w ill demand the audience's at­
tention while she talks a bout a
black domestic "C in d e re lla "
whose story ends in despair.
A striking example is Min­
nie Gentry’ s "P u t a Curse on
Y ou," the chilling finale to
" A in ’ t Supposed to D ie.” F o l-
lowing the rape of a black wo­
man by two policemen and the
police slaying of a fleeing theft
suspect, a superstitious old
woman (Miss Gentry) “ casts
a sp e ll" on the audience. Of ten
she confronts front-row cus­
tomer s a lm o s t eye-to-eye.
The " c u rs e " is the same ills
of th e ghetto visited on the af­
fluent who allow tie conditions
to continue.
"T h a t’ s the way I personally
fe e l," sheexplained backstage
recently. “ From the very be­
ginning, when | move on to the
s ta g e at tfie opening parade,
this is building from each s it­
uation arxl each incident. I t ’ s
building w ithir,? me, personal­
ly; the character is me. And
finally, af the end, 1 mean that.
I think it is valid, and I believe
it.
H ave Your
Birthday party free
a t G en eva’s
Katie Lipscomb celebrates hei birthday party with her
sister, M yrt'e Dinkens, at Geneva’ s.
Photo by Paul Knauls
Portland Community College's Community orchestra presented
a concert at West Moreland Union Manor. Tlie orchestra Is
made up of th irty musicians, ranging in age from 18 to 80.
I make
movies in the
Coast Guard.
"The Bus is Coming H
The new, black-made mo­
tion picture, "T h e Bus Is
C o m in g , " is a film e v e r y
member of the fam ily can see
and, accoiding tocei ta in c i it-
ics, "should see."
Produced by Horace Jack-
son, directed by W e n d e ll
James Franklin (or th e ir K -
Calb Productions firm , "H u s "
is a multi-faceted m o i re , a
* story of black I lie in S m a l I-
town, V.S.A., a inovie fo r to­
day.
I lie story revolves around
the brutal police murder ol a
m ilitant, young black m a n .
1 he murder sets the (»eopleof
the to w n at o d d s with each
other. Angeied black m ili­
tants are ready to burn the
town down.
But a returning Vietnam war
veteran wants to g iv e the
"s y s te m " a chance.
During its journey from 1«
ginning to e n d , "T h e Bus Is
Coming" examines and ap­
praises black and white alike
in the intense pressure-cook­
e r of inflamed racial relation­
ships.
co n su m in g hobby. N e v e rth e ­
le s s , Ed plave< ll> a ske tb a lla iid
fo o tb a ll and was a m e m b e r o f
the C h o ir and p re s id e n t o f the
G lee C lu b . S e rio u s vo ca l le s ­
sons d id not begin, h o w e v e r,
u n til a fte r he obtained his BA
and s ta rte d te a ching in t h e
C h ica g o p u b lic sch o o ls.
It was a ls o in C hicago th a t
Edw ard P ie rs o n got h is o p e r ­
a tic s ta rt, f ir s t sin g in g p r in ­
c ip a l ro le s w ith s m a ll c o m ­
panies and then m aking h is d e ­
but iri "D o n C a r l" " w it h the
■ C hicago L y r ic Opera in 1964.
H is
r ic h and e x p re s s iv e
l« s s - b a r ito n e was no tice d by
m a n y and he has l>een h e a rd
w id e ly w ith such o rc h e s tra s as
the C h ica g o Sym phony, t h e
Chances are, developments
H o lly w o o d B ow l S ym phony, th e
of the current season signal
1-. .-I.l d POpsOl • «-Mi a, th e
the beginning of a new trend.
G ran t P a r k O rc h e s tra , the
Though th e crowds have not
B ro o k ly n P h ilh a rm o n ic , and
been flocking to the Broadway
On Sunday alternoon, March
the C hicago NBC O rc h e s tra .
presentations in r e c o r d -
26, 1972, between the hours
P re s e n tly under c o n tra c t
breaking numbers, promoters
of 5:00 pan. to 9:00 pun. The
w ith the L in c o ln C e n te r New
obviously are aware of the in­
Y o rk C ity O p e r a , E d w ard
Royal Esquire Club w ill pre­
terest blacks are beginning to
P ie rs o n m oved e a s t w ith h is
sent its Annual Fashion Show
s h o w . Whether black play­
fa m ily in 1966 and made h is d e ­
and Dance. This years theme
but at the New Y'ork C ity O pera
wrights w ill be given absolute
w ill
feature
your choice
in " D o n R o d rig o ” , Su»< etfien,
control over their m aterial is
• ot colors.
he
has
sune
th
e
re
such
r
o
le
s
as
not certain. Some blacks are
A complete sport scene w ill
C re on in S tra v in s k y 's " O e d i­
doubtful, though Van Peebles
be featured with Peyton Stor-
pus R e x " , Don M a g n ific o in
has encountered no censor­
l i ’ s Leather Look, including
" C e n e r e n to la " , B o r is in " K a -
ship. Whether white c ritic s
s k ir ts , caps, pants, coats,
te rln a Is m a ilo v a ” , S carpia in
and audiences w ill come to ac­
swim suits as well as belts,
" T o s c a ” , B a r to lo in ‘ 1 he
In h is n a tive C h ica g o , E d ­
w a rd
P ie rs o n attended D u-
Sable High School and g ra d ­
uated fro m R o o se ve lt U n iv e r ­
s it y ,
In the span o f tim e be ­
tween DuSable and R o o se ve lt
he a t t e n d e d Savannah (G a.)
S ta te C o lle g e . It was th e re th a t
he f i r s t s ta rte d s e rio u s s in g ­
in g , though h is ro lle g e b a s k e t-
tvall coach did not a p p ro ve o f
a r e c ip ie n t o f an a th le tic s c h o ­
la r s h ip go in g in f o r such a tim e
£v»ry man m the Coast G uaid
gets valuable (raining in a special
tield—lrom electronics to
mechanics to /ournalism
Anything you d like to learn?
But It is also a movie which
encompasses a warm lo v e
story b e tw e e n handsome,
young stars Mike Sims ami
Stephanie Faulkner. This is
not a love affa ir, however,
that Joes not know moments ot
tension ami conflict.
M iss Faulkner portrays the
siste r of tlie leader of the m i­
litant Black F ist group (B url
Bullock). She loves Sims, who
on firs t returning Horn V iet­
nam to find his brother b ru fjl-
ly murdered. Is a moderate.
She is torn between her loyalty
to her brother ami hei love (o r
Sims.
Une of the most interesting
characters in the movie is
"M is s N ickerson," played by
the talented, attractive Samira
Reed.
Although she is young ami
black. M iss Nickerson is a
conservative school teacher-
ami, moreover, the m istress
o f a bigoted, white cop.
I t ’ s a demanding dram atic
role. But M iss Reed handles
it expertly.
See y o u r lin a i r e c r u it e r at
321 S.W . Salm on S tre e t
P o rtla n d , O regon 97204
Phone 221 3075
A lam eda Theater
3 0 0 0 NE A lberta
284-9448
In co lo r
The Bus is Coming
£
°
Barber ol S e ville ", Monterone
in " R ig o le t t o " , Don J u lia n in
" D o n R o d rig o " and th e t it le
r o le in " P r in c e I g o r " . I lls r e ­
p e rto r y c o n s is ts now o f o v e r
t h ir t y r o le s .
E d w a rd P ie rs o n was a ls o
s e le c te d fo r the leading b a r i­
tone r o le in the A m e ric a n p r e ­
m ie re o f B r itte n ’ s " B u r n in g
F ie r y F u r n a c e " and fo r the
r o l e o f the F e rry m a n in the
sam e c o m p o s e r’ s " C u r le w
R iv e r ’ ’ at the C a ra m o o r R e s -
t iv a l. He sang th e t it le ro le in
th e
W ashington O p e r a ’ s
A m e ric a n p re m ie re o f D e liu s ’
" K o a n a ra ” .
B e in g t a ll and good lo o k in g
w ith a ' h a rm in g p e rs o n a lity ,
E d w a rd
P ie rs o n lias a ls o
found success in m u s ic a ls ,
n o tab ly
in the ro le o l J r x ’
In “ Show B oat” w hich he h a s
sung m o re than 200 tim e s . In
the 1966 L in c o ln C e n te r p r o ­
d u c tio n o f that w o rk he r e -
pla- ed W illia m W a rfie ld . W ith
the C ity C e n te r G ilb e rt and
S u lliv a n Com pany he made h is
detm t in the r o le o f the M ik a d o .
T h e re c ip ie n t o f a M arth a
B a ird R o c k e fe lle r G r a n t in
1967 fo r the study o f G erm an
and W agnerian r o le s , he r e -
‘ e ive d a n o th e r R o c k e fe lle r
a w a rd in 1968 fo r the study of
(m l.a n .
In a d d itio n to h is a c tiv itie s
at th e New Y o rk C ity O p e ra ,
E d w ard P ie rs o n has to u re d
w ith the New Y o rk P ro M u s b a
In the p la y s o f " D a n ie l” and
" H e r o d ” , and has p e rfo rm e d
at C a rn e g ie and P h ilh a rm o n ic
H a lls .
Shakespearean seminar set
RTt KN , '
Die
Oregon Shakespearean F esti­
val’ s fifth annual " B a rd ’ s
Prologue” lectures s e rie s io i
Portland area residents has
been schedule! tobegin.March
16 and w ill run fo r five con­
secutive xeeks, with an " e p i­
logue” session scheduled af­
te r the summei season.
Ihe annual seminar series
w ill again be conductel by
D r. James S. II a l , of I 'o i t-
land state Univei s lty's Eng­
lish faculty, Thursday morn­
ings beg inning at 10:30 in
the home of Festival Associ­
ation Board member, M rs.
Lamar Tooze, J r.
The seminar, which is title d
" I he Range of C om ely” w ill
include: Uncle Vanya, March
16; Taming of the Shrew,
March 23; Love’ s l.a b o u i’ s
L o s t, M arch 30; Henry tne
, A p ril 6}
ami I roilu:> anJCiesslda, Ab­
r il 13.
A c ritic a l review
session is planned after tne
Ire tiv a l’ summei se c,o n ,is
part ol the lecture series.
D r. Hart has been a guest
lecturei at the I e stiva l’ s In­
stitute of Renaissance stislies
in Ashland ind gives fresh
insight to pi ovule a le ite i
understanding of the plays be­
ing produced during this sea­
son’ s Fe tiv a l/S I AGE II and
the regular summer Shakes­
pearean Restival.
Portland area residents In­
terested In r e s e rv in g space
tor this Spring series should
contact: M rs. Lamar I ooze,
J r., 5500 s.W. Hewett Blvd.,
Portland or call (503) 292-
1886.
purses and saddle bags. Most
of M r. S to rli’ s work has been
to private individuals, made
to order.
He is expanding
his work to the general public
at 7824 S.W. 5th Ave.
Also being featured w ill fe
men's wear from the Bohlen
Ä
.
O p e n in g
M onday
thru
S a tu r d a y
S u n d ay m a tin e e
Bear, Nudleman Brothers, ami
Womens Wear from
and LaRue’ s.
F rid a y
7:p .m .
6 :0 0 P .m .
1:45
E v e n in g
7:15
Royal Esquires Fashions
Lucius C. W iliu m s , Chair­
man of this years show, pro­
mises a better show thanevei
befare, teatunng Bobby j o
Washington, Grace Baldwin,
Nathan Reddlt, VsshtlM cKen-
sie and othei models you w ill
enjoy. A dance w ill follow
the show with James Allen
furnishing the music.
I his
affali w ill 1« held at the
Town Hall, 3425 N. Montana.
Tickets are available at the
House of Sound or from your
favorite Esquire. Mark this
date on yourCalcm lar and plan
to attend.
Weiskopf M em orial
H eart Concert
Mezzo sopr ano Joann G rillo
and tenor Giuseppe Campora
w ill return to Portland June II
to ta k e pan iri the Weiskopf
Heart Conceit attheC Ivic Au­
d ito riu m . Along with numer­
ous other singers and instru­
mentalists they w i l l donate
their time and talents toesta-
blish a research fu n d In the
name of the la te M a e stio H e r-
bert Weiskopf fo r the Oregon
Heart Association.
Mis; G rillo , leading mezzo
with the Metropolitan Dpera
Company, sings also with the
laigest opera houses of Eu­
rope. This season she ap­
peared as the fierolnes in three
of the most demanding French
operas — "W e rth e i’ ' wlththe
P a ris Dpera Com Ique; " C a r­
m en" in Gelsenkirchen, amJ
" S a m s o n and D e lila h " in
Rouen, Fran; e. She rec ently
was heard as Maddalena In (he
Saturday afternoon broadcast
of "R ig o le tto " from the Met.
Giuseppe Campora, who is
so popular with Portland audi­
ences due to his appearances
here in "LaB ohem e,” "L u c ia
d i Lam m erm oor," and "I.a
Rondine,” makes his home in
Ita ly, where he sings regular­
ly with LaScala in M ilan. F o r
m a n y years on tlie rostei of
the Metropolitan opera, lie
sings throughout the United
States, Canada and S o u th
Am erica.
Halls of Anger
o
.ZT
Esquires schedule
fashion show, dance
cept this bold, new drama an
masse is uncertain. Most of
the blacks contacted by the
"R e p o ite r" do not seem to
have cared enough to give the
m atter much thought.
This is because they f e a r
that t h e r e is no way b la c k
drama can become a trend,
without accommodating white
tastes, which they ’ear means
watering d o w n the content.
They are hopeful th a t the
steady growth of black patron­
age of black drama w ill con­
tinue, in black areas of every
locality. Many believe itw ill,
now that more plays to which
blacks can relate a ie avail­
able. Several said th e y also
hope b la c k c ritic s w ill bemore
responsive to b la c k drama.
They accused black reviewers
of whatWesleycalled "w aiting
for the white ct itics to say it’ s
all rig h t.”
Eve M erriam and Helen
M ille r, whose "In n e r C ity "
hasn't shown v e r y much box
office strength, are hoieful
that this season's offerings
have started a trend on Broad­
way. "Itc e rta in ly took Broad­
way a long tim e ," chided M a .
(she’ s a fem inist who dislikes
" M is s " and " M r s . " ) Mer­
riam . Commenting on the pos­
sibility th a t Oscar Blown
J r . ’ s "K ic k s and C o ." was a
bn ahead of 1 is time, aha o r-
recteu, " N o , Broadw ay <
tehind the tim es.”
plus
SKin
show
James Guthrie, from South­
ern C alifornia, w ill conduct
tlie full symphony orchestra.
Other singers taking part in
tie tenefit include M e tio p o ll-
tan O p e r a bai none Frank
G uairera anil soprano Ella
Lee, is well as Bor Hand's own
G loria C utsfoith ami R. G.
Webb. V io lin ist Gloria Chap­
pell w ill come from H olly­
wood, and cel I ist Leo K os, u e l-
ny from Germany.
I ickets foi the benefit con­
ce rt are now on sale at the box
o f f ii e ol the C ivic Auditorium ,
M eier ami Frank downtown,
and Stevens A Son in tie Lloyd
Center.
tburnhaii mar. 26 510 pm
S 2.50 Advance T ick ets on sa le
House of Sound o r from your
favorite H squire
$3,00 at door
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The Trimline Telephone
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