University of South Carolina Libraries
* Entertainri ML. iiu By MIKE ROMATOWSKI ? Entertainment Editor There is something magical about a performance by Ella Fitzgerald; who else could get an entire arena-size audience on its feet, singing and clapping, with a jazzy version of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm?" TTA u> :_l r uzgeraiu ? sptxiai i uuug People's Concert at the Carolina Coliseum on Friday morning was a fascinating event. Performing for an audience of 13,000 students ranging in age from four to 18, she proved why one maflaiino liac untoH hor IllU^aCllIIV liUU V uvvu IIVK "Best Female Jazz Vocalist" for 18 consecutive years. In 45 minutes she seemed to transform each member of the audience into a close friend , using the same marvelous voice that ? has thrilled audiences * throughout the world for the past 47 years. IAt the age of 63, Ella displayed an incredible vocal range that at times defied belief; from a low purr she would soar to an IimpossiDiy nign noie seemingly without effort. Most of her Friday performance was based on her unique ability to improvise; VI4L. lagging behind the beat or jumping ahead of it, she captivated the audience from the youngest member to the oldest. FITZGERALD'S backing musicians stayed distinctly ,V Works By JOHN VAUGI AmI. Entertainment Edit When a dramatic prodi expectations, an evening usually becomes an exhiliral Workshop Theatre's curren J.B. is an artful presentatioi ^ not always equal pure entert In fact, J.B. may send I home with frazzled nerves thoughts, or with a cautious and it's guaranteed to sen think. J.B. is a Pulitzer Prize \ Archibald MacLeish, a Theatre has a prize-winning THE PLAY is a moderi upon the Old Testament stoi who had everything and lost Qf devotion to Gtod. In MacLei: story gets a little more ( becomes a sort of play withii The setting is the sawdust tent, where two broken-do^ I backstage at a sideshow ai out the story of Job. Mr. I balloon vendor, opts to porti Mr. Nickles, the popcorn role of Satan. J.B., a successful banker i i? i ./ w _i_ i : into rne pan 01 jud, anu sui L are caught up in a very re < >1* scoffs at J.B.'s faith, and the freedom to test the ha the devil does with horrifyir David, the banker's oldt through an army officer's si war he was fighting is ove rient Fitzge in the background; Tommy Flanagan on piano, Bobby h Durham on drums and Keter n Betts on bass let the singer ii have free rein with her A interpretations of the I melodies; they played with a f; clean, delicate touch that ti enhanced Fitzgerald's talents. Probably the most entertaining song of the set was the tune which Fitzgerald launched her career with: "A Tisket, A Tasket," which she wrote in 1938. - l-z ,SBS&k, ' J&& aMfflBBSBBBw iaaag^, >j Ella Fitzgerald charmed a Concert at the Carolina Cc hop Ha: IAN Mary are next i - A _ ! tor against a wan i drunk driver. nction exceeds J.B. will ne at the theater youngest girl i ;ing experience. last child is lo: t production of wipes out his 1 i ? but art does wife leaves hir ainment. ned. the theatergoer , with confused IF ALL of tli smile of hope, stuff, be assun ri him hnmp to Marldish's nlfi love, as J.B. 1 vinning play by aptly, "loves" nd Workshop ending" doesn presentation. toll on the the this reason, or i drama based J.B. as a fun d *y of Job, a man intellect and m it in a test of his But it is a ih's version, the performances >nnfiioinr( oc if frannariilv I ^VIUIUIII^) M O I'/ 11 VUMVim^ n n a play. Technically, i ring of a circus I 've seen outsit wn actors come Indeed, the id decide to act unusual amoi Zuss, the circus superb; stylis ray God, leaving features a spl seller, with the and Nickles fective oversea , steps perfectly environment. Idenly the actors MacLeish's al drama. Satan however. God grants him The lighting ppy man, which separating thi ig cruelty. from the tec ?st son, is killed Taylor's des tupidity after the Workshop set r. Jonathan and set each appn raid ( There was one song where er improvisations hurt the lelody rather than helped on Stevie Wonder's "You ire the Sunshine of My afe," she strayed a bit too ar and the song lost its inijmacy.,, s_. v Fitzgerald a 1st?performed (elections written by Duke Sllington and Count Basie, professing her admiration or those men before singing iieir songs the way no one sise can sing them. :! n audience of students at tltseum on Friday. s A Go< in line, their bodies smashed in a bloody car crash with a ver curse God, and so his is raped and murdered, his it in a natural disaster that house and his business. His n, and his very flesh is burtis sounds like pretty serious id that it's even worse. What iy is all about is the wonder of ives to love again, or more to live again. But this "happy 't come easy, and the mental satergoer is substantial. For ic should hardly recommend late. It demands the viewer's lental commitment. masterful production. The are good through out, and )order on the terrific, t is probably the best show deof Broadway. technical aspects earn an int of attention. The set is h, realistic and operable. It it-level platform where Zuss position themselves for efeing of the action within J.B.'s It is all constructed inside symbolic circus big top, : is the other crucial factor ir is technically excellent show ;hnically adequate. Michae ign is ingenious for th< up. Various colors and filters opriate atmosphere, and whei ^ JH?_ Lupin ELLA Fitzgerald has been singing for 47 years, but judging by her Young People's Concert on Friday morning and her public performance on Saturday flight, when she thrilled. a somewhat older but no left* captivated crowd, she has many years of singing still in front of her. Her voice is timeless, and if she could .ctint! forever that would not be long enough. ^jh m a special Young Peoples' SUH Photo by JOHN FARMEU id Play used in conjunction wi M inonlnnklo ii ixtcs, arc iiivaiuauic action on all parts of the understandable. It was a every lighting transition credit goes to Landry Layst An interesting note is the James Grater, which is use as a circus. The entrance 1 surprise. DIKlECTOK Jim Blanton excellent feeling for the a J ,' _:-j^> ? U^-j5i:: -. i=-:Zj^3&tP & *^ylg HIHHHW ^HHHB i Jim E. Quick and Bill i Workshop Theatre's p rates City By JULlE JAMESON Staff WiOef "God gave me a voice, He gave me something with which to make other people happy. There must have been a reason," Ella Fitzgerald said Friday. She didn't say what the reason was exactly, but a coliseum full of youngsters probably could have told her.: 1 The kids could have toldher it just couldn't have happened to a nicer lady, and an adult crowd probably would have agreed Saturday night. I Ella Fitzgerald performed twice at the Carolina Coliseum, precvuillg IICI icttuu "U oaiiuuajr |^;i ivi iiiauv^ mui ? wnwi for young people Friday morning. She also spoke at a brief press conference after the first show, reflecting upon 47 years of remarkable success. "I'M STILL never sure if I'm singing the right song," Fitzgerald laughed, admitting to being "nervous" before each show. Nervousness, she recalled, was a factor in her ironic entrance into the performing world. "I cot im on stage as a bet. I had the intention of dancing." " T C7 ? W she explained. In her anxiety, though, young Ella sang a family favorite, "Object of My Affection," ? and won first prize in an amateur talent contest. j Fitzgerald has come a long way since that day, touring throughout the U.S. and around the world, including on occasional swing through the South. "In the early days, the South was not so receptive," she said. "We performed, but they wouldn't let us in the hotels." Those days are long gone, however; she is now internationally famous, with a huge collection of awards ranging from the "Pied Piper Award" (the highest award given by the Association of Songwriters, Composers and F>#?rfnrm#*rsi to h?r pieht firammv awards. One of her highest honors came when Dartmouth College presented her with an honorary doctorate of humane letters, adding a citation calling her "one of the most effective ambassadors our country has ever had." "I'M EXCITED about the resurgence of jazz," she said, also professing a love for many other types of music, including disco and ballads. "Most people think of me as a jazz vocalist, but I prefer to call myself a mixed vocalist. I sing a ' lot of songs in the jazz vein, but 1 love ballads; hopefully ? 1 * :?i ?I? ? I people v/no accept Illy J iX'LC will uiau ttcccpi uij uauauo. ji ] Of the 13,000 students who had just attended her Youngl [Peoples' Concert, she said, "I love what I see happening! |around me. I see roots for a future." \ That's No Fun ^ AAiAMn' MAnKo#?ii r% r%/4 ?n $r\fV\A nnltr WurA ic ii uit; awiuis icaitauv, anu in tati uiv uiuj nu^ to in keeping the Workshop's tiny theater, an advantage in stage clear and last month's Same Time, Next Year ? but pleasure to see J.B. is "bigger" material. run smoothly; Bob Hungerford and Mary Arnold Garvin n'sengineering. turn in solid, human performances as J.B. >riginal music of and his wife Sarah, while Billy DuBose as 1 to set the scene Nickles tends to steal the fire a little from as another little Jim E. Quick (Zussh Satan is obviously more tun to play, ana Lrnuose is naving tun. You won't have fun, though. Yet, this iemonstrates an entertainment isn't exactly made to enjsthetic and the tertain. K) . tSg ^ in BilET3VWKSFl i DuBose take on the roles of God and the Devil in oduction of 'J.B.' $uN m,0?0 by m nonts