We made a mistake ...
Yesterday, we reported that the "Dicks & Janes"
concert would be held tonight at the Michigan
Leauge Ballroom. In fact, the show is Friday
evening at the same location at 8 p.m.
michigandaily.com
ARTS
WEDNESDAY
APRIL 3, 2002
9
Comic 'Iolanthe'
visits Mendelssohn
Funny 'Lopez' adds.
diversity to ABC
Wednesday lineup
jBy Christine Lasek
Daily Arts Writer
Tomorrow through Sunday, The Gilbert and
Sullivan Society will be performing the comic
opera "Iolanthe."
Iolanthe is a fairy who committed the capital
crime of-marrying a mortal, resulting in her banish-
ment from the fairy kingdom. The
opera opens with the Queen of the
Fairies relenting on her punishment
and agreeing to allow Iolanthe and IOLAN
her half-mortal son Strephon back
into the kingdom. Strephon has plans At Lydia Me
to marry Phyllis, a shepherdess who Thea
is the Ward in Chancery, but Phyllis'
guardian, the Lord Chancellor, for- Tomorrow-s
bids the marriage. This is complicat- Saturd8 y
ed by the fact that every member of 2 p.
Parliament is also vying for Phyllis' $71
hand in marriage. The Queen of the UMS Box
Fairies is moved by Strephon's plight 764-2
and sets about to place Strephon into Gilbert and Sul
Parliament.
The plot thickens when Iolanthe attempts to
defend her son to the Parliament. Iolanthe appears
17, because fairies do not age as people do, yet Phyl-
lis believes that Strephon has been unfaithful to her.
This all sets up the plot of an involved conclusion in
Act II.
"Iolanthe" was first produced in London in 1884.
Arthur Seymour Sullivan composed the music to the
opera, while William Schwenck Gilbert wrote the
libretto. Theirs was a partnership spanning 25 years,
in which 15 comic operas were produced. The operas
of Gilbert and Sullivan seem to inhabit a unique
genre all their own: The dialogue between the charac-
ters has the wit of a straight play, yet the music fur-
thers the action, as in an opera. It is the blending of
I
.e
atr
4m,
'5
Iniv
these twoart forms th at:.
have helped the works of
Gilbert and Sullivan to . .
maintain their popularity
throughout the years.
A student and fan of
Gilbert and Sullivan began
the University's Gilbert
and Sullivan
Society in
1947. It is the
THE oldest student
run Gilbert
idelssohn and Sullivan
re Society in the
country and is
turday at w o r 1 d -
n.
dayat renowned.ayat e
. The society
S puts on at
)ffice: least two
38 shows a year,
van Society constantly I propose that we ratify t
c y c l i n g
through the 14 comic operas. The society decides
which shows to put on what year and they set about
filling the different positions for the show, including
director.
"One thing different about the Gilbert and Sulli-
van Society, as opposed to other groups, is the
respect that the society has for all parts of the pro-
duction," said Emily Cornelius, the director of
"Iolanthe." "Everyone is treated as an equal here,
whether you're the director, on stage, or making a
costume they really take care of us."
"Iolanthe" is an opera filled with the fantastic,
and Cornelius intends to enhance this with the set
and staging of the opera. The staging will be move-
ment oriented, even during the dialogue. "We will be
cou.,tesy of the uet andOSullivan octy
the Bill of Rights then kiss the magical fairy godmother.
producing a huge spectacle in a small space,"
explained Cornelius. "I want the show to have all the
busy excitement of a mall at Christmas time."
The musical numbers are all choreographed,
complete with the fairies flitting around in a mix of
modern and ballet dance movements. Cornelius also
wanted to visually demonstrate the more fantastical
elements of the show, using costumes, props and
lights that play each other to help create a more
magical feel.
The musical numbers are under the direction of
Chi Chung Ho. The cast, together with a 28-piece
orchestra consisting of recruited music school stu-
dents, promises to make "lolanthe" a feast for the
ears, as well as the eyes.
By Melissa Gollob
Daily Arts Writer
Diversity is almost non-existent on
petwork television. This lack of a
minority presence on TV has prompoted
many network executives to develop
shows that target this mostly untapped
but plentiful audience.
Last week, ABC added S
"The George Lopez
Show" to its increas-
ingly diverse lineup.'
George Lopez stars THE G
in this family comedy LOPEZ
about a working class Wednesc
Hispanic man who has 8:301
just been promoted to AB
supervisor of his plant. -_ A
He now oversees the
work of his friend. His tough, overbear-
ing mother (who also works at the
plant) harasses Lopez and constantly
questions his manhood. There is also
conflict with Lopez' two children, who
go through typical adolescent problems
that they need their father to help solve.
In the premiere, his daughter lies to get
out of swimming class, but is caught by
her mother.
Later, Lopez finds out that his
daughter hates swimming class
because the other kids laugh at her for
not shaving. This minor plot is easily
resolved, as in all good family sitcoms.
George provides his daughter with a
razor to shave with for the first time.
Accompanying his family issues,
rE
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;da
p.
3C
Lopez faces a test from his new boss.
He must choose between firing his
mother or his friend. He decided that
his mother had the more expendable
job and because of her unrelenting
harping he fires her. Lopez later finds
out that it was a test and that his boss
wanted to see if he had the guts to fire
his own mother. So at the
end, everything is as it was
in the beginning and his
k mother has a little more
respect for her son.
ORGE "The George Lopez
HOW Show" tries to show a
ys at working Hispanic man in a
ms a positive light. He has a
family and was just pro-
moted at his job. This is all
plausible until we see his
house. His house is extremely spacious
for a factory worker and doesn't repre-
sent anything a working-class family
could afford. However, this should not
distract from the over-all purpose of the
show, to be funny. And it is.
The one-liners come fast and,
most do not play on the ethnicity of
the show. It works and makes the
show more creditable. Although the
best line from Lopez came when he
and his wife discussed their daugh-
ter's swimming class. He said, "Why
does she need to know how to swim
anyway, we're already here." Com-
ments like these occur infrequently
and that makes them even more
amusing.
Emerson joins trio for chamber program
By Josh Palay
Daily Arts Writer
For musicians and composers
alike, Schoenberg's "Verkldrte Nacht,
Op. 4" is an over-
whelming favorite. Fri-
day, the Emerson String
Quartet joins with the
Kalichstein-Laredo-
Robinson Trio to per-
form this masterwork of
modern repertoire.
Based on a poem of
two lovers walking in
the woods, Eugene
Drucker, the first vio-
linist of the Emerson
quartet explains, "It is
harmony pushed almost
to the breaking point -
the piece reflects what's
EMERSON
QUARTE
KALICHS
LAREDO-
SON T
At T
Michigan'
Friday at!
$20-
764-2
University Mus
tured beautifully by D-minor."
"One can almost imagine at the
very end the stars shining brightly
because there is an ethereal glow.
The work is full of romantic impuls-
es," he added. "There is
a brooding quality to
the music but the reso-
STRING lution at the end is pro-
T AND foundly beautiful. The
transfiguration is psy-
STEIN' chological."
ROBIN' It should be noted,
RIO for those who might
he shy away from a work
Theater by Schoenberg, this is
8 p.m. one of his early works,
36 before his dodecaphon-
538 ic system. It plants its
sical Society roots strongly in the
Romantic tradition and
is saturated with almost
over-ripe, lush harmonies.
To convincingly perform the
Schoenberg, one needs players at the
top of their form, both in terms of
technique and in interpretation. For-
tunately both these ensembles are
certainly that. The Emerson Quartet
has clearly demonstrates their skill
with their CDs of the Bartok String
Quartets. Also their Grammy award-
winning seven-CD box set of the
complete Beethoven String quartets
is at worst, superb. Truly, this quartet
is one of the finest music ensembles
the states have produced.
Yet, in considering such groups, no
compendium would be complete
without the Kalichstein-Laredo-
Robinson Trio. Frequent performers
at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center,
they have made a name for them-
selves as one of the premiere trios in
the world. Their performances are
consistently met with high acclaim
and accolades and with these accom-
plishments in mind, one can see why
their pairing with the Emerson String
Quartet is an enticement too good to
pass up. Both the ensembles are
comprised of first-rate performers
and interpreters. Drucker said, "We
admire their playing a great
deal...We have enjoyed sporadic col-
laborations with them for many years
... It has been a joy to work with
them (again)."
In addition to the aforementioned
Schoenberg work, their program
will consist of Beethoven's "Alle-
gretto" from the "Piano Trio in B-
flat Major," Wolf's "Italian
Serenade," and Brahms' "Piano
Quartet in g minor." These are all
strong pieces and form a well-bal-
anced program.
Courtesy of ABC
Man, it's so good that there's gonna be another sitcom on TV. Like Christmas.
p log
REC
INTSRAMURALE
The University of Michigan
Department of Recreational Sports
INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM
WHAT'S
HAPPENING
going on in the poem wonderfully.
The darkness of the opening, the
somber feeling of these two lovers
walking through the forest is cap-
ALL-YEAR POINT
'K-PAX' DVD worth the trip
By Jim Schiff
Daily Arts Writer
"K-PAX" forces us to question
whether there is life on other planets.
Depending on how skeptical you are,
the film might make you a believer.
And even if you don't buy its messages,
"K-PAX: Collectors Edition" DVD is
still a worthy addition to your library.
A beam of light shines through a
Grand Central Station window and
enters Prot (Kevin Spacey), a stranger
who claims to be from the planet K-
PAX. Taken to Manhattan Psychiatric
Institute, Prot comes under the study of
Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges). At first
doubting Prot's claims, Powell is slowly
convinced through hypnosis, testimony
and erratic behavior that he may indeed
be a K-PAXian. With a limited time
before his "return" to K-PAX, Powell
and his colleagues desperately try to
find loopholes in Prot's story.
"K-PAX" is held together by Spacey's
stellar performance. Speaking in a clip-
py, matter-of-fact monotone voice, his
} character comes across as witty and
self-satisfied. For most of the movie,
Prot's eyes are covered with thick sun-
glasses, and the fact that we can see into
him through small facial gestures and
dialogue is a tribute to Spacey's craft.
Bridges, too, is convincing as the
workaholic Dr. Powell. His inquisitive-
ness and relentless pursuit of the truth
helps to keep the audience guessing
whether Prot is alien or human.
Shown in crystal-clear widescreen on
this Collector's Edition DVD, "K-PAX"
cial features, most of which are worth a
look. Director lain Softly includes an
alternate ending to "K-
PAX," which was origi- S
nally his first choice.
Without giving away its K-
contents, the alternate D
ending spurs even more
questions as to Prot's true Picture/Sour
identity. Ultimately, Movie: **I
though, Softly went for Features:s*
the second ending, which
ties up some loose ends Uni
and makes for a more
satisfying conclusion.
The most interesting bonus feature is
-"The Making of K-PAX," which gives
a behind-the-scenes look with the pro-
P7
V
md:
ive
ducers, director and cast. Bridges and
Spacey give each other pats on the
back for strong perform-
ances, while producer
Lawrence Gordon dis-
AX cusses his casting choic-
D es, which originally
included Spacey in the
role of Dr. Powell.
Bridges also recorded
* his experiences on the
set of the film through a
rsal series of digital photo-
graphs, which are
included on the DVD. Though well
I
ALL-YEAR POINT
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FEMALE
ATHLETE AWARD
Extensive IM Participation
Athletic Excellence
Positive Attitude
Competitive Spirit
Positive Contribution to
IM Philosophy
EARL RISKEY
ALL-AROUND
MALE
ATHLETE AWARD
taken, they appear too
captions are hard to
viewed up close.
dark and the
read unless
DIVISIONAL
MANAGERS-
OF-THE-YEAR
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ATHLETES-
OF-THE-YEAR
Outstanding Organization
Encouraged Participation
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AWARDS CEREMONY Maifn p'
If you're looking for an extraordinary
job in which you can really make a
the job for you. The job of Wilderness
Camp Counselor is a year-round,
1