ARTS
The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 15, 2002 - 7
Light-hearted 'Take'
brings laughs to RC
Local band Into the
Freylakh mixes jazz
and classical music
By Jim.Schiff
Daily Fine/Performing Arts Editor
Room A3 in the basement of East Quad is one
of the most interesting rooms on campus. And if
you haven't been down there, then it's certainly
worth a visit. Dozens of costumes, student-made
murals and a large assortment of props are what
you'll find in the unique environment. A3 is the
home of the RC Players: The birthplace of run-
ning gags, late-night rehearsals and above all
else, high-quality theater.'
This weekend, the7
Players are bringing
the wacky comedy,
"You Can't Take it
With You," to the East;
Quad Auditorium.
Written in 1936 by
Moss Hart and George
S. Kaufman, the play
focuses on the screw-
ball Vanderhof family,
led by stamp-collect- ALYSSA WOOD/Daily
ing patriarch Martin. Rejects from 'The Peanut Butter Solution' attempt to console themselves.
Portrayed by LSA Sophomore Nat Topping, Mar- Bringing "You Can't Take it With You" to the
tin is a Wall Street retiree who doles out life les- stage was a hands-on process for the entire cast.
By Josh Palay
Daily Arts Writer
sons, whether welcomed or not, to his
daughter Penny writes plays because
a typewriter was accidentally deliv-
ered to the house, while crazy
houseguest Mr. Depinna lights fire-
works in the Vanderhof basement.
The only "normal" character in
the family is Martin's granddaugh-
ter, Alice, a secretary at a Wall
Street firm. Alice falls in love with
her boss, Anthony P. Kirby, but is
afraid to show him to her embarrass-
ing family. An engagement party for
family. His
B
YOU CAN
IT WIT]
At The E
Audito
Tonight and
8 p.m
RC Pla
the pair turns disastrous as the Vanderhofs meet
the Kirbys,.leading to some of the play's hilarious
moments.
"I think that Martin is the person that people
would like to be, Mr. Kirby is the person that
most people are, and Alice really sort of repre-
sents the happy medium between the two," said
the play's director, RC Sophomore Megan Garza.
"You Can't Take it With You" really lets the cast
shine and the RC Players are excited to perform
it. "It's great to have all these crazy characters
bouncing off each other," said Topping. "The
quirkiness of the actors is going to make this a
good production."
Each member helped with publicity, building the
set and discussing scene changes.
This close-knit working environment
was instrumental in bringing the
'T TAKE play to life. "It's cool to have that
H YoU intermingling of roles because you
get to know everybody better - you
ast uad just learn so much about every
aspect of theater," said assistant
Saturday at director and RC Sophomore Carol
. $3 Gray.
ayers For Garza, the play was an oppor-
tunity to direct with little prior expe-
rience. And for Topping, a South Quad resident, it
was a chance to meet the people in the RC.
"Working creatively with all these crazy people
has been really important to me because that's
what I really like doing," he said.
But more than anything, the RC Players enjoy
the fact that "You Can't Take it With You" is an
entirely student-run production. Such shows fos-
ter a great deal of imagination and input - things
the Players thrive on. "In the RC you get this feel-
ing that whatever you do will be supported," said
Topping. "I think that's what the RC is most about
- accepting these possibilities and making them
happen."
Since John Zorn released his Masa-
da series, there has been a significant
renaissance of Klezmer music and
Klezmer fusion. Unfortunately, when
any such fusion becomes popular, it is
consistently accompanied by a lackey
Alexandrian mimicry: many young
musicians, smelling a new trend, add
augmented seconds to their music and
call it Klezmer-based. I recall a band
that described their music as Semitic-
ska, yet what -they played was simply
ska music with an occasional yelling
of "Oy, Oy, Oy." This is not fusion,
but ska with the slightest decoration.
For true fusion, one must not only uti-
lize the artifice (ornamentations, glis-
sandi, tuning, etc.), but also the soul
and integrity of the combined tradi-
tions. It is a difficult balance to main-
tain, but when done correctly, it is a
pleasure.
Ann Arbor-based band Into the
Freylakh manages the balance well.
This, however, should be no surprise
since the band is comprised of some
of the best performers and musicians
in Ann Arbor: Jennifer Goltz on
vocals, Bryan Pardo on clarinet, Dina
Maccabee on viola, Tal Kopstein on
trumpet, Dan McNaughton on bass,
Gabe Bolkosky on violin, Jason
Markzon on percussion and Isaac
Schankler on piano. As one might
expect from such an ensemble, their
shows are an inviting combination of
skillful musicianship and a playful
repartee between performers and
audience. Equally comfortable per-
forming at the Firefly club or leading
Israeli dances at the North Campus
Commons, the members of Into the
Freylakh consistently demonstrate
their talents as both jazz musicians,
Klezmer players, and composers
versed in both genres. The perform-
ances are made not only by the
music, but also by the fact that the
band obviously has a good time on
stage. This playful charm is clearly
evidenced in their name. As clar-
inetist Bryan Pardo explains, "It is a
play of words on 'Into the frey' as in
... 'once more boys, into the frey."' It
means happiness and joy in Yiddish.
It also means a kind of up-tempo
tune commonly played in Klezmer
music."
Their next performances in the
area are on March 18th and April
16th at The Firefly Club.
ALYSA WUU/Daily
Vanderhoff (Nat Topping) lies In his makeshift wheelchair
Slither busts eardrums with their hardcore
heavy metal sound at the Token Lounge
By Stacy Anderson
Daily Staff Writer
The injection of ludicrous amounts of pop into
society, hard rock crawled into a
closet and waited. The teen's who
spent allowances on boy bands taste
I
is changing and harder acts are now
starting to sell again. Despite this
paradigm shift, pockets of fans
remained loyal through teen-pop's
sunshine, clinging to groups like
Pantera and Metallica. Just ask
NLITH
At The Toke
Westland,
Sunday at 6
just listen to the music, you watch us play it."
Guitarist Brandon Harvey added, "It's a good,
high energy performance." Drummer Sebastian
"Sebo" Boada agreed, saying "We try to give 200
percent at every show. We figure,
since the fans are there for us, we
should be there for them twofold."
iER And be there they are, encouraging
n Lounge mosh pits and letting fans rush the
Mich. stage at any chance they get. At
Slither shows, the fans are in charge,
p.m. $7 and they definitely know what to do
with the authority.
The usual setlist for any hardcore show is,
well, hardcore, but Slither tries to do something a
little different. They keep the hardcore, and
"throw the groove in the middle," according to
vocalist Keith Gillrie. "We try to keep it flowing
through the whole set." Boada also said that, "we
open with a favorite, follow with the usual
'meat,' and then finish with the best songs to
leave a lasting impression." A lasting impression?
You'll walk away from a show covered in (some-
one else's) sweat and eardrums that ring for
weeks, all in the name of hardcore.
Slither stays true to many things on their demo
CD and even during their shows, namely their
fans and their combined love for the type of
music that brought the musicians together.
"We're original, we don't copy," said bassist Nick
Morley. Sebastian Boada explained, "We're doing
our own thing. We've always been about being
different and original. We're very thankful for
everything that has come our way and all the peo-
ple that have supported us." And Keith Gillrie
pulled it all together by saying, "We're gonna try
as hard as we can to stay true to the music we
want to play."
But the final words came from Harvey. "If
you're looking for a new, unique style of metal,
check us out at Token Lounge this Sunday." What
other reason do you need to enjoy a Slither show?
'Meaty' setlists, free demo CDs, and a personal
invite from the guitarist with a bright orange
beard should be enough for anyone, even the
Backstreet Boys.
Slither, a self-described hardcore/heavy
metal/rock band whose four members united over
a year ago because of their love for the hardcore
and distaste for choreography.
With their demo CD in hand, Slither has taken
local venues like Dude's Billiards and the I-Rock
by storm and enticed their audience with deafen-
ing beats that hardcore fans cherish. "Our shows
are complete entertainment," described bassist
and Engineering junior Nick Morley. "You don't
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