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'The Michigan Daily Wednesday, April 15,1992Page 5
Wig's Bloody Wednesday3'
LocalWig subverts and perverts in mysterious ways -
by Mark Binelli
4it's gonna be a freakshow," says
- "film expansionist" Kendra Wil-
liams, referring to SUBVERSION-
PER VERSION, a brutal one-night
assault on Ann Arbor combining
almost every art form imaginable.
Sensory overload? You bet.
The artists include local hair band
Wig, making its first Ann. Arbor
appearance in exactly a year; film
expansionists Williams and Sarah
Peterson, whose surreal montage of
film and video images will be
projected throughout the show;
."psycho firebreather" / performance
artist / Gene Simmons wannabe Carl
Fisclaer, who says, "All I do, basi-
cally, is get latex-clad - in a
homemade costume - and dance
around on stage"; and a host of other
... well, freaks who will dance, dis-
play their sculptures, and break into
the chaos with spoken-word read-
ings.
Wig - currently comprised of
Schurgin on guitar, Fran Falls on
bass and Sir John Beatmeister on
drums - will undoubtedly be hog-
ging the spotlight, though. -
"It's like coming 10 times in the
course of two hours," Sir John says
of the show. "It'll leave the audience,
tired and useless." i 0
But where has Wig been for the
past year?
"We decided to redirect our en-
ergies, and for the past year now,
we've been trying to get together our
political campaign for 1996," quips
the wacky Sir John. "We're starting
a fringe party, basically ... The Wig
Party, not to be mistaken for the
Whig Party of Britain, of course."
Sir John denies the drug rumors
that've been circulating about Pres-
ton Cleveland, Wig's former lead
singer. "No, Preston has never done
a drug in his life, unfortunately," Sir
John says. "Part of the reason we
kicked him out was' because he
didn't do drugs.
"The set's gonna be probably
niiiety-five percent brand new stuff
that we've done over the last year,
aside from the political campaign,"
he continues. "We'll probably have.a
little singing here and there ... Pro-
bably. It depends on the audience."
.In fact, one of the goals of SUB-
VERSIONPER VERSION, according
to the press release, is "destroying
the barriers between stage and
audience." But Sir John isn't so sure.
"I've never broken down.barriers
before, so I really don't know," he
admits. "It sounds good, though.
People like it when you say that kind
of stuff:"
The idea for the show was
"originally thrown around by Wig,"
according to Sir John. "But ... we
were a bar band, and that kind of
environment didn't lend itself to that
kind of a presentatioth.
"Oltimately, we hope that all*this
material we've been working on will
find its way to a record," he adds.
Any chance for a SUBVERSION-
PERVERSION togr?
"1 think it'd be great to do a tour,
but there are so many practical con-
siderations," Sir John says. "I think
i
"
The guys.in Wig. hang out in dorms and shit, spreading their orgasmic, drug-induced gospel. No, no, we're not,
trying to break any barriers. Oh Sir John,-put on your-latex outfit and make me tired and'useless. Please.
the last time something' like that
happened was Andy Warhol's Ex-
ploding Plastic Inevitable, which did
'tour, and actually played in Ann
Arbor, too ... I love the idea of it. It
would be like a circus, a traveling
circus."
. Or like the flashing TV sets of
U2's current ZOO Todr?
"U2 wishes they, could' do 'this,"
Sir John says. "If only their man-
ager5 would let 'em ...'
SUBVERSIONPERVERSION plays
tonight at the Performance Net-
-Work. Showtiine is 8 p.m. Tickets are
$7. They can be purchased in
advance, at Schoolkids and PJ's
Used Records. Call 663-0681.
Banderas and
Assante
The Mambo Kings
dir. Arne Glimcher
J
by Marie Jacobson
Pay no attention to those lame-
looking clips. you. see on prime-
time TV - The Mambo Kings,
with its soulful story line, remark:
able cast and spicy soundtrack, is
quite possibly the best film to hit
the big screen this spring.
Adapted from Oscar Hijuelos'
Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The
Mambo Kings Play Sounds of
Love, the film is the poignant ac-
count of ,two wildly disparate
brothers, Cesar and Nestor-Castillo
(Armand Assante and Antonio
Banderas). United only by a deep-
seated love for their music and one
another, the brothers leave Cuba to
make a name for themselves in
mambo-crazed New York.
Life in America is hardly easy.
The brothers work in a meat-pack-
ing factory by day to support their
sultry music-making after hours.
And landing gigs is no small task,
especially when they refuse to
pander to the local mafioso.
step out
Easing the -way, however, are
their love interests. Cesar, the rak-
ish older brother, falls in love with
a beautiful cigarette girl (Cathy
Moriarty of Raging Bull fame)
while performing at New York's
flashiest club, the Palladium.
Nestor, the introverted younger
brother, finds himself enjoying the
quiet company of his new girl-
friend, Dolores (Maruschka Det-
niiers).
Then the brothers get their big
break - spotted. by Desi Arnaz
'(played by Desi Arnaz Jr., who has
absolutely no accent whatsoever
- so authentic), the pair are cast
as Ricky Ricardo's' singing cousins
on the lit I Love Lucy show.
Unfortunately, this new-found
fame forces the. brothers to con-
front the irreconcilable differences
in their dreams and desires. The
choices that ensue are more heart-
wrenching than the songs them-
selves.
It's hard to determine which
actor steals the show in The Mam-
bo Kings. With his seductive good
looks and fiery charisma, Assante
(Q & A) breathes passion into his
relationship with his lover, his
0
oey takes steamy steps
by Jessie Halladay
Hot, snoky rooms, flamboyant musicaL-numbers and flashing lights made
up jhe wild -nightclub scene of Chicago in 1939. Joey Evans wants in des-
perately. He longs to make it to the top and will use any means necessary to
get there, even if it means dropping the woman he loves to shack up with
one who can finance.his success.
John O'Hara's musical; Pal Joey, chronicles the rise 'and fall of an ambi-
tious dancer who selfishly claws ljis way to the top only to be knocked back
tov'vn by his unstoppable ego. The story revolves around Joey and all the
other regular Joes and Janes he meets along the way.
- "It's a show that fascinates people because of its very earthy characters,"
says director Brent Wagner. "The characters are a little bit tougher and per-
haps more realistic than in other musidals." . .*
Pal Joey, scored by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, is full of swing-
ing 1940s music reminiscent of the classic film musicals your parents made
you watch - and you secretly loved. Classic songs such as "Bewitched,
Bothered And Bewildered" and "I Coupi Write A Book" were products of
this show. (Harry' Connick Jr. recently recorded his version of "I Could
Write A Book" for the When Harry Met Sally soundtrack).
"The score is somrethilg that people have'ilways been attracted to," says
Wagner. Rodgers' sentinental music mixed with Hart's street-wise and
sometimes cynical lyrics are the perfect combination, according to.Wagner.
Much of the production centers around lavish dance numbers. Tim
Millet, a member of the Musical Theatre fadulty, did the choreography fou
the show. Dance numbers will include a "drehm ballet" during which Joey
imagines what it will be like when he makes it big.
This musical, which has featured many big names since it premiered in
1940 with.Gene Kelly,. promises 4o provide whimsical fun a a foot-tap-
ping good time.
Antonio Banderas, Desi Arnez Jr., and Armand Assante do the Mambo.
brother and his brother's wife.
. Banderas is one of Spain's
best-known actors, the star of se.
veral of Pedro Almodovar's'films
such as Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!.
He capably expresses the torment
and pain of Nector, who is in-
creasingly haunted by homesick-
ness and an unrequited love in Ha-
vana.
While Moriarty does well with
the little depth assigned to her
character, the performance Det-
mers gives as Nestor'.s' Cuban-
American wife is truly remarkable.
A sensitive, intelligent ingenue,
she must overcome the ghost of
her husband's ex-lover to deter-
mine her own destiny.
* *All the actors have their besi.
moments when reacting to the
film's spectacular soundtrack.
Sure, this is the stuff your parents
listened to, and you'd probably .
- catch your grandpa tapping his
foot to the mambo beat.too,. but
you can't help reveling in' the
filn's soulful sounds yourself-
The Mambo Kings marks Arne
Glimcher's directorial debut. His'
film i's a bittersweet portrait of
America in the final throes of in-
nocence and of two-brothers who.
find themselves rising - and fal-
ling - from the top.
THE MAMB. KINGS is playing at
Showcase.
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PAL JOEY will be performed at the Pdwer Center tomorrow through
Saturday at 8p.m. and April 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $1X2 & $9 reserved and
$6 for students with i.b, on sale at Mhe League Ticket Office. For more in-
formation call 764-0450.
V
who what where when
1 _ ..... .. ..............
"
B. B. King is the first guy to ad-
mit that he can't play chords. He
doesn't even try to. When King
slides his fingers ug and down
Lucille's neck and body, you realize
that it's King's sense of melody,
tone and rhythm that has made him
the king of the blues.
'Among his many trademark
songs, "Everybody Wants to Know
Why I Sing The Blues" stands out as
the testimony for any bluesman with
a long, illustrious career. His fame
stretches from those who have been
down with him for decades to those
who just learned about him through
U2, but that has no bearing on his
ability to sing the blues. He's been
around a long time, and has really
paid his dues. He'll play Hill Audit-
orium Thursday 'at 8 p.m, with
Buddy Guy opening. Tickets are $20
and $17.50. Call 763-TKTS.
TOYOTIA
ACCEPTS
DIPLOMAS.
FOR CREDlIT
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A
Pack it in for the summer,
.5
We'll bring the boxes. .
If you're moving home for the summer and plan to scrounge
around the grocery stores for boxes, we can help. We have all the
boxes you need--and we'll bring them to your front door on the same
day you place your order:
We have special packages all ready for our friends at U of M ...
. .
Here's proof that your diploma is
definitely worth more than the piece of
paper it's written on. In fact, it can get
you into a wild-yet practical, '92 Toyota
Paseo. Or any oneof our quality cars
and trucks.
Okay, motivated collegiats, you can
now take advantage of the incredible
Toyota Class of '92 Retail Financing
Program if your diploma is from a four-
year college, graduate school or regis-
tered nursing program. Even if you're
six months away from graduation. The
.hot scoop: Your dream Toyota can be.
yours fo-noymoney down and a 90day*
deferred payment! We offer you all this
plus special College Grad finance rates.
For even lower monthly payments, talk
to your Toyota dealer about leasing.
" See your nearestToyota dealer for a
brochure with TOYOTA
full details and x)mR
qualification CREDIT
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COSTA RICA FROM $465
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.CI. Af41 ...PA . qTU
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U ofgM.--$25 plus tax
4 small boxes
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Go Blue -- $30 plus tax
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2 rolls tape
The Wolverine -- $35 plus tax
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2500 S. Industrial
9732212
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