Freedom Orchestra Local musicians dedicated to social change are getting together for this Avalon Housing Benefit. The group will perform their blend of jazz, folk and originals at 8 p.m. at the First Congressional Church, 608 E. William. There is a suggested donation of $5-$15. For more informa- tion, call 662-7413. Thursday November 14, 1996 11A School of Music prescribes romantic 'Elixir' By i. David Berry For the Daily With the opening of the new opera theater in downtown Detroit, it is clear that there is a renaissance currently taking place in the operatic community. New, younger talent continues to grace the major opera stage, while the stereotypical image of the stuffy evening at the opera is slowly being changed vith the help of new directors who put inven- tive spins on old classics. One such director is School of Music fac- fty member Joshua Major. Following the .uccess of the two comic one acts presented tt spring, Major has chosen to open the University's 1996-1997 "Power Series" with Italian composer Donizetti's light-hearted romance "UElisir d'Amore" ("The Elixir of Love"). The show runs this weekend at Power Center. 0 "L'Elisir d'Amore's" story is a recogniz- able one. Nemorino, the handsome peasant, falls in love with Adina, the owner of the local vineyard. However, feeling that Nemorino is beneath her, Adina throws her affections on Belcore, a vain and arrogant military sergeant who loves only himself. This love triangle is complicated further when a fraudulent doctor sells the peasant Nemorino a phony love potion, which in actuality is a cheap PR. bottle of wine. From this point on, the L'E evening is filled with T drunkenness and Powe comic confusion while Call 7640 the tangled triangle attempts to straighten itself out. Major has chosen to take the story out of the 18th century and, instead, place it in an Italian vineyard during the 1950s. By placing the story in the '50s, Majors gives the contempo- rary audience a tangible point of reference by recalling a time period that is easier to recog- nize. "The spirit of the work is important, and, by setting our opera in the 1950s, we can make that spirit come alive," Major said in a recent interview with The Michigan Daily. "The '50s were a period of innocence, and there is an aura of innocence in this opera's story." . Donizetti's opera has an abundance of beautiful melodies and memorable arias. EVIE W :Iisir d'Amore onight through Sunday at er Center. Student tix $7. 450 for more information. School of Music Also, there are several; more upbeat patter songs that will keep the light and fun feeling going. Helping the vocal performance students master Donizetti's style is a new addition to the faculty. Kenneth Kiesler intuitively. I couldn't be more pleased." Tackling a difficult theatrical form like opera is never easy. But the University has been fortunate these past few seasons. With the addition of Major as director of the Music School's Opera Workshop Program five seasons ago, as well as the growing reputation of the Music School, the University community has been blessed with some very fine operatic productions in recent years. Major seems to understand students, and "L'Elisir d'Amore" was chosen with the students in mind. "(This Opera) is good for the students," Major said. "It allows a lot of people to get on stage, as it's a very chorus- involved show." There is a remarkable amount of respect, admiration and enthusiasm that Major and the opera's actors seem to have for the project and for each other. If even a little of that bleeds through into the actual performance, this production of "Elisir d'Amore" ought to be stunning testimony to why there is an opera renaissance occurring. comes to the University as the new director of University Orchestras. Brought in to fill the shows of the retiring Gustav Meier, Kiesler has already begun creating his own legacy. Major spoke glowingly of Kiesler's work with the vocalists, and also his under- standing of opera: "(Kiesler) couldn't be bet- ter. He's so musical. The music and the the- ater are inseparable, and he understands that Kathryn Hart, Allen Schrott and Jane Leibel star In "L'Ellsr d'Amore" this weekend at Power Center. Former political editor comes to 'U' By Mary Trombley For the Daily Andrew Sullivan, former editor of The New Republic, has created some controversy in his time, but those expecting to find side-show style hype in his first book, "Virtually Normal: A Politics of Homosexuality," (Vintage Books) will be sorely disappointed. Sullivan, the youngest editor ever of the venerable political journal, doesn't shy away from publicity. He appears on national news programs such as "Crossfire, posed for a Gap ad and his dismissal / resignation (choose one) from The New Republic caused com- motion earlier this year. Sullivan's argu- ments in favor of gay rights, however, are anything but sensationalistic. "Virtually Normal" ignores polemics and coolly analyzes the political argu- ments surrounding the debate over gay rights. Sullivan distinguishes himself from other writers on the subject by refraining the traditional arguments into distinct categories - prohibitionist, lib- erationist, conservative and liberal. Sullivan takes on each position and finds them all lacking. In their stead, he creates his own model of legal compro- 1. ennis Franz and Dustin Hoffman star in "American Buffalo." Buffalo' stampedes into theaters Hloffman, Franz unite for unimpressive, disappointing film misce, in which the government grants gays and lesbians the right to serve in the military and marry, but doesn't force the private sector to do business with them. Are Sullivan's theories sen- sible? Decide for yourself when he speaks at Borders tomorrow night at 7:30. A central strength of "Virtually Normal" is its judicious tone. Sullivan's argu- PR ments are thoughtful and Ani well-researched,'R( particularly those Books & M on the Catholic church's policy and natural law. Both sides of the debate over gay marriage are meticu- lously represented in "Virtually Normal." Andrew Sullivan hopes that this respect may be the key to real dia- logue on the issue. "The book is, I hope, very self-consciously reasonable," Sullivan said -in an interview with The Michigan Daily last week. Sullivan hopes his status as a gay advocate and political conservative will give his words added weight. "I'm not very politically cor- rect, in many ways, and yet I've always been very openly gay, so I think I have a cer- tain amount of credibility on both sides." Sullivan's own image has been a focal point of media ,attention. Since he is both Catholic and gay, as well as a British conserva- tive that once edited a tradition- ally liberal American politi- cal journal, the press has some- rs. times emphasized E idr Rea Andrew Sullivan's identity more than his journalistic ability. He isn't bothered by the fuss: "I think that when someone comes along who doesn't quite fit into existing categories ... people need to find a place for them, so they stick labels on the person before they listen to him or her.... I hope, over the ;fast few years ... the labels have become less important. I don't want to be VIE W merely a gay writer. On the rew Sullivan other hand, I vant ding today at Borders to be somepne sic at 7:30 p.m. Free. who's proud and completely can- did abut the fact that he is homosexual." Though the Defense of Marriage Act is now law, Andrew Sullivan has high hopes for state-authorized gay marriage in the near future. "I think it's quite likely in the next 18months, somewhere in America, there will be legal same-sex marriage," Sullivan said. He warns that it will take time, however, for Americans to accept;the changes. "Ten years ago, the notion of openly gay people in the military or legal same sex marriage were regarded as unthinkable. ... We have really redescribed who gay people are from being people who are alleged radicals interested in sex, we have become increasingly in the public mind, main- stream people interested in love and serving our country and affirming such values as responsibility and com- mitment." Sullivan stresses that gay rights will not be achieved automatically with a sin- gle president or election. "This is a civil rights movement. It's going to take a generation or two generations. We have to keep our eyes on the prize" he said. On a similar note, Sullivan enjoys dialogue with audiences during his public appearances: "I hope that we can have a really good debate. I hope people of all opinions show up ... gen- erally these things turn into town meet- ings, but I hope they also buy the book." y Prashant Tamaskar aily Arts Writer Based on David Mamet's critically acclaimed work of the same title, "American Buffalo" plays very much like a stage production on screen. Its emphasis is on dialogue and it relies on the skills of the lead actors - in lieu of an action-laden plot -- to move the story along. Unfortunately, this clumsy adaptation features a stagnant script and an inappropriate cast that prevents the film from ever getting off the ground. Don (Dennis Franz) and Walt (Dustin Hoffman) are a cou- pT of small-time hustlers who spend most of their days sitting around Don's awn shop gossiping, playing cards and scheming. Enlisted in their service is Bobby (Sean Nelson), a precocious Am teen-ager learning street smarts from the two old pros. Together, the three con artists devise a plan to steal some street smarts of the con man. Instead., Hoffman's Steve Buscemi-like Walt seems to be more of a whiny runt than a cIecr crook. Meanwhile. Franz's Don is meant to be relaxed and laid back - sort of a straight man to the erratic Walt. While the "NYPD Blue" star is a bit more convincing than Hoffman, he is also not very effective in his role. Franz works too hard at being restrained, so that he is almost indifferent. Even in scenes where he is supposed to be angry, he maintains an underlying sense of calm that seems to conflict with what the EV IE W erican Buffalo At the M chigan Theater script asks for. Along similar lines, the dynamics between Don and Walt, who spend nearly the whole movie on screen together, are not successful. Meant to balance each other out, their relation- ship is portrayed as a testy friendship. 'This does not fit into the overall tone of the film as a more guarded, but warmer rare coins from a collector who stops by the store occasionally. The rest of the film deals with the execution of this scheme. From its inception, the movie is burdened by a choppy screenplay, which ironically, was penned by Mamet himself. ihe dialogue lacks fluidity, as all of the characters seem to be in their own little worlds. The witty banter between the crooks - which should fuel the film - consists of contrived, exple- tive-filled soliloquies about business and life (which are only interrupted by more soliloquies). Because of this, the atmos- phere created feels artificial, preventing the viewer from real- ly believing the story. Adding to the mess are the poor choices of Hoffman and Franz in the lead roles. Walt is a neurotic, self absorbed, inse- cure, but deceptively tough hustler who understands the rules of the game. His greatest weakness is his intense emotion, *hich at times gets the best of him. Although Hoffman valiantly attempts to capture all of the complexities of Walt's persona, he is unable to accurately portray the character. The veteran actor fails to exhibit the necessary toughness and interaction would. Finally, Michael Corrente's uninspired direction does very little to compensate for other weaknesses. His reliance on standard camera shots does not help create the tense mood required in later scenes of the film. Rather, he chooses to uti- lize dark lighting and rain to create the atmosphere and to emphasize the central themes of trickery and deceit. These overused techniques end up contributing very little to the movie. "American Buffalo" pales in comparison to the 1992 film adaptation of Mamet's "Glengarry Glenn Ross," which although similar in nature, surpasses the current movie in every way. Both feature talented actors. Both are loquacious- ly cynical visions of how money, business and greed aid in corrupting humanity. But despite the parallels, appropriate casting, strong dialogue and seamless direction make all the difference in separating one of the most underappreciated movies of the last few years from a truly mediocre produc- tion. Andrew Sullivan will read tonight at Border T. Recycle the Daily. Health Foods 1 I, - i r We need help in our publications department. 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