14B - The Michigan" gay eekend i e
14B Th Miciga Oaiy Weked Mgazine - Thursday, Oc~tober 22, 1998

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A weekly uide to who's Thursday,Oct. 22
why you need to e there ... e L is t Wednesday, Oct. 28

~The Michigan DaiyWeekend Ma
SECOND CITY IN THE MOTOR CIT
Comedic actors reveal secrets (

Films opening

Apt Pupil Ian McKellen stars in this
story by terror master Stephen King,
turned into a feature film by the direc-
tor of "The Usual Suspects." At
Briarwood: 1:10, 4:10, 7:20, 10:10
At Showcase: 12:15, 2:40, 5:10,
7:40, 10:05, 12:30
Pleasantville A black-and-white world
is given new life when two '90s teens
get caught in a fifties sitcom. At

Briarwood: 1;40, 4:30, 7:10, 10 At
Showcase: 1:25, 4, 7:10, 9:50, 12:20
Soldier Kurt Russell stars in this
action thriller about a programmed
killing machine who gets a heart.
Well, it's probably not that poetic. At
Briarwood: 12:50, 3, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50
At Showcase: 1, 1:30, 3:10, 3:40,
5:20, 5:50, 7:30, 8, 9:45, 10:15,
11:50, 12:20

Films holding

***** A Classic
**** Excellent
* ** Good
** Fair
* Not Worth Your Time, or Your Money
Antz ***4 Woody Allen, Sly
Stallone and a myriad of other big-
me stars lend their voices to this
computer-animated insect epic. At
Ann Arbor 1&2: 1,3,5,7,9,11 At
Showcase: 12:05, 12:35, 1:05, 2,
2:30, 3, 4:05, 4:35, 5:05, 7:05, 9:05,
11:05
Beloved **** Oprah Winfrey stars
in the hard-hitting adaptation of the
Toni Morrison novel. At Ann Arbor
1&2: 12, 3:15, 6:35, 9:55:At
Showcase: 12, 1, 3:30, 4:30, 7, 8:10,
10:30, 11:30
Bride Of Chucky He just keeps coming
back ... and he's brought a friend. At
Briarwood. 12:40,2:50,5, 7:30,
9:50 At Showcase: 12:45, 1;15,
2:45, 3:15, 4:45, 5:15, 7:20, 7:50,
9:25, 9:55, 11:20, 12
Whiloween H20 ** LL Cool J plays
one mean security guard in this four-
minute serial conclusion, Well, at
least that's what I'd hope would
happen. Or I suppose you could go
see and take a peak at what really
happens in the flick. At Showcase:
9:30, 11:15

Holy Man *i Eddie Murphy plays
a home-shopping guru in this slug-
gish comedy. At Showcase: 6
The Mighty **** Kieran Culkin
and SharonStone star inthis story
of two kids' triumph over elemen-
tary-school bullies. At Showcase:
1:40, 4:20, 6:50, 9:10, 11:35
Night At The Roxbury * It's from
SNL, but it surely ain't as funny as
"Wayne's World." At Showcase:
12:15, 2:15, 4:25, 6:40, 9, 11 At
Showcase: 12:25, 2;20, 4:25, 6:55,
9, 11,
Practical Magic ** Nicole Kidman
and Sandra Bullock star as a pair of
sisters with very different personali-
ties in this romance with a magical
twist. At Briarwood: 1:20, 4, 7,
9:40.0 At Showcase: 12:20, 12:50,
2:35, 3:05, 4:55, 5:25, 7:15,7:45,
9:40, 10:10, 11:45, 12:15
Ronin ** Robert DeNiro stars in
this tortuous conspiracy thriller. At
Showcase: 6:30
Rush Hour *4 East meets West in
this unlikely action-comedy movie
starring Jackie Chan and Chris
Tucker. At Briarwood: 1, 3:10, 5:20,
7:40, 10:20 12:40, 2:50, 5, 7:25,
8:15, 9:35, 10:25, 11,55, 12:25

Thursday
CAMPUS CINEMA
The Color Of Honor and Days Of
Waiting (1988 & 1989) Two films
dealing with Japanese-American rela-
tions during and after World War I.
Ann Arbor District Library. 7 p.m.
Free.
Un Air De Famille (1998) A weekly
family gathering for dinner masks the
family members' attempts at driving
each other crazy. Michigan Theater.
603 E. Liberty. 7 & 9:15 p.m.
MUSIC
Baked Potato Local jam band. Blind
Pig 208 South First St., 764-0450.
El Topo Hardcore. Need we say more?
Cross Street Station. 511 W. Cross
St, Ypsilanti, 485-5050.
Galactic Funk and Jazz from the
Bayou. Magic Bag 2920 Woodward
Ave., Ferndale (248) 544-3030.
THEATER
Shorties Basement Arts presents vio-
lent love, political monkeys and an
extra appendage in four short plays
designed to attack senses. Frieze
Building. 7 p.m.
Avenue X: an a cappella musical
Characters in this racially divided
1963 Brooklyn neighborhood find a
common language in music.
Performance Network, 408 West
Washington Ave. 8 p.m. Pay-what-you-
can. 663-0681.
Boomtown Jeff Daniels' drama exam-
ines three citizens of a small town
who become entangled amidst their
passion, power and small town poli-
tics. PurpleRose Theatre Company,
137 Park Street, Chelsea. 8 p.m.
$20. (313)-475-7902.
Oliver Eastern Michigan University
opens its 1998-1999 Season with this
musical based on Charles Dickens'
classic novel "Oliver Twist." EMU's
Quirk Theatre, Ypsilanti. 8 p.m. $12,
$2 discountdforvtickets purchased 30
minutes in advance. Call 487-1221,
for more details.
ALTERNATIVES
The Color of Honor As part of the
World War II Film and Discussion
Series, this film about Japanese
Americans and Pearl Harbor will be
shown, with an open discussion fol-
lowing the film led by University Prof.
David Fitzpatrick. Ann Arbor District
Library, 343 South Fifth St., 327-
4200. 7 p.m.
Doris Dixon Animal activist discusses
and reads from her new book
"Memoirs of a Compassionate
Terrorist." Borders, 612 East Liberty
St., 668-7652. 7 p.m.
Second City The touring company will
bring their traditional, highly popular
comedy to Ann Arbor. Michigan
League Ballroom. 8 p.m. $10,
Students $7. 763-TKTS.I
ArtVideos A video titled "This is
Edward Steichen" will sketch the life
of artist Steichen through interviews
and examples of his work, with com-
plimentary coupon good fpr one regu-

By Christopher Tkaczyk
Daily Arts Editor
In the '50s, The New Yorker's A. J.
Liebling discouragingly called
Chicago "the second city," claiming
it was trying too hard to duplicate
the cultural entity that had become
the Big Apple. Making light of
Liebling's claim, Chicago actors
Paul Sills, Howard Alk and Bernard
Sahlins named their new improvisa-
tionally based theatre group after the
quip. Now, years later, the doors to
The Second City are still open.
The theater has been the fostering
home for many actors, writers, and
directors active today in the
world's entertainment
industry. A lineup of
former "Saturday
Night Live"
cast mem-
b e r s ,
including
B i 1 1
M ur ray,
Gildna
Radner,
Jo h n

Belushi, Steven Martin and Mike
Meyers, are all Second City alums.
New York Times critic Clive Barnes
once wrote: "the entire recent tradi-
tion of American theatrical satire
can be summed up in three words:
'The Second City."'
In 1993, Detroit entrepreneur
Mike Illitch joined forces with the
Second City folks to birth a new
improvisation theater in the heart of
Detroit. Known for his plans of
restructuring and refurbishing
Detroit's entertainment community,
Illitch had already successfully
reopened the doors of the long aban-
doned Fox Theater, an ancient movie
palace from the earlier years of this
century.
Second City-Detroit is designed
like a comedy club, complete with
small cocktail tables surrounded by
four chairs, much like an old style
cabaret. Unlike a normal comedy
club, the tables are tiered, as one
would find in an ordinary theater.
The Motor City was the third in
line to add a Second City venue to
its skyline. In 1973, Second City-
Toronto opened, planting the careers
of such distinguished comedians

Courtesy of New Line Cinema

Don Knotts returns to the silver screen in "Pleasantville."

Saving Private Ryan **** Ed
Burns, Tom Hanks and Matt Damon
star in this ultra-realistic conception
of World War II. At Showcase: 1:20,
4:40, 8:05, 11:25
There's Something About Mary
*** Brett Favre stars in this
chronicle of the life of an NFL quar-
terback. It also stars a few other
notable hollywood types and has
some kind of comedic plot.hAt
Showcase: 1:35, 4:10, 6:45, 9:20,
i 12:05
Urban Legend *i A myriad of teeny
bopper headlinersNget slaughtered
-0> at a small college. Not a bad idea, in
h' principle. At Showcase: 12:55,
t. 3:20, 5:40, 7:55, 10, 12:10
What Dreams May Come **i Robin
Williams makes a run at his second
"FJ acting Oscar in this totally-tear-
Courtesy of Miramax Films jerking visual masterpiece. At
Gilian Anderson, well known for her Briarwood: 1:30, 4:20, 6:50, 9:20.
role as Scully on "The XFIles," At Showcase: 1:10, 3:45, 6:40,
appears in "The Mighty." 9:15, 11:40
---------------
Relevant Phone Numbers: Ann Arbor 1 & 2: 761-9700; Briarwood: 480-4555; Fox
Village; 994-8080; Michigan Theater: 668-8397; Showcase: 973-8380; State:
761-8667.
Showtimes are effective Friday through Thursday. Late shows at Ann Arbor 1 & 2 and
State are for Friday and Saturday only. Noon and mid-day matinees at Ann Arbor 1 & 2 are
-fer Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday only; matinees at State are for Saturday and Sunday
only.

lar hot or cold beverage that evening
at Espresso Royale. Art Media Room,
University Museum of Art, 525 South
State St. 7:30 p.m. 764-0395.
Stand-Up Comedy Jackie Flynn, the
winner of the San Francisco
International Comedy Competition,
will deliver comedy tinged with sar-
casm. Main Street Comedy
Showcase, 314 East Liberty St. 8:30
p.m. $10. 996-9080.
Friday
CAMPUS CINEMA
Happiness (1998) Todd Solondz's
comic follow-up to "Welcome To The
Dollhouse." Michigan Theater. 603 E.
Liberty. 7 & 9:45 p.m.
Maboroshi (1995) A woman looks for
answers after her husband inexplica-
bly commits suicide. Lorch. 7 p.m.
Free.
Growing Up (1993) A film study of
the conservative character of
Taiwanese women during the seven-
ties. Mandarin with English subtitles.
Aud. A. 8 p.m. Free.
Buffalo 66 (1998) An ex-con kidnaps
a woman so she will play his wife, but
then can't get rid of her because
she's inexplicably fallen in love with
him. Michigan Theater. 603 E.
Liberty. 12:15 a.m.
Welcome To Sarajevo (1997) The
true story of several news correspon-
dents caught in the crossfire of the
siege of Sarajevo. Nat. Sci. 7 & 9 p.m.
$3.
MUSIC
Greg Brown Acoustic midwestern
singer and guitar plucker. 8 p.m. The

Ark, 637 1/2
1451.

South Main St., 761-

Four-Sight Exciting new Jazz quartet
plays two shows at the Bird. 9 p.m.
and 11 p.m. Bird of Paradise, 207
South Ashley St., 662-8310.
Domestic Problems Duel it out once
again. The Blind Pig, 208 South First
St., 764-0450.
Sepultura Brazilian death core at its
finest. 8 p.m. Harpos, 14238 Harper
St., Detroit. (313) 824-1700.
THEATER
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance
Company A construct of atmospheric
mystery with three musical styles,
this dance performance is a thought-
ful journey towards the millennium.
Power Center. 8 p.m. $36-20. (734)-
764-2538.
A Woman's Lot A one-woman show
written and performed by Joanna
Hastings of the Ellipsis Theatre
Ensemble. Building a house serves as
a metaphor for life. Kerrytown
Concert House, 415 N. 4th Ave. 8
p.m. $8. (734)-769-2999.
An Evening With Sheldon Harnick A
musical revue highlighting the most
famous works of Harnick, the lyricist
of "Fiddler on the Roof" and "She
Loves Me." Presented by the music
school's musical theatre department.
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. 7:30
p.m.
Shorties See Thursday. 7 p.m. and 11
p.m.
Avenue X: an a cappella musical See
Thursday. $12 for students, others
$15. 8 p.m.
Boomtown See Thursday. 8 p.m. $25.
Oliver See Thursday. 8 p.m.

as Dan Aykroyd and John Candy.
And like its sister venues, Second
City-Detroit is still bellylaughing.
Celebrating five years next month,
the current cast has been busy
rehearsing for an anniversary show
complete with highlights of their
best shows.
Featuring a cast of seven, the
actors of Second City-Detroit most-
ly hail from the Midwest.
Additionally, the University of
Michigan is well represented with
three alums: Naima Woods, Eric
Black, and Joshua Funk.
"Greetings from Viagra Falls," the
company's most recent show, was
heartily endorsed by one of its cre-
ators and performers, Keegan-
Michael Key, in a recent interview
with The Michigan Daily. "It's a lot
like 'Pulp Fiction' in that each
scene, each sketch, is connected to
one another. Just like the scene in
which Bruce Willis is walking down
the street and he walks out in front
of a car and he looks up and sees
Marcellus Wallace driving it, our
show is connected," Key explained.
"This show is peppered with
moments like that."
Key, a native of Detroit
who joined the cast a
X yearand half ago, is a
classically trained actor.
"I wanted to use another
part of this craft called
acting. I joined Second
City trying to hone my
improvisation skills.
Second City is more
about improvisation
than comedy. I walked
into this experience
expecting to learn, and
I have. I've been ful-
filled from these peo-
pie who I love and
work with," Key said.
As for the improvisa-
tional process, Key
explained that it's not
JA YUGOVICH/Daily just comedy. There are
moments of drama
interspersed with funny
ones. In a sketch that
Key helped create, a
script was never written
down until two weeks
into the performance
schedule. "The director
told us not to write
down anything until
after we'd worked it out
Weekend Magazine Editors:

Keegan-Michael Key (left) and Eric
through improvisation in front
live audience," Key said. "I've
learned to use what you knc
you've never been a carpenter,
try to act like a carpenter."
"Improvisation doesn't move
ward," Key revealed. "It n
backward. It's a reaction to wha
just happened. The modern scho
improv believes that once son
says something clever that y
got to jump up and say some
just as clever. But it's not that
As an improvisational actor, I
to move back to what was just s
and work off of that. The most
rule is that you have it drilled
you that you're reacting."
Larry Campbell, a native
Cadillac, Mich., joined the Se
City-Detroit cast 2 1/2 years ago
living and working in Detroit
actor for five years.
Agreeing with Key in his the
of improv acting, Cam
explained the two levels of imp
sation games. "We take aud
suggestions and we mold them
our own experience. I put my
point of view into it, regardless
funny or not. I try to find some
of communion between my imp
sation and the audience. I want
to say 'Yeah! I've been there.' I
put in a heartfelt amount of
tional situations."
"Improv comes out of
moment. It's truer than anythin
on paper," Campbell said.
always great because you get t
us fail and succeed."

Jessica Eaton

I

a1be #idctiga Ui
WeekedI

Writers: Amy Barber, Carly Blatt, Cortney Dueweke, Sasha Higgins, Suevor
Christopher Tkaczyk, Will Weissert.
Photo Editor: Adriana Yugovich
Photographers: Andi Maio, Kelly McKinnell, Adriana Yugovich
Cover graphic: Second City Touring Company gets a little nasty. Photo courtesy
Arts Editors: Kristin Long and Christopher Tkaczyk.