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michigandaily.com
iRTS
WEDNESDAY
MARCH 20, 2002 8
A
'La Cenerentola' to bring
Rossini's classic opera to 'U'
Andrew W.K. gets
'wet' with new
album and tour
By Josh Palay
Daily Arts Writer
The Michigan School of Music has one of the
strongest vocal departments in the country. Con-
sistently producing singers of the highest caliber,
it is a valuable asset to the University community.
This weekend provides demonstrative proof of
this as the Michigan School of
Music Opera Theatre presents '
Rossini's "La Cenerentola." This
opera, a version of the Cinderella .
story, is an especially poignant CENER
choice as its title role calls for an At the Me
incredibly adept and skilled col- The
oratura contralto backed by a highly
skilled ensemble of singers. The Thursd
University is indeed quite fortunate 'ickets $15
to have a student body talented studen
enough to persuasively perform this Universityl
work.
Rossini's operas, of which the best known is
most certainly "The Barber of Seville," are usual-
ly characterized by florid lines and lush
melodies. Yet, unlike his successors Bellini and
Puccini, there is a charmed simplicity to Rossi-
ni's music. The lines might be florid or ornament-
LA
Er
[en
eat
ay
nts
Pr
ed, but the decorations do not encumber the
essence of the music. The underlying lines are
always very clear. "La Cenerentola" exemplifies
these characteristics.
One should be warned, however, that this is not
the Disney version of Cinderella to which we
have all become accustomed. Although the story
does end happily-ever-after, the fairy godmother
is replaced by a philosopher and the
evil stepmother is now an evil step-
father. Likewise, there is neither a
pumpkin-coach nor a glass slipper.
NTOLA The history of this opera is also of
delssohn particular interest since its premiere
tre occurred exactly one month after
Rossini first received the libretto;
turday at Rossini composed the entire opera
0 or 7 for in two weeks. This original produc-
w/id. tion was particularly impressive
oductions when one also takes into account the
time then necessitated by staging
and rehearsals. Unfortunately, the opera was a
failure at its premiere, yet, like "The Barber of
Seville," it eventually became a success. In fact,
many even find the score preferable to that of
"Barber."
The University is fortunate to have guest direc-
By Matthew Weller
For the Daily
If Frank Zappa ever chose one
musical persona, and then pushed that
persona to the bounds of absurdity,
instead of achieving absurdity by
adopting a host of personae, he would
sound like Andrew W.K. And the
music would be something ferocious.
Imagine being pummeled about the
head with Glam Rock hooks circa
Twisted Sister, while Slayer played
full-blast in the background.Yet
Andrew W.K. is not angry. And they
do not want to share your pain. They
may indeed want to share your beer, or
more likely your keg, and - as the.
title of a song off
their upcoming
release may suggest ANDRI
- encourage you to WDK
Party Till You Puke. W.K.
But Andrew W.K. At St. And
is not apersona. Church, D+
They are in-the- April 5
moment, in-your- Album due out
f a c e University Music
in-your-sister's-pants
rock and roll. And
Courtesy of University Productions
Cast of "La Cenerentola."
tor Nicolette Monlir. If her staging of "La Cener-
entola" is of the same quality as was her staging
of University Production's 1998 "Turn of the
Screw," the production will be in good hands.
4
RC Senior takes 'Playground' to stage
m
)et
ith
ical
Mr. W.K. from the Limp Bizkit/Linkin
Park hordes is his evangelical,
unfeigned approach to music: "It's the
truth. This music is the truth and it's
also freedom. It's so big, so huge and
so spanning. So many things, so
much, and so true. This is the most
wonderful thing that's ever happened
in the history of human kind." So
when he sings "we're gonna have fun
and we're gonna get wasted" you get
the impression that he means it not as
a statement of empirical fact, but as a
declaration that 'anything is possible,
and we're going to do whatever the
Hell we want' (although there is the
high likelihood this will land them
somewhere near a kegger, and in a
highly agitated state).
On stage AWK is a pha-
lanx of sound. There are
four guitarists, a drummer,
and Mr. W.K. on keyboards
ews and vocals. It is a unique
troit metal actathat employs the
k piano in a non-ballad con-
Mar. 26 text. "My number one influ-
Society ences in this world are
potential energy and piano",
explains Mr. W.K. The
piano serves as a bulwark against the
tirade of sound the band, many of
them veterans of the Floridian death
metal scene, unleashes.
It is Mr. WK.'s kinetic energy, of
course, that grabs you. Fist pumping,
jump kicking, head banging and
crowd-surfing his way through the
show, Mr. W.K. is a dervish of brawn
and fucked-up bravado.
Although maybe not The Truth,
there is something primal and com-
pelling about AWK. It is what you lis-
tened to when you got your first beer
buzz. It is loud, defiant, mindless, and
adolescent. It is, in short, rock and roll
at its puerile best: Anarchy hangs out
at Recidivism's house on a Friday
night, and brings along a beer bong.
Andrew W.K. will be returning to
Detroit April 5, at St. Andrew's Hall.
Their album I Get Wet is available
March 26 on Island/Def Jam.
By Rachel Lewis
Daily Arts Writer
Rachel Razgunas is not a typical
senior. This coming weekend, she
won't be found at the bars, house
parties, or even the libraries.
Instead, she'll be taking the stage in
East Quad's RC Auditorium to per-
form "On the Playground," hernself-
written, one-woman show based on
her experiences working with inner-
city youths in Detroit.
A combination of prose, poetry,
music and dramatic scenes, "On the
Playground" will feature the writing
and musical talents of Razgunas, a
former voice-education major who
is now a Humanities major in the
Residential College studying Eng-
lish and Creative Writing. With an
innovative and unique backdrop of
projected slides, her pieces will be
performed not only by the writer
herself but also by 15 of the six to
13 year olds that she currently
works with in the Core City Neigh-
borhoods.
Core City Neighborhoods is a
non-profit organization that pro-
vides quality, low-income housing
for northeast Detroit residents. They
also run after school and summer
youth programs, both of which Raz-
gunas is affiliated with. Although it
is government funded, the program
is housed in an old gothic church
with classrooms that are actually
intended to be storage space. When
Razgunas first got involved, she
was responsible for
developing andI
implementing edu-
cational activities ON TI
for 11-to-13-year- PLAYGRC
old Detroit youths.
Razgunas was At East(
directed to this Auditori
challenging, yet Thursday-Satu
fulfilling position p.m., Sunday
through the Michi- 2 cans of food4
gan Community mended donat
Service Core, a ResidentialC
University of
Michigan program providing stu-
dents with paid internships at non-
profit organizations.
Her experience there and her
interactions with the staff and chil-
dren of Core City Neighborhoods
inspired the works that will be dis-
played this weekend and is closely
associated with every aspect of the
show. "Working with Core City
youth took me down uncharted
paths, along which I encountered
situations encompassing such issues
as racial awareness, educational and
social inequality," said Razgunas.
Emotionally and morally affected
by such eye-opening opportunities,
she began compiling her thoughts in
the form of poetry and prose. She
later put some of the poems to
music and wrote dramatic scenes to
form the entertaining and diverse
final product.
HI
Qu
urd
at
or
tio
Col
"On the Playground" is more than
just a platform to display Razgunas'
creativity; it is also a fundraiser for
Core City Neighborhoods. She is
performing in hopes that the $3 or
two cans of food admission
required to get in will help provide
much needed funds for the pro-
gram. She also hopes that students
in the audience will learn from her
experience and extend their time as
a volunteer as well. "Because of
September 11th, a lot of
people decided to put
their money elsewhere, so
E I'm hoping people will
JND get inspired to go out
there and help out," said
iad Razgunas..
m Perhaps most impor-
lay at 8 tantly, Razgunas hopes
2 p.m. that University students
recom- will populate the audience
n of $3 so that they can provide
llege lasting impressions on the
Core City youths that will
be attending. Along with the 15
children performing, there will be
several traveling from Detroit on a
field trip just to watch the show.
"The more people that are in the
audience, the more exciting it will
be for the kids," she said.
Despite her high hopes for Satur-
day night, Razgunas already feels a
sense of accomplishment. She cQn-
tinues to volunteer at Core City
Neighborhoods, running weekly
theater workshops for as many stu-
dents as are interested. Their partic-
ipation in the show has been the
highlight for her, making Razgu-
nas' final experience with them
(before graduation and moving to
New York City to participate in
Teach for America) a rewarding
one. "They're really excited. They
like it when all the attention is on
them," she said.
Mr. W.K. is as earnest as a high school
motivational speaker: "when you've
been given so many miracles, being
alive being able to breathe and be
happy, (playing music) is just a mira-
cle on top of a miracle. It is a privi-
lege; to do anything less than my best
would be a disgrace," said Mr. W.K. in
an interview with The Michigan Daily.
So why are some having a hard time
deciding whether or not to take these
guys seriously? It is probably because
the music itself appears to be pure
hyperbole. The track list for Monday's
show included Fun Night, Party Till
You Puke, Girls Own Juice, It's Time
to Party and the soon-to-be-ubiquitous
Party Hard. Repetitive? Yes. Moronic?
Probably. But as catchy as the com-
mon cold, in a shotgun-a-can-of-
adrenaline kind of way.
There can be no doubt Andrew WK.
is over-the-top. But what distinguishes
al
The grass is greener
in 'Hot Shots Golf 3'
By Matt Grandstaff
Daily Arts Writer
newest sequel has been given the Playsta-
tion 2 makeover with "Hot Shots Golf 3."
The most obvious change to "Hot
0
For anyone who doesn't play golf, the
idea of playing a golf videogame usually
sounds about as appealing as eating
crayons. Realizing this and wanting to
open up a new genre of sports games,
Sony released "Hot Shots Golf" for the
Playstation. The game and its sequel
("Hot Shots Golf 2") reinvented golf
games by mixing simple play mechanics
with over-the-top humor. And like every
successful Playstation game, "Hot Shots"
S hots"
series is
t h e
game 's
beautiful
graphics.
E a c h
hole's lay-
out is
done to
perfection
w i t h
HOT SHOTS
GOLF 3
For Playstation 2
SCEA
Vote yGSf
"Shall the Ann Arbor Tenants Union (AATU) be funded directly by students through a
one dollar per semester fee to guarantee every student the opportunity for free
advice, counseling, and other services regarding landlord/tenant issues?"
YES N ol
bunkers, fairways and the rough all hav-
ing distinct looks. As for the game's cam-
era work, Sony has provided amazing
zoom in shots that closely resemble tele-
vised golfing events. On a down note,
however, the camera work for aiming
shots is more troublesome than previous
games in the series.
As for the game's gameplay modes,
"Hot Shots 3" offers the same modes that
previous games offered. Among the best
of these, the game includes stroke play,
tournament play and a skins game. The
variety of gameplay modes brings "Hot
Shots" more replay value, but provides
nothing new for veterans of the series or
"Mario Golf," which was worked on by
the makers of "Hot Shots"
Overall, "Hot Shots Golf 3" is a good
way to introduce gamers to the world of
golf With easy play mechanics and plen-
ty of features, the game is perfect for
playing with a bunch of friends on a
rainy day. For veterans of "Hot Shots"
and "Mario Golf," it may provide a few
good hours of gaming, but falls short of
lofty expectations.
6
What will $1 buy?
Knowledge of Your Rights
Your Security Deposit
Lease Review
Resistance to Eviction
Repairs to Your apartment
Network for Unified Action
Ally Against Discrimination
Efforts to Control Rent
Info. Sessions
Help Getting Rid of Infestations
Parking Lot Enforcement tactics
UM Experiential Learning
How tn Renuest Insnections
Who endorses the Vote YES?
UM Student Legal Services
UM Residence Hall Association
UM LSA Student Government
City of Ann Arbor Mayor John Heifje
City of Ann Arbor Council Member Jean Carlberg
Washtenaw County Treasurer Catherine McCleary
Fair Housing Center of Washtenaw County
Michigan State Rep Chris Kolb
Michigan State Rep John Hansen
UM Director of Project Community Joe Galura
UM Black Students Union
UM Native American Student Association
UM Weslev Foundation Chaplain Rev. Bob Schoenhals
>7> ~i2t ~ ~ ~ ~ 3 E
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