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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 1983)
f 4 . ..U • . , P#0« 8 Section I Portland Observer, April 27, 1983 MEET BERLIN WOULD YOU TRU8T THE FUTURE OF THE PLANET TO THESE THREE? Ssdro (aka FACTWINO), hla buddy. Buddy (cantarl. and tha Spirit of Information (right) taka on tha mlghtiaat foe of them aN. ARMAGEDDON M A N III THIRD WORLD THEATRE " W e do plays that relate to people's reality," says Estaban Oropeza who has been with the San Francisco Mime Troupe since 1974. During its 20 years the M im e Troupe has picked up (and on) such issues as race, the price o f beans, equal pay, unequal work, foreign policy, the "new Right” and others Each is delivered in low-blows-high precision comedic style in the belief that, "Laughter gives us the distance to understand." Now the second largest employer o f perform ers in San Francisco, the M im e Troupe began a “ hiring freeze" in 1973 to insure a racially balanced perspective. The Mime Troupe now boasts performers from East Los Angeles to Spanish Harlem , Berkeley to Baltimore. The transition to racially balanced audiences has been a challenge. Accord ing to Alysse T rim ble o f Esencia magazine, "th e third world has been slow to accept the Troupe which 'looked white’ for so long. But it’s working; the M im e Troupe now enjoys a following from H arlem to East Los Angeles to San A n to n io ." P o ten tial perform ers are interviewed closely to insure th at, as M a ria Acosta-Colon put it, "there is a certain consciousness about why we're doing what we’ re doing. O therw ise,” she adds, " a d o in g -a rt-fo r-art’s-sake kind o f mentality comes into the w o rk.” Performances by the San Francisco M im e Troupe are cast in the tradition o f true craftsmen; each perform er helps write, direct, compose, costume, produce and perform the complete product. This is not done as quietly as mime might imply, the Troupe goes by an older definition o f mime meaning to represent scenes from life usually in a ridiculous manner. They carefully synchronize music, narrative, action, and song. "Everything about this theatre is direct. . . the political intention is explicit, nevei d isguised," stated Peter Solom on in his prologue to b v P o p u lar Demand, Plays and other works by The San Francisco M im e Troupe. He explains that, " . . .they are political plays, as they concern the ways people deal with each other and with their government; they are plays o f protest, as they concern the ways people and governments abuse people." People is the key word here. As Trim ble notes, " it is not enough to say that the plays are about people, they are also f o r people. The M im e Troupe brings to life ‘guerrilla theatre* which is socially conscious and quite d iffe r ent from ’dining room theatre.* ” The timely theme o f this year’s premiere is nuclear disarmament. Entitled " F a c lw in o versus A rm a g e d d o n m a n ," it is the last chapter o f a musical comic strip trilogy begun two summers ago. Factwino is a has-been drunk with the will-be power to “ zap” the thoughtless into thought. Armageddon man is a malicious monster minded by two (he’s h alf business, h alf war), out to push the button and end mankind with a bang. The “ Final C o n flict" decides whether Armaggeddonman’s vision of nuclear holocaust is fulfilled or the growing movement for nuclear disarmament succeeds in time! Although the M im e Troupe struggles to pay expenses plus $125 per week to its actors, it often performs free or does benefit performances for socially conscious groups. Performing Artists for Nuclear Disarmament (P .A .N .D .) w ill receive net proceeds from one o f the four upcoming Portland shows. Not politically popular, the Troupe fought for eight years to receive money from San Francisco’s Hotel Fund. La Rochele, a city in France, was giving m oney to the co m p an y b efo re San Francisco was. T he M im e T ro u p e depends on "th e box office” for 80^. o f its income. W ithout a doubt, Berlin is one o f the most extraordinary success sagas o f the current musical season. Emerging from the bustling Los Angeles music scene, the group, via a series o f critically acclaimed and highly popular live appearances and the release o f their own, independently financed and pro duced EP. have in a short space o f time, become one o f the most talked-and- written-about ensembles in recent memory. "T h e group defies all labels and analogies," enthused one w riter. " T o put it simply, there is nothing like it ." "T hey succeed brilliantly in combin ing catchy pop hooks with sophisticated lyrics.” observed another, while a third remarked, "B erlin combines sexual energy, lyrical content and mass appeal rock ’ n’ ro ll___ ” Berlin’s E P , Pleasure Victim , is a seven song tour-de-force laden with melodic pop hits. Recorded in the spring o f 1982, Pleasure Victim was ini tially released on the small, independent M .A .O ./E n ig m a label in September o f that year. Almost immediately it began attracting widespread attention, both in alternative record stores and on the airwaves. In the first ten weeks o f its release it sold over 25,000 copies and became one o f the top fifteen best-selling discs in the L. A . basin. Radio stations from coast-to-coast put Pleasure Victim on the heaviest o f rotations. From apparently out o f the blue, Berlin had arrived to take the musical com m unity by storm . Now Geffen Records has re-released Pleasure Victim and signed Berlin to a long term recording contract. It has indeed been an eventful few months for a remarkable and provocative band. p .m ., A p ril 30, $6 advance, S7 at door, 242-0821 for inform ation. Fashion Fair and M a k s up C u ltu ral C s n ta r, call Mrs. Lottie Clay, 654-9310 for inform ation. S K H l 'i N R 1431 N.E. B roadw ay s HARfs B u n d a y Pub TOP FLIGHT BAND *1 00 cover Play Your Favorite Games BID WHIST, DOMINOES & BACKGAMMON ON SUNDAYS 4:00 p.m. Sunday, M a y 1st Barlin, along w ith apaclal guaat M ap of Franca, w ill ba at tha Euphoria May 14. 1983. at 9:00 p.m. Tlckata will ba M .90. Pick up your tlckata today at Everybody'» Records, Music Millennium. Fradarick and Nelson d o w n to w n . Singles Going Steady and R ock-n-R oll Fashions. Geneva's Lounge 4228 N Williams 282- X In the spring o f the following year, Pleasure Victim, featuring a prepon derance o f John C raw ford ’s original material was recorded and the group’s reputation took a quantum leap. Three supporting members were added — guitarist Rick Olsen, d ru m m e r Rod I earned and second keyboardist M att Reid. W ith a stunning EP available on G effen Records under their belt, the controversial "Sex ( I ’m A . . . ) " as their first m ajor label single release and a full roster o f U .S . tour dates ready for the spring o f 1983, Berlin is poised to take their unique and innovative music beyond their Los Angeles home base to the rest o f the waiting world. As the title o f the first song John Craw ford ever wrote so succinctly put it. now " ( t ’s just a matter o f tim e.” Look! Look! Look! Please Come and Celebrate May Day Dinner Fashion Show X4W FRANCISCO MIME JUMPE * A MUSICAI COMIC STRIP MAY 5,6, A 7 Thurs & Fri 8PM Sat 2PM & 8PM at Northwest Service Center 1819 NW Everett. Rid. Twr riwAi CO M FtlCT!’ M ay 6 -7 /1 3 -1 4 8:15 p.m. lefferSon Perform ing Art» Center Royal Esquires Club ticket» Steven» A Son*, Lloyd Center M e ie r & Frank, D o w nto w n Dance Togs, Beaverton |effer«on 2 8 7 -1 3 9 8 1708 N.E. Alberta From 6 p.m . Until Midnight May 7,1983 More Information Please Call 281-9195 Z $ /T Music to motivate the mind ... II IL y 1 Midday Modulations Saturday A pril .30 • 12-10 pm Sundav May 1 • 12-5 pin $3.0(1 Adults «V h host J o s e p h R o w e A $1.50 Clukin*n t'l.fc« u Monday through Thursday 12:15 P.M. Oregon Public Broadcasting Radio KOAC AM 550 $ 9 1 .5 FM KOAP , *». «ve’»* . ■ ' * S - bckwa Artichoke Muwc 722 N W 2 1 « A « The Jefferson Dancers Live Music & Professional Models Bright Spring and Summer Fashions Admission M®° ,X Performing Artists for Nuclear Disarmament (PANO) presents the May 2 8 1983 f M ay 1st T h a a tro WED & THURS MAY4&5 9:00 p.m. « HAPPENINGS F a s h io n S h o w , Debonaire P roduction’ s "Exclusive In te rv ie w ." 8 Spring & Summer Fashions Tv - '.C
