.The Russian National Orchestra performs at Hill Auditorium
tonight. The evening will feature violinist Gil Shaham with one of
Russia's newest orchestras performing the Kabalevsky violin
concerto. The program will also include Prokofiev's Symphony
No.5 in B Major. Tickets are $16-$45 in advance, and the show
"starts at 8 p.m.
UTlj AtIjdgm~t
M To every play there is a turn, turn, turn ... Daily Arts takes
a special turn toward a preview of the production "Turn of the
Screw."
Tuesday
March 24, 1998
5
UAC 's 'Pippin' searches for peffection
By Andrea Herzog
For the Daily
The script says that "Pippin" is set in
780 A.D. in the Holy Roman Empire, but
the musical's story, written by Stephen
Schwartz in the '70s, is meant to be
timeless.
The musical, presented by UAC's
MUSKET, maintains
Pippin
Power Center
Friday and Saturday
at 8 p.m. and
Sunday at 2 p.m.
its immortality of
the title charac-
ter's struggle to
discover what he
wants to do with
life.
Gavin Creel,
director and
Music senior,
said, "I looked at
each thing and
pulled away from
the specific of the
year and put
focus on what the
fight's about."
Creel did this
"Pippin" is an exaggerated representation
of a college student struggling to find the
best direction of life that will him bring
fulfillment. "His character will identify
with many students and where they are at
in life today," Creel said.
As Pippin struggles with life, the
ensemble tries to help him with their
many suggestions.
"The entire ensemble is dressed in
basically nothing, as underwear is the
lowest point before being naked," Creel
said. "They put on a costume piece as the
show goes on - disguises becoming the
things that Pippin may want to be"
"The entire concept with the show."
Creel said, "is that as he addresses new
ideas he puts on new costume pieces."
The cast talks directly to the audience,
getting them involved and making the
show and the characters' decisions more
personal. "Pippin"'s audience participa-
tion includes a rousing sing-along.
Three-fourths of the play is music,
which keeps it fast-paced. A 16-piece
orchestra plays, conducted by Music
senior Sam Davis. Davis is in the process
of writing his own musical that will pre-
miere in April titled, "Mina and
Colossus." The lighting and staging of
the show are a surprise, Creel said.
Courtesy of JAC/MJ3SIW-
Pippin (Dan Reichard) and the Leading Player (Eric Blair) challenge life in "Pippim
Courtesy of Roling Stone
Cover girls Courtney Love, Tina Turner and Madonna are among the rock
icons whose Rolling Stone cover appearances will be on display at the Union.
Rolln Stone covers
S30tockin' years
"There is more there than you will think."
The show is being presented by a stu-
dent group whose members say they are
striving for professionalism in their the-
atre. "I had done the show before and
decided I wanted to do it on a bigger
scale," said Scott Wilcox, producer and
LSA senior. "We have been working on
it since last April."
"The cast is ready and forging ahead,"
said Creel. More than half of the actors
are non-performance majors.
The ending to "Pippin" is differ.
than the traditional ending, reinforcir w
the theme that it is all right to magie'd-.
ferent choices. "You don't nee6 I
change what you think to fit in,Cror
said. "What counts is what you think th
matters and if it's different, that's 6W7
ickets are $7. and are availahF+
the Michigan League Ticket 00t -
(313)764-0450 or one hour befoie'cg4
lain at the Power Center 7hcgho
contains adult them
with the goal of showing the energy of
the play versus the time in which it is set.
In fact, different segments or costumes
of the show may resemble different time
periods out of history.
To many campus audience members
By Brian Cohen
Daily Music Editor
Anniversaries are always good
excuses for people to do some-
thing special, be it a candle-lit
dinner, an unexpected present or
some other gentle show of kind-
ness.
But rarely does an entire city
get to benefit from the personal
milestones ofjust one celebration.
Fortunately for Ann Arbor,
Rolling Stone has decided to com-
memorate its 30 years of chroni-
cling popular culture by bringing
its multi-media Covers Tour to the
Union for display today through
Thursday.
The travelling exhibit has hit
college campuses across the coun-
try, featuring enough music histo-
ry and memorabilia poised to
keep visitors
enthralled for
hours.
Rolling
Rolling Stone Stone hopes
Covers Tour not only to
Michigan Union entertain, but
Through March 26 also to inform
with this
multi-faceted
exhibit.
"For (col-
lege-aged
kids) walking
into the mess
that is rock
'n' roll right now, it is good to get
a little perspective in a painless,
but educational way," said David
Wild, senior editor of Rolling
Stone, in a recent interview.
Educational, indeed. More than
30 years of popular culture is
depicted and illustrated through
the images of the magazine's
many provocative and insightful
covers.
The covers themselves are
arranged into a variety of specific
categories. One collection show-
cases the covers that have docu-
mented the ever-changing face of
Rock, spanning the Sex Pistols,
through Run D.M.C. up to the
Prodigy.
Another section focuses on some
of the magazine's featured "Great
Stories," and another segment high-
lights some of Rolling Stone's most
lauded cover stars, from Elvis
Presley to Kurt Cobain,
Despite the onslaught of compet-
ing magazines that have risen over
the past decade, Rolling Stone has
maintained its position atop the
world of pop culture due in part to
the undeniable appeal of the maga-
zine's timely covers. The covers
helped to set up the whole iconogra-
phy of rock," Wild said,
"The covers helped to set up the
whole iconography of rock," Wild
said, "but before Rolling Stone, I
don't think there was ever a main-
stream magazine that was covering
these people. Now that has changed,
and it's upped the ante so that we
have to have covers that stand out"
Wild said, "Whether its the cou-
ple from 'The X-Files' in bed, or
Janet Jackson having her breast
cupped, I think the magazine has
had to constantly ask itself, 'How
can we capture what's important to
us and to the people?' We no longer
have the corner on the market, so
we have to be all the more vigilant
about getting the best image for that
cover."
Wild also said that visitors are
not only assured of experiencing
the magazine's best of the best, but
are also promised several other
insightful journies into the world of
rock. In addition to the arranged
cover exhibits, there is also an audio
portion of the tour which features
interviews by the magazine's
founder, ,Jann Wenner, with John
Lennon and Mick Jagger, as well as
a video exhibition presenting infor-
mation about the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame + Museum in
Cleveland, Ohio.
The Hall of Fame has also con-
tributed a variety of intriguing musi-
cal artifacts to the tour from its per-
manent collection, including
Madonna's actual stage attire from
the "Blonde Ambition" era, a guitar
smashed to bits by Pete Townshend
at a swirling Who concert in 1977
and also actual letters from various
record companies rejecting offers to
sign U2.
The Covers Tour will be at the
Anderson Rooms A, B, C and D in
the Union from I1 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The exhibit begins today and runs
through Thursday.
'Colors' challenges political perceptions
By Elizabeth Lucas
Daily Weekend, etc. Editor
Two years ago, the literary world was buzzing over
"Primary Colors," the in-depth roman a clef about the
Clinton campaign written by an anonymous author
(later revealed to be Newsweek reporter Joe Klein).
Now, the film world is equally enthusiastic about the
movie version - a necessarily simplified but equally
compelling film.
"Primary Colors" revolves around the long-shot
presidential campaign of a charismatic, womanizing
Southern governor (sound familiar?). Seen through the
eyes of campaign manager Henry Burton (Adrian
Lester), the film brings together a variety of colorful
campaign strategists and political opponents.
At two hours and 20 minutes long, the film covers a
great deal of ground, which gives it a somewhat uneven
tone. The first half is one scene after another of
Southern-fried fun, as Gov. Jack Stanton (John
Travolta) and his motley crew of aides raise money, eat
barbecue and sing country music. Willie Nelson's "On
the Road Again" composes a large part of the sound-
track.
But the second half takes a more serious approach,
as Henry and the mildly insane Libby Holden (Kathy
Bates) investigate a candidate who has made a surprise
Perotesque entry into the race. The information they
find out becomes a test of the Stantons' ideals - a see-
Courtesy of urversarPtIvthi
Adrian Lester and John Travolta star in the all-too-real political drama "Primary Colors."
Primary
Colors
At Briarwood
and Showcase
nario that doesn't fit well with
the lighthearted, optimistic tone
of earlier scenes in the film.
This change of mood was
mediated in the novel by Henry's
narration, as he related every
scene in the same sober, medita-
tive tone. In the film, unfortu-
nately, Henry is given few words
of dialogue; he most often seems
to stand in the background and
look concerned. His character is
also flattened by a fairly happy
ending that replaces the novel's
ambiguous one.
A similar falling-off from the
But both of these are really inherent problems with
turning a novel into a film; it's difficult to condense a
300-page book into two hours of screen time and do
without its first-person narration. Considered on its
own merits, the film "Primary Colors" certainly does-
n't fall short.
The visual nature of the film, in fact, allows it to
emphasize the central theme better than the detail-
filled novel could. As Libby Holden puts it, the cam-
paign becomes a test of "how low can you go?" In one
scene, Stanton (John Travolta) is seen stating emphati-
cally that he won't "go negative" on an opponent; the
scene ends immediately afterward, underscoring this
declaration. Thus it becomes all the more shocking
when, in a subtly underplayed later scene, Stanton and
his wife Susan (Emma Thompson) unthinkingly agree
to use Libby's information to destroy a rival candidate.
But the Stantons haven't simply lost their ideals -
"Primary Colors" is more complicated than that.
Again, the film provides a dramatic portrayal of why
they need to campaign negatively.
In one striking scene, Stanton is shown making a
speech before a cheering crowd holding signs. It grad-
ually becomes evident that the crowd isn't cheering
him but violently protesting him, because of the dis-
closure that he's had extramarital affairs. "Primary
Colors" raises the question: Is there any chance for ide-
alism in the shallow, tabloid-controlled mess that
national elections have become?
Mike Nichols' direction subtly adapts to follow
these themes, shifting from fast-paced, music-fillk
scenes at the start of the film, to slower lingering sho
near the end. Nichols, the renowned director of "T
Graduate" and "The Birdcage," amply displays t
skills in this film.
The entire ensemble cast performs well, bu t)
actors in particular stand out. Although she d
scream as much as in the novel, where her charactc
frequently spoke in capital letters, Kathy Bate"'6}
trayal of Libby Holden is remarkably versatile Sh,
makes a believable transition from wildly amilsin
scenes to emotional, heartfelt ones, as a lone frd1i:
confused by what's happened to the political process.
John Travolta, surprisingly enough, delivers a'shveme
ingly good performance as Clinton - er, Stanton Je
the film was being made, there was speculation4s t,
whether the star of "Grease" and "Look Who's Talking
could adequately fulfill the expectations of this rdle-&
from the first moment of the film, he gives an unceniL
accurate impression of the real-life model for his cbalat
ter. Travolta is unfailingly charismatic, making viewers a,
enchanted by his character as Stanton's aides seem t b
"Primary Colors" opens with a brightly colored shWb
of an American flag rippling in the breeze. It endiwt
a similar scene - a closeup of an unmoving flagi,
somber light. This is a fitting image with which to er
the thought-provoking film. Despite its happy epdirg'
audiences will leave wondering what's happened to'the
country's political process, and in whose hands, tic
country therefore will rest.
novel is the excision of Henry's relationship with
Daisy, who creates Stanton campaign ads. The realis-
tic, nuanced description of this relationship was one of
the most unusual and refreshing things about the novel.
The film, however,. abruptly opens one scene with a
shot of Henry and Daisy (Maura Tierney) in bed. With
no lead-in or buildup to this, their relationship
becomes entirely unbelievable and weakens the film.
k
The Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives
is now taking applications for
Student Leader
positions for the King/Chavez/Parks
Summer Institute Program
Application Deadline is April 10, 1998
Student leaders work with diverse groups of high school
PEACE CORPS:
Tuesday, March 24
"The Future of Peace Corps:
10,000 by 2000"
Featuring Deputy Director
Charles Baquet Ill
Rackham Bldg.,
4th Floor Amphitheater
7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 25
. :
'-3g:,.