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Behind-The Scenes
by Lisa Collins
I I
Bi
Brenda Phillips
by Stephen E. McPherson
Special Correspondent
Black theatre is alive and doing
quite well here in the City of Roses,
thank you. Last summer, Garland Th
om pson staged the artistically suc
cessful “ Simply H eavenly” by Lang
ston Hughes. Drawing from much of
that same cast, Director Al Jamison
has synthesized a winning team into
a comedy, “ The Colored M useum ,"
the likes of which have not been seen
since “ Purlie Victorious.”
George C. W olfe’s “ Colored Mu
seum ” has enjoyed critical acclaim
wherever it has been presented, but
here in Portland it is something very
special because of the manner in
which it showcases the versatility of
several local people. This ensemble
is so effective that one is inclined to
suggest that they become a perm a
nent repertory group.
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RHYTHM & BLUES SINGING
STAR, RUTH BROWN
HOSPITALIZED IN NEW YORK
It was just about two weeks ago
that we saw "That Rhythm, Those
Blues,” an hourlong documentary film
that chronicles the life of R & B sing
ers Charles and Ruth Brown, here at
the Northwest Film and Video Cen
ter. Film-maker, George Niernberg,
told me after the screening (Jan. 14th,
1989) of the news of Ruth Brown’s
illness in New York, while she was in
rehearsal for a new show about Rhythm
& Blues. Ruth Brown’s contribution to
early rock ‘n’ roll, unbreakable color
barriers, her help in the establish
ment of Atlantic Records (known as
“ The House that Ruth Built") and film
footage of her sixtieth birthday party
at the famed Harlem nightspot, the
Baby Grand, are just a few of the
topics featured in the historical docu
mentary.
Shot in color with every piece of
actual perform ance film in vintage
black and white that he could find, the
film-maker succeeds in giving us Ruth
Brown, her place in history, the diva,
artist (who once leaped offstage to
kick some w om an’s ass for throw a
glass of beer at her on stage for not
singing a request prompt enough).
I am waiting for an update on her
condition (please call the office) and
we all wish her a speedy recovery.
“Write on, Ruth." (The landmark, Baby
Grand Lounge is on 125th Street and
Nicholas Ave., between Mary Bruce’s
Dance Studio and the Frank Silvera
W riters’ W orkshop in Harlem.)
TALE OF DEAD DOG FILMING
COM ING OUT OF HOLLYW OOD
My son, Gariand Jr., a 26-year-old
developing film technician, called me
from Los Angeles, all excited about
his receiving a eleven weeks crew
assignment on Handmade Film’s, new
film, “ Cold Dog Soup," scheduled to
shoot in Los Angeles this month.
Thomas Pope adapted (and co-pro
duces) and Alan M etter directs, nov
elist Stephen Dobyns' bizarre yarn of
a young man whose passion leads
him on an all-night quest to bury a
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“The Colored M useum ” opened
Friday night at the Interstate Fire
house Cultural Center located at 5340
N.
In te rs ta te
A ve .
b e tw e e n
Killingsworth and Portland Blvd. If
there is a particular upbeat and jolly
mood in the city this week, one might
attribute it to the tons of laughter that
this very, very humorous but satirical
piece of drama produced.
“ The Colored M useum" displays
eleven events in Black culture with a
sardonic tongue in cheek. Persons
from the larger community might need
a Black com panion to enhance their
enjoyment with the necessary anno
tations. But for Black people, just as
with “ Purlie,” the message is quite
clear.
The show opens with inveterate
Nyewusi Askari portending the mes
sage from our deep roots in African
culture. Soon thereafter Denise W il
liams bounces onto the stage in air
line flight attendant manner to an
nounce with irreverent regard to the
inner passage that:
“ You must w ear your shackles at
all times until the Captain turns off the
‘fasten your shackles sign’. And
remember, no drums allowed.” from
that point forward, one perceives that
no sacred cow will be left unattended.
Miss W illiams ends her parody with
"Just think of what you are going to
mean to W illiam Faulkner.”
Miss Williams later assumes equally
consuming roles as a suave model in
a photo session whose only chal
lenge is to smile. Next she is a ver
bally attacked by two wigs. In the
soap opera she becomes a women's
libber and finally assumes a role as
country bumpkin who lays a dino
saur-sized egg.
B roadway B ound R eport :
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Shirley Nanette
Neal Thomas
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dead dog. It’s hopeful to hear of a
young Black technician getting a
chance to work in the tough and nearly
“ closed shop” and market of big-time
Hollywood film industry circles. He
could receive his union card (which is
very difficult to do, Black or White) on
this production if things go well. “Write
on, Gar Jr."
BLACK ACTOR, SHABAKA RE
TURNS TO TOW N FOR SHOW
AT PORTLAND REP.
I met this past week, with talented
Black actor, Shabaka, who just re
turned to Portland to rehearse and
open a new play, “ I’m not Rappa-
port,” at the Portland Repertory The
atre. His last appearance in town was
by Garland Lee Thompson
in the title role in the New Rose The
atre production of “ Life Of G alileo,”
last season at the W inningstad The
atre. W e talked about his recent
successful trip to perform again with
the San Francisco Mime Troupe on
tour in Germany, a film and his cur
rent exciting new project; the found
ing of the new Black Theatre Artists
W orkshop at the L A. Theatre Center
in California. The W orkshop’s new
play readings and acting showcase,
according to my friend, Shabaka, is
been attended by a host of Holly
w ood’s Black professional actors,
playwrights, directors and producers
of in the film industry and theatre
scene.
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Lenny Kravitz has signed a very lu-
crative record pact with Virgin. The
music is a mixture of psychedelic,
rock, and gospel, but everyone in-
eluding mom (actress) Roxie Roker
and wife, (actress) Lisa Bonet are
crazy over the music ... Recording
artist Vesta W illiam s is happy a bout
h e r p a rt in th e m u c h -ta lk e d a b o u t
f i l m - ” M is s is s ip p i B u rn in g .” And
while, Williams, who has done som e
acting, was not seen in the film, she
can be heard in an updated version of
the gospel h y m n -” Try Jesus,” w hich
is part of the soundtrack for the Orion
film release, W illiams is com ing off of
her single “Sweet, Sweet Love," which
climbed to number one on the na-
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tion’s R&B charts ... Eddie M urphy .*
and heavyweight cham pion Mike
Tyson made som e k in d o f d y n a m ic
d u o as they hung out together in Los
Angeles recently.
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HUNDREDS OF WIGS
BETTY CABINE
PROPRIETOR
com m entary Ahmad Rashad will co
host his 1989 Soul Train Music Awards.
The two-hour nationally syndicated
special will be telecast live on Wednes-
day, April 12th, from the Los Angeles
Shrine Auditorium. Nom inees were
selected by eligible recording artists,
radio station personnel, and retail outlet
representatives.
W h o o p i G o ld b e rg to p la y
producer?: With her recent acquisition
of the book M ajor Taylor, one may
assume that W hoopi G oldberg’s next
big credits may com e under the
category of producer. For those of
you who d on’t know, M ajor Taylor, a
bicycling champion, was one of the
country's top black athletes at the
turn of the century.
N ew M arley R e c o rd in g s ? : Rec
ord industry veteran Danny Sims has
formed independent Slam Records,
and announced that he will release
150 previously unheard tracks reg-
gae legends Bob Marley and the
Wailers. The Marley recordings will
be released on five LPs, which will be
overseen by reggae historian Roger
Steffens. The tracks were recorded
between 1967 and 1972.
S h o rt T akes: While no date has
been set, it looks like w e d d in g b e lls
fo r M iam i V ic e ’s O liv ia B ro w n , w ho
just recently got engaged to record
ing artist Tomi Jenkins ... Musician
150 Gals.
(5 0 3 ) 2 8 2 -5 1 1 1
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other soaps who now feature blacks, *
in that in other soaps--”the charac-.
ters seem to go off to a kind of lim b o '
instead of home ... you d on’t get to
know anything about their lives."
Production on the half-hour serial is
slated to begin March 6. The network
is allowing two year for the soap to
catch on, while affiliates will be given
the option to run the show at noon or
12:30 p.m. EST/PST.
Jackson Makes R adio Debut: Bob *
Dockery, president of "Syndicate It
Productions” has announced that The
Rev. Jesse Jackson w ill return to
radio with “ The Jesse Jackson
Commentary," beginning on February *
1. The twice-daily, 90-second vignettes -
will be heard over 120 stations
throughout the country. The show w ill:
key in on issues that affect the nation’s
blacks. A similar show was suspended
in 1987 when Jackson began his -
campaign for the presidency.
T is The S eason For Award
Shows: Don Cornelius has announced
that Dionne W arwick and TV sports '
s
$45.00
1 0 4 N .E . R u s s e ll S t
P o r t la n d , O R 9 7 2 1 2
$25.00
Temper, Temper!: A nasty argu
ment with a friend and a little too
much to drink apparently resulted in
the arrest of "M atlock” co-star Kene
Holliday for vandalism and drunk driv
ing, overthe holidays. Seems a quar
rel led the 39-year old actor to smash
out windows of a friend’s home, be
fore getting into his car and crashing
into a parked vehicle.
Short Takes: Stevie W onder and
the Tem ptations will be am ong those
inducted into the “ Rocki N ’ Roll Hall
Of Fam e" this week in star-studded
ceremonies at the W aldorf Astoria
Hotel in New York City.
In Other Entertainm ent News:
Matt Williams, executive producer and
creator of the hit TV series, “ Rose
anne", walked off the set last week.
Williams, who is Black, had lone been
experiencing creative tensions with
comedian Roseanne Barr, who had
made a stake for creative control of
her own character. According to one
source, things had gotten so bad
between the two that they w eren’t
speaking. A spokesm an for W illiams
has said that he will not return to the
show, but will instead pursue other
projects.
NBC To Launch Daytim e Serial
To Feature Blacks In March: March
27 has been set as the prem iere date
for N BC ’s Generations, a new day
tim e serial which will parallel the story
of three generations of tw o Chicago
fam ilie s-o n e black and one white.
Actresses Joan Pringle (formerly of
“ The W hite Shadow,” and Lynn
Hamilton have been tapped to play
50 Gals.
Heating Oils
2 5 G a ls .
It’s On Again For Robin & Mike:
Despite the rumors, the lawsuits, and
the tabloid tales, it appears that there
still remain some sparks between
Robin and Mike Tyson. The couple
reportedly began dating again over
the holidays, and according to a source
close to Givens, Tyson is all over her.
Meanwhile, professionally-speaking
Givens will find herself at the mercy of
a homicidal maniac w ho was once
her childhood best friend, in a Steve
W hite production titled “ Penthouse”
which was scheduled to begin filming
in Vancouver, B.C. last weekend. The
made-for-TV m ovie will air on ABC
later this season. The telepic also
stars Robert Guilliam e in the role of
G ivens’ father.
the lead black roles. According to a
staff writer, this soap will differ from-
$29.00
DAD’S OIL SERVICE
100 Gals.
“i
THE GODFATHER OF SOUL
GOES TO JA IL FOR SIX YEARS
Another great R & B star named
Brown, suffers a crisis. James Brown,
“the Godfather of Soul," received a
six-year prison term and $1,000 fine
this week in Augusta, Ga., after plead
ing guilty to an array of m isdemeanor
weapons and traffic charges. Brown,
who just hit the “ double nickel” (55) in
years, was over the speed limit, under
the influence, packing his piece in a
two-state car chase last September.
It sounds like a movie to me. We hope
and pray for his return. “ A lot of
people would like to see me fall, but
you can’t make a winner a loser,” he
said. “ Write on, J.B. If actor, Stacey
Keach (busted in England on drug
charges) can do it, so can you.
25 Gals.
Speedy
Service
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“ The Colored M useum ” leaves
nothing holy or immune to attack.
There is the inevitable stalwart Black
mother who despite all of the social
ills of the world is concerned only that
her offspring adhere to the mles of
her home and that they wipe their feet
before entering. That little vignette
evolves into a clever musical treat
ment of the sam e subject.
Pivotal to the success of "The C ol
ored M useum ” is the deftness with
which the players make transitions to
the several different characters that
each portrays. They do it so well that
often one is left with the illusion that a
completely different person is taking
the part.
Neal Thomas is first seen as the
ghost of a war-crazed Viet Nam sol
dier turned executioner, next as the
mannequin in a m agazine photo
session, then as the narrator of a
soap opera and finally in a tragi-com ic
episode in which he declares that,
“ Being black is too emotionally tax
ing, therefore I will be black only on
weekends and holidays.”
Gregory Donovan is excellent in
roles as the revolutionary son of a tra
ditional Black m other and is almost
completely unrecognizable as a gay
hippie adorned in modish drag.
Brenda Phillips comes across quite
well in song ancf dialogue as a televi
sion cook, as the soap opera mamma
and finally as a wig in a hilarious
cameo that spoofs Black people’s
obsession with the texture of hair.
Shirley Nanette does a splendid
parody of Josephine Baker that ends
with an adorable scene with nine year
old Afi Reid and Louise Moaning.
“ The Colored M useum ” certainly
is excellent entertainm ent and it is
something that the Black com m unity
really needs to take the entire family
to see. It will be running for the next
five weeks and will include school
perform ances and a short tenure at
the W inningstad Center for Perform
ing Arts. Reservations and ticket in
formation are available by calling 243-
7930.
Eddie Murphy Sets Out In TV: In
spite of two separate co p yrg h t in
fringement lawsuits filed against
Paramount over "C om ing To Am er
ica,” Eddie M urphy’s production
com pany plans to go ahead with a
sitcom version of the hit movie for
CBS, which could be on the air by
midseason. M urphy is expected to
make a cam eo appearance in the first
episode. Another Murphy project for
CBS, “ W hat’s Alan W atching?” is
slated to go into production this month.
The hour-long pilot, which is being
tagged a com edic com m entary on
television, stems from an idea that
Eddie had along with some of his
former Saturday Night Live colleagues.
In the pilot, slated to air on February
27 at 8 p.m., Eddie will play both
James Brown and Mike Tyson. The
pilot stars Barbara Barrie and form er
W ebster co-star Corky Nemec. More
of Murphy's TV projects, including a
syndicated Christmas movie for 1989,
will be announced soon.
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