The Times and Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina • 30

Si Page 10C, Orangeburg, S.C., Sunday, July 25, 1993 emocrat n. Broadway-bound, Lander gets one last rousing sendoff at Town Theatre Former Temptations lead singer wants to help S.C. make its mark A review By JOYCE W.MILKIE Staff Writer COLUMBIA A young Columbia dancer with "fabulous feet" got a rousing sendoff last Saturday as he got ready to head for Broadway and a role in a big new musical this fall. Jeff Lander, who is no stranger to the Town Theatre audiences, took over the stage for three performances last weekend as he said a fond farewell to his hometown. The capacity crowd at the final performance Saturday night, July 17, got a bit emotional at times, as "Fabulous Feet: An Evening with Jeff Lander Friends," took them through a series of performances by Lander and Company.

The "company" included Pam Bailey, Laura Kirkland, Rhonda Marchant, Nicole Griffin and Chris Robbins. Emmalee Robbins, veteran director of the Town Theatre, made brief appearances during the evening. They all were great. Bailey did a solo, and appeared with Lander in one section of a six-part number, a delightful bit in which Lander played the role of a young man with a couple of cute girls (Marchant and Griffin) interested in him (and vice versa!) but who is ensnared, seduced and captivated by an "older" woman. Struggle though he may, he can't get away from her and Lander's emotion filled performance in contrast to Bailey's smooth, cool one, was most effective.

The one tap number was performed by Lander and Marchant, and very good it was, too. Marchant began the number and was joined by Lander and the crowd cheered. This young man, who was choreographer for the show, too, can do comic turns, drama, high emotion and do them all well. He is incredibly graceful and his high leaps, even his smallest movement, all help tell the story he wants the audience to "hear." There were a few areas where it was "much of a muchness" and could have done with a bit less running around, but for the most part this was solid performing, darned good dancing, and a great evening of dance. Betty Lane Gramling attended the event with me, and almost simultaneously the two of us exclaimed how much Lander resembles a young Sinatra.

His features have that same mobile, wide smile, bright-eyed appearance that Frank Sinatra had 45 years ago. Also, Lander knows well how to use this mobility. He is a very good-looking young man, but not Robert Redford-handsome. Still, there were times when, in the middle of a dance number as he "told the story," Lander was actually super handsome. Every member of the company was outstanding.

On the starkly bare stage, with the only scenery the lighting (well done, too), Lander and the company transformed it into hidden wooded areas, great stages and private nooks. Lander, Kirkland and Marchant did "On the Town," based on the original by Jerome Robbins, and the young dancers proved they can do comedy, too. Perfectly delightful. The final number, "We'll Catch Up, Some Other Time," by the company, was a touching farewell, as Lander was leaving only a few hours later for rehearsals for the Broadway musical, "The Red Shoes," in which he will appear this fall. The crowd stood, applauded, then waited in the lobby and even outside in the rain under umbrellas, for the young performers to appear for a brief reception and a warm good-bye.

I i j. By GREGORY ROSS Special to The Twenty-five years ago, Dennis Edwards became a member of the legendary Motown recording group The Temptations. Today, at the age of 50, the robust, rich voice, the suave dance technique and the tall muscular physique still remains the same. Gone is the Motown recording contract, but with two new associates, producer Roy-C and Three GemsCarolina Records person Sarah Knight, a new life begins for Edwards in South Carolina. As lead singer of The Tem-petations, Dennis sang his way to the top with such hits as "Cloud Nine," "Psychedelic Shack," "I Can't Get Next To You" and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." The Grammy Award-winning singer is currently inthe process of recording an album for Three GemsCarolina Records, based at 103 Water Allendale.

Recently I had the opportunity, along with Poppy Brown and Willie Thomas (two members of a local recording group), to sit in on Edwards' recording session at Strawberry Skys recording studio in Columbia. Producer Roy-C, himself a recording artist of Photo special to The Dennis Edwards hard at work his relationship with Carolina Records to expand and grow into something big. As a partner, he will lend a helping hand to all and everyone who has talent and who is looking for guidance toward achieving a goal in the recorded music business. Dennis says, "The Carolinas is a perfect place to do business. The weather is fantastic and the scenic view that South Carolina has to offer is overwhelming.

I love it here!" Producer Roy-C is looking toward a late August release of the album, which is still at this point unnamed. The album will include a tribute to three original members of Edwards' group, The Temptations, that are no longer here Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and David Ruffin. Gregory Ross is a local talent scout and is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. destined to make his total efforts Grammy-winning deals, I'm sure that the whole deal is going to work out fine. As a producerdirector on the set, Mr.

conducted and directed the recording session so smoothly and with perfect precision. During the session, Sarah Knight, artist and repertoire person for the company, shows concern for her client. She explains to Poppy Brown (who by the way will be portraying Dennis Edwards in a musical production to be produced here in Orangeburg in the fall) that "it is important that a singer does not over exert his vocal chords during a recording session. If so, he won't be any good to finish up hisher recording session." Edwards, who was born in Birmingham, but moved to Detroit with his family at a young age, is looking forward to sort whom I had the pleasure of working with on previous projects, knows what he wants. For a man who sought the Brill Building (a known music business professional hangout for such composers as Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter and Nat King Cole) as a hangout and who has recorded at the Ed Sullivan CBS Theatre building on Broadway (now the current home of the David Letterman show, a.k.a., "Late Night" television host), he is somewhat of a perfectionist who has brilliant ideas.

With ideas such as turning Carolina Records into a company on the status of Motown, I believe he has a chance. Roy-C is currently building a mall in Allendale which will include a theatre! Roy-C handles his new ideas carefully, making sure all his plans are nurtured and developed Working with a team of professionals that are 79 Neon symbol 81 Latin conduction 84 Dine 67 Bother 89 Remainder 92 Wild revelry 93 Seed container 94 Mr. Vigoda 95 Profound 97 Title of respet 98 Freshet 99 "Growing 100 "Sanford Son" 101 Morays 102 Baseball slat 103 Old French coin 106 tide 109 Preudice 1 13 Distance measure 1 15 "Magnum. 116 Cried 1 19 Ancient 121 Tardy 123 Paul John II 124 Demon 125 Jacket parts 126 Studio 128 "Diamond 130 "Ice 132 Perceptible bv the touch 133 In music, hiqh 134 Flag 135 Most ancient 138 Deity 141 River island 144 Agave plan' 146 Whiskers 148 Prophets 149 garde 150 Katmandu i its capital 151 Liquid measmo 152 A. E.

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The change, along with a new producer for the Sept. 18 television show and a more relaxed dress code, is aimed at updating the pageant and attracting younger viewers, said pageant director Leonard Horn. The show's Nielsen ratings have been slipping, from No. 1 in 1988 and 1990 to No. 10 last year.

Contestants say the changes, which allow evening wear including pants in addition to the floor-length, beaded gown of yesteryear, reflect the new woman. "In the past there was more of a mold that they were looking to fill, and now they're looking for a woman who can make her own mold," Miss Michigan, 23-year-old Stacey Heisler of Livonia, said Wednesday. Miss New Jersey agreed, but both contestants said they weren't ready to dispose of some traditions. "I enjoy wearing the gown. That's probably my favorite part," said Michele Sexton, 24, of Spring Lake Heights.

"That's what makes the pageant special." The pageant has hired producer-director Jeff Margolis to replace John Koushouris, who had supervised the television show for 31 of its 40 years. Margolis said he plans to bring the pageant into the '90s and leave behind the look of "The Stepford Wives." Make-up artist Jane White, who has painted Miss Arkansas and other national contestants for the past 12 years, took exception to Margolis' reference to the Ira Levin novel about automatons who replace suburban housewives. "When a girl sits down in my chair every girl is different," said White, of Little Rock, Ark. "I don't make them up to look all alike." White said the changes represent added pressure for the contestants, many of whom don't know how to apply make-up that works under the glare of television lights. Margolis, who has produced five Academy Awards shows and other TV specials, said the pageant musical numbers will compete with the best of the Oscars.

"They're really going to have a whole different flavor and style," he said. In another change, each contestant must shoot a 3- to 5-minute home video describing her life. The tapes will be edited to about 30 seconds and the 10 finalists' tapes will be broadcast while they parade on stage. I 2" 3 4 5 6 f-" 9 In I 12 l' l'r I 16 I 17 lie i 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 26 f1 30 31 iT 33' 34 36 -jf 38 -t 'mmni Ls biJ 39 40 41 42 43 44 46 46 4fl 50 51 tT1 53 54 55 r-s! 5Tt jtfT in 62 6364 65" 67 1 "'1 srp- 71 -2 n- 77 Ttj 79 81 82 83 84 85 86 87" nX eSai VMM I 1 88 89 90 91 92 93 94" 95 "j-6 97" 9Bi rmm, ToT T02 10T "104 los W6 1 107 To? TosT 7 Tio k--J hani 1 "-f--j 'K 112 1 13 1 14 115 1,6 TT? I TiF 1 19 T20 121 T22 TsT 125 72T 128 mml T29 130 132 1 fTaT 1 ,4 1 T36 T37 Vj8 T39 rmm Tio TiT "i42 "h3 144 T45 146 148 149 1 150 fl 2 "l53 tbT T5l T56Tj 757 158 "iso TiT 16? "i6l 164 Tsl TeT1 fi TnT1 f1 TsT 10 TFT T72 174 j'75 T76 777 Ul Jj Orangeburg Part-Time Players give 'Mystery of the Black Abbot' Casting parts for their new production has been completed and rehearsals have begun for the Orangeburg Part Time Players' presentation of Edgar Wallace's "The Mystery of the Black Abbot," dramatized by Tim Kelly and directed by Mike Thomas. The play, which will be presented Aug.

27-29 at Robert Stevenson Auditorium, is a thriller set in an English manor house. The cast includes John Bagwell as Harry Alford, the lord of the manor; John Ott as his half brother, Richard, and Jacqueline Speight as Mary Wenner, Harry's secretary. James Gressette is Thomas, the butler, and Janice Edgemon and Eric McCall play Leslie and Arthur Gwyn. Police Sergeant Monkey Puttier is played by Tony deAloia, Jean Bowdoin portrays Crodelia Lyn-wood and Lynda Gardner will play Mrs. Glover, the housekeeper.

Other cast members include Rachel Smoak as Alice, the maid; Mitzie DeAloia as Mrs. Leonard; and Curtis Randolph as Fabrian Gilder. Tickets for "The Mystery of the Black Abbot" are $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available at the Orangeburg Arts Center, Williams Music and Dominies ABC in San-tee. If tickets are purchased by Friday, Aug.

6, $1 may be deducted from the price..