RTS

THE MOST HAPPY FELLA

Fnars say goodbye to own Fab Five

By MELISSA ROSE BERNARDO
Huddled around a grand piano in
West Quad's Fireside Lounge are
eight handsome men. "Walk on the
Ocean" is playing from a portable CD
player. They are humming along,
searching for harmonies and creating
parts. They are the Friars:
"Miscellaneous Matt," "Jumbled
Jason," "Acrophobic Aaron,"
"Psaltered Paul" (a psalter being a
stringed instrument popular in 12th to
15th-century Europe), "Buoyant
Bob," "Dan the dynamic man,"
"(Ir)relevant Roy," "Ambidextrous
Ayal." Now that you know their
names, let's get on to discussing the
group because, as Paul pointed out,
"A Cappella music is a team sport."
The Friars are an eight-men a
cappella ensemble from the Men's
Glee Club. They pride themselves on
and are characterized by their "light-
hearted spontaneity" (see accompa-
nying picture). They are famous
around the world (or at least in Ann
Arbor), and their latest CD, "Ran-
dom" was the Number One top-sell-
ing local CD.

This Friday, as they perform their
38th Annual Best Concert Ever, they
embark on a new frontier. Five of
their members are graduating. Bob,
Aaron, Paul, Ayal and Roy are mov-
ing on, and five fresh new Friars will
take their places. Since seven of the
eight have been together for two years
(last year Matt succeeded Jeremy
Findley), they are profoundly affected
by this change. Allow them to get
sentimental for a moment.
"(Being a Friar) has given me a
sense of satisfaction and closure,"
said Ayal.
"The Friars have given me lots of
high profile. It's cool just to go to
parties and have people say, 'Hey,
aren't you a Friar?"' Roy said. "I've
given the Friars ... lots of grief."
"I've given the Friars a bunch of
arrangements - songs that we can
end the concerts with," Bob said.
Wait! Paul would like to change
his adjective to picayune. Make a
note of that. We now return to our
regularly scheduled program.
"We've all gotten far more out of
the group than any individual has put

in," Paul said. "Like the whole is
greater than the sum of the parts."
"Wait!" Ayal interrupted. "I'm
going to get philosophical here.
"The Friars have given me a me-
dium through which to express my-
self in a method which is far more
potent than any method of communi-
cation. It allows me to express'my
creativity with energies in just a far
more potent matter."
"That was beautiful," Aaron
sniffed. "This is Aaron, the 'Big
Daddy' of the group ... I hope that I
have given the Friars a point of refer-
ence, because I've been here longer
than anyone else. I've given them a
tie to the past. I'm the bridge ... I
think of myself as a coda. I'm a man-
tra."
That was so touching. I'm all
ferclemt. Talk amongst yourselves.
I'll give you a topic. The Friars 38th
Annual Best Concert Ever is neither a
concert nor their best ever. Discuss.
Okay, I'm ready now. Just as the
fab five Friars leave with a good out-
look, plenty of sentiment and no re-
grets, the remaining Friars look with
equal enthusiasm to the future. "It'll
be exciting to see a new fresh group

next year," Jason said. "But of course,
I'll have two friends next year, Dan
and Matt."
"I think the worst thing is losing
the bond we've created and losing
their musical ability," Dan said. "And
the best thing is losing that bond and
losing their musical ability."
Despite their impending separa-
tion, the Friars are as excited as ever
about their concert Friday night. Of
their program, Dan said, "We're do-
ing new stuff that we've come up
with, old stuff that we used to do, and
old stuff that we've never done be-
fore."
This is-definitely a hjstoric con-
cert - the last time Matt, Jason,
Aaron, Paul, Bob, Dan, Roy and Ayal
will share a stage. No doubt the
evening will be full of "Shame N'
Scandal," but it will definitely be
"Hard to Say Goodbye" to the five
guys.
THE FRIARSwill perform F7-ida
April 15 at 8 p.m. in Rackham
Auditorium. Tickets are $6, and are
available at the Union Ticket
Office. Doors open at 7:30, and all
seats are general admission. Call
763-TKTS.

r

Joshua Funk and Erin Dilly star in "The Most Happy Fella," playing at the
Power Center April 1417.
Set in Prohibition-Era California in 1927, "Happy Fella" is the story of a
romance between the pretty young waitress Rosabella (Dilly) and an older
Italian vinter, Tony (Funk), "The Most Happy Fella in the Whole Napa Valley"
Tony woos Rosabella by mail, and sends her a picture of a young,
handsome man, claiming it is him. When Rosabella arrives in Napa Valley
for her wedding, she discovers the truth.
The show is often in the shadow of composer Frank Loesser's more popular
"Guys and Dolls." However, its richly-drawn characters, operatic elements,
complex dances and sophisticated orchestrations make it far superior to
"Guys and Dolls."
"Happy Fella" is also a special occasion because it marks the 10th
Anniversary of the Musical Theatre program. It should be a landmark for the
program.
Show times are Thursday April 14 through Saturday April 17 at 8 p.m. and
Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $14 and $10 ($6 students) and are available
at the League Ticket Office. For more information, call 764-0450.
A Hell of a circus
with William ReiCh

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JUDITH PERKINS/Daily
Those goofy and popular Friars strike a pose for the Daily cameras.

By NICOLE BAKER
Expect the unexpected.
The Performance Network's pro-
duction, "William Reich In Hell," is
about what might have happened to
psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich after his
death (in 1957). In the play, he is
delivered to Hell after his death, where
he stands trial for his "perverted"
ideas.
In actuality, this is a repeat of his
life, in which he battled thecourts that
questioned the legality, validity and
propriety of his experimental theories
regarding "the return to a natural state
of existence." The grip of
McCarthyism on the country at the
time is what perpetuated the court
action against his radical ideas.
The situation in which Reich finds
himself thrown into is chaotic and
disorienting. The prosecution is led
by the Marquis de Sade, and Reich
unwillingly defends himself. The bur-
den of proof swings from prosecution
to defense, throughout the play, and
everyone but Reich knows what is
happening.
The audience is forced to decide,
at times quite literally, between who
is right and wrong. Director Christine
Marshall said that "the characters di-
rectly confront the audience," allow-
ing the play to ask to question, "what
are you going to do when asked to
change?" This confrontational ap-
proach allows the audience little time
to decide.
The actors on stage directly con-
front the audience, asking you to side
with them, or issuing directions. Con-
tinuing, Marshall said that you can
"stand up or sit down, but know who
your standing up for," because "the
characters are not what they appear to
be, as in life."
The play uses a variety of differ-
ent theatrical styles, creating a rather
farcical atmosphere of people enter-

She continued, "It is the circus
that Ringling Brothers would never
allow you to see, because like TV,
news, anything, their circus is a
glossed over version of reality." The
See REICH, Page 81

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ATTENYIG1uk
ADVERTISERS
The last day of publication is Tuesday, April 19.
The deadline for this issue is Thursday, April 14.
The Michigan Daily will be published on Wednesdays
during spring/summer. The first publication is on May 4.

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Tonight is student appreciation night
Buy one burger and Get one FREE
(of equal or lesser value)

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The Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives
is looking for energetic, reliable, and highly
motivated students for its:
1994 King/Chavez/Parks
Career Exploration Summer
Institutes Program
Mid-June- through August 5, 1994
Program Description: Students hired will supervise
high school students from southeast Michigan who reside on
campus for one week visits, during which times these 10th
and 11 thgraders will attend workshops,cpresentations, mini-
lectures, field trips, etc. The emphasis is on the student 1
exploration of his or her career interest.


When you sell your textbooks to Ulrich's Bookstore
between April 18th and May 1 st you'll receive cash
AND a coupon good for 1 FREE Subway 6-inch
sandwich* compliments of Ulrich's Bookstore.
*Your choice of Cold Cut Combo. Tuna. Veqies & Cheese or Turkey Breast

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