'Best' unite to honor Hopwood

A chauffeur and a chorus girl marrying into a rich family may be as out of place as Eva Gabor's character in "Green Acres." But add a Roaring '20s speakeasy and a lot of spunk to this pairing of opposites and Avery Hopwood's play about the Lenox family takes the stage.

Thursday night, the department of theater and drama presents "The Best People," the comedy written by Hopwood with Dave Gray. The play, which runs through Sunday, showcases a wealthy family whose children decide to marry beneath their class. Bertie falls in love with a chorus girl and Marion drops her rich suitors for her mother's chauffeur, much to their high class family's disapproval.

Courtesy of David Smith Photography Music Prof. James Dapogny, the pianist above, takes a look at the Roaring '20s in the Avery Hopwood comedy "The Best People," which begins its run at the Mendelssohn Theater on Thursday.

Though Kerr cut scenes from the play for clarity, he said it retains its fast pace and provides audiences with "an effervescent evening of entertainment."

Kerr had various reasons for directing the play and he looked forward to focusing on the humorous elements of Hopwood's writing.

"It's light, airy and frothy and the chance to collaborate with the music," Kerr said. "This department hasn't done this type of play in a while. The student (actors) learn, the audience enjoys, it pays the playwright a tribute and it's fun."

James Dapogny and his Jazz Repertory Ensemble add music to the production. Dapogny, a Music professor, is an authority on jazz music of the '20s and has formed the pit band of 10 students.

"I asked him to contribute, and he donated a lot of his time to unearth seldom heard, unpublished music of the time," Kerr said.

Hopwood, a graduate of the University and a successful playwright of the '20s (he once had four shows simultaneously running on Broadway), left money to the University to be used for creative writing awards in his will. These endowments have become the prestigious Hopwood Awards presented annually at the University.

PREVIEW
	The Best People Mendelssohn Theater Tomorrow, 8 p.m.

In honor of Hopwood, several events are running in conjunction with the play. The exhibit of his works, "Avery Hopwood and the Hopwood Awards," is on display at the Special Collections Library (on the 7th floor of Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library) through June 27.

His biography, "Avery Hopwood: His Life and Plays," by Jack F. Sharrar, is being re-released with a new foreword by Hopwood Awards Committee Director Nicholas Delbanco. A panel discussion on "Avery Hopwood and the Theatre of the Twenties," is being held on Friday at 2 p.m. in the Rackham Amphitheater.

"The Best People," in essence, is a timeless period piece, with serious themes taking a comedic spin. It is also a much-neglected piece of theater history that is rarely performed. But though the play may be obscure, the quality is obvious.

It "entertains like a good glass of champagne, bubbly good," Kerr said. "It's a rare opportunity for a community to see a play like this, an entertaining evening with a different spin on it. It isn't heavy or mysterious, just a lot of fun."

"The Best People"begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday. Performances begin at 8 p.m, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets cost $7 with Student ID at the Michigan League Ticket Office. Call Call 764-0450 for more information.

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