* mln In the Hills
The acclaimed film "Slums of Beverly Hills" by first-time director
*amara Jenkins hits the Michigan screen tomorrow. Featuring
Natasha Lyonne (of Woody Allen's "Everyone Says I Love You") and
Alan Arkin, it tells the story of a father who moves to the darker
side of the tracks in order to keep his kids in the Beverly Hills
school district. Michigan Theater, 7 & 9 p.m., through Wednesday.
UliLd mJiqulatig
Come back to Daily Arts on Monday to read reviews of all
the new Hollywood releases, including: "Ronin" and "Urban
Legend."
San Francisco Symphony
brings 'Paris' to Ann Arbor
By Katalin Kovalskl
For the Daily
Conductor and pianist Michael Tilson
homas and the San Francisco Symphony
will join forces Sunday at Hill Auditorium.
The orchestra will perform two George
Gershwin pieces, the "Second Rhapsody
for Piano and Orchestra" and "An American
in Paris," in celebration of the centenary of
the beloved American composer's birth on
Sept. 26. Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. I
in D Major, "Titan," will conclude the after-
rOF
San
Francisco
Symphony
Hill Auditorium
Sunday at 4 p.m.
Leybin, who plays
noon's program.
Highly celebrated for
his exuberant and zeal-
ous conducting,
Michael Tilson
Thomas, or MTT as he
is affectionately known
in San Francisco,
brought a new burst of
excitement to the SFS.
Appointed music direc-
tor of the SFS in 1995,
Tilson revitalized the
symphony and its role
in the San Francisco
community. Zoya
in the first violin section
his conducting style. When you play under
him, the music has a deep, warm and strong
message."
With subscriptions 10 percent just one
year after his inaugural season, Davies Hall,
which houses the Symphony, is seeing a new
barrage of music lovers in addition to its
consistent following. These newly acquired
attendants comprise a significantly younger
group than the traditional concert-goers of
previous generations. This phenomenon is
without a doubt largely due to the director-
ship of Tilson, whose vigor has often been
compared to that of the legendary Leonard
Bernstein.
Throughout his tenure at the SFS, Tilson
has shown a commendable commitment to
American composers, including in each SFS
performance a piece by an American.
Although his range of depth includes a mas-
tership of music by Beethoven, Stravinsky,
and Mahler, it is precisely Tilson's dedica-
tion to American composers which will be
highlighted this Sunday in Ann Arbor.
The program will begin with Gershwin's
"Second Rhapsody for Piano and
Orchestra," with, interestingly, Tilson play-
ing the piano. This rhythmic and melodic
piece opens with the piano, advances to the
blues melody, and closes with both piano
and orchestra.
This undoubtedly American, modern
work - darker than most Gershwin pieces
- will be followed by "An American in
Paris." Gershwin intended the music in this
symphonic poem to emulate the wanderings
of an American through Parisian streets
and boulevards.
Beginning with a fast, joyous rhythm to
signal the excitement of life in Paris, "An
American in Paris" proceeds into a slower
stage which evokes the American's loneli-
ness amidst the hustle of the French city.
Finally, the ending theme returns to its
opening exuberance, to conclude in a
renewed spark of city-inspired excitement.
The final component of the SFS's pro-
gram will be Gustav Mahler's Symphony
No. 1 in D Major, "Titan." This decidedly
more Romantic narrative takes a cyclical
form, with the first and last movements
conjuring up the same theme. Mahler's
symphony evokes both natural and emo-
tional sounds, and, as Leybin states, "has a
great ability to show many orchestral stan-
dards."
The Sunday performance will offer a
unique opportunity to experience this "eth-
nically diverse and internationally recog-
nized," orchestra and, as Leybin further
emphasizes, to experience "the internation-
al language of music, which holds the soul
of the people, and is at the heart of each
nation's culture."
i
of the SFS, praises, Tilson, stating that
"MTT is a very colorful and exciting musi-
cian, who shows a deep passion for music in
Courtesy of University Musical Society
Michael Tilson Thomas will lead the San Francisco Symphony on Sunday at Hill Auditorium.
'Chicago' dances into Detroit with
luscious ladies and all that jazz
- - -- -
Courtesy of China Records
'Ese blimey Brits use electronics to fascinate their fans.
nBs
By Adlin Rosli
Daily Arts Writer
England's Morcheeba are
among the many bands these
days that have managed to incor-
porate the use of samplers and
many 'other electronic gadgets
with a charismatic female lead
singer to create its music.
But unlike groups such as
Garbage and Portishead, which
use similar musical devices to
create songs of desolation,
Morcheeba is out to make smart
and uplifting music.
Over the course of two
albums, 1996's "Who can you
trust" and this
Mocheeba
Majestic Theater,
Detroit
Tomorrow at 8 p.m.
year's "Big
C a l m,"
Morcheeba
established
itself as a
solid music
group.
One of the
reasons that
m a k e s
Morcheeba
- the band's
name is a
reference to
a hip-hop
call and
response
custom -
layered brand of catchy tunes, a
full array of musicians are at
hand for live performances. "We
have a full live band to perform
the songs and naturally that gives
the song a different vibe.
"The mellow songs are more
rich sounding and the more rock-
ing songs tend to rock more. The
crowd is very responsive to the
shows as well. We've had enor-
mous support from the crowd at
these shows. They sway and
groove during some songs and
they jump around as well during
the more rocking songs."
The many moods of.
Morcheeba's music take on an
array of different forms. As one
can hear on their last album,
"Big Calm," the group easily
goes from the country-blues
overtones of "Part of the
Process" to the upbeat and
groovy "Let Me See." "Ross
(Godfrey, the guitar player) usu-
ally comes up with the songs
while Paul (Godfrey, beats and
loops) comes up with the lyrics.
I usually come up with the vocal
melodies.
"We sit around with the raw
music and I hum to it and we tin-
ker around with it until we get
something we like," Skye said.
What evidently resulted on
Morcheeba's two albums are
plenty of songs that cross-poly-
nate musical styles with ease.
The group has been on tour for
four weeks now in America play-
ing to sold out and almost sold
out venues everywhere.
Morcheeba will be playing the
Majestic Theater in Detroit
tomorrow as part of its last cou-
By Bryan Lark
Daily Arts Writer
"C'mon babe, why don't we paint
the town ... and all that jazz," croons
a luscious lady in black as nearly a
dozen equally sexy dancers in black
writhe and gyrate their way through a
jaw-dropping, toe-tapping, hip-shak-
ing opening number.
This, boys and girls, is not your
parents' Broadway musical.
Actually, "Chicago," now painting
the town black, white and blood red
at Detroit's Fisher Theater, is your
parents' Broadway musical.
Originally produced in the late
'60s, John Kander and Fred Ebb's
masterpiece of murder, malice, may-
hem and music is currently enjoying
a full-scale revival that began on
Broadway in 1996 and has spread its
merry mayhem around the country in
a slow, slinky fashion worthy of Bob
Fosse's sensual choreography.
Music and fashion are the passion
of the new "Chicago," presented in a
no-frills style that puts all the charac-
ters in revealing black attire, puts the
orchestra on the stage, puts no props
in people's hands (save a few bar
chairs and several newspapers) and
puts the audience in a beautiful, cor-
rupt, hilarious world of jazz and
liquor, blood and guts and fame and
fortune.
In this world of the late '20s'
Windy City, we meet Roxie Hart and
Velma Kelly, played by Belle
Calaway and Stephanie Pope respec-
tively, two lovely, fun-lovin' women
who have dreams of careers in vaude-
ville and all-around celebrity -
attainable dreams if only they can
beat their pesky murder raps.
Enter high-powered sleazebag
Billy Flynn (played with charming
aplomb by Alan Thicke), who claims
to be so good a lawyer that "If Jesus
Christ lived in Chicagoz
S5,000, things would've tut
differently."
Still, Flynn innocently c
his first number, "All I Care.
Love." On the other hand,c
else seems to be worried abo
lines and popular opinion.
Roxie and Velma spend t
tion of the show trying to of
another to grab the front p
learning how to beat the syst
Billy, with a little ambitio
whole lot of showbiz
Dazzle."
Most
glitz an(
our o
Chicago "Chicag
to the
Fisher Theater, words ar
Detroit of Kan(
sept. 22,1998 Ebb and
liant ch
phby b,
inspired
Fosse's
producti
"Chicagi
Nearly every song in the
now classic, from the open
That Jazz," to the sly
Dazzle," to the uproarious
and had
red out
laims in
About is
and the joyous "Roxie."
Changed slightly from the
Broadway production, which is still
going strong at the Schubert Theater
after losing its Tony-honored leading
lady Bebe Neuwirth as Velma, the
touring company now docked at the
Fisher has slowed down several
tracks to allow the dancers to keep up
and has omitted several complicated
dance moves, including the awe-
inspiring, so-very-Fosse hand-to-
head, feet-to-floor shuffle where
twelve people move as one.
Still, the witty book and lyrics
prove "Chicago"'s subtle power, cre-
ating a truly American atmosphere
where celebrity and the tabloid media
are all powerful and humanity is non-
everyone existent, a tale that could just as eas-
ut head- ily be told in the present day, on the
set of "The Jerry Springer Show."
he dura- This dead-on cultural criticism
utdo one places "Chicago" as the perfect mil-
age and lennial musical, making us laugh at
em from our absurd end-of-the-century selves
n and a and how such media obsession has
"Razzle existed throughout the 20th Century,
instead of preaching for us to change
of the our ways, as in "Rent," in which
d glam- every other word is some form of
f this "millennium."
o" is due Of course, the people of "Chicago"
timeless are much less intelligent and much
ld music more shallow than your average
der and American, but that's what makes
the bril- them so darn endearing.
oreogra- Belle Calaway's Roxie Hart is the
y Ann epitome of calculating ditziness as
k i n g , she slinks and sleeps her way to an
by acquittal and a swell act in vaude-
original ville, proving Calaway a comic trea-
on of sure whose character is much smarter
o." than she pretends to be.
show is As her nemesis, Velma Kelly,
ing "All Stephanie Pope turns in an equally
"Razzle engaging performance, bemoaning
"Class," the ill state of the world even as she's
crooning, high-kicking and clawing
her way to the top of it.
The supporting performances are
just as great with Carol Wood suffi-
ciently sassying up the role of cor-
rupt prison matron Mama Morton
with her sly asides and booming
voice; R. Bean as the easily swayed
reporter Mary Sunshine, who's so
dense she still sees "A Little Bit of
Good" in the shady characters that
populate "Chicago" and Michael
Tucci, Sonny in the film version of
"Grease," quietly triumphant as put-
upon husband Amos Hart, who gets
the biggest laughs of the show for his
rendition of "Mister Cellophane."
But the real payoff of "Chicago" is
Alan Thicke, who exudes sheer star
presence as Billy Flynn, the most
morally bankrupt of all "Chicago"'s
miscreants.
"Chicago" itself is far from bank-
rupt. It's a wealth of humor, hor-
mones and halter tops, that'll titillate
as it tickles.
"Chicago" calls itself the drop-
dead Broadway musical and only a
cadaver would walk away unsatis-
fied.
"Chicago " runs through Oct. II at
the Fisher Theater. Tickets for all
performances are available from
Ticketnmaster at 248-645-6666.
Thank You
for the
Honor of Being
Voted Best Shoe Store*
/r? O pD M//j
such a special group is its lead
singer, Skye Edward.
Like Kim Gordon of Sonic
} Youth and Madonna, Skye is
among the special rank of musi-
cians who are also mothers
(Well, there is also that incredi-
ble voice Skye has!).
Skye's children however, are
not subject to the padlock child-
hAd manv children of working
1200 S.
University at Church St.
734-994-9401
A
i