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t^i iiert Hopii For almost seven months, U Blue Sky worked on and th original ballet he wrote called Each day, he spent hours p play, and collecting his thougl be conducted. As January 198 evident that Blue Sky w; choreographer Susan Earle. Mr. 5>Ky nad a certain idea lighting and choreography s another. "I had two choices: either being dominating and obnoxioi or I could let things take the said Tuesday, exactly one m decision to abandon the projec THE POSTERS already ir "Planet Dance" was pi rceive Sky production. From Feb. recovering from a deep sen participation in the ballet. ] apartment painting until he fel While he painted, he though! ballet to be: a celebration of t sleepless, remembering the vc of the ballet presentation. He said everytime a compro (hp ftvorall > " V T va ui? vv/llipvoivivu wao W1 "Let's have ultraviolet ligl suggest. "We don't have money in the "I'll order the lights and pay "We don't have time." THERE WERE other idea: stereo shop agreed to install a idea was met with a lukewarm giant sculpture at the top of the fire hazard. Mr. Sky asked if stage with aluminum foil. "Tt came the response. Blue Sky said he is not unhaj Speech Department. He got hi: degree at USC and says, "Yoi 'tfac 'Eye ooet A By David Baker Film Critic In 1979, actress Sally Field Martin Ritt worked togethei Rae," while director Peter Ya Steve Tesich teamed up to crej Away." The two combinatior masterful entertainments, b placed high on my 1979 "10 I which later went on to be winners. The successes of the two surprisingly, brought theii creative teams back togeth n:u ? r iciu-ruu venicie, ?>aCK UO< {P.ilj . * * Sally Field and Tommy Le ;ainnne ig his SC Theatre and Speech alumni ought about nothing but an "Planet Dance." minting tne sets, writing the its about how the ballet should ii rolled into February, it was as not getting along with of how the costumes, music, hould be set. Ms. Earle had I could steamroll over them, us and make everyone hate me ir natural courses," Blue Sky ionth to the day he made his t. 4,I chose the latter." lade with his name on them, d by the public as being a Blue 17-21, however, Mr. Sky was se of guilt after quitting his He stayed at his Greene St. It peace again. : about what he had wanted the he joy of life. At night he went )ices that told him to "get out" mise was made with Ms. Earle wakened. its on the stage," Blue would budget," was the reply. for them," >. Blue Sky said a Columbia stereophonic system but that i reception. He wanted to put a i stage. He was told it would be he could wrap the prosenium lere's nothing to staple it to," ppy with the USC Theatre and 5 undergraduate and master's i think they'd be receptive to kRo f u/il-f * i Frii new Yate "Eyewitness, I and director and, as mi on "Norma delightful, th 1 ? ica anu wmei as the film thi ite "Breaking is resulted in "BACK K( oth of which from a scrip 3est" list and Field as a do1 come Oscar prostitute wh love with a fs played by Tor pictures, not respective "Eyewitnei er. The new handsome ai ids," and the "Altered Sta >e Jones star in the romant nt 1 u ^ w-4TfffK." ballet the ideas of one of their students t "Planet Dance," opened Thur began to feel guilty about a balle felt a panic like I had deserte thought I had left people hangi months and months." Last Thursday. Blue walked f and tried to enter the theater wil sBS! 3&BsBES3B& Susan Earle ads' _ 9 I I s-Tesich collaboration, opened Friday in Columbia ght be expected, both are ough neither is as impressive at preceded it. Eg DADS," which Ritt directed >t by Gary DeVore, presents P wn. but not-oilitf-ont southern 1? | j 10 ever-so-grudgingly falls in liled-boxer-turned-car-washer, p rimy Lee Jones. >s" stars William Hurt, the nd talented leading man of ^ tes," and Sigourney Weaver, ,? IfcjJ . . r< flmfb BFv I (c comedy, 'Back Roads.' 4 c L will sc ide ertainment irk Platte >ut they weren't." sday at Drayton Hall. Blue t which was billed as his. "I d under fire," he said. "I ing after they had worked our blocks to Drayton Hall H, u:? ml 1 -A. in ins camera, inc usuer ai t3| Sigourney Weavet le beautiful and brainy j Alien." He's the night janitor i here he may or may not have lurder and she's the cannj eporter whose job is to find out Complicating matters are se em, seven ? major sub-Dlot ascinating of which deals with lurt has long worshipped Weav nd lies to her in hopes of kee erested in him. NO SUCH ANGLE complic toads," even though it's a lesperately needs some corr.pl s "Eyewitness" suffers som luvmg 100 mucn plot, "Back Ro rom having too little. Put simply, nothing much Back Roads" and that which t oesn't leqd anywhere. The mi lore than a series of incra etched situations, strung I rovide its cast with things to c o and reasons to yell at one an< o conclusion whatsoever ; it jus alt after 94 minutes. I'm not going to quibble fi 'Back Roatki," though, or "E tither, for that matter. Thanks i >e the the door said no cameras or rc "This is my ballet," Blue sa "Sorry, it's against the rulej HE DITCHED THE CAM started and sat in the very 1 norrmea mm. "i was asna termission," he said with a U place at intermission." Blue sent 36 white carnatio after the opening night. He di< a party following the perfor couldn't think of anything goc He said he was dissapointe< hear the dancer's steps as t sound system sounded like i can," and he was shocked by had nothing to do with the ball THURSDAY NIGHT, hours was inspired by the fact thai show with a last-ditch effort, wasn't needed. On Friday night, the 13th, B Rock Hill, S.C. who wanted to Downing two glasses of ch; walked the same four blocks t in the third row and after it w enjoyed it immensely; my fri through unbiased eyes. Blue went back a third tim row Sunday afternoon. Tli costumes were attractive ai pressions of the dancers. "Th< The bitterness of months lc Earle, Blue says, "She is a d n 1 11 i x\ A ? 1 A _ ii. j>!ie puueu uiaisnow logeuier effort and I admire her for it. HOWEVER, he says, "It same ballet. She created th but that structure is not < Dance.'" Blue Sky scratches the sic about the future. "I can't wi done, because it would be inci flees unknown assailant i survivor of four actors i in a building enjoyed virt witnessed a films. / television which. IN THE character is ven ? count character in s, the most enamored of! the fact that have to wal er from afar smashing ir iping her in- character sh wacky and a before. ates "Back movie that Jones, too, motmn liiot * * funny, lucid p ewhat from hls fjnc wor? ads suffers Daughteri? "wooden" lal happens in less-than-con< does happen films as "J ovie is little Betsy"and"! asingly fartogether Jo Hurt and v ?. >fl team tha Fi other. It has movie has a! it comes to a one gee Roads," thoui irther about to be ignore Eyewitness," problems, bu mostly to the the rest of the . ^ * wmmmmmrnmammmmmmmmmaammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmkimmmmmmma stage wording devices were allowed, id. he was told. ERA, waited until the ballet ast row. He said what he saw med to show my-face at inlugh. "I literally ran out of the ns to each member of the cast in't want to face any of them at mance that night because he >d to say. 1 in the way the audience could hey landed during leaps. The t was "pressed through a tin the costumes which he thought et. after the ballet had ended, Sky t he thought he could save the On second thought, he knew he iuc nau ouiiic ii icuud vidii 11 uiu see the ballet. ampagne, Blue and his friends o see "Planet Dance." They sat as over, Blue confessed that "I ends enjoyed it. I think I saw it ie, this time sitting in the front le music sounded good, the id he could see the facial exey charmed me," he said. st is practically gone. Of Susan ynamic artist. She is tenacious. and did it. It was a superhuman i? seems she's always doing the e wnoie Danei siruciure ai U5<J capable of producing 'Planet le of his head and thinks aloud jit to do it the way it should be edible." n 'Eyewitness.' nvolved, I have to say that I ually every minute of both SAME way that the Hurt enamored of the Weaver "F.VPwitnPCC " cn o**? I ?j ,, .T .. vuu, uu tvn; dill I Field and I relish any chance I ?h her at work. She looks i "Back Roads" and the e plays in it is every bit as is lovable as any she's done is loads of fun to watch. His erformance here, coupled with in last year's "Coal Miner's has forever shattered the Del I placed on him after his vincing portrayals in such ackson County Jail," "The Eyes of Laura Mars." ? " veaver are no less winning a eld and Jones, and since their story, I must recommend that Eyewitness" before "Back I gh neither of the films deserve i ;d. Both have minor script i t they're light years ahead of I dreck currently on view.