mm" jtout bout of trivia... v Fancy a bit of trivia with your alcohol.' Check out Conor O'Neill's Pub Qui:, every Monday from 9-11:30. Pri:es. Conor O'Neill's, 318S. Main. $5'team fee. 665-2968. Akfliclitmttn ,01 MONDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2000 michigandaily.com /arts 'Breakdown' and journey to Detroit: Second City's newest effort By Jaimie Winkler Daily Arts Wrter DETROIT - More volume, new plush red seats, new cast members, changed format, new jokes ... and yay! They're funny! Second City Detroit's new show "19th Nervous Breakdown" is their funniest in a long time -it's 19th Nervous Breakdown Second City hysterical. Not only did audi- ence members laugh, the unexpected jokes echoed throughout the house in the audience's gasps and whis- pers. Named to mark their 19th show, "Breakdown" deviates from the audience-participa- tion formats common in the past. Instead of spontaneous skits, the show (which is pre- viewed in full during the opening number) uses a full script segmented into uncon- nected scenes and incorpo- brought in from the Second City Touring Company. "Breakdown's" skits are quirky and exaggerat- ed. Of course, they utilize the most current news events and never miss an opportunity to throw in a poke at Firestone and Ford Motor Co. But they also include some old standards such as a nod to the "trigger-happy" Detroit Police Department. The script also ties things together with cameos from former characters, the preview and repeating phrases and jokes throughout the two-hour show. The incredibly imaginative cast members, who double as writers, bring some bizarre ideas to the stage. They must have sat around and said "Would people laugh if we crossed this and this?" The answer: Yes, they will and they did. Here's a taste, jlust a small taste, of what they offer: Combined sports casting and great nioments in history. Key. Hanley and Warzecha take a journey through the Roman Coliseum games, Christopher Columbus' voyage to the New World and old Southern slavery providing LSPN-style commen- tary and interview along the way. Home-schooling at its worst. McKay shines as the home-school teacher. Mr. Miller. Miller catches his habitual school-skipping son, played by Warzecha, doing - what else - skipping school and condemns him to home schooling. McKay's acting skills come in handy as he takes on the interacting roles of anthropology teacher, coach, principal and Dad in the home school. The school has its own song and a student population of one. Warzecha, out of breath from running 10 miles, says, "Maybe I'm a little exhausted from being on every team in this school!" Humans become inanimate objects. The Second City cast members again find inter- esting ways to contort themselves. Not only do they create hip-hop dance routines using mimed movements, but they build set pieces using their bodies. This time they play vending machines. Which body part does the candy come from? Other skits include loneliness of the grip reaper, Notorious OB/GYN, "friendly" neighbor rivalry, growing up in the suburbs on the outskirts of the hood -- and they even find ways to make fun of themselves as actors. They even give a shout out to the grotesquely pop- ular song "Who let the dogs out?" Leaving us to wonder: Who let them out? -'19th Nev'ous Breakdown " is now plaring at Second (Cite in Detroit locatcl near Comerica Park. Tickets ffd.-Thiwis are SI7.50 and Fri-Sat. 519.50. ieir Nov 22, 'hdnesdai' tickets are S0. Call/248-645- 0666fnr more tickets aid directions. es more dance and song than previously. The cast veterans Keegan-Michael Key, Antione McKay, Maribeth Monroe and Marc Warzecha seem brightened by the presence of two funny new faces: Kirk Hanley and Cheri Johnson, both Courtesy of Second City Detroit Keegan-Michael Key, Maribeth Monroe and Kirk Hanley know their Detroit comedy. 'EVITA' RISES TO POWER AT 'U' flair, French spark MUSKET production at Power Center y Rachel achrch or the Daily "Evita'" an opera from Andrew Lloyd gebber, the man responsible for such antastic musicals as "The Phantom of he Opera" and "Cats," arrived just in ite for the political drama of the presi- jial campaign. Evita Power Center Although these two may have nothing in common, they both remind us of the tremendous attention that politicians receive. Set in the 1940's, Evita is a woman who strug- gles as a child because of poverty and family loss. As she grows older, Evita realizes she has to get out of her shabby home and move to where it's at: Buenos Aires. As she transforms from dancer to actress, she uses people -- especially men -to move up in the world and in the mean- time create a name for herself. Finally Evita meets Juan Peron, who becomes the first elected president of Argentina. As First Lady, she plays a pivotal role in her husband's political life. Evita helps the poor and travels through Europe try- ing to gain support for her people of Argentina. Near the end, as she decides to run for Vice-President, Evita is struck with cancer and dies at the age of 34. Done with Webber's music and Tim Rice's lyrics, the musical tries to convey the emotions of the citizens and of their beloved leader, Evita. Playing Evita was Monique French. She grows throughout the play, along with her character. From an ambitious 15-year old to an estab- lished First Lady, French portrayed the transition well. At times, French's voice seemed to have been hidden by the orchestra, which hindered her perfor- mance a little. 11er renditions of "Buenos Aires" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" were well sung and really showed her ability to act. Carrying the musical was Eric Blair. Blair played Che, the narrator of the story, who was a young, communist citi- zen that criticized the Perons - especial- ly Evita. Blair knew his character and was the only one to bring out the rock, which is how Webber and Rice wrote it at first. IHis voice soared above the rest and his charisma on stage is truly a gift. "High Flying Adored" and "Oh What a Circus" could not have been any better, all because of Blair's extraordinary range and talent. Blair helped this sometimes dull musical stay alive. An especially surprising performance was by Kristy Hanson, who played Peron's mistress. Her only song was "Another Suitcase" and it was beautifully sung by her soft but powerful voice. Hanson's timid character matched with her remarkable sound had many in the audience breathless. Juan Peron, played by Bob Conley, had a great voice that matched well with French's. In almost every production of "Evita" Juan Peron is played stiff and almost emotionless. Conley portrayed Peron in this manner, and it was only until the end that the audi- ence finally saw some feeling from Peron. I was waiting to see Peron's con- niving side, but this was not quite ful- filled. Conley had the voice to do it, but was too stiff to be conniving. The only disappointment was the end- ing. Webber's "Montage" was not the cul- mination of Evita's life or in' remem- brance of her legacy. Webber is known for those one or two amazing songs, but then a lot of reprises. The ending could have been stronger, yet the cast as a whole was a great ensemble. The chore- ography, done by Blair, was fun and gave liveliness to the play. When the cast sang Courtesy ot MUSKET The dance-happy ensemble cast of "Evita" benefitted from the efficient, engaging choreography of Eric Blair. the big numbers like "A New Argentina, their voices harmonized wonderfully and their stage presence could not have been more professional. Director Justin Miller wanted to create more of a modern feel by portraying a rock-concert environment. With the help of the steel set, colorful lighting and Blair's choreography, the musical cap- tures what Webber and Rice hoped to achieve when writing a rock opera. Nov. 4, 200 ti V }p I I Another valuable lesson 14 74 learned from Hollywood: I4 a nw i i i i i i I - I Dylan of old rocked like new at Hill hristian Hoard Arts WNiter At 59, Bob Dylan seems more comfortable than ever with his atus as a cultural icon, more comfortable in the public eye and appier than ever to expose his music to the masses. And he still knows how to put on a good show, too. With the elp of his rock-solid backing band, Dylan sounded fresh and vely (for an old guy, that is) never missing a beat while tearing irough 19 songs in a set that lasted a full two hours. Dressed in all black, his curly hair parted down the middle, *n looked like a new-age cowboy who's seen it all, and his ice matched his ultra-haggard appearance, raspily grinding ut each half-intelligible syllable. Of course, Dylan's performances (and especially his singing) ve never been about beauty but about delivery, and Dylan's ilivery last night was solid if not spectacular. After all (and this n't be said for every Dylan concert), the man looked like he rnted to be there and sang like it too, as he seemed to deliver little something extra - like the way he half-growled as he ng "Highway 61" or the three (count 'em, three) guitar solos "Desolation Row"'-throughout the night. nsidering that Dylan is used to playing arenas and amp- itheaters with two or three times the capacity of Hill Auditorium, the show had an especially warm, intimate feel about it. Dylan and his band acknowledged that vibe by beginning with an "unplugged" set of six acoustic songs highlighted by "Mama You Been on My Mind," a live rarity, and a jammed-out "Tangled Up in Blue," on which Dylan shuffled around the stage, nodding to his band mates as he pounded out solos. Dylan went electric for "Country Pie," a fine, bluesy rock- et, and stayed electric for the rest of the show. Though the folkies (if any) in the audience were no doubt disappointed with the largely up-tempo set, Dylan did toss in some mel- lower numbers, including a heartfelt version of "Standing in the Doorway" and "Simple Twist of Fate," the latter of which Dylan remade into a Gram Parsons-y country ballad, with multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell chipping in a fine pedal steel solo. Things were especially rockin' when Dylan welcomed ex- Saturday Night Live guitarist G.E. Smith to the stage for "Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat." On that tune, Smith did a respectable Duane Allman imitation as Dylan snarled the wittily acerbic lyrics, while on the jam standard "All Along the Watchtower," Smith tossed off his best Jimi Hendrix licks. a U RE-ELECT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN REGENT REBECCA w a",.- 11 Everyone speaks Engllsh. Especially Russians. r ,. K . I I