The Michigan Daily - Friday, December 9, 1994 - 9 'Angels' flies into the Arena By J. DAVID BERRY "Angels in America," Tony Kushner's award-winning two-part drama, closed its doors last Sunday, ending one of the longest and most heralded runs a straight play has ever enjoyed on Broadway. If you were like me and missed this tremendous opportunity to be a part of Broad- way history, you have several options: 1) Hop on the train to Chicago, pay huge hotel and ticket costs and see the touring company; 2) Wait the eternity it's going to take to get the show to the Fisher Theatre in Detroit; 3) See it for free in the Arena Theatre this weekend. This weekend, Basement Arts is presenting a scaled- down version of the first part, "Millenium Approaches," directed by BFA Theatre majorJames Steortz. The play itself is an enormous undertaking, focusing on many of the largest and mostcontroversial issues in the news today. Those issues include Mormonism, Judaism, prejudice, and - more sig- nificantly - homosexuality and the AIDS crisis. "'Angels in America' addresses a lot of issues," said Steortz. "It also bashes a lot of stereotypes." In order to give this production of the wide-sweeping play more focus, and to make it easier to produce in the Arena, Steortz has cut out one major character and a few relating scenes. Despite the cuts, Steortz believes he has maintained the integrity of the piece and the flow of the action. Rather than simply presenting an evening of scenes, Steortz assured that there is a definite dramatic structure to the work. While some may wonder how a monumental Broad- way-style production will translate to the smaller space of the Arena, Steortz believes the space might be an im- provement. "I think it gives a much more intimate feeling between the actors themselves and the actors and the audience." Incidentally, the production currently in Lon- "'Angels in America" addresses a lot of issues. ... It also bashes a lot of stereotypes. - James Steortz, director don, and the original production mounted by Kushner and the New York University Graduate theater program were both in much more intimate theaters than the enormous Broadway proscenium. Also, one may question just how well a Basement Arts production can deal with such a difficult work. Despite having only three and a half weeks to rehearse and having to work around the performance schedules of many of the cast members, Steortz is very optimistic about the result. "I think it came together quite well, and it will be an evening of entertainment," he said. If you haven't heard of "Angels," or if you haven't been blessed with the opportunity to read or see it yet, you owe it to yourself to go. Kushner's "Millennium Ap- proaches" and its counterpart, "Perestroika," are arguably the best pieces of work to come out of the theater commu- nity in the last decade. The plays will, no doubt, be the beginning of a resurgence of straight plays onto the Broadway circuit. Steortz hopes "to affect the audience in a realistic way. I want (the audience) to go out saying they were affected viscerally by it." If this production is half as good as the play itself, there's no doubt that it will be one of the most memorable theatrical experiences of your life. ANGELS IN AMERICA: MILLENIUM APPROACHES is playing in the Arena Theatre tonight and Saturday at 5p.m. and again on Saturday at 11:30 p.m. Admission is free, but seats can be reserved by calling 662-3861. JUDITH PERKINS/Daily Basement Arts brings Broadway to you. This weekend they present scenes from "Angels in America." Chieftains bring Irish charm and sterful music to Hill, giving an early Christmas celebration By EMILY LAMBERT Wednesday may have been just another evening in December for some, but it marked an early celebration of Christmas for the audience at the Chieftains' "Christmas in Ireland" concert, held in Hill Auditorium. The Chieftains, a masterful sextet of traditional Irish musicians, convinced the enthusiastic *rowd that, via Ireland, December 25 had arrived. Group leader Paddy Moloney extended holiday greetings in his native Irish tongue, and Derek Bell, harp and key- - board player, wore Santa Claus socks. Surrounded by poinsettias and Christ- The Chieftains mas trees, the Chieftains took the exhilarated audience on a seasonal, Hill Auditorium musical tour of Ireland. December 7, 1994 The stage seemed to disappear as the witty Chieftains joked with each other over Irish pub songs, folk tunes and dance music. Using its characteristic spontaneity and improvisation, the group created a wonderfully diverse program which included carols, country and western music and, as Moloney put it, "the Achey-Breaky Heart of Irish music" - the rousing "Cotton Eyed Joe." The personality of the ensemble was delightful, but the music that each member produced was even more engaging. Each The personality of the musiciansoloed on his respective instrument, and the display of tal- (Chieftains) was ent was awe-in- spiring. Fay's delightful, but the fiddle solo was Wnfortunately out of tune, but any other problems music that each with pitch dis- appeared into the member produced was flexibility and freedom that good folk music al- lows. Molloy even more engaging. played his heart and hands out on Each musician soloed his six-keyed wooden flute, and M o l o n e y wailed on the ex- on his respective otic looking and sounding Uileann instrument, and the pipes. The energetic group also ex- ibited a sensitive display of talent was side.Moloney's auntingly beauti- awe-inspiring. ful tin whistle melody conjured up images of a lonesome Irish landscape, and Bell's harp playing was exquisite. Christmas carols were sung, with help from the University's coed a capella group, Amazin' Blue, and from a vocally reticent audience. The Donny Golden Irish Step Dancers, "all the way from Long Island," teased Moloney, appeared in full costume and gave a seasonal performance of the Wren Boys, an old Irish custom. The dancers, with amazingly fast feet, were the envy of the audience. The desire to get up and dance was strong, but the crowd resisted ,he urge and toe-tapped the night away. In the band's 32-year existence, the Chieftains have become amazingly popular, and even a much abridged list of their accomplishments is impressive. In addition to winning several Grammy awards, the Chieftains have performed in Carnegie Hall, on "Saturday Night Live," on the Great Wall of China, in the U.S. Capitol Building, and with leading orchestras around the world. Their 31st album will be released this January, and the Chieftains have been officially named Ireland's Musical Ambassadors. The existence of their worldwide fans testifies to the music's wide appeal. Wednesday's audience, composed of people young and old, showed that the attraction of the Chieftains' much acclaimed music transcends age, as well. There was a contented feeling in Hill Auditorium on Wednesday night. Full of good music and good humor, the concert was more like an intimate gathering of friends than a performance by international superstars. The animated Chieftains, with merry Irish antics and amazing musical talent, epitomized the "spirit" of the season. Don't say 'bah! humbug!'to this 'Christmas Carol' By JENN MCKEE We are fast approaching the time of year that bings out the best in us all - a time that celebrates hope, broth- erhood and the indefatigable human spirit. If you rolled your eyes at this thought - which translates into a modern day "humbug" - you might need to take a break from papers and exams, lighten up, and see this year's production of "A Christmas Carol" at the Michigan Theater. This year's production is being presented jointly by the Purple Rose Theater and the Michigan Theater Foundation. Philip Kerr, a professor in the University's Department of Theatre and Drama, returns in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. "Scrooge isn't truly wicked," ex- plained Kerr. "The scary thing about him is he makes a lot of sense. What he's saying at the beginning is logi- cal. Not to get political, but I'll see headlines of (a politician) saying the same type of things: 'Are there no jobs? Let them getjobs!' But then you have to remember, it's not that simple. There are people involved." Kerr finds the Michigan Theater a particularly apropos setting for a pro- duction of this play. "You look at when Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol' - it was in the 1840s during the Industrial Revolution." "London was a harsh, depressed area, and it is (London) that Dickens is living and drawing from in his writing. And then you look at the Michigan Theater, which was built during the Depression. You look up and see all the gilt and ornamentation - all this was to get your mind off your troubles and allow you to be entertained," Kerr said. Entertainment is the main goal of the familiar production. Before audi- ence members even set foot in the the- ater, everyone knows the story of the three ghosts and the play's resolution. "The wonderful thing about this play is that you can look at it on so many different levels," said Kerr. "You can look on it on an academic level, thinking about the context from which it was written and playing with the possibilities of different settings - from elaborate traditional scenery to minimalist to Industrial Revolu- tion. Or, on the human side of things, you simply have a man who has given up on everything experiencing a kind of re-birth, finding hope and happi- ness. We love to see that - to watch that transformation." This is not the first time that Kerr has portrayed the miserly misan- thrope. "I suppose I like to play (Scrooge) because I'm a little grumpy myself. And it's fun." Groups of children will be coming to see the play, but due to its religious theme, not as many will be attending as you mightexpect. However, many chil- dren are directly involved in the play as part of the large cast. Kerr is enthusias- tic about the young people who will be exposed to it, regardless of whether they are spectators or actors. "It's important for children to be exposed to theater while they're young," Kerr explained. "The act of preparing for the actual event of dress- ing up and going out to see a play - if this doesn't happen, to wax sober for a moment, we won't have an audi- ence in the future." We all see the story of the night- capped, humbugging Ebenezerin some form or other each Christmas-whether it be in a theater oron "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" - but seeing the story performed again seems to signify that Christmas is really upon us. "It's encouraging," stated Kerr, "that one associates the action in- volved with going to the theater, sit- ting in the dark with a lot of other people, and sharing something with everyone else with a holiday that brings us all closer together. I don't know why it's such a natural associa- tion, but it's definitely telling of what the play has come to mean as a part of our culture. It's very hopeful." Decrease the surplus population of the Graduate Library's reading room and get a new lease on life, in the form of a ticket to "A Christmas Carol." A CHRISTMAS CAROL is playing at the Michigan Theater, tonight and Saturday at 7:30, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30. Tickets for children are half price. For ticket informa- tion, call (313) 668-TIME. Phillip Kerr stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol." EMMAUS VINEYARD CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 10 minutes south of 1-94 and US-23 ANN ARBOR YPSILANT 424 HURD MILAN CARPETER KEXIT s s CKen Wilson, Pastor 973-6910 439-2400 Christ-Centered Contemporary Music Sunday School & Nursery SUNDY SRVIC 10A.M Schoolkids'-The Annex (in the Michigan Theater Bldg.) Waxrax & TVT!!! Cool stuff on sale at a cool store! I ZJL'A~W .