Mother, Son Schedule Duet Performance

At This Stage

Mother, son schedule duet performance

By Norman Gibson

DRAMA REVIEWER

A mother who loves to sing and her ninth-grade son, who also is devoted to the art, will present their first public concert in duet and solo at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, in the Second Baptist Church.

Mrs. Hortense Howard and her son, Albert, will perform a variety of works to raise money for the new church building at 850 Red Oak, a $900,000 project the congregation hopes to move into by mid-November.

The concert, however, will be in the present church building at 216 Beakes.

STEVE BUGGS will provide a prelude on the organ with Rose Hayne of Lansing providing accompaniment on the piano for the singers.

Mrs. Howard will sing such popular favorites as “Nature Boy,” first made popular by Nat King Cole, “Take Me Higher” and two songs to which she has written both the words and music. They have the titles of “It's Real To Me” and “Faith Way.” Dr. Morris Lawrence, teacher of Afromu-sicology at Washtenaw Community College and the University of Michigan, is making the musical arrangements for these works.

ALFRED HOWARD, who is in the ninth grade at Clague Junior High School, will sing such solos as “How Great Thou Art,” “I Don’t Know Why Jesus Loves Me,” “Sad Young Men Ballad.” He also will sing another of his mother's songs, “High Up.”

Dr. Lawrence also is making an arrangement for this.

Alfred Howard also will recite the poem “If We Only Had Love.”

Together, they will sing “Jesus Saves,” “Just a Little Talk with Jesus” and “For Once in My Life."

WILLIS C. Patterson, assistant dean of the University School of Music, will be the master of ceremony.

The Rev. Louis Griffin will say the prayer; Sheryl Slay, the scripture; and Mrs. Edna Williams will introduce the performers.

The Rev. Emmett L. Green, pastor of the church, will deliver some remarks at the end. Andre Strong, co-coordinator of the church’s campus ministry, will deliver remarks during the benefit.

An offering will be taken during intermission following one of Alfred Howard’s solos.

MRS. HOWARD IS a native of Bloomington, HI., and has been singing since she was three. Her first singing experiences were with her family, singing together under direction of her mother, Mrs. Luella Bacon.

Attending the University of Michigan and Washtenaw Community College, Mrs. Howard received her bachelor of arts degree in general studies from Eastern Michigan University.

She is administrative assistant to the pastor.

ALFRED IS described as having a natural talent for singing and has sung with choir and glee club groups at Clague Junior High School.

The new church building has been in the planning stage for the past nine years. A survey nine years ago found that the congregation needed room to grow and parking is scarce in the Beakes St. area.

The upper level of the new building will contain administratives offices of the church with the lower level being devoted to a social room, class room and proposed education wing.

Hit starts season

An 18th century comedy was so popular last year at the Hilberry Theater of Wayne State University in Detroit that it will begin the group’s new season.

“Wild Oats” by John O’Keeffe will open September 26 and run through Dec. 6 in repertory with eight other productions.

Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” “Love’s Labor’s Lost” and “Caesar and Cleopatra” will be presented during the season.

“Macbeth” also was in the group’s repertory last year. It will be given Oct. 17 through Dec. 13.

“LOVE’S LABOR’S Lost” runs Oct. 15 through next Feb. 6.

“Caesar and Cleopatra” will run from Jan. 14 through March 7.

Other plays in the series are “Boy Meets Girl”by Bella and

Samuel Spewack.Nov. 19-Feb. 28; William Cosgreve’s “Love for Love,” Feb. 18-April 18; “Bloody Jack” by Tim Kelly, March 25-May 8; and Noel Coward’s “Tonight at8:30,” next April 1-May9.

Kelly’s play was the 1980 winner of the Nederlander Playwrighting Competition. It is the legend of Jack the Ripper brought back to life to haunt the stage in a suspense thriller by a playwright who has written for the screen as well as the stage.

This production will be its world premiere.