9 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 5, 1993
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An Evening of Music and Magic
Are you looking for some excitement in your life? Then we've got the
answer - the Women's Glee Club Fall Concert. (We're not joking.) A
whole evening of beautifulmusic, sung by 80 beautiful women -Schubert,
Schumann, Mendelssohn and Cole Porter are just a few of the composers
covered. The eight-women subgroup of Women's Glee, the Harmonettes,
will also be performing their own a cappella selections. And of course, there
will be the old stand-by Michigan tunes! The fun will be Saturday at 8 p.m.
(that leaves you plenty of time after the Purdue game) at Rackham Audito-
rium. Tickets are a paltry $4 for students, and you can take a parent along
Z for only $7. A small price to pay for choir music of this caliber.
Happy Birthday, Ratings
For those of you who were ever carded trying to buy a ticket for "Die
Hard," next week marks the 25th anniversary of the modern motion picture
ratings systems. In 1968, the ever unpopular MPAA top man Jack Valenti
and his posse o' censors introduced the ratings "GP" (General Public), "M"
(Mature) and "X" into the vernaculars of over-protective parents. A year
later, "Midnight Cowboy" was released and quickly slapped with an "X"
rating. Nevertheless, "Cowboy" won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1970,
forever undermining the respectability of the system. The MPAA intro-
duced the "R" rating and changed "M" to "PG" in the early '70s. "PG-13"
was created in 1984 and "NC-17" in 1990.
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By JOHANNA FLIES
His girlfriend thinks he's boring.
His mom complains about the rubber
bands on her hemorrhoids. His dad is
a "dictionary of '60s cliches." His
'Godot' ponders often bleak questions
By ROBIN BARRY
Who's Godot?
Don'task, noteven the author, Samuel Beckett,
knows for sure. When asked about the meaning of
Godot, Beckett has been quoted as saying, "If I
knew, I would have said so in the play."
"Waiting for Godot" has been puzzled over by
countless individuals. Everyone from high school
students to literary critics. It's a very dynamic
piece but it doesn't offer any easy answers.
It is about waiting. It shows two days in the life
of Vladimir and Estragon, two old friends who
have seen better days. They're waiting. They
don'treally know what they're waiting for, whether
it is their salvation or damnation. This play is what
goeson in the meantime. In themeantime, Vladimir
and Estragon will try to amuse themselves, they'll
try to pass the time without becoming too aware of
reality. And the reality of the situation is that
they're waiting.
"This play is about enormous, huge questions
on existence which can't be answered," says di-
rector, Peter Campbell. "But what's significant
isn't the answers it's the asking, it's important to
look at these questions."
Bleak as it may appear, "Waiting for Godot" is
not without hope. "It basically says 'the human
condition sucks, but...' The 'but' is the important
part, because that's where all the hope lies."
There is also a lot of humor in the play. It's
actually classified as a tragicomedy. Campbell's
favorite part of the play is the Vaudeville bits.
"When we were working with the text we found
these comedic bits everywhere. Beckett's dia-
logue is fast-paced and clever. It can be really
hilarious," Campbell said.
Campbell also likes Beckett's work with si-
lences. "Theyjustdon'tknow whatelse to say, it's
very intense, they just stop. I've seen it a million
times in rehearsal and I still get chills. The silence
just eats into you."
Campbell is a R.C. Drama senior, "Godot" is
his senior project. "This is my favorite play. I've
wanted to direct it since high school. I figured this
would be the perfect way to end my undergraduate
career."
So far Campbell hasn't been disappointed by
the experience. "We have really dedicated people
working on the play. At first the cast was a little bit
intimidated by the script, but once we got started,
it really pulled everybody together."
Beckett's work has been categorized many
times. It has been described as sharing qualities of
existentialism and absurdism, and when it first
came out it was labeled avant garde.
When questioned about this Campbell just
shakes his head, "All of that is just an intellectual
exercise, if you pay too much attention to classi-
fications then you miss the point. It's a really
powerful play."
WAITING FOR GODOT will be presented
November 5, 6, 12 & 13 at 8 p.m. , and Novem-
ber 7 & 14 at 2 p.m. at the R. C. Auditorium.
General admission $5, students $3, tickets sold
at the door. For more information call 665-
6827.
i
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Inside Monkey
Zetterland
Directed by Jefery Levy; written by
Steven Antin; with Steven Antin,
Sandra Bernhard and Patricia
Arquette.
lesbian sister falls in love with a gay
man and his grandmother tells the
whole family to fuck off. He is just a
"painfully average adult" living in
L.A. amidst all kinds of craziness. He
is Monkey Zetterland, the semi-oblivi-
ous, semi-omniscient main character
of "Inside Monkey Zetterland."
Written and co-produced by
*,Steven Antin (who also plays Mon-
key) this film spotlights the life of an
aspiring screenwriter and the many
extraordinary people who surround
him. It is through these varied charac-
ters that Antin's talent as a writer is
showcased. Each person is a little bit
odd, from the bulimic gay rights ter-
rorist Sofie (Martha Plimpton) to
Monkey's hair-obsessed hairdresser
brother Brent (Tate Donovan), but
each has something, whether it be a
failing or avulnerability, thathuman-
izes them and makes them sympa-
thetic. Antin makes each character
cool enough so that you want every-
the Daily
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
Second Stage Productions
HOT TIN
ROOF
by Tennessee Williams
direced by Anne Kolaczkowski Magee
November 4- 20,1993
Thurs thru Sat. 8:00 p.m.
Tickets are $8.OOThurs. 2-for-1
AACT - 2275 Platt Rd.
Tickets & Reservations, 971-AACT
'End' attacks stereotypes
By CAMILO FONTECILLA
Three words invade the screen during "The Living End's" opening shot:
'fuck the world.' Luke (Mike Dytri) is spray painting the words onto a wall
already layered with other graffiti. This message of bitterness serves as a
springboard for the action of Gregg Araki's film, a harrowing examination of
gay love and sex in the AIDS '90s.
Exploiting his lack of resources to
.Lv. nthe fullest, Araki manages to create a
The Lving End world that is incredibly oppressive in
Written and directed by Gregg Araki; its loneliness. People are rarely seen
with Mike Dytri, Craig Gilmore and in his outdoor L.A. landscape, and
Darcy Marta. when they do appear, they are mar-
ginal night creatures of this
homophobic society. Daisy and Fern, a dysfunctional lesbian couple who offer
Mike a ride, and then threaten to shoot him, are an example of the disconnect-
edness within the gay community. There's no unity and no understanding.
Mike collides into Jon's (Craig Gilmore) life after having shot three
marauding bat-wielding gay-bashers. He leaps into Jon's car and urges him to
drive away fast. Mike has nowhere to go, so inevitably he ends up in Jon's bed.
As things get hot, Jon cools off. He tells Mike that two days ago he was
diagnosed HIV positive. Mike simply smiles and welcomes him to the club.
The temperature rises again and keeps escalating for the rest of the movie.
Jon soon sees himself torn away from his comfortable life as a writer by
Mike's irrepressible desire to avenge himself on the society that has labeled
him as diseased. They cruise across the country escaping Mike's murder of a
policeman, with no particular aim but to be free and to fuck.
Although Araki's small budget leaves his film rough around the edges, it
is not to its detriment. No swelling dramatic soundtrack cues tears or laughter.
It is very bare and the effect is immensely honest. But the film boasts an air of
glamour, intrinsically there because of the attractiveness of both lead actors.
This is not a story about two average men. Beautiful and sexy is more like it.
The immediate appeal of beauty is undeniable. It's here, and plays a very
high trump. Its presence gives the film the feel of a universal love story,
granted an obsessive one, but certainly a touch Hollywood-like. Some might
call this a cheap trick, but it's used by mainstream films all the time. In the eyes
of the audience, Jon and Mike become justified through their looks. If that's
what Araki had to do to get people to listen to his message, so be it. It's
recognizably a difficult one to get across in this homophobic society.
Although Bush is no longer in the White House, Araki's film still sends out
a clear signal even a year after its release and three years after being written.
Perhaps it is even truer now than it was then. The film ends leaving an opening
for the future, but the sky is in twilight. It's unclear whether it's soon going to
be morning or night. In the end, one realizes that the important thing is to stick
together to be able to face either.
THE LIVING END will be playing in Angell Hall Auditorium A today and
tomorrow at 7 and 9 p.m.
The quirky and off-beat "Inside Monkey Zetterland" will be playing at the Michigan Theater.
thing to work out for them and just
weird enough to give them each a
distinct persona. He insures, how-
ever, that these characters do not be-
come parodies of themselves by keep-
ing them on this side of reality. They
are believable, likable and, for the
most part, understandable. Credit for
this feat must also be given to the
eclectic, but superfly ensemble cast.
Sandra Bernhard is charming (if that
word can ever be used to describe her)
as Imogene, Monkey's love-struck
neighbor. Katherine Helmond makes
a nice comeback from "Who's the
Boss?" as Monkey's interfering soap-
star mother Honor. Patricia Arquette
adds another notch to her so-far note-
worthy career as Grace, Monkey's
sister. Debi Mazar, Ricki Lake, Sophia
Coppola, Rupert Everett and Bo
Hopkins round out the list.
Antin does not, however, simply
throw all these characters together to
create an off-beat little mixture. He
uses them to create a discourse about
relationships within afamily, between
lovers and between strangers. Mon-
key talks about imitating family life
as if he doesn't buy attempts to con-
nect and relate to other people as
sincere, but the Zetterland clan is as
sincere as the Waltons ever were.
Their love, confusion and pain show
that they are a family if for no other
reason than that they are all strug-
gling alone in one way or another.
Don't let all this mushy talk of
relationships throw you. This movie
is damn funny and Monkey is cooler
than you could ever hope to be. His
paranoia about ordering food in res-
taurants should be studied and incor-
porated into everyone's psyche and
his obsession with his missing yellow
curtains makes one realize the very
real importance of having the proper
drapery material. He has revelations
about religion, God and the meaning
of life while watching his mother
choke on a piece of bread. Antin even
manages to give the film an optimis-
tic ending that suits Monkey's style.
He suggests that if we all just go with
the flow, accept what we want to
accept and "believe in our delusions,"
we too can successfully imitate life
and come out OK. All except
Monkey's mother, ofcourse. It would
be impossible to have rubber-banded
hemorrhoids and survive unscarred.
Is E MONKEY ZEi TELANDr
is playing at the Michigan Theater.
QUALITY DRY CLEANING
AND SHIRT SERVICE
332 Maynard St.
across from Nickels Arcade
668-6335
r
I,
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5th AVE. AT LIBERTY 761-9700
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (PG) - Fri, Mon, Wed, Thurs: 4:00, 7:00,9:50 t
Sat, Sun, Tues:1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50
THE JOY LUCK CLUB (R) - Fri, Mon, Wed, Thurs: 4:15, 7:15, 10:05
Sat, Sun, Tues: 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:05
BARGAIN MATINEES $3.50 BEFORE 6 PM
STUDENTS WITH ID $4.00 EVENINGS
FRE 32 * . DR0B NK
Present this coupon with purchased ticket thru 11/30/93
C L A Sin o -ni n i n i n i n i
C LAS SI C S UBS __ _ __ _ __
ROBOTS:
YOU NEED NOT FEAR THEE ANY
LONGER.
INSTEAD....
FElAR...FEA.I..F.FElAR...
GARGOYLE MAGAZINE'S FREE
ROBOT ISSUE WILL BE
DISTRIBUTED IN THE FISHBOWL
TODAY. DROP THIS RAG. RUN TO
THE FISHBOWL AND SNAG YOUR
COPY...BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
301 E. Liberty
at Fifth across from
Ann Arbor Theater.
668-7900
regular sandwich
bag of chips
med. drink
exp. 11130/93
lagsandwich
~$5~99bag of chips
5 - med. drink
exp. 11130/93
School can't teach you
everything.
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