The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - October 1, 1992 - Page 5

Let Tiffany's fancy take you away

by Jen Slajus
Forget Calgon! (Bubbles arc so...
temporary.) Let Tiffany take you
away!
Louis Comfort Tiffany, that is,
son of New York's Tiffany & Co. and
one of America's most illustrious art-
ists of the early 20th Century move-
ment called Art Nouveau. While the
silent, concave Apse Gallery of the
University's Art Museum is hardly
Fifth Avenue, you can still feel like
Audrey Hepburn ogling dreamy objets
d'art. (Even if you don't have BIG
hair.)
The exhibit is a recently restored
University collection extracted from
one of Tiffany's most elaborate inte-
rior decorating commissions, that of
the H.O. Havemeyer House in New
York City. Its impressive scope beau-
tifully exposes Tiffany's mastery of
capturing the imagination - like a
detailed landscape - in colored glass
and metal and stretching it, twisting it
into its own fantastic labyrinth. Also
suggested is the notion that perhaps
there is - or should be - religion in
geometry.
"Enter" through the House's very
own giant, Romanesque bronze "Front
Doors"-- they're there! - and wander
through the texture of 10 opalescent
glass horizons, which are mere smears
of raining earth tones.
The huge "Peacock Mosaic" is an
elaborate, flaring creation of glass
and stone...and swirling eyes.
Tiffany's talent as a colorist literally
gleams throughout this piece; he has
ensnared the divine essence of two

peacock lovers as muddy brown
breaths sweep up into luminous em-
erald and azure. It's easy to lose your-
self in the substance of shapes; each
slice or gem-like bauble of glass seems
to be its own cosmos, an autonomous,
kinetic atmosphere.
Tiffany's more functional art in-
...you can still feel like
Audrey Hepburn ogling
dreamy objets d'art.
cludes "Portion of a Light Fixture."
Despite its really boring name, this
piece shows Tiffany's, ahem, ...
lighter side. As a mane of silver-gilt
bronze with a circumference of glow-
ing yellow-orange opaline glass orbs,
it appears to be either a glorified hub-
cap-on-a-wall or a spooky alien sun-
flower. Take your pick, or invent your
own definition. This creativity is part
of the luxury Tiffany offers us as
viewers. "Firescreen," "Air Return
Grill," and "Balustrade," are regal
tapestries, woven with coiling gilt
metal and glass bubbles or dowels.
(Not available at your local Target).
The wide variety of iridescent
Favrile vases, pitchers, and bowls
sublimely complement the heavier
pieces. The former's delicate, 'ex-
otic' forms and hues whisper of
Tiffany's glass-blowing magic. Hmm.
Perhaps he was more than an artist of
escapes, but a creator of spices and
flowers.
The TIFFANY EXHIBIT can be seen
at the University Museum until Feb-
ruaiy 21, 1993.

Louis Comfort Tiffany created his "Peacock Mosaic" in 1890-91 for the house of H. 0. Havenmeyer in New York.


'Candida' shows
how it was in 1894

It's knot family value
nburger It's a mystery to me why this film Danforth would approve, since
ences were first in- caused such a controversy when it Banderas promises to make an honest
ia Abril (the star of bowed in the United States. What woman out of Abril and to work to

by Aaron Ham
American audi
troduced to Victor

by Jason Carroll
George Bernard Shaw's classic
comedy-drama, "Candida," opens
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's Second
Stage season this weekend. The play
takes place in 1894 London, the same
year it was written.
Despite its antiquity, the play has
many themes that are relevant to the
present. The-story involves a love
triangle between Candida (Kathleen
Davies), herhusband James (Stephen
Hill), and a young poet(David Blixt).
Candida isn't like your typical
Victorian housewife, though. She is
somewhat of an early feminist. This
is illustrated throughout the perfor-
mance. "James is the master of the
house because she lets him. She is
content with being the mistress of the
house," explained Ann VanDemark,
the director of the show.
The story begins on the night that
James encounters the poet sleeping
on an embankment. Feeling sorry for
him, James brings the man home.
Instantly, the immature poet falls for
Candida. When James learns of his
rival, he is at first amused, then he
becomes angered. Candida is ulti-
mately left to choose her suitor in the
second act.
"This piece is simply channing.
He (Shaw) wants us entertained and
amused, and at the same time, lie
creates provocative thoughts. It's as
much a modern day feminist move-
ment as was allowed back then,"
VanDemark said.
VanDemark is a veteran of
AACT, but this is her first crack at
directing. In the past she has done
choreography for "Brigadoon" and
"Maime." Currently, she is the presi-
dent of the Board of Directors at
AACT.
The show isn't a deep drama in-
fused with romance and deceit,
though. "Comedy relief is brought
into the story through three support-
ing characters," VanDemark ex-
plained.

Candida's father (Conrad Ma-
son) is a practical businessman who
isn't too thrilled with his daughter's
husband, and Prosperine (Cynthia
Joan) is James' secretary. Lexy Mill
(Jeff Magee) is a foil for the other
characters, he sets the stage for the
present and explains the past.
. "We're trying to do the show as
it would have been done in 1894,"
VanDemark said, "The traditional
soft drinks and candy during inter-
mission will be replaced with tea
and cookies." In addition, at the
... at the end of the
performance everyone
will sing 'God Save the
Queen.'
end of the performance everyone
will sing "God Save the Queen."
The recreation of the past forms
an interesting contrast since this
show marks the debut of the new
AACT theater arts complex, in-
cluding the theater space dubbed
the "Old Friends Theatre." The
large building, once a roller-skat-
ing rink, houses three rehearsal
rooms that are the size of the stage,
a sewing room, a vast costume stor-
age area, two enormous swt con-
struction rooms, and a 180-seat the-
ater.
"Candida" should posea strenu-
ous task for the AACT and a chal-
lenge for actress Kathleen Davies,
after all, how do you depict a Vic-
torian feminist? I'm just dying to
find out.
CANDIDA runs October 1st thru
17th at the Ann Arbor Civic The-
atre, 2275 Platt Rd. Performances
are Thursday thru Saturday at 8
p.m. Tickets are $7 (Thirsdays are
two-for-one). Call 971-AA CT for
more info.

the current release, "Lovers") in
Almodovar's racy follow-up to his
hilarious "Women on the Verge of a
Nervous Breakdown," "Tie Me Up!
Tie Me Down!" In this film - which
you won't find at Blockbuster or at
Dan Quayle's favorite video store -
Abril successfully stepped out of the
shadow of Almodovar's former lead-
ing lady Carmen Maura, and even
managed to get off on a bath toy.

could be more wholesome than a
drugged-out porn star (Abril) whose
heart is wooed by an obsessive, vio-
lent ex-mental patient (Antonio
Banderas)?
Banderas shows that chivalry is
not dead. Not only does he faithfully
tail his love back to her apartment and
kidnap her, but he also ties her up and
holds her captive until she falls in love
with him. Don't worry, however, J.

support their future family. Talk about
family values!
Abril gets stiff competition for at-
tention in this film, not only from the
actors, but also from the director.
Banderas ("The Mambo Kings") is
terrifically deadpan as the mental pa-
tient, and Francisco Rabal, in a sup-
porting role as Abril's director in the
film, makes a great dirty old man.
And of course, you can't possibly see
any Almodovar film without noticing
the director's hand in the zany screw-
ball script that defies all logic and the
brightly-colored, plastic-looking sets
and costumes.
Despite all this, it's Abril you re-
member after seeing "Tie Me Up! Tie
Me Down!" Every second she's on
screen, she draws your eye with her
nervous energy (much like Anne
Pari.llaud did in "La Femme Nikita.")
At the same time, Abril manages to

project a childlike innocence that
makes the viewer sympathize with
her.
You want proofof her talent? Just
watch the seemingly happy ending of
this movie, when Abril suddenly starts
crying, not a cloudburst, just a steady
stream of tears. When asked why she's
crying, Abrilresponds, "Because I'm
so happy." Those tears represent the
theme of the entire movie: conven-
tional love and marriage are a trap
imposed by religion and society.
That's quite a challenge, but Abril
more than lives up to the task, and it's
evident that Almodovar agrees with
the results, as he chose to end the film
abruptly after that line.
This weekend, be a revolutionary.
Defy Dan Quayle and the Right by
renting this film which knocks family
values. Defy NOW and the Left by
renting this film which shows the
positive results of forcing a woman to
submit to the will of a man. But most
of all, defy those bastards at Block-
buster who won't let you even rent the
goddamn thing in the first place.
TIEME UP! TIEMEDOWN! isavail-
able at Liberty Street Video.


Director Pedro Almodovar and Victoria Abril capture the essence of film.

BREEDERS
Continued from page 4
now. We can look at it as a anger term
thing iow because we all have more
time Kim s been free since April,
with the prospect of being free until
next April and possibly longer, so
we're able to think of ourselves as a
proper band."
Kim Deal then takes the phone,
and after some funny stories about
hurricanes antihating Fall, relates what
life was like being the warm-up act on
the Zoo TV tour.
"My boyfriend and I drove out
alone. We rented a minivan, since the
tour had such an easy pace. We
wouldn't even need directions to the
venue, 'cause all you'd have to do is
pull into the city and follow the signs
that said Big Sports Arena To The
Right.'So we'd just take that right,
park the van, walk in, wait about
twenty minutes, play, and I was done
for the night. We'd get back in the

van, and do it all over again. It was a
blast."
A far cry from the upcoming jaunt
with the Breeders.
"My dad's driving us around in an
RV. We're all together, and we actu-
ally have to find the clubs. Unfortu-
nately, there's no sign that says "Small
bad dark smelly clubnextexit," laughs
Kim Deal.
With all of these decidedly attrac-
tive women out rocking in front of all
those people, I ask Wiggs if the Breed-
ers ever get groupies hanging around
after the show.
"Groupies? No, not yet, we're still
waiting for them. We have thought
about this. I don't think there's such a
thing as a male groupie. Kelley says
that males are too wimpy. They don't
have the guts. Fragile egos!"
THE BREEDERS play St. Andrews
Hall Friday, with UNREST opening.
Tickets are $7.50 (p.e.s.c) in advance
at Ticketmaster. Doors open at 7:00
p.m., and you must be 18 to enter.


The Roman Numerals question format, some-
times called Triple True/False, has not
appeared on the LSAT since February 1991.
At Kaplan, we caught the change. And we updated
all our LSAT materials. St )ie prep t/cu0r f / /bL1
- year's LSAT.
At the Princeton Review and LSAT Intensive
Review, somebody's napping. They're using the
salvn o ldcurse mterials. Sthev i nern iaf in-



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