.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:,.