10-The Michigan Daily- Friday, October 4, 1996 Moving 'Carousel' triumphs 'Politics' turns ordinary into eXtraordinary By Tyler Patterson Daily Theater Editor On the face of American musicals, there is no part- nership that has had a greater effect than Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein 11. With the ground- breaking and hugely successful "Oklahoma!," Rodgers and Hammerstein, who began their collabo- rative efforts in the '40s, wrote musicals in a way that has since often been copied and has rarely, if ever, been eclipsed. Of their vast repertoire, which includes such classics as "The Sound of Music," "The King and I" and "South Pacific," perhaps no other musical approaches its story with the incredible darkness and serious- ness as "Carouser. RE It is this darkness, something that the general perception of musicals as cheery and happy- go-lucky fundamentally contra- dicts, that makes a production of "Carousel" so difficult. How do you tactfully.deal with the issues of violent love, self- incrimination and ultimately repression in a genre that is whole-heartedly rewarded for cream-puff storylines and catchy, but painfully simple tunes? How do you inspire sympathy for a main character that beats his wife, lives with disrespect for the law and has trouble learning from hismistakes? These questions are answered by the Royal National Theater's production of "Carousel,"now playing at the newly renovated Detroit Opera House. This produc- tion answers, simply, with passion. Patrick Wilson, who plays the enigmatic Billy Bigelow, delivers his role with such brilliant honesty, without glossing over the rather ugly aspects to his personality, that it is difficult to see him as anything other than a complex and very human character. So we forgive the play for the presence of his faults, even if we do not agree with Billy's outbursts. This point is difficult to underscore without some knowledge of the American musical. While often- times resented, complex characters are the exception, not the rule. Wilson's performance, as it must be, is powerful, but it only serves to draw out the genius that is this musical. Nothing illustrates this more than the ballet sequence that occurs after Billy returns from heaven to witness the life of his daughter, Louise (Dana Stackpole). The point of this scene is to underscore the fact that Billy's legacy has doomed Louise to a life t Carousel Detroit Opera House Sept. 26, 1996 similar to the wife he left behind, abused and miserable. Without dialogue, what follows is a sequence where Louise's only friends (a decidedly rough crowd) grope her, get chased off by a dark and dangerous stranger who in turn woos Louise, only to leave her, bitter and defeated. Stackpole so gracefully led this sequence that the tragedy of her experience came across clearly, further illustrating the tragic demeanor of this play. The role of Julie Jordan, as played by Sarah Uriarte, at times could be seen as submissive, which nowadays would be controversial. She frequently defended her husband, who beat her, and his character, even after he is killed during an attempted robbery. Her patience and devotion, however, were meant to be, even in the face of controversy, virtues. These virtues also added poignancy to Julie, reassuring her daughter that it was not possible to be hit hard by someone and not feel pain. The complexity of "Carousel" and its utter dark edges give it a particularly contemporary feel. Yet, despite our ability to handle such material, this matu- rity for a musical still represents quite a bit of risk. By Stephanie Glickman For the Daily Alchemist. Archeologist. Historian. Storyteller. Meredith Monk transcends the title of artist. Without distinctions between disci- plines, Monk's pieces, fusing move- ment, music, voice, film and theater, flesh out human issues, connect - PR different layers of 'f reality and give extraordinary meaning to the ordinary. With a body of more than 100 works from film projects to albums to full length operas and site-specific works, Monk's projects, revealing the micro and macro realms of existence, take on significance beyond time con- straints and cultural boundaries. "All times and places can exist at one moment," Monk claims. Take, for example, her film "Book of Days," (1989) in which a medieval plague is linked to the AIDS epidemic or a child's feverish fit "Quarry: an opera" (1976) which escalates into a rally reminiscent of Nazi activity, with performers marching and shouting around the rest- less child's bed. Monk joins chunks of history and E E "It's a bird, it's a plane, no, It's the audience." Shrugging off the dangers, director Nicholas Hytner handled the tremendous difficulties of "Carousel" and delivered a rousing and extremely moving production. Much like the final picturesque scene where Billy ascends to heaven, this production ascends itself to a realm reserved only for higher art. 1 ".fl s 0 humanity, creating art that exists in every place and time. "In a sense I think of myself as vocal archeologist, trying to dig 4pw. to the most fundamental human utter- ances, the most elemental forms," Monk described. She works with sounds more than words, allowing audiences tolfor- mulate theirwn "VIEW images from The Po iCS pieces that range of QOW t from solos like "Our Lady of Oct. 4 & 5 at 8 p.m. Late" (1972) i4 At Power Center which she a c c o m p an i e d herself with a wineglass that changed pitch as she sipped from it between musical sections, to full-length nIlti- media operas like "Atlas" (1991): Through her extended vocal tech- nique, Monk explores musically What she calls the "voice of the oracle; the voice of memory." She restores th fo gotten and offers utopian visions ofW future. The dance historian, Sally Banes, writes, "Her works are like historical novels of the future and science fiction of the past." Monk's newest piece, "The Politics of Quiet," which had its world prciere this summer at Copenhagen's Cultural Capital of Europe Festival, explores human roots and ancestry in an age in which even fax machines are too slo How do we still speak and sharevit each other? How do we still respect the distinctiveness of different cultures? And can we do all this within our tech- nological world? Monk describes the work as bing "about community and how we'p in danger of losing it. It's about slowing down enough to experience : the moment. It's about shadow and coekist- ing." Monk uses images of beekeeping as a primordial technology that has iran- scended time. The complex system of the beehive has lasted for centuries and continues to within our computer dri- ven world. Beeswax also is a preserva- tive. In "The Politics of Quiet," ordinary objects, like a hairdryer, are dipped in beeswax and water and put on a shrine. Things normally taken for granted a turned into archeological finds, all:pa of the cycle of the past informing the present. Monk emphasizes thinking about the commonplace. What may seem banal actually signifies the distinctne of humans and cultural traditions, without which we are rootless. Monk questions what archeologists will make of these relics in 200 years. Buddhist texts, meditations on tec nology and the approaching millnm- um are themes thread through "The Politics of Quiet," which becomes as much a ritual as an opera, dance o the- atrical work. With 10 singers / daners, two instrumentalists and two Ann Arbor children, the 90-minute work has: dis- tinct sections and moods, from bpti- mism about the 20th century td the acknowledgment of pain and dark-ides of community. e HealthPlan Hustle? Before you join a new health plan or HMO, think about the choices you'll be left with. Will your doctors be top-of-the-line, and close to home? Can they help you deliver a healthy baby...in the hospital of your choice? What options will you have for children's specialty care, emergency services or even cancer treatment? Don't be left out of quality health care. Choose one of the many health plans now accepted by the U-M Health System. You'll win access to world-class medical care and day-to-day health services at any of 30 easy-to-find health centers. Now that's something you can really feel good about. Merideth Monk performs in "The t Politics of Quiet," the author's latest work, which will be performed at The Power Center Friday and Saturday,: