8 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 4, 1994 Zesty 'Not Mikado' butchers pop culture By ROBERT YOON With the glamour of a rock concert and the glitz of a Las Vegas revue, the Birmingham The- atre presented Saturday night "The Not Mikado: A Hip-Hopperetta," a satirical and very funny musical loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan's 1885 opera, "The Mikado." The Not Mikado Birmingham Theatre April 2, 1994 Conceived and directed by Worth Gardner, "The Not Mikado" provided zesty commentary on the complexity and absurdity of today's pop culture. It was very similar to the original "Mi- kado," in that both were stage productions per- formed by carbon-based life forms. The similari- ties generally ended there. Gardner took the original Gilbert and Sullivan storyline and infused it with more pop culture references than you'll find in both "Wayne's World" movies and a week's worth of "Entertain- ment Tonight."The setting was still Titipu, Japan, where the emperor-the Mikado- made flirting a crime punishable by death, but the characters, the sassy dialogue, and the variety of music styles, ranging from country-western to calypso, had a distinctly '90s feel. The story centered on Nanki-Poo (David Gunderman), aleather-clad, punk-rockin', Paulie Shore clone on roller blades. Complications arose, however, when his love interest, Yum-Yum (Courtenay Collins), became slated to be married to Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner (Kurt Johns). One of the musical highlights from Act I was "Behold the Lord High Executioner," where Ko- Ko sings merrily about the people he'd like to whack. Included in his list are Snoop Doggy Dog, Howard Stern, drama critics and Barney. As a Responsible Drama Critic, I have to say that it is a sad, sad day when actors must resort to making jokes about decapitating lovable, purple dinosaurs for a few cheap yucks. As a product of '70s and '80s popular culture, however, I say bring on the cleaver. "The Not Mikado" could have succeeded on the quality of the dialogue and the lively dance numbers alone, but what made this a memorable show was the strong performances by the nine cast members. Particularly noteworthy were Kurt Johns, as the malaprop-prone Ko-Ko, whose New York accent was a mixture of a young Marlon Brando and a cranky Archie Bunker, and Howard Kaye, as the excessively stuffy Poo-Bah. Equally entertaining but under-used were Wendy Perelman and Rebecca Hirsch, as the mall-talking duo, Peep-Bo and Pitti-Sing. Not only did they take time out at the beginning of Act II to recap the events of Act I, but they also gave a complete update of Andrea's wedding on "90210," in case any of you missed that episode. Eduardo Sicangco's costume designs were the perfect mix of feudal Japan and Cindy Crawford's "House of Style." The street-talking, crotch- grabbing, CD-clad Mikado (David Earl Hart) wore 10-inch platform shoes and had a hairdo that would make Patti Labelle sit up and take notice. No description of the "Not Mikado" could top that of Pitti-Sing's at the end of the second act. "It's like when you go to the orthodontist and get your braces off and run your tongue across your teeth for the first time. Mmmm!" THE NOT MIKADO will be playing through April 24 at the Birmingham Theatre. Call (810) 644-3533 for more info. e - The Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives is now accepting applications for STUDENT LEADER positions for the Wade H. McCree, Jr. Incentive Scholarship Summer Initiative. Applicatio dealine is April 7. 994. Student Leaders work with a diverse group of high school students from the Detroit Metropolitan area who have been designated as University of Michigan Incentive Scholars. Student Leaders reside in the residence halls with the scholars and serve as role models and guides. They also provide information about the trials and triumphs of college life. Student Leaders should be very outgoing and have a commitment to helping students develop personal motivation for a college education. Applications and complete job descriptions are available at: The Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives 1042 Fleming Building, 936-1055 A non-discriminatory, affirmative action employer. Courtenay Collins plays Yum-Yum in the satirical musical "The NOT Mikado." Compare & Save! GIORGIO ARMANI alain BRASS, STRINGS, BASS GUITARISTS, KEYBOARDS (Classical & Improv), DRUMMERS, FLUTISTS, VOCALISTS, LIGHT & SOUND TECHNICIANS, INTERPRETERS for the HEARING IMPAIRED POLICE mik' FOR YOUR EYE EXAMS & EYEGLASSES Post Office Box 1416 * Visalia, California 93279 April 4-11 Canned Food Drive A canned food drive will be held throughout the week in collaboration with local businesses. Contact the SERVE office for location information. Sponsored by Golden Key Honor Society Recycling Invasion Students will circulate through the residence halls collecting recyclables and distributing information on recycling. Call SERVE to sign up to participate. Sponsored by enACT Tuesday, April 5 0 Friday, April 8 A Night of Fun 6-11pm, location to be announced Help provide a night of recreation for children of single parent homes, including dinner, games, and movies. Sponsored by Project SERVE Children & Youth Committee and The Center for Single Parents. April 8-9 Ozone House Bucket Drive Diag, 9am-5pm Bucket drive to raise money for direct services to homeless teens. Sponsored by Ozone House.. Juggling 4 $ Diag, 12-fpm Members of the juggling club, accompanied by live music, will juggle to raise money for local community agencies. Sponsored by the UM Juggling Club and Project SERVE Intergenerational Women's Group Turner Geriatric Center, 1010 Wall St. 10am-12pm Women of all ages bring a favorite or recently read book to briefly discuss and recommend to the group. Sponsored by Turner Geriatric Clinic Learning Programs Wednesday, April 6 Lockdown: Control Unit Prisons and the New Brutality in the Prison System location & time to be announced Informative evening dedicated to learning about and mobilizing against the recent proliferation of control unit prisons. The evening will include a video and discussion with current and former inmates. Sponsored by the SERVE Board Thursday, April 7 Pulling It All Together South Quad, West Lounge, 7-9pm Come share your experiences in a night of reflection with others involved in service and social change. Sponsored by the SERVE Board Voter Registration Drive & Raffle Diag, 11am-3pm Register to vote and enter in a raffle for gift certificates from local businesses. Sponsored by College Democrats Celebration of Life-Long Learning Whitney Auditorium, 1309 School of Education, 7pm Children from Bach Elementary, tM students and faculty, and seniors from the Turner Geriatric Clinic come together to read their original writing and celebrate life-long learning. Sponsored by the SERVE Board. Ticket America Steps of the Union, 11am- 2pm & 3-4pm Help ticket gas guzzling cars with informational "tickets." This program is in response to gas guzzling April 8-10 Hemophilia Teen Retreat Ann Arbor ICC Education Building Weekend retreat for teens with hemophilia or other bleeding disorders. Focus on HIV/AIDS education, group building, etc. Sponsored by Project SERVE and the Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan Saturday, April 9 Gallup Park Clean-Up Gallup Park, 10am-2pm Help with the annual clean-up of Gallup Park. Participants will use canoes and paddle boats to clean- up around the river edge and on the islands. Others will walk around the park and pick up refuse. There may also be an opportunity to help paint recreational equipment. Sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega and the City of Ann Arbor = Department of Parks and Recreation Sunday, April 10 01 I I I I