Page 8- The Michigan Daily- Tuesday, October 20, 1992
RECORDS
Continued from page 7
"Shake this Place," Slaughter does
hil some high points. "The Wild
Life" has a powerful hook reminis-
cent of "Up All Night." "Times
They Change" is an encouraging po-
litical statement, hinting that this
band may still mature. However, not
sq much that they can't enjoy some
loptker room humor as in "Dance For
Me Baby," the uncensored truth
about what happens backstage.
I"Days Gone By" is the clear bal-
lad of the album and it, along with
the all-instrumental version, is, intel-
lectually speaking, a cut above most
"Pop metal" ballads. "Real Love" is
also quite engaging, but it sounds
more like a Def Leppard or Bad
Companysong than anything else.
"The Wild Life's" attempts at di-
versity are scattered among moments
of brilliance. Heavy metal band or
pop hand? Does the music slaughter
or kill you softly'? Either way you're
dead.
-Kristen Knudsen
The Smiths
Best ... I
Sire
Who would buy this album?
A full four years after the demise
of the Smiths, their record company
is still trying to milk profits off their
(i.e., Johnny Marr's) brilliance. It's
not as if there's a shortage of Smiths
compilations. In the past the band
released two singles collections
("Hatful of Hollow" and "Louder
than Bombs,") as well as a live al-
bum ("Rank.")
This first volume of a two-vol-
ume set doesn't even provide a sin-
gle obscure goodie to entice the de-
voted fan. It's just the same old
stuff, and in many cases ("What
Difference Does It Make," "Hand in
Glove") the best versions aren't in-
cluded.
Any Smiths fan will pick and
choose their favorites from the ones
on "Smiths Best I." Myself, I'm glad
to see "Sheila Take a Bow" and
"Hand in Glove" included here, but
where are "London" and "Bigmouth
Strikes Again?" And what's all this
stuff from the "Strangeways" deba-
cle? A better idea would be to bor-
row your friends' CDs and tape your
own "Smiths Best." It's cheaper, too.
- Michael John Wilson
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The good ship
'ollywood'
by Jason Carroll
The School of Music kicks off its season this week-
end with the virtually unknown Broadway musical, "A
Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine." The show
is actually two one-act musicals combined and set in the
1930s.
Taking us on an uplifting journey with songs high-
lighted from famous American movie musicals are six
ushers who not only sing, but dance and play instru-
ments as well. Featuring classics such as "On the Good
Ship Lollipop," "Thanks for the Memories," and
"Beyond the Blue Horizon," the first act takes place in
the lobby of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
The second act is a spoof of the old Marx Brothers
movies that transforms the ushers into actual characters.
The slapstick spoof is loosely based on Anton
Chekhov's play, "The Bear."
One highlight of the show is a screen known as the
ankle stage that pictures various famous dancers' feet in
action. "Since I'm a dancer, anything unique to dance is
always fun for me," remarked director and choreogra-
pher Tim Millet. "The ankle stage is one of my favorite
parts." Visiting the stage will be dancers ranging from
Fred & Ginger to Mickey & Minnie.
"Our cast is very talented," Millett said. "We've got
a Chico (Jody Maderas) who really plays the piano (like
in the old movies), and Harpo (Shari Berkowitz) is re-
ally great - he's played by a woman." One of the
highlights from the second act is a character named
Groucho. "Just watching Groucho (James Cooper) at
all, he's so good," Millett said.
Some jokes found in the show may be considered
very unacceptable by today's standards. Although Mil-
let doesn't agree with the views expressed in some of
the jokes, he left them in because he wanted the musical
to "be true to style."
"The show is a lot of fun, and it's one of my fa-
vorites because it gives students a well rounded experi-
ence; it's a good study of the style of humor," Millett
commented. "Since it has a smaller cast, I thought that I
could handle it better."
No stranger to musical theater, Millett began his pro-
fessional directing debut with a performance of "A Day
in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine" in 1984. He has
also performed in "A Chorus Line" and "Dreamgirls"
on Broadway.
Because there weren't any dances specified in the
script, Millett choreographed the entire show himself.
As a result, this performance differs from the Broadway
0
(Top to bottom) Jody Madaras, James Cooper and
Shari Berkowitz in "A Day in Hollywood ..."
version. In Millett's version, the '30s movie aspect
makes Act I very colorful, but everything in the second
act is in black and white to recreate the nostalgia of the
Marx Brothers films.
"The show is just pure fun," Millett said. "If you
missed it on Broadway you should see it. It has a high 0
entertainment value - it's good for the whole family."
A DAY IN HOLLYWOOD / A NIGHT IN THE
UKRAINE will be performed at the Mendelssohn The-..
ater on Oct. 22 - 24 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 25 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $6 for students Call 764-0450.for info.
Exploring the future of music
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The men and women of the Peace
Corps. Dedicated Volunteers who put
their valuable skills to work, helping
people in developing countries live
better lives.
It's tough. And it takes more than
just concern. It takes motivation.
Commitment. And skills in any one of
several important areas: education, math
and science, health, business, agricul-
ture, the environment, community
development, and more.
For 30 years, being a Peace Corps
Volunteer has been a chance to stop
dreaming about a better world and start
doing something about it.
[ If IOW6SJ OB0 Y11i[ FFR_[LOVf
Peace Corps Information Table
All Day
School of Public Health,
Today
Francis Building Lobby
by Kirk Wetters
Contemporary music is the clas-
sical music of the future. Musical
innovations and experimentation in
our time will lay the foundations for
music in years to come. Although
current academic musical trends
may not be widely used in main-
stream music for another 50 years,
there's no need to wait until 2042 to
experience them.
According to University music
professor H. Robert Reynolds, expe-
riencing contemporary musical ideas
now will keep listeners and per-
formers from "being stuck in the
twentieth century when they're actu-
ally living in the twenty-first cen-
tury," he said. Reynolds further
stressed that musicians involved
with contemporary music "are build-
ing a thought and feeling process -
an aesthetic for the future."
Reynolds is the music director of
the University's contemporary music
group, the Contemporary Directions
Ensemble. The ensemble plays a
wide variety of music written since
1965. "Anything is possible that will
fit on Rackham stage," Reynolds
said. "We look to variety." This va-
riety includes pieces in many styles
and for any possible combination of
instruments.
Just because music was written
recently doesn't mean that it is a part
of the ensemble's repertoire, which
the group believes should be
"cutting edge." "All music com-
posed recently is contemporary in
one sense." Reynolds explained.
"But in another sense, it may be old
music. The music needs to be sort of
pushing the boundaries of music
composition so that there are new
feelings, new thoughts, or new stan-
dards being set."
The ensemble's upcoming con-
cert will feature the works of four
progressive contemporary com-
posers. "These composers are
among the chief composers in the
world today," Reynolds said. Works
by Ellen Zwilich, John Corigliano,
Wolfgang Rihm, and Paul Ruders
will be performed in the ensemble's
recital.
"Women composers," he contin-
ued, "are really exploding onto the
scene and Ellen Zwilich is one of the
most prominent." Besides the
"Intrada" by Zwilich, the ensemble
will perform a sonata for violin and
piano by Corigliano, a New York
composer who, according to
Reynolds, "is making a tremendous
impact on the present scene." The
concert will close with Ruders'
"Breakdance" for brass and piano,
which Reynolds described as
"neoclassical, neo-Stravinsky, with a
twist in the middle. It's very listen'
able, but there's still a lot to it."
Like the "Breakdance," there is a
large body of contemporary music
which "appeals to both the avant
garde thinker and the man on the
street." The piece by Zwilich also"
falls into this category. According to
Reynolds, it is possible for works to
be "listenable" without lacking ei-.
ther imagination or creativity.
In spite of this, complex contem
porary music has sometimes had
difficulty finding an audience.
Reynolds firmly believes that con
temporary music has many rewards
for listeners who work to develop
their experience and understanding:
"Contemporary music is like really
serious poetry or literature. You
have to build yourself up to it."
Reynolds suggests that audiences
should come a little early to contem-
porary music concerts so they can"
read the program notes in order to"
understand the background and
context of the pieces.°"
THE CONTEMPORARY DIREC-°
TIONS ENSEMBLE under H. Robert
Reynolds will give a free perfor-
mance on Saturday, October 24, at'
8:00 p.m. at Rackham.
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introduce over 1000 students or
parents to the U of M
work on a diverse and exciting team
run workshops and presentations
ttedayoctobe ln
t~esdY lolA,0
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make new friends, stay in Ann Arbor
for the summer
qualifications
enrollment in fall 1992 and winter 1993
good academic standing
at least sophomore class level
compensation
-room may 2 to august 14
-board june 1 to august 14
.stipend $2000.00
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