Wednesday September 3, 2003 michigandaily.com artseditor@michigandaily.com Rf~~qWTS 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 To learn more about the great deals log onto