ARTS Monday, November 9, 1992 *The Michigan Daily Page 5 I swift's book just can't adapt by Michael Thompson Sex, childhood trauma, death, and kids swimming underwater. No, it's not the latest episode of* "Hard Copy," or Barbra Strei- sand's latest film. It's the film adaptation of Graham Swift's "Waterland," and yes, it's bad. Jeremy Irons stars as the Prince of Ti-er, I mean, as Tom Crick, a history teacher with a few too Waterland Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal; written by Peter Prince; with Jereiy Irons, Sinead Cusack and Ethan Hawke 'Braided Lives' of the 'U' Alumna Marge Piercy returns for visiting pofessorship by Gwen Shaffer Poet and novelist Marge Piercy once described her- self as a very good performer. "I want to turn people on to poetry, to move them, to make it a very energizing experience for them." Students can feel the effects of Piercy's poetry for themselves this afternoon when she reads at Rackam Auditorium. Piercy - a 1957 graduate of the University - is the author of 11 novels and 12 volumes of poetry. Her works often focus on social and political themes includ- ing feminism, the anti-war movement, poverty and eco- logical concerns. "Braided Lives," Piercy's most autobiographical novel, is set at the University during the 1950s and ad- dresses unwanted pregnancy, political activism and class differences. Jill Stuart, one of the novel's central characters and Piercy's alter-ego, can be found romping through the Arb and sipping coffee at Drake's. Novels such as "Small Changes" and "Woman on the Edge of Time" are frequently read in women's studies classes, and are considered some of the most significant books in the feminist canon. Piercy pub- lished her most recent novel, "He, She and It," last fall, and a poetry collection titled "Mars and Her Children" this past spring. Piercy said the political climate at the university, which she exploits in "Braided Lives," has changed substantially since she was a student. "When I was in school, it was conservative. Now it is certainly more liberal than in the '50s, but nothing like it was in the '60s," she said. Piercy has described her experiences in the English department at the University as "perilous and bumpy." Professors did not like her because she was Jewish, she was a woman, and she was from a working-class fam- ily, she has said. Although levels of tolerence are obviously quite higher today, Piercy said she has not been in Ann Arbor long enough to judge the attitudes of students here. "I'm not an instant sociologist - I don't believe in instant analysis." Upon returning to her former stomping grounds, Piercy said one of the first places she took her husband, novelist Ira Wood, was to seek out the places she lived as a student. "It was amusing to me," she said. "The town looks very different - there are whole blocks that have been torn down and are occupied by university buildings now." Piercy, who generally spends two to three years working on a single novel, said it strikes her as "strange" when people ask if she knows how a story will end before she begins working on it. She compared writing a novel to constructing a building. "You better know what your building when you're doing it," she said. "Structure is very important." Piercy was brought to the University as a DeRay Distinguished Visiting Professorship. Students in an honors writing course read her fiction in the first half of the term, and now Piercy is leading a poetry workshop. Students enrolled in the course decided whether they wanted to focus on their poetry of fiction, Piercy said. "The course has to be one or the other because there is no way we would have time to do both." In addition to her poetry reading at 4 p.m. today in Rackam Auditorium, MARGE PIERCY will give a lecture on "Women and Utopian Fiction " at 4 p.m. on Nov. 11, in the Founders Room in the Alumni Center. many problems in the past. Mur- d e r, c ra z y sib lin g s, y o u k n o w th e dfy.:st drill. But fortunately for him, he's - . got his entire history class to tell it - to. So he and all the little kiddies get to walk, sometime literally, Sinead Cusack and Jeremy Irons in the film adaptation of "Waterland." through his past to see what went wrong and perhaps find out why. Wow, doesn't that sound like a great idea for a TV miniseries, or better yet, a feature film? Sure, someone said, and luckily for all those involved, director Stephen Gyllenhaal was available. After making the very effective "Killing in a Small Town," he seems like just the man for the job. Unfortu- nately, neither he nor Jeremy Irons See WATERLAND, Page 8 U, .......... ['I''1 1 T ii lil, 1 4 I MUSKET cooks up a tingly triumph State of the State We were all pumped to check out the new and improved State Theatre Friday night, but alas, the grand opening was postponed. What happened? Construction delay, according to manager Bill Spurlin. It will open "probably this Friday," with the same movies, Spurlin said. And a bonus: instead of "Cool World," the classic "Animal House" will play as a late show. For times and information, call 994-4024. Orchestral opportunity The Campus Orchestra gives a free concert Hill Auditorium tonight at 8, with a program that includes excerpts from Wagner's "Lohengrin" and Mozart's Symphony No. 23. But don't just listen to them; join them. The Orchestra is looking for non-music majors and members of the community, especially string players. Just think, you could play "Sheherazade" and Beethoven's 6th with them next February. If you're interested, call Ricardo Averbach at 741-8614. Swoonin' dogs For People With Cars Depart- ment: two extremely cool movies from new filmmakers are playing in Detroit. Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs," an uitraviolent thriller starring I larvey Keitel and Steve Buscemi, is playing at the AMC Maple 3; call 855-9090 for times. And this weekend at the Detroit Film Theater is "Swoon," Tom Kalin's debut film about Leopold & Loeb. Guaranteed to be better than "Rope." Call 833-2323. by Laura Alantas The tingle count was high during MUSKET's opening night of "The Baker's Wife." What's the "tingle count"? The number of times I felt goosebumps gliding up and down my arms in reaction to the beautiful production on stage. Thanks to the exquisite music and some tremen- dous voices, the Midwest debut of "Thy Baker's Wife" evoked a wide range of reactions that lead to a rich theatrical experience. [he set was appropriately de- signed to convey the small French town atmosphere and mentality that reigned throughout the show. Con- corde's social hub, the cafe, rested on the left side of the stage, while the bakery was situated on the right. With the rest of Concorde's limited skyline in between, the set captured the essence of the town. And what a town it was. Brim- ming with a diverse array of vil- The Baker's Wife Power Center November 6, 1992 lagers, the majority of the show's humor rested in the capable hands of this gossiping and feuding ensemble. Collectively they were a strong group, especially in truly comic numbers like "Bread," where loaves of French bread were used as danc- ing canes. The humor delivered by these villagers was delightfully ex- aggerated, to the point of their seeming grotesque in the gossipy number "Buzz-a-Buzz." This was exactly the point, though; these meddling neighbors were putting their noses where they did not be- long. The target of these neighbors' attention was the marriage between the baker Aimable (Jeffrey Schubart) and his young wife Genevieve (Katy Wagner). Schubart's lovable Aim- able was endearing scene after scene. With a keen sense of comic timing and a pleasant voice, Schu- bart won over both the villagers and the audience. Playing the baker's wife Genevieve, Wagner soared during her ballads, especially during the beautiful "Meadowlark." With the story of the meadowlark being acted See MUSKET, Page 8 Carees iiIn Psychollogy Writing a Resume with a Bachelor's in Psychology: Representatives from Career Planning and Placement Offer Resume Instruction and Critique please bring your resume, if you have one, for review Monday, November 9, 7:00 - 9:00 pm Ostefin Room, West Quad, 541 Thompson Street Undergraduate Psychology Peer Advising Program K-210 West Quad, 764-2580 ,, '4' -qqkl 2 3 A REGISTRAR'S BULLETIN BOARD REGISTRATION SCHEDULE November 12-13 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Registration for Nursing students and Graduate/Professional students Registration by appointment begins Nov. 16 and ends Dec. 4 (except for weekends and Nov. 25- 27). Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The exact appointment time and registration location will be printed on the Student Verification Form. Students will be asked to register according to the following priority group sequence. 2 3 12 I 3 2 Group I Group II Group Ill Group IV Group V Group VI Group VII 100+ credits 85-99 credits 70-84 credits 55-69 credits 40-54 credits 25-39 credits 0-24 credits Group I will register first followed by the remaining groups. Registration times are assigned randomly within each group. NOTE: Graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in Architecture and Urban Planning, Art, Engineering or Music and Rackham students enrolled in these programs must register in room 153 Chrysler Center. If alternate appointment permits are needed, students must go to 153 Chrysler Center for these. All other students will register at Room 17 Angell Hall. 3rd ANNUAL WOLVERINE TURKEY SHOOT NORTH HALL RIFLE RANGE Remember, you must have these materials in order to register: Student Verification Form-this form will indicate the time and place to register. (Check the Time Schedule to determine how SVF's will be distributed.) Student Picture ID Card Election Work Sheet Override Forms-if course/section has an entry restriction Financial Hold Credits Students Having a FINANCIAL HOLD CREDIT will not be permitted to register until it is removed.