0 The author of "The Book of Ruth" will appear at Borders. Hamilton will be signing copies of her new book, "The Short History of a Prince." 7:30 p.m. 8 Wednesday March 24, 1999 Utie £icui~m taitE Tomorrow in Daily Arts: * Weekend, Etc. magazine looks at a popular college drink, the 40 ounce beer. 9. A 'Flute' presents Mozart in English 'It's like, you know' ' very watchable ... By Jeff Druchniak Daily Arts Writer The question of one person's fondness or abhorrence for opera is about as sub- jective as it gets. However, the School of Music is by no means sitting back and leaving audience response to chance when it comes to this year's Spring Opera. The work The Magic Flute Mendelssohn Theatre March 25-28 chosen for this week- end's production at the Mendelssohn is "The Magic Flute," one of the all-time audience favorites and the masterpiece of Mozart's career as a composer. The School of Music has enlisted Kenneth Kiesler as the opera's musical director. Kiesler, who tradi- ts the University new orchestra, the 38-piece University Philharmonic. "Perhaps this is a chal- lenge with any Mozart" piece, Kiesler said, "But you have to get everyone on the same page, stylistically." "Over the course of 200 years, so many different approaches have sprung up to deal with Mozart's music;' Kiesler said. He is seeking to attain a more basic interpretation of the score, without the adornments that have curried popularity with Mozart's many interpreters. This is in keeping with the artistic plan for all aspects of the production. Staged by Joshua Major on a minimalist, abstract set, the burden of the perfor- mances will rest squarely with the 40 singers, graduate and undergrad stu- dents, in the cast, as well as the students in the Philharmonic. "The Magic Flute" is essentially a comedy, although it contains many more serious themes and elevated moments. It essentially follows the quest of the heroic, intellectual Prince Tamino, along with his earthy compan- ion Papageno, to rescue the beautiful princess from the. captivity of the High Priest. Tamino embarks on this adven- ture to prove his love for the princess to her mother, the Queen of the Night. Kiesler has conducted a wide range of By Erin Podolsky Daily Arts Writer In the year since the departure of "Seinfeld" from the airwaves - and even before it ever went off the air - several shows have tried out the "Seinfeld" format in the hopes that viewers wouldn't notice the copycat syndrome if they called the George character, say, Duncan, or set the sit- com in Anytown, USA. Each of those derivative shows has failed because they haven't understood or taken the elements that made "Seinfeld" great and made them their own. Until now. At last there is a wor- thy heir to the "Seinfeld" throne without being terribly overt or unbearable, and wonder of all won- ders, it's like, you know, set on the opposite side of the country, nay, the Courtesy ofDavidSmith Photography Rebekah Nye and Michael Ryan star in "The Magic Flute." operas, as well as other works by Mozart, but this is his first Mozart opera since his graduate student days. "Mozart has ways of telling you what he means, (through) hidden mes- sages," he explained. "Over time, you grow sensitive to them ... (and) come to realize that every note he ever wrote is operatic." With an obvious relish for the time he has spent working with this opera, Kiesler is nonetheless frank about the more practical demands of his job. He emphasized the blending of many cre- ative perspectives in operatic interpre- tation. ' These include those of Kiesler, Major, the singers in the cast, scenic designer Gary Decker, costume designer Lisa Parkel (a Uniwrsity graduate student), and lighting designer Justin Burleson, an undergrad theatre major. "In the end, an opera is the compos- ite of all these views put together," Kiesler concluded. Tickets for "The Magic Flute " are $18 and $14 or $7/br students (limit 2per ID), and are available at the League Ticket 4fjice. For more info, call (734) 764-0450. tionally conduc Symphony Orchestra in the Fall Opera, is handling the spring production at the special request of Music Dean Paul Boylan. As a result, Kiesler has had to develop a working relationship with an entirely ,33 it's like, you know ... ABC Tonight at 8:30 universe: La La land. "it's like, you know..." is the creation of Peter Mehlman, a former "Seinfeld" cre- ative dude and, as told through the eyes of transplanted New Yorker Arthur (Chris Eigeman), does for L.A. what "Seinfeld" did trying to suavely gain her affection after discovering that she is a regular part of Robbie's crew as Shrug's pe sonal masseuse. The wild card in all of this that allows "it's like, you know..." t4 avoid the "Seinfeld" gang syndrome is the addition of a slim wacky neighbor. But the term "wacky neighbor" automatically makes the show stereotypical, you protest. Not- so, young grasshoppers. The wacky neighbor is none other than Jennifer Grey playing...Jennifer Grey! That* right, the very same girl who dirty danced her way to the box office and threatened Charlie Sheen's testicles if he mentioned her brother is back, from oblivion. In the ultimate twist, Grey plays herself in an essentially autobiographical role as an actress unable to get work after a face-alter-, ing nose-job. Arthur finds himself unable to, fathom the levels of ennui that the-. natives call an active life, spending much of his time up in arms over such L.A. quirks as the entire city, grinding to a halt to watch a highs speed chase or expressing disbelief- over the effectiveness of an "amnesi- ologist" that Shrug sees to forget bad memories. These plots take over entire episodes after the pilot in an engaging fashion; the opening episode itself manages to avoii mechanical introductions of charac ter. The cast spits out the speedball dialogue like it's second nature. Thee bitingly sarcastic tone that Eigeman perfected in his work in Whit Stillman's films ("Metropolitan") is a perfect contrast to the lackadaisical mentality of the Californians, while Langer's "attention surplus disorder" nonstop chatter fills scenes with a buoyancy long missing on televisior The only slight distraction in the show is Grey herself - her appear ance is pinch-worthy. "it's like, you know..." is proof that, just because a show is a midseason- replacement doesn't mean that it's middling. It's a show that will have you laughing out loud at the absurd reality that pretends to be normal in the fake plastic world of Los Angeles. Share Arthur's indignar New Yorker disbelief, envy Shrug's shiny pate and wallet, or just boggle, at Grey's attempt to reinvent and poke fun at herself. Just like, you know, watch it. All Stars bring klezmer groove to ther By Chris Kula Daily Arts Writer If klezmer is the traditional Jewish music of celebra- tion, then the version of this style played by the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars would be the soundtrack to an after hours, Mardi Gras-style drunken blowout. Perhaps the only band that can inspire rabbis to dance with prep- school hippies and elderly jazz New Orleans cats to groove alongside small New Or .s children, the All Stars are at the Klezmer All Stars The Ark Tonight at 7:30 liaiy bass, bright rhythms. foreground of a modern rejuve- nation of the age-old Yiddish genre. In the eight years since the band's formation, it has created a high-energy sound that equally blends Old-World flavor with modern jazz-funk elements. Swirling clarinet and saxophone melodies skitter above a founda- tion of neo-gypsy guitar, swamp- accordion and shifty second-line music," accordion player Glenn Hartman said. "I mean, the last thing in our minds was that this was how we'd be making our livings." Presently, though, the band is a full-time career for its six members - and a rewarding profession at that. The Allstars have released four recordings, and their newest effort, "Fresh Out the Past" on the Shanachie label, is an invigorating collection of original klezmer composi- tions. "I've been quite proud lately," Hartman said. "1 real- ly love this new record." And the Allstars have a formidable list of accom- plishments worthy of self-satisfaction. They've become mainstays at some of the nation's most prestigious musical gatherings, including the High Sierra Music Fest, the H.O.R.D.E tour and Ann Arbor's own Jazz and Blues Festival. The band was given the Big Easy Award for best world music group in 1997, and it won the envi- able Best Crowd Participation prize for two straight years at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest. "I love the fact that we do well in New Orleans, which is a town where if you do well, it means you've definitely got something going on," Hartman said. In fact, the band's Crescent City origins have meant a tremendous amount to its current success. "I don't think we'd be the band that we are today if it wasn't for New Orleans," Hartman said. "People down there really love live music, and they expect to hear good, original music. Therefore, you have the opportu- nity to develop as a live band" In a city that thrives on nightly performance, weekly gigs give up-and-comers like the Allstars the chance to stretch out on-stage. "You have the whole night to play music, so you play from 10 until two in the morning," Hartman said. "You have to learn how to stretch yrur repertoire, you have to learn how to jam and you have to learn how to make the people dance." "And eventually it gets to about one in the morning and it doesn't matter if you're playing Yiddish music over funk grooves, because everyone's already drunk," Hartman said with a laugh. New Orleans playing connections also led to the band's past recording collaborations with drummers "Mean" Willie Green of the Neville Brothers and Stanton Moore of Galactic. "That just wouldn't happen in another city," I lartman said. And perhaps the most refreshing aspect of the Allstars is their true passion for the music. "It wasn't like Let's try to twist this music in a new kind of way,"' Hartman said. "This mix of styles -- it all just happened so naturally, which is why I think it sounds so real. You know. the energy is just real." for New York. Arthur is a magazine writer work- ing on a book about his hatred of Los Angeles and has moved into his best friend Robbie's residence for two months. Robbie's home is actually the guest house of a bald-headed guy named Shrug, his second best friend and "Trustafarian" - he never has and never will have to work a day in his life thanks to his trust fund. Robbie, on the other hand, has worked at least three days in his loafer's life, having made millions off a scheme he calls "pay-per-Jew" that telecasts Jewish High Holidays services for much less than the cost of a ticket to synagogue. On the plane to L.A., self-con- fessed hypochondriac Arthur is seat- ed next to a bubbly masseuse/ process server/chiropractic student named Lauren (the radiantly enter- taining A.J. Langer). He and his sar- donic "I hate L.A." wit fall hard for her, and he spends much of his time In other words, it's not your average Sunday after- noon walk through the musical park. '(The band) came together out of an interest in the I Oscar fashions offer yet another lesson in award politics Whether you agree or disagree with the winning Oscar recipients, Sunday night's awards ceremony was an event not to be missed. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in its infinite wisdom, bestowed honors on the actors, directors, and other artists involved in cre- ating what the A c a d e m y deemed to be the best of the year's best films. The Oscars represent more than talent, how- ever. They repre- sent more than creativity. They even represent more than the politics and campaigning of the nominees. They represent the hottest fashion trends of the year. A disclaimer for this column: I admittedly have no fashion sense. None whatsoever. I've had the same sense of style since high school - that is, if I'm not wearing comfortable jeans and a sweater, I'm not happy. The whole idea of formalwear baffles me. For exactly that reason, I was per- plexed by the way the media focused on what everyone was wearing to the awards ceremony. As an example, look at the official Oscar Website (wwwoscar.com). The Website's second option, below the list of winners, is "Red Carpet Arrivals: Oscar Fashion," where the site boasts that "an all-encompassing report will complete another year of gorgeous, glamorous, global fashion!" The official pre-show, hosted by Geena Davis, also spent a great deal of time on the fashions of the event (in between the segments on the nom- inee selection process and how Oscar is transported to the awards ceremo- ny). And a notable amount of the other media coverage included two articles - a report of the award-win- ners and a report of the best-dressed. Really, who cares'? Yes, everyone looked nice. And yes, there were some outfits that were very original, and some that were just very ugly. But Sunday night, Gwyneth's pink dress and the masses of diamonds appearing around every woman's neck were not about personal taste or style. Every choice was made with the intent of setting a trend - or at least keeping off the supermarket tabloids' "worst-dressed" lists. In that sense, the Oscars are com- pletely about politics, in fashion as well as in everything else. The design- ers who create the one-of-a-kind out- fits and the celebrities who wear them are all competing to capture "that look," the appearance that will be admired (and copied) this season by fashion buffs around the world. Personal style is not as important as being one of the "beautiful people" who set the trends, and many of the camera-ready Oscar attendees will do anything for that privilege. This is yet another item to add to my list of reasons why I was delight- ed by Roberto Benigni's appearance at the Oscars. His uncontrolled exu- berance (such as when he climbed over the rows of seats to reach to stage when "Life Is Beautiful" won Best Foreign Film) and apparent joy "just to be nominated" represented what the awards really mean. It's not about making an appearance or creat- ing a trend. It's about filmmakers looking and feeling their best, and being proud of their achievements in, the field. I admit, on the off chance that someday attend the Academy Awarea I will not appear in my jeans. But I will refuse to wear anything pink, anything with sequins, or anything that weighs more than 10 pounds. And, fortunately or unfortunately, that probably means that you'll never see me highlighted on any Oscar pre- show. But maybe that's ok ... I really don't care what Geena Davis thinks of my appearance, anyway. EM Travel Council on International Educational Exchatuge 1218 South University Ave. Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Phone: 734-998-0200 Jessica Eaton State of the arts Rejd the Daily when you're not on campus! See us online at www.michigandaily.com CPP sneet esuce. eJobs *Internships *Graduate School Information CP&P's newest resource.. Computer Resource Advising IW} 4 4U,". .............. .............. .............. U Qt- .C- P. Pi 'ai amuiiizeVdJIV..rIIesurces.