J1RU Tempt your artistic palette .. ..with the fabulous Asian-American Art show. Photography, visual art, performance art and music will all be represented (plus, free food). Stop by Rackham from 740 p.m. and head on upto the 3rd floor Art Gallery. Page 8 FrIdayr January 26, 1996 Stellar'U recording By Melissa Rose Bernardo Daily Theater Editor If you missed last November's pro- duction of "Falsettoland" in the Arena Theater, or if you've spent these in- terim months pining for a more perma- nent memory of the show, your prayers have been answered. This University production has cut its own CD. Unusual? Yes. Worthwhile? Un- doubtedly. Not only is this stellar pro- duction - lovingly directed by Job Christensen-preserved fora lifetime, but this recording surpasses all expec- tations as far as quality, performance and professionalism are concerned. In fact, it currently occupies a secure spot in my collection, rubber-banded to "March of the Falsettos" (its one-act companion piece), sandwiched between "Evita" and "The Fantasticks." It has replaced the Michael Rupert-Stephen Bogardus-Faith Prince version, cur- rently the only mass-released version FALSETTOLAND -V University of Michigan Cast Cost: $15 for a CD. To purchase: Call 747-6888 or e- mail gseven@umich.edu of the show (on the DRG label). This "Falsettoland," you see, con- tains the lyrics heard in any licensed production. Such lyrics - most no- table in the opening title number - were incorporated to align the piece to "March," its usual predecessor. (The shows were originally performed sepa- rately, and combined first in 1991 at the Hartford Stage and then in 1992 on Broadway.) These changes - includ- ing an adorable bit about the '80s, a jab at Nancy Reagan, and a four-line re- prise of "March of the Falsettos" - Theiovers of "When Night is Falling." Fai in l1Ve with unusual Night' By Kristen Okosky Daily Arts Writer Well, no one can accuse this movie of being ordinary and predictable. "When'Night isFaling"isishe story of Camille, a Protestant school teacher engaged to a fellow professor (male). By chance one day, she meets Petra, a performer with a traveling circus (fe- When Night is Falling Directed by Patricia Rozema; with Pascale Bussieres and Rachel Crawford At the Michigan Theater male). The two start an affair, and the fibm becomes Camille's struggle to de- ci4e which of her two separate lives makes her most happy and fulfilled. At one point, Camille is afraid of her feelings for Petra and asks if they can just be friends. ='Sounds like a buddy movie to me," Petra replies. Ironically, this film is about as far from a conventional, Hol- lyivood buddy picture as it can get. The cinematography, costumes and c r are absolutely beautiful and give the film an unreal, fairy-tale quality. Certainly, this circus doesn't look any- thing like the Barnum and Bailey mom and dad took you to as a kid. There is also a'ldt of powerful and haunting imagery like the opening dream sequence in which Camille imag- ines herself trapped underwater. The meaning of this recurring scene is re- vealed later in the film. Despite its aesthetic beauty, the first half of the film is rather cold and self- conscious. The characters do not draw us in; in fact, they seem rather odd and unbalanced. The dialogue is often awkward and melodramatic, like when Petra an- nounces, "Camille, I'd love to see you in the moonlight with your head thrown back and your body on fire." Also, themessages about homosexual- ity seem mixed in the beginning. Al- though Camille's debates with the church offer some intelligent insight ("I think there is room for multiplicity in God's creation"), homosexuality's association with the circus made me wonder if it was being equated with some sort of aberrant behavior. The second half clears this up. Aturningpointinthefilm occurs when Camille and Petra finally consummate their relationship. Their lovemaking is intercut with two trapeze artists practic- ing a routine. It is beautiful in the sense that the comingtogetherof two women is related to a graceful, synchronous dance. We also can't help but smile (yes, a sex scene in which people actually are swing- ing from the ceiling). After this, the film suddenly becomes worthwhile. The situation and t'he c'har- acters become real and sympathetic. As the women and the film come into their own, things become much less self- conscious and much more effective. Both women havetrouble dealing with This is as far from a conventional, Hollywood buddy picture as it gets. their new emotions. Petra worries that Camille is only experimenting and will desert her when the going gets tough. Camille has to decide whether she is willing to face exile from her old life. Throughout the film, she must also deal with many harsh realizations - espe- cially when she becomes what the church judgmentally labels "people like you." We also see a bit of Martin's (the fiancee) struggle to deal with the situation. For example, in the beginning of the film, Camille's dog dies and, unable to let go, she keeps its body in the refrig- erator. Nearthe end, Martin discovers it and confronts her. In a wonderful scene, the two discuss their relationship over the dead dog's body. Throughout the discussion, the dog becomes a symbol for the hidden side of Camille. To her, it represents all that is unique and sacred about herself; to Martin, however, it is only foolish and problematic. The ending of the film (I won't ruin it) is excellent and keeps us guessing to the last minute. And don't leave until you watch the first minute of the cred- its. It's probably the best part of the film. By the end, "When Night is Fall- ing" delivers a very positive message. It becomes a universal love story to which anyone can relate. More im- portantly, it is an insightful, sympa- thetic portrayal of two women strug- gling with their own identities, as they experience the sorrows and joys The cast of "Falsettoland." will be jarring for those unfamiliar with "March" (you might feel as if you're missing something), but they'll grow on you. Many of Jason's bits ("The Fight," "Another Miracle of Judaism") have been changed; they're snappier and wittier. "Everything Will Be All Right" incorporates anotherbit from "March," giving this recording just a touch of early '80s groove. On top of the revisions - which make this recording a must for any collector or aficionado - the perfor- mances are wonderfully fresh and vivid. All of the sngers are as well - ifnot better - as they did in performance. One definite standout is Amy Eidelman as Trina. After hearing Eidelman's earth-shattering rendition of "Holding To the Ground," you'll retire Faith Prince's permanently. (Now if only Eidelman would lay down a track of "I'm Breaking Down" from "March," since it only exists on Alison Fraser's solo album.) Adam Hunter does an amazing job with Marvin - hold on to your hats when he lets loose in "What Would I Do?" - managing to capture both Marvin's sympathetic side and his neu- rotic edge (a nuance Michael Rupert translated into pitch problems). Also in good voice is Glenn Seven Allen, whose solidity is the perfect complement for Hunter's passion in the angst-ridden "What Would I Do?." Brian Mul* (Mendel), Erika Shannon (Dr. Charlotte), Margaret Chmiel (Cordelia) and Seth Hitsky (Jason) round out this tight-knit ensemble. And let's not forget the biggest reason this "Falsettoland" sounds as smooth and well-supported as it does. Musical direc- tor Sam Davis - heard on the piano - makes quite a mark here. Listen closely to Davis' orchestrations alongside the origi- nal; you'llIhearnumerous noteworthy ao inspired additions. Local theatergoers know how rare it is for a University-related production to make it to record. That accomplishment is even more astounding considering the size of this production: Sponsored by Basement Arts and Queer Unity Project, the show played one weekend in the Arena Theater- the smallest venue on campus. And if you need another reason to p* chase this recording-conservatively but attractively packaged with original graph- ics and a cast/crew photo - it's not-for- profit. All proceeds are donated to Broad, way Cares: Equity Fights Aids. Come sense a new kind of sound I I I I I I I i It I i A I I 't I I 1 1 . T7 ,CHECK OUT OUR LOCAL MUSIC LISTENING STATION REE VE I SUPPOR~T OA UI! By Colin Bartos For the Daily Sometimes a band comes along and just blows you away because they don't sound like anybody else. Sense Field is one of those bands. Rooted in Southern California punk, but with a more me- lodic, majestic rock appeal, Sense Field's style is hard to classify. Their latest al- bum, "Killed For Less," has songs rang- ing from acoustic balladstoall-out power SENSE FIELD W/, INTO ANOTHER Where: The Shelter, When: Saturday Tickets: $8 At the Union Ticketmaster pop masterpieces. It's indie label Revela- tion Records' biggest selling album to date, and with good reason. Made up of Jonathan Bunch, Rodney Sellars, Slow Johnny, Chris Evenson, and Scott McPherson, Sense Field's members range in age from 25-28. They all grew up in the Los Angeles area listening to "Black Flag, and that," vo- calist Bunch said. All the band mem- ever," he said, starting when they were 14 or 15 years old. After forming in 1991, the band re- leased a five-song EP on their own label and sold it out of their homes. In 1992, they released another album on their own RunH20 label, and caught the attention of Revelation. In early 1994, Sense Field released "Killed For Less" and toured heavily. The new year brought some changes to the band. With their contract up at Revelation last December, Sense Field signed with conglomerate major label Warner Bros. When asked about that decision, Bunch, talking from apay phone outside a Pizza Hut in the Appalachian mountains said, "It felt like it was the right time to move forward, to sell more records, to be able to pay rent." As far as the whole fiasco behind a lot of punk-rooted, underground bands like Bad Religion, Green Day and Sonic Youth being called "sell-outs" when they moved from indies to major labels, Bunch disagreed with the "sell-out" label. He said he's "never felt like we were the type of band that claimed to be indie." Bunch said the new album, sched- uled to be released in April, is called "Building," and it is "all done and rn nrn_ 'I"A 111 -:nn fn " T :;VO : ; two weeks. He said it is a mix of both t first two albums and "Killed For Less. "It's 35 minutes ofmusic with 13 songs,' he said. "It's a little bit faster, a little bit heavier, harder. I hear the old albums, and there are things I wish I could go back and change." He also said the albumhas "a lot of energy" and it's the "first album (he's) totally happy with." Revelation is a label that is known un- derground for its hardcore and punk acts, like Quicksand and Gorilla Biscuits,ho ever, this is a category which Sense Fie never really fit into. When asked to de- scribed their style, Bunch said: "We don't claim to be, and we're not a punk band,.not an indie band, not an anything." When asked about the whole South- ern California scene and the crossover popularity and commercialism of the "punk" sound, he said "It's pretty much at its peak now. It's totally popular, with all the Epitaph bands ... it seems to b lot more acceptable. Not as scary a violent as it used to be." Sense Field's lyrics, especially on "Killed For Less," are from life exper-. ences. They very subtly hint at many, Christian messages, as well as against loss of control with drugs and alcohol. r 4tc thel lnrc the hand is either straight-edge (no drugs/alcohol)nor af- filiated with any church. "Our only reli- gion is music," Bunch said. "(People) can believe in God without havin classify it (because churches are) just buildings people go to worship.', "Drugs are not necessarily a good thing ... they take away your creative' energy," Bunch said. "Some people can handle it, some people have problems., Sense Field's last visit to Detroit was in April when they opened for Samia Their intense stage show really capture the urgency of their music. Theirpresen tour, opening for Into Another, is about three weeks long, and is.go "really good," Bunch said, the only ex= ception being a snow-in on trs night. "Halfthe set is the new re rd bt if people know the songs, then we'll play the older songs." As far as the future, Sense Field plans to do at least a video for MTV and release a single. So be cool and go check 'em out before they get big. Meet the Saturday, January 27th at I RM. CD on Sale $1199 The Ultimate Collector's Version- At A Must-Gwn Price! r alL 1-1111s 'n" lWith Bonus Scenes Never Before Seen In Theaters Or On Previous Video Release! -Hosted By Quentin Tarantino! COP TD OL Various Artists Step Right Up - The Songs of Tom Waits Manifesto Indie rock visits the old and gnarled version of slick. If you don't know who Tom Waits is, you should. He has had a movie career, appearing in "Short Cuts" amongst other films. But it is his gravely voiced and darkly twisted music, almost but not entirely unlikejazz, that is his finest point. And since he's been making the music for over two de- cades, there is fortunately quite a lot of it. At the start, little of Waits's style shows up on this cover album. The first four songs have an especially distinct sound, far different from their origins. Pete Shelley's rendition of "Better off Without a Wife" isn't bad, it just doesn't sound right in relation to Waits. The Violent Femmes come as close as anyone to comparing in some meaningful way to the originator of the song, with a sufficiently weird version of "Step Right Up." Sure, it sounds a little bit more like Primus than Waits, but you wouldn't expect them to be entirely slavish. The album continues in a sufficiently well-executed way, but falls short in expressing the power of the original Here stands the great man himself. compositions. There are plenty of bands here to buy this for - Tindersticks, Archers of Loaf, Magnapop, Frente! and 10,000 Maniacs'among them - but if you're expecting a very Tom Waits album, you're out of luck. - Ted Watts S * T ASTH AT E B Want to be in ~I Ik,' '.p I I I"