Wednesday
September 3, 2003
michigandaily.com
artseditor@michigandaily.com
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7
IL It
lE.
THE
S
HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER
"American Splendor" - Bittersweet biopic about underground
comic author is the desperately needed remedy for the summer's
superhero flops like "Hulk" and "The League of Extraordinary Gen-
tlemen."
Air
I
"Cinnamon" by the Long Winters - Pitch-perfect end-of-
summer anthem that captures high-drama loss and longing better than
any other pop song this year. From their second
album When I Pretend to Fall.N __
W .-A
44111 bb whoo Mae Oak Ohl
Courtesy of Networks
:~ ~ Tours
And tell Shake-
speare, some-
.. thing more
cheerful next
. * t.time, for Twelfth
-.N= Night.
'Kiss' AND TELL
DETROIT GETS A VISIT FROM A FUNNY SHREW NAMED 'KATE'
k)
Homestarrunner.com - Addictively
hilarious flash cartoon site following the
adventures of an armless, lisping hero and
his harmless, loudmouthed archnemesis.
TROGDOR!
One Mississippi by Brendan
Benson - Hard to find debut from
Detroit singer-songwriter failed when it came
out in 1996, but deserves another listen after
the success of Benson's follow-up Lapalco.
R
By Sarah Peterson
Daily Fine Arts Editor
With a musical score that, according to Dex-
ter Brigham, "breaks your heart with perfect
melodies," "Kiss Me Kate" is a brilliant rendi-
tion of Shakespeare's timeless play "Taming of
the Shrew." Built around the love-hate relation-
ship of the two main characters, this play not
only makes Shakespeare
accessible, but it will also Kiss Me
have the audience crying Kate
from laughter. In the words
of Brigham, the leading man, September 2 -21
"Shakespeare is so much fun T Sat. u at 2
when you do it good." p.m.
"Emily Herring has her Sun.at7:30 p.m.
character down perfectly. Tickets
She has that strong brassy $32-$59.50
attitude about her and she is At the Fisher Theater
just a great woman," says
Brigham. His character, however, is not as com-
plementary. Brigham plays opposite Herring as
Fred Graham/Petruchio, an egotistical, self-cen-
tered actor. He and Lilli Vanessi (Herring) have
been divorced for a year and are now perform-
ing the lead rolls in "Taming of the Shrew." It is
obvious that Fred still deeply loves Lilli, but his
pride will not allow him to admit any such fact.
The character that Fred plays in "Taming of the
Shrew" is Petruchio, a man who loves Katharine
(Herring) for being the headstrong shrew that
she is, but who is bent on 'taming' her. Petru-
chio, like Fred, will not be the first to acknowl-
edge that he is in love.
Lilli, like Katharine, the character she plays, is
also a person full of pride. She is a headstrong
woman who is not going to become the property
of any man, nor will she allow her feelings to
govern her actions. In spite of herself though,
she is in love with Fred, and by the end, her love,
and the obviousness of Fred's love win the day.
From this crazy interweaving of two iron
willed personas, laughter is imminent. As the
couple bickers on and off the
set of "Taming of the Shrew,"
the audience is sucked into a '
world of tangled emotions and
gender roles. In the end though,
love prevails, as well as the indi-
viduality of all persons involved.
Both the marriages on the set and
off end up worthy to be deemed
happily ever after.
Another fairy tale in the mak-
ing is the life of Brigham. "There
are only about five roles written that
perfectly fit an actor and Fred is one
of those written for me," Dexter admits.
"I was always the class clown when I was
younger and even though I went to school for
music, I have always loved American Musical
Comedy." The boisterous, outgoing flamboyancy
of Fred comes natural to Brigham as he always
liked and sought after being in the spotlight.
In this production, the spotlight will be on
more than just Brigham though, as the sets and
costumes are stunning. The costumes are actual-
ly the very same as those used in the 1997
revival production that were awarded a Tony.
This play's history has had a distinguished his-
tory marked with the awarding of five Tony
awards to both its original opening and the '97
revival.
After hours of work, sweat and fun, the cast is
ready to add an audience into the mix and the
final product is sure to be stunning. In the
words of Brigham, "The play is full of fantastic
melodies, fantastic songs and fantastic
dancing, and it makes
you laugh."
Gary Busey's eyes - Like seein
the Grand Canyon for the first time.
You can't really understand what
Hollywood does to people until you
stare into the "I'm with Busey" star's
insane gaze.
ig
Courtesy of homestarrunner.com
J
i1CT AT..d
f.
T'S 15 AS COOL AS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PILLO o
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