Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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'Babes in and swin Ru I aror* i^uiun iviuuuy pRmecock Staff Writer It's billed as "a musical fantasy for the '80s." It's based on a classic operetta. It's The Babes in Toyland (emphasis on The, which opened Tuesday night in the Township Auditorium. The Babes in Toyland is based on Babes in Toyland, an operetta composed by Victor Herbert about 75 years ago. Babes in Toyland is the story of the battle between Mary (of "How Does Your Garden Grow?" and "Quite Contrary" fame), her boyfriend Tom, and her toymaker grandfather against the evil Mr. Barnaby for control of Toyland. It is the story of magical Toyland, where Mother Goose still writes her rhymes; Bo Peep continually loses her sheen- and 9 ffi 8 V' f >.^K J' ?' ?P C '-^mm j l * ' ' i - v^-T1^ ^ Grandfather Ken Bonafons i Jazz mai By Dale Smoak Gamecock Staff Writer The formation of the Old and New Dreams quartet was one of the most important events in jazz in the late seventies. Composed of Ornette Coleman alumni, three members, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell, were charter members of Ornette's original quartet that emerged in the late fifties and shook up the I jazz world. The other member, Dewey Redman, joined Ornette in t ho I o f A O ? /?n /M'l ^ Y ? - - - v"v 3IAIICS, V/lVi clUU l^ew 33| ST3-- ' rrzr^T I n ^ ^^E|KQSS^kP^B rf n iiiiiiiiilftiiaywrwiriiTT?r~ Toyland'f] ging entert Jack spends hours jumping over the candlestick. WALT DISNEY updated the Herbert story in the '60s with his movie version of Babes in Toyland. -1 * a ue mam cnaracters were played by former Mouseketeers Tommy Kirk (Tom) and Annette Funicello (Mary). In this update, not only did the evil Mr. Barnaby want Toyland, but he wanted Mary as well! The version performed at the Township last night bore little resemblence (except in the general story) to either of the two previous versions. For example, previously "Babes" referred to the innocence of the main characters, and aided in the classification of the operetta as "a child tale." "The Babes," on the other hand, md Mark Hollersn as Tom tures in *1 Dreams was tormed in 1977 and toured and recorded for the Italian Black Saint label. The group name was retained for their newest album for ECM. EACH MUSICIAN brings a maturity gained with the years of musical experiences. In Ornette's first band, Don Cherry played a role not unlike Miles Davis' with Charlie Parker in the mid-forties. Like Davis, Cherry started his career as a technically limited foil to a great alto saxophonist and * mmm. mmk i SM v i ' fej I*.*?.-.. a:..- - *.;, ? ? ainment are a three man disco country group trying to make it to Nashville. We first see the Babes in an audition, somewhere along the road to Nashville. They are backed up by a trio of lovely ladies ? each of whom stands about nine feet tall. Of course, the ladies are hired, and the guys are left to trudge the lonely road to Nashville Stardom: "All we need are the breaks and a BaS tank that doesn't run Hrv " ~ THE NEXT SCENE is the true start of the play. The setting is Toyland, and the set is fantastic! A true toy shop, stacked to theceiling with dolls, trains, and wooden soldiers, springs to life with the rise of the lights. Mary and her grandfather are introduced, and soon the rest of the characters begin straggling in. First is Mother Goose with her goosie, Lucie. Then comes Little Bo Peep, who cries plaintively (and with a very definite Bronx accent) for her sheep. Finally Humpty Dumpty rolls in, looking for his missing omelette pan ? he uses it as a planter. Then, with appropriately ominous music and dark lights, the evil Mr. Barnaby puts in his first appearance. He looks like Elton John in concert ? all in glittering white, with dark glasses, a top hat, and a shimmering briefcase that catches the light and throws it back as a greenish mirror. THE BABES find Toyland by accident and become caught up in the struggle between Mary, Grandfather and Mr. Barnaby. Things begin disappearing ? things which include Bo Peep's sheep, King Cole's fiddlers three, Humpty's omelette pan and Mother Goose. Strange noises are heard from the now eloomv and opaque tunnel that was once the Tunnel of Love and is now the laboratory/home of Mr. Barnaby. Jrearns' innovator. Cherry was an erratic improvisor who worked best, like Davis, within a narrow musical and technical range. Like Davis, Cherry developed immensely in later years both as a trumpet player and a musician. Since the early days with Coleman, Cherry's wide experience has included playing with the New York Contemporary Five, Albert Ayler and the Jazz Composer's Orchestra. He did some fine sessions for Blue Note in the 1960s with Pharoah Sanders and Gato Barbieri. In recent years, Cherry has incorporated ethnic and other influences into his music. He has appeared with Lou Reed and an all female new wave act known as the SlitS. Some of Cherry's activities have been somewhat disappointing to jazz listeners, but his musical Catholicism makes Cherry always worth hearing and ever provocative. For the purposes of the music, Charlie Haden is the best bassist that Coleman has ever used. Haden's flexibility has made him one of the most demanded musicians of the last two decades, and Harif?n has nlavpd in a u/iHo spectrum of styles. With Kedman, Haden spent much of the seventies as a member of the Keith Jarrett quartet. In the mid-seventies, Haden made two duet albums for Horizon, Closeness and The Golden Number, with various guests, that stand as two of the greatest jazz duet albums ever made. ED BLACKWELL alternated the drum chair in Coleman's original Ijj Shari Watson as Bo Peep and / Finally, Grandfather, too, disappears, and Mary and the Babes descend into the Tunnel of Love to find him. The special effects of this tunnel and lab are spectacular. The theatre is in complete darkness, the characters only partially glowing from luminescent green and blue lights. Flying eyes and creatures swoop down and around, all over the stage, a headless Mother Goose appears, head moving to the left and body moving to the right. Finally, a giant spider, made of eerily glowing green legs and strangely riveting eyes stalks the unwary heros and heroine. However, as in all fairy tales, there is a happy ending. Mr. Barnaby's evil plan of dragging JHHH Members of Old and New D Redman, Don Chery and Ed Bfat group with Billy Higgens; when available Blackwell has always been Ornette's drummer of choice. Blackwell s New Orleans roots, amazing rhythmic sophistication and his always present attention to the needs of the soloist has made him one of the best musical drummers alive. Blackwell's activity in recent years has been limited due to ill-health and the necessity of a dialysis machine. Tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman is originally a Texan. Characteristic of Texas saxophonists, an affinity for the blues is ever present in his playing Redman's first important gig was with Coleman, who he joined in tnco ijvo. mi/ir icvciiujf, nr was ? member of the Jarrett quartet A light-toned player Redman has developed into one of the most original and distinctive tenorists to emerge in the last fifteen years. There is, at root, a melodicism present in Redman's im provisations. The album is a well [^mKBssgUSSKSm _?? Ken Bona fans as Grandfather Toyland into the 20th century by mechanizing everything (even the children visitors) is defeated; Toyland is rejuvenated; the Babes stay on as Toyland's headlining act. A rousing disco finale finishes the show, and the cast exits the stage, leaving the audience dancing out the doors. THE MUSIC for The Babes in Toyland is all disco (presumably, that's why it's a fantasy for the '80s). It's a combination of discoHerbert and original sonou u/ritton 0 o" by Shelly Markham and Annette Leisten. It's catchy, and it's danceable, but somehow I missed the original Herbert. The acting was very balanced. See 'Toy/and', page 8 IMH1 reams: Charlie Had en, Dewey 7k well programmed mix of six performances. The two longest cuts are Coleman tunes and there is one composition by each of the members. THE TWO COLEMAN tunes probably show Old and New Dreams at their most charac teristic. "Lonely Woman"' is the best of the two; it is given a beautiful reading by the quartet There are fine solos from Haden and Cherry, but this track is nearly stolen by a wonderful solo from Kedman and Blackwell's ever sensitive and shifting drumming "Open or Close," taken briskly, features a skittering Cherry and some marvelously subtle uses of dynamics. Blackwell's "Togo" is largely a feature for himself ; brief group statements separate" stunning polyrhythmic and melodic solo choruses by the drummer. Blackwell's skillful, sophisticated solo work make this track a o Jazz, page 8