Attenzloie: Speial Delivery
e acclaimed Italian 1994 film The Postman (II Postino) plays
tonight at the League. Don't miss this chance to see this film
about poet Pablo Neruda and a rendezvous with a heart-breaking
postman. The Michael Radford film garnered multiple Academy
Award nominations in 1994, including Best Picture. Admission is
free, and the show begins at 8 p.m.
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Tomorrow in Daily Arts:
Check out Weekend, etc. to learn about activities that will
help you enjoy the outdoors to the fullest this spring.
Wednesday
April 1, 1998
Mechanicals make stellar 'Timing'
By Valerie Lapinski
L)ily Arts Writer
This weekend, something strange
vill be afoot in the U-Club -
chimps will be able to write litera-
ture and flustered couples on their
first date will be able to rewind their
onversations and start over.
In "All in the Timing," six one acts
by playwright David Ives, the Rude
Mechanicals use the power of lan-
guage to its full capability, creating
surprises and laughs.
The name "Rude Mechanicals" is
a reference from Shakespeare's "A
Midsummer Night's Dream," and
suggests a group of amateurs throw-
ing together a performance. "All in
he Timing" is performed in an inti-
mate setting and uses very few props
or set pieces, relying solely on the
actors for its effect.
The premises for the skits are far-
fetched, but "they show a kind of micro-
cosm of life," said LSA sophomore
Adam Weiner, the show's director.
JOY JACOBS/Daily
Music sophomore Erin Satchels and Engineering junior Mike Newberry "chimp
around" in "Words, words, words," one of six one acts om "All in the Timing."
"I first saw (the show) this past
summer. It really appealed to me.
This is something that would really
appeal to the college crowd. It's
smart, but you don't need to be an
Einstein to get the jokes," he said.
But Weiner explained the difficul-
ty in publicizing a show without a
recognizable name as in past Rude
Mechanicals shows such as
"MacBeth" and "A Few Good Men."
Despite the play's relative obscuri-
ty, both Weiner and the show's pro-
ducer, Business junior Leslie
Soranno, said they feel that "All in
the Timing" truly exemplifies what
the Rude Mechanicals is all about.
"This feels like Rude
Mechanicals," Soranno said. "The
cast is wonderful; the actors are from
all over the University. We're provid-
ing the opportunity for students who
might not have the opportunity in
their particular major, who for some
reason decided not to go into perfor-
mance professionally."
Formerly known as SophShow, the
Rude Mechanicals have made sub-
stantial changes, following a pattern
of doing Shakespeare in the fall and
a more modern work in the winter.
They have also initiated the State
Street Poetry Project, which has
gained popularity in the past year.
For the first time, the Rude
Mechanicals will be having a special
late show on Friday night.
"I think its eccentric and irreverent
attitude will appeal to everyone,"
Weiner said. The show promises to
be unlike any other in its ability to
make people laugh, and will no
doubt successfully expand the cre-
ative capacity of the Rude
Mechanicals.
Tickets are $6 frr students, and are
available at the Michigan Union
Ticket Office. Call 763-TKTSfor
more information.
For example, the
I
All in the
Timing
U Club
Friday at 8 and 11 p.m
Saturday and Sunday at 8
p.m.
skit "Sure thing"
shows a man
and a woman in a
coffee shop on
their first date. It
gives an idea of
what life would
be like if people
could edit their
conversations,
something most
people wish they
could do at one
time or another.
"Whenever the
guy says some-
thing the girl
Courtesy of New ine Cinema
Jackie Chan gives his enemy a huge wah-chah In "Mr. Nice Guy."
Chan fas in Nice'
Another skit, "Words, Words,.
Words," shows three chimps named
Swift, Milton and Kafka trapped in a
cage, forced to write "Hamlet."
"That's on the theory that anybody
typing to infinity, be it chimps or
anyone, will sooner or later produce
'Hamlet,"' Weiner said.
The chimps develop the character-
istics of their namesakes during the
bit (a chimp spouting off passages of
"Paradise Lost?"), and both the ver-
bal and physical comedy make this
one of the funniest, but most diffi-
cult, skits to perform; Weiner said.
Because of the short length and
crucial use of timing and language,
"All in the Timing" is often used in
speech and forensic tournaments.
"David Ives is so talented in the
way he writes it down," Weiner said.
"The timing comes out in the read-
ing. Because these pieces are done in
forensics, no matter if they're done
professionally or by someone
mediocre, they're still good because
of the quality of the literature."
That doesn't mean the actors and
director haven't had their challenges
in rehearsing these works.
"It's a different kind of show and
in doing it, I didn't know what to
expect," Weiner said. "This is a hard,
intellectual comedy. Fortunately, we
started rehearsals early enough
where we could learn about the tim-
ing - which is essential - and
basically how we can work the plays
to their full potential for laughs."
'I he challenge of the play is what
prompted Weiner to suggest it to the
UAC committee.
By Matthew Barrett
Daily Arts Writer
Jackie Chan as a chef? Come on,
at least make him a secret agent or
something along those lines so it's at
least a little bit believable that he
could possess such martial arts talent.
Unable to overcome a dreadful
and predictable story, Jackie Chan
suffers through his role as an
acclaimed chef in the mediocre "Mr.
Nice Guy."
The movie's jilted beginning kicks
off with an unnecessary and goofy
scene that involves Chan preparing
pasta for a cooking show. After an
over-the-top scene that feels like a
late-night infomercial, the film cuts
to a crime boss, Giancarlo, knocking
off his girlfriend and his subsequent
dealings with a gang called the
Demons.
Chan stars as Jackie (original), an
innocent bystander who's drawn into
a conflict between warring gangs
and a reporter. Diana, the reporter,
tapes the gangs during their illegal
dealings and bumps into Jackie with
the hoods in hot pursuit. Chan jumps
into the fray and annihilates every
bad guy with a variety of original
moves. The plot thickens as vanous
doesn't like, or something not accepted
in the social realm, you hear a bell ring
and the conversation rewinds itself,'
Weiner said. The results of the snappy,
fast-paced dialogue are clever, insight-
ful, and hilarious.
U'GH'
celebrates 35 years of soap saga
By Jie Un
For the Daily
A jilted bride ends up in the nut house, a mob
war erupts over a kidnapped baby, and a rape
dredges up dark family secrets. Welcome to the
wonderful world of "General Hospital."
Forget about "ER," this hospital is far more
interesting.
Where else could you see a daughter seek
tons than the Kennedys'.
Let's not forgot about
the other characters as
General
Hospital 35th
Anniversary
ABC
Tomorrow at 10
revenge on the mother who
gave her up by stealing her
husband? For more than three
decades, "General Hospital"
has been bringing viewers
mayhem five times per week,
capturing the hearts of soap
opera fans everywhere.
The function of a soap opera
is escapism - to take us out of
our mundane lives and into a
fantasy world filled with gor-
geous people and their equally
glamorous lifestyles.
"General Hospital" fits that
bill to a tee. The show features
well. We have a model (Vanessa Marcil), a tycoon
(Ingo Rademacher) and a mobster (Maurice
Benard), just to name a few. Let your imagination
run wild because anything is possible here in the
city of Port Charles.
Tomorrow, "General Hospital" will celebrate its
35th anniversary with an hour-long special recalling
favorite moments of the show and interviews with
stars from the past and present. The show will feature
favorite couples from Luke and Laura (Anthony
Geary and Genie Francis) to Sonny and Brenda
(Maurice Benard and Vanessa Marcil).
Who could forget Luke and Laura's wedding'?
Possibly the most famous wedding of all of day-
time, attended by long-time fan Elizabeth Taylor.
Sonny and Brenda, a mobster and a model, were
one of the favorite and hottest couples from his
past year. There is a match made in heaven.
Along with unforgettable clips, there will be
interviews with former and current stars.
Celebrities from the past such as Jack Wagner of
"Melrose Place" (Frisco Jones on "G H"), who met
his wife Kristina (Felicia Jones) on the show, and
John Stamos (Blackie Parrish) of "Full House"
fame will share their memories of the show.
Current stars featured include Kimberly
McCullough (Robin Scorpio) and Ingo
Rademacher (Jasper "Jax" Jacks).
Also in the hour special, we will get a sneak
Mr. Nice
Guy
At Showcase
characters,
including
Jackie's girl-
friend, Miki,
are kidnapped
by the gangs,
leaving you-
know-who to
save the day.
The main
asset that
Chan brings to
this movie is
his perfor-
mance during
the no-holds-
down.
Unfortunately, Chan gets zero
help from his horrendous supporting
cast. Miki Lee brings little to the role
of Miki (very original) as her charac-
ter does little more than stand in the
shadows and let out an occasional
"Jackie!" Miki speaks very little
English, so most of her dialogue is in
Mandarin and she doesn't have the
acting skills to express what she's
feeling.
Although Gabrielle Fitzpatrick is
unproductive in her role of Diana,
she may have started a new trend for
the sassy sidekick role. Eschewing
the typical wet T-shirt, the director
has Diana do an all-out sprint
through the streets of Melbourne
wearing only her underwear and a
flapping pink robe.
The villains in the movie are noth-
ing more than exaggerated takes on
what has become the standard for
members of the evil side. They dress
in silk shirts and gold jewelry, slick
their hair, and try to act ruthless and
cool yet fall miserably short. They
are not intimidating and often serve
as nothing more than punching bags
for Chan to whip during the fight
scenes.
The bad acting in the movie is
accentuated by the terrible script.
The story is old and tired and there is
never any doubt how things will end
up. The conversations between the'
characters are at times painful to
watch and include such barn-burners
as "Captain we've got the evidence
to put Giancarlo away for good."
Such lines would seem more at home
in a Saturday morning cartoon than if
major motion picture.
"Mr. Nice Guy" has some funny
moments and interesting scenes in
it, all of which center around Chan.
Although he seems at home in these
movies, Chan needs to find a movie
that combines action with a smart
script. Anyone who is this talented
and willing to do their own stunts
deserves something better than this.
Strangely enough, one of the
most enjoyable parts of the film, a
roll of outtakes, comes after the
story's conclusion. Showing
botched scenes and Chan's prepara-
tion for a particular stunt helps give
the audience a better idea of what
Chan goes through to do every sin-
gle stunt.
Overall, "Mr. Nice Guy" is strictly
for Chan fans and will give the view-
er a few good laughs, some intended
and some not.
some of the hottest actors of daytime. Take one look at
the opening credits to know what I am talking about.
But there is much more to "GH" than handsome
doctors and beautiful nurses. The soap opera pri-
marily revolves around the wealthy Quartermaine
family whose closets are filled with more skele-
Courtesy of ABC
Anthony Geary will host the "General Hospital" 35th
anniversary special tomorrow night on ABC.
peek into a group photo session with the stars of
the show. For the clincher, Brad Maule (Tony
Jones) will perform a song written by the star him-
self about the characters in Port Charles.
"GH" fans will get a special treat as host and
show veteran Anthony Geary (Luke Spencer)
takes devoted viewers down memory lane.
Keep that box of tissues close by.
barred action scenes for which he
has earned international acclaim.
The most awe-inspiring thing
about these scenes is the well-
known fact that Chan does all of his
own stunts. His amazing physical
talent is on display throughout the
movie, including a spectacular
scene where he jumps from escala-
tor to escalator in a crowded depart-
ment store. Whenever Jackie steps
into a room, it is loaded with levers,
boxes and other props for him to use
in his assault on evil. And when he
stumbles into a massive motorcycle
wedding, everyone knows it's just a
matter of time until the enormous
multi-layer cake comes tumbling
i
L
t __ _
The Great Giveaway
Do you think that Steve Poltz, Corey Harris or Huffamoose, the Zen Tricksters make
great music?
This is your chance to win a free CD and a pair of tickets to the following upcoming
shows at the Blind Pig: Steve Poltz tomorrow, Corey Harris on Friday, Zen Tricksters on
Saturday and Huffamoose next Thursday, Stop by the Daily Arts office at 420 Maynard
St. to enter your name. Entries must be received by 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. Winners will be
chosen tomorrow at 2 p.m.
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