10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 29, 2000
'Fabulous' production
sets the story straight
with look at love
By Jenny Jeltes little fleshy thing' and Steve exclaims:
For the Daily "And we're both huge and you're just
jealous because you wish you had a
Could biblical creation and the life fleshy, humongous thing!" This is
experiences of human beings be told bound to make the audience laugh,
effectively from a gay/lesbian perspec- On a more serious level, however, a
tive? This complex and controversial lot of this show effectively touches
question isstrongly emphasized in "The upon more personal issues. Is there a
Most Fabulous Story Ever Told," writ- God? Steve is not so sure: "I will not
ten by Paul Rutnick. It takes a radical believe in something I cannot see or
view of the issues --religion, sexuality, smell or touch." Adam replies, "Well,
relationships - most commonly dealt you believe in love." Throughout the
with in one's life and portrays these show, these characters struggle to find
struggles in the who they are, why the're here, and what
most hilarious it all really means. Actress Toni Trucks
The Most yet poignant way. said, "The script is so well-written that
Fabulous Story Let's begin by the time you stop laughing, you real-
with Adam and ize that you've really learned some-
Ever Told Steve. Or how thing."
Arena Theatre about Jane and Taking the audience back to the
Tonit and tomorrow Mable? In "The first few days of the Creation, one
atse.m. Most Fabulous can learn of the experiences of these
Story Ever Told," characters and how they come to
the origin of affect their everyday living. For
humanity begins example, what were Adam and Steve
not with Adam to do in the Garden of Eden? One
and Eve, accord- must wonder what implications their
ing to the Holy decisions will have on their livesjust
Bible, but with these characters instead. as everyone else is faced with diffi-
Steve can't help but notice the anatomi- cult decisions and encounters
cal differences between he and Jane. throughout their own lives. The
Jane expresses her disgust over Steve's important question that this play
ARTS
PUMPKINS A SMASH ON MP3
When a man loves a woman? Not this show.
addresses is how all creatures of this
Earth are to live in harmony with one
another despite the numerous differ-
ences in beliefs, customs and atti-
tudes that each holds. Actor Nich
Kauffman said, "Being a gay man
and being in this play allows me to
have a voice in this community. Hav-
ing this show allows people to see
that homosexuality parallels hetero-
sexuality. Who you love is who you
love. The struggles are the same."
This play is far from maintaining a
constant atmosphere of peace and
harmony throughout, however. There
are a number of qtite shocking situa-
tions dealing with nudity, childbirth
and Mormonism. According to
actress Lauren Molina, "The audience
needs to be prepared for a shock
value. At the same time, it will be
very new and refreshing for the audi-
ence. It will be something they've
never seen before."
By Ben Whetsell
For the Daily
On Sept. 8, the Smashing Pump-
kins released Machina I: lthe fi'iends
and enemies of modern music in MP3
forrnat over the internet. The brain-
child of guitarist/vocalist extraordi-
naire Billy Corgan, the Smashing
Pumpkins announced in May that
they would break up at the end of this
year after 10 years at the top of the
alt e r n at i ve
scene.
This album,
Grade: A- released on
Corgan's own
Smashing Constantinople
Pumpkins Records, is the
Machina :II the band's farewell
friends andenemies tribute to the
of modest music fans. A state-
ment from the
Available on MP3 S m a s h i n g
Pumpkins Fan
Club website
describes that Corgan distributed 25
sets of Machina1 / LPs to close
friends and encouraged them to
spread the music ott the internet.
The new album contains some of
the best Pumpkins material to date
and easily one-ups Machina: the
machines of God, their previous
effort. The sound of the album, ott the
whole, floats somewhere in between
the menacing guitars and bluesy
vocals of Gish, the Pumpkins's first
album, and the fuzzy distortion and
reverbgrating drum treatments of
There Is a God" brings John Lennon's
"Imagine'' to mind.
The only text that accompanies the
albumt is a plains typed page entitled
"ch5!the story of june (so far),' which
presents richly suggestive Smashing
Pumpkins imagery and thinly veiled
references to earlier songs. Besides4
this text, the album sleeve features
dramatic black and white photos of
urban scenes, and the album cover
itself presents repeating prints of tiny
white icons over a black background.
Corgan's unorthodox release
method has been extremely successful
- the songs have spread over the
internet like a wildfire. All the sottgs
are available on Napster: additionally,
the Smashing Pumpkins Fan Club
website (s'i' ..S/ .c) trtfeatures a4
extensive list of cyber-Pumpkinheads
who have devoted their sites to t5e
distribution of the new music.
Que sera sera, Billy, que sersera.
Machina. Compared to te first
Machina, it seems as if the stashing
Pumpkins have relaxed thr isnsis-
tence upon art and emotion ifavor of
the pure joy of rock 'n roll.
The first three tracks sliecase the
Pumpkins in -all of their lrd-edged
glory. Machina H then segis into the
lush chords of "Real Los" and the
mellow vocals of guitaristames lisa
in "Go" "Let Me Give th World to
You," an Adore outtake, feaures some
of Billy Corgan's most mcing lyrics,
while "Innosence" feature an apreg-
giated piano riff that'ivals the
"Cheer's" theme for snsforting
effect.
The album then take,. urn for the
heavy before ending i te synthe-
sized ease of the last vo tracks. As
for the three EPs, the sosu are for the
most part heavy, slow, ad quite good.
"Soul Power," a James3town coves,
stands out from the sesfor its drive;
and the minimalist vtsion of "If
Carpenter displays arti
By Jee Chang
Daily arts riter
We think because the majority of
the university's campus is called "cess-
tral campus, is should be the center of
our attention.
This is far from
true. North cam-
Kayb pus may be too
Carpenter artsy for some,
but is should be
Warren Robin Center recognized for
Through Sept. 30 the outpour of
artistic talent
that surrounds
the area. On the
second floor of
the Art and
A r c hi tec ture
building the art school ves graduate
art students an opportu y to display
their work in the Robin Mrren Ce'nter.
This month's featured artt, Kayb Car-
penter, takes on the chalge to trans-
form a bare gallery room sto a sacred
and spiritually uplifting si-e.
Entering the exhibit, yoare imme-
diately bathed with the scets of burns
ing Frankin incense (usetfor prayer
and meditation in churchesand white
lilies - creating a Zen lie atmos-
phere. With mounds of sangcovering
the floor, a sky of sewn bile pages
chanting above, and a large )ite robe'
with inscribed red Hebrewwritingt
hanging in the center of theallery,
Carpenter makes viewers awse that
they have entered a room emedded
svith personal value and meanin,
Ip North
Carpenter received a B.A. in Reli-
gion and is studying to be a liturgical
artist (one who does artwork for tem-
ples, synagogues and churches): She
realized how art had become a "com-
modity market,' and feels that liftsrgi-
cal art is more appreciated and "M
personal." She carries over this belief
in her exhibit, using the main room to
bridge a connection between twosub-
jects personal to her - Judeois nd
Christianity. Carpenter's exhibit is
filled with overlapping religious m-
bolitsm. The use of numerology issne
of many ways she shows religious;ig-
nificance. She uses four walls to repre-
sent four directions, four seasons, and
three sets of lilies in red water vials'
signify the trinity): four tirnes thW
edtuals twelve, which represents the 12
tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles
There are three sets of salt mounds
'g'ainst earls wail as a senssnder oi
whet Chi st told ithe Apostle s to be
-salt of the earth," and twelve mounds
of sand that symbolize God's promsise
and the foundation of the Jewish faith.
In the second half of the room, tar-
penter displays her sculptures of
uses as well as a small collection
pencil drawings. Her work is delicate
and soft. The mood of the entrance
caies over to the rest of the exhibit.
(including "Brazilian Bikini Wax")
Arbor Iills Hair & Budy' Salos
2295 S. State Street
Call 913-5557
to schedule i an appointment
Close to Campus
Free Parking
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