Sweet Honey in the Rock will perform tonight at Hill Auditorium.
The all-female African American a cappella group, world famous for
its blend of jazz, rhythm & blues and gospel tunes, appears for its
first-ever Ann Arbor performance at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12-$28,
and are available at the UMS Box Office on the first floor of Burton
Memorial Tower. Call 764-2538 for more information.
UIj Licrjiga aIg
Monday in Daily Arts
0 Return from your weekend to catch up on reviews of recent
films, including "Mod Squad" and "EdTV."
Friday
March 26, 1999
5
PS
By Lauren Rice
Daily Arts Writer
Penned by New York playwright Paul
Rudnick, "Jeffrey" graced the silver
screen three years ago. This weekend, it
Arts Weekend celebrates VU
events with Af -w Swhig Dance
N One does not need to be an artist to
appreciate Arts Weekend, running now
through March 28.In celebration of the
festivities, there will be an Afterglow
Swing Dance tonight at the Michigan
League Ballroom, which is free with
proof of participation in the many of the
weekend's events. In order to enter, one
only needs to show a ticket stub, a
museum brochure or a program.
0 This weekend is unique in that it is
packed with not only performing arts,
but also many exhibits and visual expe-
riences.
~ For opera goers, there is Mozart's
"Magic Flute." Music lovers can enjoy
the evening with Sweet Honey in the
Rock, a well-known a cappella group
that performs a wide range of music
pieces, including jazz, blues and gospel.
t/ During the Pow-Wow at Crisler Arena,
dancers of all ages perform social
dances and compete, while Native
American artists display and sell their
finest arts and crafts.
/ The Residential college presents Kate
Bornstein, an award-winning playwright,
author and performance artist.
Bornstein will be performing dramatic
dialogue, slam poetry, and an interactive,
lecture on gender roles.
~ Many exhibits and events are free,
such as the galleries of the University
Museum of Art, the Kelsey, the RC, and
the Media Union.
~ The Afterglow Dance includes an hour
of swing dance lessons, and then an"
open dance floor with DJ Del Villarreal to
practice all of the new moves, and enjoy
ice cream sundaes.
- Julie Munjack
Musket checkmates
3f :f
Jeff rey
Arena Theater
Tonight at 11
Tomorrow at 7
and 11 p.m.
comes to the
Arena Theater
stage to entertain
and educate.
The propaga-
tion of the pan-
demic known as
AIDS propels the
main character,
Jeffrey, to forgo
sex in favor of a
risk - averse
lifestyle. This
seemingly simple
strategy becomes
muddled when he
man who happens
In their knickers, the cast of "Jeffrey" sparks interest.
By Leah Zaiger
Daily Arts Writer
Kings and queens and bishops too
- "Chess" is a game, a love triangle
and a tangled web where every move
counts. The musical is a complex
story of romance, politics and the con-
troversies of the cold war against the
drama of a chess match for the inter-
national title..
Set to music written by Benny
Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of the
'70s disco group Abba, Tim Rice's
lyrics come to life. "Chess" features
the hit number,
"One Night in
Bangkok".
American
Chess world champion
Freddie Trumper
Power Center (Grant Linsell),
Tonight and tomorrow and Florence
at 8 p.m. Vassey (Joanna
Wasick), are in
Bangkok to
defend his title
against Russian
challenger
A n a t o t y
S ergi ev sky
(Music junior Brad Lee Whitfield)
and his second Ivan Molokov (Tommy
Ryan). As the confident Americans
ensue and things between Florence
and Freddie begin to fall apart, With
sneak attacks, attempts at reconcilia-
tion and further belligerence by both
parties, Florence suddenly ends up in
the arms of the opponent, Anatoly. As
Freddie discovers the situation, an
intense story of love and anger
unfolds.
Directed by Music senior Francine
Liebling and choreographed by
Joshua Major and Abigail Bowen, the
28-member cast is an eclectic bunch,
comprised of only six Music concen-
trators. The rest are drawn from the
many academic areas of the
University.
This version of "Chess" is taken
from the original London script,
which was more successful than the
Broadway production. With a little
revision, and song re-ordering,
Liebling's goal was to make the con-
fusing story clear and help to fulfill its
potential as an artistic piece.
"It's not an everyday musical,"
Liebling said. "It's about cold war,
tension and suspicion ... a love story
about espionage, and intrigue."
Tickets for "Chess" are $7 for stu-
dents, $12for adults, and can be
purchased from the League Ticket
Office. Call 764-0450 for more
information.
Jeffrey with a choice: Love or life? It is
this ironic twist of events which hurls
him on his path of self-discovery as he
wrestles with his predicament. Along the
way, he runs into a few peculiar individ-
uals who all share one common senti-
ment - no matter what may happen,
you must keep living and loving.
Director Jeremy Davis discards the
notion that this is a tear-jerker. "Nothing
is sacred, and that is the way in which
Rudnick intended it to be, he said. "We
try to stay true to that throughout the per-
formance." Humor has replaced despair
in the battle against sorrow.
As Jeffrey's subsequent onset of
depression begins to overwhelm him, he
finds plenty of helping hands along the
way. Each person reassures him that
despite the curve balls which life throws
his way, he can still laugh. Jeffrey's mes-
sage is universal, transcending gender
and sexual preference. Davis'adds, "The
play doesn't take itself seriously, it's
quite simply hilarious, and life-affirma-
tive."
Davis credits the success of the show,
in part, to the extremely talented cast.
"What adds to the success of Jeffrey is
the eagerness with which the actors tack-
le the material," Davis said. "They are
willing to take risks and experiment with
certain aspects which all enhance the
performance."
falls for a wonderful
to be HIV-positive.
This unfortunate dilemma poses
A cappelia
ef
4oamaze
tonight
By Julie Munjack
Daily Arts Writer
Tonight, the University's oldest co-
ed a cappella singing ensemble is pre-
senting its annual spring concert.
Amazin' Blue, the University's old-
* a cappella group, is a melting pot
of students, ideas and destinations.
The 13-member ensemble represents
students from the School of Music,
School of Engineering, and College
of Literature, Science and the Arts.
The nationally acclaimed group
has received many honors for both
recording and performance. From
their new CD last August, the group's
rformance of"Crazy Love" by Van
'orrison was nominated for the
"Best Collegiate Arrangement"
The group was also one of six final-
ists in the nation to compete at the
finals of the "National Championship
of College A Cappella" held in*
Carnegie Hall last May.
The concert will include a wide
variety of popular music, ranging
from Lauryn Hill to the Bare Naked
Ladies and Fiona Apple. Representing
most every genre, Amazin' Blue sat-
ies a wide range of listeners.
Music sophomore Car Curtiss
believes that the goal ofAmazin' Blue
is to, "strive to perform to the best of
our abilities on and off stage."
According to Curtiss, in order to
achieve this goal, they must "push to
the fullest extent of their musical abil-
ities" Curtiss said.
Amazin' Blue member, Matt Salter
lieves that the group's commitment
o making the best music possible sets
them apart from other a cappella
groups. "We have become a family
through our commitment and shared
passion for music," Salter said.
Amazin'Blue will perform tonight at
Rackham Auditorium at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $6 and can be purchased
Jom the Michigan Union Ticket
Ofice. Call 764-TKTS.
face their opposition,
complications
DJs to spin ghetto tech 'From Tha D'
By Jason Birchmeier
Daily Arts Writer
This weekend's "Comin From Tha D"
record release party promises to shake up
Detroit's techno scene. Saturday night's
lineup of DJs, many
with connections to the
University, makes it
arguably the most
Comin From promising Detroit-area
Tha D techno party so far this
Detroit year.
Saturdayat10 p.m. Of the 16 artists
appearing in multiple
rooms throughout the
night, three have ties to
the University. First-
year student David
SShayman (Disco D)
and LSA senior Carlos
Souffront will spin
records while longtime WCBN (88.3 FM)
celebrity Brendan M. Gillen performs live
as Ectomorph.
The difficulties of reproducing the com-
plexities of techno music make live techno
performances rare in Detroit. A few others,
including DJ Godfather, will join Gillen to
reproduce his style of techno, self-
described as "dark, electronic, funky music.
Not so much science fiction but more
inward-oriented, more mental." Gillen's
output as Ectomorph has been released on
his Ann Arbor-based record label,
Interdimensional Transmissions, since
1994.
"Live shows are really my forte," Gillen
said. "I've done probably about over 40
around the globe. It's very performance ori-
ented. It's 100 percent live, 100 percent
analog."
The party, hosted by Intuit-Solar
Productions, serves as not only entertain-
ment but also to promote its upcoming
release "Comin From Tha D," a compilation
of tracks by a variety of local artists. Each
of the featured performers composed a
"ghetto tech" style track for the record.
The term "ghetto tech" describes a new
style of electronic music currently being
embraced by Detroit techoheads. "Basically
it's the Detroit version of the cross between
electro bass, hip-hop and Chicago house,"
Gillen explained. "That's ghetto tech
because it's ghetto music but it has a lot
more techno influences because Detroit's a
techno city."
"Basically, techno reached a point of
stagnation and everybody who loves the
music had to figure out a way for it to go
forward," Gillen continued. "There's a lot
of different solutions to that. How do we
bring the funk back into the music? There's
a lot of different solutions to this. Making
techno more funky can go a lot of different
ways. That could become jungle, electro,
house or hip-hop produced by a techno
artist. There's a lot of different ways to
interpret how the funk comes in. This CD
is a collection of that idea."
Shayman, who as Disco D spins "ghetto
tech, straight up," commented on the hype
surrounding the party and the current ghet-
to tech movement in Detroit. "There is
going to be a photographer from Details
there taking pictures of me, DJ Godfather
and DJ Assault for an article in the June
issue," he said.
Those interested in the current ghetto
tech movement or electronic music in gen-
eral should check out Gillen and
Souffront's shows on WCBN (88.3 FM).
Every Thursday night from 10 to 11 p.m.,
the two DJs host "Expansions," an hour of
music interspersed with educational content
on the music. Then from I I p.m. to I a.m.,
during "Crush Collision," they spin a con-
tinuous DJ mix of various electronic music.
The shows are also broadcast on the World
Wide Web (www wcbn.org).
The location will be announced on
Saturday. For information and tickets
call the info line at (248) 975-8773.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN
courtesy of Bob Berg
Los Angeles band System of a Down is one of those
rare bands that is able to get away with mixing heavi-
ness and cartoon-like outburst successfully. It is also a
band that manages to vocalize its political beliefs with-
out sounding preachy.
System of a Down will appear tonight at Harpo's in
Detroit at 8 p.m. Daily Arts is giving away cassettes
featuring the band's singles "Suite-Pee" and
"P.L.U.C.K."
Come to the Daily office, located in the Student
Publications Building at 420 Maynard St., today to pick
up a cassette and to enter a drawing to receive a lim-
ited edition System of a Down poster. The winner of the
poster will be notified by e-mail.
U of M School of Music ®JDept. of Theatre & Drama
a new play by Dennis E. North
A young couple on the brink of disaster
finds new hope in an orphan from the east.
April 1-3, 8-10 at 8pm+fApril 4 & 11 at 2pm+fTrueblood Theatre
General Admission $14+f Students $7 with ID+ League Ticket Office
For tickets call (734) 764-0450
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