The Sundance hit produced and starring one of Ann Arbor's own,
'Four Corners of Nowhere" comes to the Michigan tomorrow. The
Generation X comedy focuses on individuals who are lost and con-
fused in American society. Ann Arbor resident Julian Rad stars in
the movie set in her hometown. "Four Corners of Nowhere" runs
Saturday only, and the screening begins at 7 p.m.

c frhigtnt tt g
ARTS

Catch a review of the campus production "Life in Refusal,"
as well as the latest reviews of films to strike your local cine
plex.

Friday
March 27, 1998

5

Copperfield mesmerizes at the Fox

By Gabe Fajuri
Daily Arts Writer
Ever have the burning desire to see a Broadway
show? The lights, the music the singing and dancing
all sound so enticing, don't they?
Tonight at the Fox, David Copperfield opens his
Broadway production, "Dreams and Nightmares," for
a three-day, eight-performance run. There might not
be any singing or kick-line dance numbers, but the
lhow played to five full weeks of sold out audiences at
the Martin Beck Theatre in New York City. Since its
opening there almost two years ago, "Dreams and
Nightmares" has been touring the globe nonstop, gar-.

David
Copperfield
Fox Theatre
Opens tonight

nering praise everywhere it
plays.
The nearly two-hour specta-
cle is a semi-autobiographical
work by Copperfield. The con-
cept is simple: the realization of
the dreams that we have as chil-
dren and adults, and the fright-
ening reality with which our
nightmares can overpower us.
"Dreams and Nightmares" is,
without a doubt, classic
Copperfield. Of the illusions
used for this production, many
are tried and tested classics

and has taken a lot of time to plan, coordinate, devel-
op and perfect,' Copperfield said.
Rumors have long been circulating that Copperfield
has plotted to vanish the moon in one of his shows.
Other ideas of his include putting a woman's face on
Mt. Rushmore (Claudia Schiffer's, perhaps?) and
straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He also said
that "audiences at my show in Detroit will have a
glimpse of one of my new illusions - an interactive
one that takes place with each and every audience
member right at their seats."
Aside from "interactive" miracles, the show will, in
typical Copperfield style, include various perfor-
mances that have been deemed "grand illusions" -
large-scale tricks that are sure to drop your jaw.
Expect to see the famous magician sliced in half by
his infamous (and cheesily titled) "Death Saw" and
the searing light of a massive laser, his walking
through an industrial sized fan, and his attempt at a
tear-jerker of a finale, "Snow." This final illusion is
best summed up by its title.
In the midst of all this spectacle and trickery, what is
most interesting is Copperfield's goal as a performer.
For him, no performance is a successful one unless "I
have moved my audiences emotionally ... taken them
from laughter to tears and everything in-between," he
said. "That, for me, means that I have touched some
lives, much the way that a film director like Spielberg
or Lucas move their audiences emotionally.'
Despite Copperfield's attempt to tap into human
emotion with his magic, most people will still be ask-
ing the inevitable magic show question, "How did he
do that?" "Dreams and Nightmares" is, after all, a
magic show, in addition to a complete theatrical expe-
rience.
If Copperfield were to take the time to answer that
question, I suspect his answer would be simple and to
the point. It would probably go something like this:
"How did I do it? Very well, thank you."

from the illusionist's countless years of touring.
"I have always felt that 'Flying' was my best and
most emotionally moving illusion,' Copperfield said in
San e-mail interview earlier this week. "It took me more
than seven years to create and I am very proud of it.'
He's referring, of course, to one of his trademark
pieces in which the laws of gravity are completely
shattered as Copperfield flies about the stage Peter-
Pan style, inside a glass box, and with an audience
member in his arms.
Other illusions, of course, seen mostly on TV, are

Courtesy of David Copperfield
David Copperfleld comes out of the box at the Fox
Theatre this weekend.
what made Copperfield's name and gave him the clout
to open a magic show on Broadway. Whether he was
floating over the Grand Canyon, escaping from
Alcatraz, vanishing a Lear Jet, or vanishing the Statue
of Liberty, Copperfield's TV specials were all big
draws. As of late, however, he has been strangely
absent from the small screen. Nevertheless, tickets to
his live shows are still in high demand, and his name
is still synonymous with the word "magic."
But don't expect Copperfield to be gone from the
tube for long. "Look for a new TV special from me in
1999. It will be a big one - involving the moon -

Courtesy of Paramnoun
After 20 years, John Travolta Is still the one that Olivia Newton-John wants in
the most successful movie musical ever, "Grease."
'Gre s" slightning
strikes oc gi

of flamenco style

By Jennifer Petlinski
Daily Arts Writer
Danny and Sandy make out on
the hot sand, waves crashing in the
background ... and we sigh with the
envy of hopeless romantics.
The infamous, rebellious Pink
Ladies poke fun at their new friend,
super-virgin Sandra Dee, and we
smile, remembering the days of our
sleepover parties.
Tight-shirted Travolta as Danny
and fellow T-Birds serenade
"Greased Lightning" ... and we
can't help but sing along to the
catchy tune. Perhaps we even know
the hand motions as well.
Rydell High. Boys whipping out
their combs. Girls discussing the
beauty of hickeys.
We've grown up on it. We
remember it well.
Not so well that we'll miss the
chance to see "Grease" on the big
screen, though. This weekend,
movie theaters around the nation
welcome this much-loved classic
back for its 20th anniversary.
Laden with cliques, too-close-
together lockers, kooky principals,
homeroom, hot lovin' and hippety-
hopping singing and dancing,
"Grease" glorifies the days of old.
As the film has us know, the ideal-
ized '50s were oh-so-good ... and
that must be why we go back again
and again.
There's also the memorable
songs, among them "Beauty School
Dropout," "Sandra Dee," "We Go
Together" and "Summer Lovin'." If
we actually stopped to listen to the

lyrics that are so embedded in our
generation's memory, we may be
surprised at what we find. The lyrics
to "Greased Lightning" go some-
thing like this: "It's a dream - uh-
ch i ck s ',

Grease
Starring Olivia
Newton-John and
John Travolta
Starts today
CX)
.T

cream - uh-
uh." Hip gyrA-
tions, of
course,
enhance this
moment in
the film.
And ofF
course, we
can't forget
the ending of
"Grease."
0 1 i v i a

Newton-John's Sandra Dee gets
dressed to kill in spiked heels and
tight, black spandex-like pants, as
the latest, baddest Pink Lady.
There's the car race, the school car-
nival, a lot of rama-lama-lama-
kadingidee-dingy-dong-shoobop-
shoowadadada-yippidey-boom-dee-
boom action and, the best part of it
all, a new-and-improved whipped
Danny, who can now love the vir-
ginal high-school girl he's dissed all
film long.
Nevermind the mildly disturbing
message that the film sends to its
viewers: Change the way you look
and act to snag the one that you
want.
But somehow, John Travolta in
tight-black gear, with his bulging
muscles and glaring sex appeal, just
looks too damn good for us to care.

Sherman laughs it up at Mamnstreet

By Ryan Malkin
For the Daily
Claudia Sherman, the edgy New
Yorker, debuts at the Mainstreet Comedy
Showcase this weekend.
Although her name may not be as well
known as Jerry Seinfeld's, her emotional-
witty humor taken from everyday life is

Claudia
Sherman
Mainstreet
Comedy Showcase
Friday and Saturday
at 8 and 10 p.m.

sure to keep the
audience in laugh-
ter.
Her material
comes from her
personal experi-
ences, including:
marriage, dating,
the seemingly
ever-present
Clinton scandal
and viewing
" T i t a n i c ."
Sherman said that
the movie's audi-

ater, which spawned into Improv and
what followed has been her 10-year his-
tory as a stand up comedian. She came
into comedy as an actress. She per-
formed in "Baby It's You," and she also
dabbled in directing. It wasn't until a
comedy writing class with Gabe
Abelson, the head writer for David
Letterman, that she said she began doing
stand-up comedy.
Unlike many comedians, Sherman's
comedy also brings up serious issues.
"Eventually women that are really sexu-
ally harassed or even worse, raped, are
not going to be taken seriously in the
courts again. And that is a crime;'
Sherman said in a serious tone.
While she was married, she was
known to wear a wedding dress on stage.
"It cost $1,000 and I got to wear it once,"
she said. "Now I wear it everywhere: I
wear it to work, I wear it to the bathroom,
I wear it to the supermarket"
Yet, her married days are over, and
while she has moved on to other materi-
al, she still finds humor in the her matri-
monial circumstances. "Sex in my mar-
riage is so bad, when I go to the gynecol-
ogist, I bring a bottle of wine with me,
she joked.

a broken home helped her to to develop
something of a shield which enables her
to take audience responses and play off
them.
She finds things funny in everyday
events - as most of us do - but,
Sherman just brings these questions to
the stage.
Her enthusiastic and conversational
tone brings in the audience from the start.
In a crowd of 300, a young lady once told
Sherman, "When you're up there-on
stage, I feel like your talking to me like
my best friend or my sister.?
Sherman said that was one of the best
complements she had ever received. "I
was up there in front of 300 people, and
she felt like I was talking to her, that's
what it's about.t."
Sherman's first show of the weekend
was last night, but she will perform today
and tomorrow for two shows as well.
This quick-witted New Yorker is well
on her way to stardom. She is sure to
address the all of the questions the crowd
will ask, but as she said, "Fortunately, I
have the mike."

See 'Grease' oni. gus

Courtesy of Mainstreet Comedy Showcase
Claudia Sherman brings her New York
style humor to Ann Arbor.
Although she admires comedians like
Bobby Slayton and Wendy Leibman,
Sherman has her own persona and is not
really influenced by others. "Life should
be your influence" she said. Sherman is
very witty and her strong New York roots
have allowed her to bring across her own
edgy personality on stage; a trait of most
great comics.
Sherman will bring enthusiasm to the
crowd - as she is full of energy and
always has a quick response to a given
question. Her experiences growing up in

Picture- yourself at this slum-
ber party. Does singing
"Look at Me I'm Sandra
Dee" with your closest
friends sound appealing? If
you're saying "Tell me more,
tell me more," then stop by
the Daily Arts office in the
Student Publications Building
at 420 Maynard St. after 1
p.m. on Monday for a compli-
mentary pass for two to see
"Grease" as long as it is
playing. You, a friend, Danny
and Sandy - you go togeth-
er like ramma-lamma ...

Courtesy oftParamount
As for you, Troy Donahue, we know
what you want to do - see "Grease"!

ence asked how Rose could throw the
necklace back into the ocean, she
S remarked, "She definitely was not a
Jewish woman"
Sherman brings these kind of issues
and more to light in her act. Her quick wit
- which she learned growing up in New
York - and her Improv background,
allowed her to ad-lib much of her act
according to her audience's responses.
Unlike many other comedians,
Sherman said she was never a class
i clown or characterized as "funny." Her
entertainment background was in the-
mr L


® I ll~~c~cJrr ~ ~ ~ ~ c~~~tjJcn :U Ea =1D ~c ~~cl Jrr.tJi cr51 f


r

,join Council Travel
& Contiki part,
Free food and drinks
Games and prizes


H04 U:S e
-: r

.
I .

I