Musical 'Mina' bows at Media Union

PREVIEW
	Mina & Colossus Sunday-Tuesday at 8 Video Studio, Media Union

It may not be opening on Broadway. It may not feature the songs of Leonard Bernstein or George and Ira Gershwin. But the premiere of "Mina & Colossus" guarantees to hold its own in the world of musical theater. With a workshop production opening Sunday, this new musical promises to gain from imagination what it may lack in experience.

Based on the biography of obscure poet/artist Mina Loy, the musical recounts her love affair with Arthur Cravan, a poet and boxing champion in France near the turn of the century.

The collision of the modern art world in New York with the old worlds the two lovers have behind provides an intricate storyline and intriguing characters.

With the score and lyrics both composed by University students, "Mina" began as a happenstance collaboration between composer Sam Davis and lyricist Ron Nyren.

Nyren, enrolled in a course called "Words and Music," was performing an original song, and Davis heard it while visiting the class.

"It is a class where composers and poets and writers are thrown together to see what happens," said "Mina" director and theater and drama Prof. John Neville-Andrews.

That day, something wonderful happened. One of Davis' and Nyren's songs, which focuses on the life of artist Mina Loy, was picked up by Music professor Joan Morris. Enthralled by the idea of turning the story into a musical, Morris helped Davis and Nyren along and became the show's producer.

Nyren, a second-year graduate student in creative writing, makes his debut as a lyricist with "Mina." Having read the biography of Mina Loy, he was delighted with the story, describing it as, "an unlikely romance between an elegant painter/poet and an outrageous poet/boxer."

As for the musical, "I wanted the story to be interesting," Nyren said. "We had a lot of creative leeway. It's an unusual story and a good opportunity to try it. Broadway shows have to worry about making money - we don't."

"It's been really exciting to collaborate with another art field," Nyren added. A Hopwood Award winner for fiction, Nyren found that writing a libretto as a collaborative effort enriched his individual work.

"This is a wonderful sort of venture for him to be teamed up with Sam," director Neville-Andrews said. "It's a rare occasion when this happens. Sometimes in the professional world people come together to write something, but this happened by happy accident."

"I've always wanted to write a show but couldn't find a lyricist to work with," Davis said. "It was incredible to find Ron."

Writing, producing and directing a brand new show has its advantages, mainly that the audience comes without conflicting expectations. It also allows the director and writers lots of room for change.

Since the performances are still in the workshop stage, all the people involved have had plenty of input in the creation of the show.

"We've been rewriting stuff almost down to the last minute," Davis said.

The cast, featuring 12 students, is composed of theater and musical theater concentrators. The nine-piece orchestra is headed by Music senior Steve Bizub.

Davis and Nyren strove for a mix of new and old styles in the story and the music.

"It was hard to write music about such an avant-garde poet," Davis explained. "I didn't think the audience would flock to a completely 12-tone musical, but I wanted to avoid Andrew Lloyd-Webber type ballads. So I tried to keep the sophistication while having it be melodically appealing."

The result is a tragic yet comedic musical filled with ballads, traditional show tunes and dance numbers. The ambition to combine the tunes of a traditional musical with the world of modern art has been realized by Nyren and Davis through their collaboration on "Mina."

"This is quite a joyous occasion," Neville-Andrews said of the premiere. "It's a mixture of faculty and students all getting together to create something new, which is wonderful. It's what we should be doing at the University."

- Tickets for "Mina & Colossus" are free but reservations are required through the Michigan League Ticket Office. Call 764-0450 for more information.

04-17-98