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 the michigan daily SCOREKEEPERS PUB & GRILL is hir- PAP ing part-time office personnel. No experience needed. Excel and Word helpful. Morning Cometoisi hours + some weekends. Grab your class ply cap schedule and apply today! 310 Maynard southertil 995-0100/John. from Mexic< SUMMER CAMP JOBS in the Endless 0d a Mountains of PA. CAMP TOWANDA has Wanna-Wa 100 openings for positive role models to be best food, caring, enthusiastic staff. 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