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Ie to Premiere Later Tlhis Summer

Ie to Premiere Later Tlhis Summer

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/» The Chronicle, Thursday, June 21, 1984-Page B9

Winston-Salem Chronicle

The Arts, Leisure, Music, Columns Spotlight * I : 'A cool tomcat IPS of a woman' con * wisy into&mm w v her ownvr f mm

When 6-foot-2 Phyllis Hyman debuted on short hiatus before joining All The People In Miami. the theatre critics and audiences discoveredBroadway, "I became kind of the 4in thing' in Florida," what the music community had known for some Phyllis says, "because there weren't many singers -x time: that she is a performer with astonishing gifts. there at the time who could do all different types of Both reviewers for The Times reached for material: Latin, and songs by the Isley Brothers to 4 * ^ . superlatives describe her impactjp Sophisticated and Cole Porter. Lt was in Miami where 1 realh^ -v.V^ CT^geer^.T./-i.''" »..-LadinwiLW 't'whtr» "~ 1,1 IL r ^ ,,>i>ii>;jhtfy>^'«**^« deserves all the accent and glow a glittering lt was also there that she appeared in a cameo role can give her. Her wonderfully smokeycarbonarcvocal in Bob Fosse's film version of "Lenny." chords seem to have been born and reared in the After three years in Florida, Phyllis was ready for Club and then sent out into the world to get alongCotton , starting first at Rust Brown's club on on their own." West 96th Street. Her engagements began attracting And Frank Rich wrote, "When Phyllis Hyman, a superstars like Roberta Flack, , ** cool tomcat of a woman, applies her powerful, George Harrison, and Ashford and i smokey voice to 4In a Sentimental Mood,* she Simpson. They also attracted , then transports the audiences to a 52nd Streetimmediately looking for a female vocalist for the album, "You saloon of yesteryear at 3 in the morning." Are My Starship." Phyllis' triumph onstage, singing the timeless Phyllis wound up doing three songs on the record, songs of , was a landmark in her including "We Both Need Each Other," with career, and earned her a Tony nomination. But there , and "Betcha Wow," By Golly v i are many more sides to her talents, as she as well as touring with Connors and Henderson. demonstrates convincingly on her latest album, Soon to follow was Phyllis' first album, simply titl- "Goddess of Love." ed "Phyllis Hyman." It included such tracks as the It's an LP that showcases her smoldering voice in a hit "Loving You, Losing You" and "1 Don't Want m new, Its was divided contemporary light. production To Lose You." Her second album, "Somewhere In fl between (whose recent My Lifetime," received critical acclaim, triggered by of yielded the No. 1 R&Bproductionhit the title track (a soaring ballad produced by Barry "Too Tough") and (a name synonymous Manilow) and hits like 4Kiss You All Over." with the soul sound), and the results are extraordinary. That was followed by another hit LP, 44You Know How To Love Me," and her as a It seems incredible that, at an early in her by appearances point featured vocalist on two movie "The Fish "used to think were out of scores, career, Hyman people That Saved and Chuck their minds for to come and hear " Mangione's paying good money 4'Children of Sanchez." me sing." Despite a nervous public debut in junior high Then, while singing at Mikell's on New York's f school ("1 remember my legs shaking and my voice West Side, Phyllis was spotted by the musical upper quivering") Phyllis went on to sing in Pittsburgh's and coordinator for ","arranger All-City Choir, and received the first music who went to the producers and told them he'd found given by a business college. There, she trainedscholarshipto ~~the right person for a role they were trying to fill. kbe a legal secretary, and worked after graduation for She had a successful audition and was cast in the the neighborhood legal services office. production, which led to a Tony nomination for Best 'f Her professional music career got its start in 1971 Supporting Actress and the Theatre World Award Sophisticated Lady when Phyllis landed a job with a singing group called for Most Promising New Talent. Reviewing the The New Direction and embarked on a six-month original casTHlbuni (trthe play. High Fidelity said, Phyllis Hyman: Wooing critics, audiences and hei Itour of cities that included Las Vegas, Chicago and "Phvllis Hvman. Amazonian in beautv and stature. Miami, as well as Nassau and Puerto Rico. When the Please see page B10 . 1 sextet disbanded, she went back to Pittsburgh for a Musical Notes

^lf&: % 's new mo\ie to premiere later tlhis summer

Details are beginning to emerge on the hush - hush center complete with sound and film editing ko go double-platinum. film project initiated by the 24-year-old Newsweek facilities. Security was airtight. Reporters were kept has called "perhaps the most exciting new star in pop off the set and none of the crew was allowed to Victorious Preparations music today" . Prince. discuss the film with outsiders. The $7 million flick, titled "Purple Rain," The feature attracted a host of Hollywood veterans Marlon, Tito, Jackie, Randy, Jermaine and Prince, his Minneapolis cohort Morris Day,includes to brave Minneapolis' mid-winter blizzards. Among are on target with the preparations head of The Time (which Rolling Stone calls "the those forsaking the sun for "Purple Rain" were: for their "Victory Tour," described by numerous tightest, funkiest live band in America"), members Donald L. Thorin, photographic director (from "An publications as the largest in the history of the of the controversial female group known as Officer and a Gentleman" and "Against All Odds"); industry. entertainment Apollonia 6 and a female lead discovered by Prince Mike Frankovich Jr., production manager (from Backup musicians were chosen for the tour in namcH Annllnnia films like "Cactus Flower" and "Guns of and have been rehearsing with Randy and midMayTito But "Purple Rain" is not just a music film. The Navaronne"); Ward Preston, production designer Jackson daily since then. picture was directed by A1 Magnoli, a 30-year-old (from films like "9 to 5" and "Airplane"), and Rehearsals to design the choreography began May filmmaker whose short, "Jazz," won six national Craig Denault, camera operator (whcvjust came from 15. All of the dance moves for the tour are being awards and whose work has been listed in the work on the current Robert Redford-Robert Duvall by Marlon, Jackie and Michael Jackson. conceivedAnd Brittannica." Says Magnoli: "This is a film, "The Natural". rehearsals on the tour's top-secret stage set (designed "EncyclopediaThe tentative release date for Rain" is Michael and his 23. story ... a story of transcendence. It's a film that "Purple by brothers) began May takes chances, that defies the rules, that has deeply 27 by Warner Brothers. July Meanwhile, the Jacksons finished recording 16 personal emotional content." The film will be accompanied by a soundtrack potential tracks for their upcoming "Victory" LP Kashlf has not only "Purple Rain," which received wild enthusiasm album . Prince's first new TP in close to two years. and narrowed it down to the eight cuts that will -singer-producer -- -- iffokgn-nwr^tctiisslosUM^ gwnwd ^>y ming Ums when it was screened secretly for test audiences, was Curiously enough. Prince's last album "1999" is on the album. Those tracks, which are currentlyappear filmed in Prince's home town where sM ridingTrigh on rhr 'bom trr f+vr- ^ , ^s^v^tr il asi lih btMtLPf "Ser*d Me Your Love," (Minneapolis)T 1 ^Mckspo'-s "Bfldy, _ JacksonV "One More but he also has created a program exclusively for the picture's producers (Prince's maha^gTftehTThTTC Randy "1999" was the two-record set in the last Please see the computerized music system. Cavallo, Ruffalo and Fargnoli) set up a cinematic only year page B10 The Summer Films

A violent blend horror w r, 'Gremlins': humor, - of ^prt. ^ ByALLENH.J0HNS°N onMaij i Street. obscure Chin*sse novelty store. He presents ' Executive Editor . , - It s c<3mic books and cartoons come to life the "mogwai' to his son as a Christmas pre- w sent . as that the creature Though it's hardly in the class of "E.T.," in a Ifilm set in an idyllic American well as.a warning iwn. should never be fed after midnight nor "Gremlins" is a solid, often exhilarating Everyto jBfl That' s why the characters' deaths don't should he conne study in slapstick terror. the Hi<» fQiriv nften in this children's bother )/ou so much. You know it's all make- As always rcu^it uiv 4u>. v But don't feel all believe, Just like Yosemite Sam, who gets movies, those two things happen faster than film for grownups. you 4 a can 'box office hit" and the « horrified, when, for instance, a tyran- gets flaittened by a boulder or blown up by you say gentle vx that morn- little awns a of fuzzballs widow Holliday) bites the dust. vial of nitroglycerin every Saturday tyke spj carpetful nical (Polly next returns to the that evolve into mischievous, murderous -- bu come week, You may even laugh if you don't cheer ing, it, tube, g;ood as new, to get flattened and bad-guy grer that'll do anything first. for a time. Gremlins also make their maker in blown i jp again. anybody's ex]pense good an ali-American Much of t he the film features "Gremlins." One explodes in a microwave "Grcimlins" stars boy ( named who works at a rampage througn town that includes oven. Another falls into a blender and gets (Zach jalligan) Billy gremlin small-t<3wn bank to his family. g remlin Christmas carolers, I the same comeuppance carrots get when they help support dastardly too, inven- ker and 4 become Carrot juice. And you laugh. His father (Hoyt Axton). works, gremlin po players gremlin, watch "Gremlins," whose co- ting all kinds of ingenious contraptions that, breakdancers To don't work. It's fun if for fun and SOUth©TH gae 1 executive producer is some guy named unfortiinately, you're looking is to watch Bugs Bunny Whille visting Chinatown on a business don't expect to be intellectualjy stimulated. Steven Spielberg, little creature But Fellini it Cinnamon Reggae's Joe 1Daniels takes time out for some hand-clapping during battle the Tasmanian pevil in your backyard trip, Dad discovers a charming ain't. - recent mance James Parker). outsmart Coyote -- whc>m he later names Gizmo in an Pic jase see page B10 the group's perfori in Winston Square (photo by or t'.r Road Runner Wiley i

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