Friday October 13, 2006 arts.michigandaily.com artspage@michigandaily.com ART s 5 'Pajama' antics rol Out laughs By Catherine Smyka Daily Arts Writer Playwrights George Abbott and Jerry Bissell and composers Richard Adler and Jerry Ross thought they had it made when their rambunctious hit "The Pajama Game" won The Pajama the 1955 Tony awards Game for best musical and best choreography. But when Tonight and tomorrow their latest creation, a at8 p.m. revival of their original Sunday at 2 p.m. work that features music $22 straight from a Disney Students $9 classic and the sexiness At the Lydia of, well, a 2006 Tony Mendelssohn Theatre award winner for best revival of a musical, the foursome is enjoy- ing yet another phenomenal success. The School of Music's "The Pajama Game," which opened last night at the Men- delssohn Theatre and runs through Sunday, teases an audience of hopeless romantics and Les Mis rebels fighting for the under- dog. It leaves almost nothing to the imagi- nation - except how so few people know of its greatness. Set in a '50s pajama factory called Sleep Tite, hues of cotton-candy blues and pinks set the stage for a struggling superinten- dent, Sid Sorokin (Music School junior Garen McRoberts). Alongside his new job, he finds a fresh love - not of pajamas, but of Catherine "Babe" Williams (Music School senior Cortney Wolfson), a spunky one-woman union Grievance Committee. Amid females on sewing machines, men shouting orders and all the cheesy gai- ety of an episode of "Pleasantville" (with some fantastic choreography courtesy of John MacInnis), a company of assembly- line workers push out as much sleepwear as they can while fighting for a well-deserved Graham troupe lands in A2 Courtesy of Peter Smitn Photography Music School senior Courtney Wolfson and Music School junior Garen McRoberts are set to perform the Tony award-winning "The Pajama Game" this weekend at the Mendelssohn seven-and-a-half-cent raise. As innocent as it sounds, the production is anything but. Director Mark Madama, assistant professor of music, believes the story tells something unique. "(The Pajama Game) deals with what the 1950s was in relation to men and women, work and unions and the combining of the two stories," Madama said. "This is a clas- sic musical comedy and really an example of 'Golden Age Broadway.' " The play's social commentary grounds itself around women versus men in classic '50s stereotypes - men doing the flirting and women basking in it. As Sorokin sings to Williams during a love scene, "I don't wanna talk small talk now that I'm alone with you." Lead by Babe, however, the women realize a sense of solidarity, gaining confidence in themselves and understand- ing that there are more important things than men - like taking control of a man, for instance. "There were different roles of women (during this time) because this was a brand new era for them," Madama said. "(The Pajama Game) portrays how men relat- ed to women and were forced to relate to women." Societal issues aside, the production can certainly be commended for its impeccable choreography, with dance numbers that keep the performers - and the audience - con- stantly on their toes. With exhausting rou- tines like "Hernando's Hideaway" and fresh lighting techniques among the gibberish lyrics of "Steam Heat," "The Pajama Game" warmly capitalizes on the sum of its parts.. Madama places no little faith in the show's entertainment value.. "It deals with unions, and then it's fun," he said. "It contrasts the other shows we're doing this term and it's fun, funny, lively and colorful." Through upbeat and fabulous voices alongside plenty of good tunes, the come- dic "Pajama Game" leads its viewers down a path full of sexy looks and vivacious char- acters, only to bring them to one conclu- sion: Men and women aren't the only ones who can seduce audiences - "The Pajama Game" does just fine. By Tania Strauss For the Daily It's rare that an artist comes along who is capable of reinvent- ing an entire art form. Ann Arbor audiences will get a chance to experience Martha the work of Graham such an artist Dance when the Mar- Company tha' Graham Dance Com- Tonight at 8p.m. pay Ae-and tomorrow at pany pres- 1p.m and 8 p.m. ents several $ pieces choreo- $15- 841 graphed by its At the Power Center revolutionary founder, Martha Graham. The company will perform Friday and Saturday at the Power Center. Graham founded her ensemble in 1926 as an outlet for her inno- vative ideas as a dancer and cho- reographer. Graham wished to liberate dance from the strict, formal conventions of 19th-cen- tury classical ballet, and create a system of movement that would allow the body to expose the most raw and complex emotions. To do so she developed a completely new dance vocabulary and tech- nique, drawing heavily on her own experiments with the fundamental components of human movement. Using the technique she devel- oped, she created 181 works of dance during her lifetime, and the scope of her artistic achieve- ment has garnered comparisons to Picasso and James Joyce. Her work has received countless acco- lades during her lifetime as well as after her death. The ability of Graham's work to remain relevant and immedi- ate decades after its composition largely attributed to her unflinch- ing emotional honesty. "What she deals with in terms of the human spirit is universal," said Peter Sparling, a former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and a professor of dance at the Univer- sity. Graham's "Lamentation" is a disturbingly vivid realization of grief in which a solo dancer's limbs struggle against fabric wrap, seemingly trying to rip themselves free of her body before recoiling inward toward her abdomen. The celebrated "Diversion of Angels" is a beautiful and moving explo- ration of the different aspects of love, from the skittish leaps of ado- lescent infatuation to the graceful stability of mature love. Each of these works will be featured in performances this weekend. The company will give three performances that aim to high- light different aspects of Graham's work and legacy. The intensity of Graham's artistic experimentation and her frequent use of subject matter as eclectic Greek mythology, makes the Martha Graham Dance com- pany ideal for a performance series in Ann Arbor. "Graham is a good fit for this audience because she demands intellectual engagement and uses a knowledge of literature," Spar- ling said. "She works with a col- laboration of mediums; her work is very interdisciplinary, which is in keeping with the University's philosophy." Rush tickets for the evening performances can be purchased for $10 by students with a valid student ID from the Michigan League Ticket Office today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Half-priced tick- ets to both performances can also be purchased at the Power Center beginning 90 minutes prior to each performance. Banks's 'Apple' none too sweet By Andrew Kahn Daily Arts Writer What happened to Lloyd Banks? He used to be so deter- mined, so energetic, so hungry **;; - hungry Loyd Banks enough to title his debut The Rotten Apple Hunger For G-Unit/Interscope More. Before its release, Banks built a large fan base through dozens of mixtapes. He was like a raspy-voiced Fabo- lous, best known for his power- ful punchlines. The enormous buzz he generated was enough to sell more than two million copies of the album, but even then it was evident he'd lost some of his initial appeal. On his sophomore release, Rotten Apple, Banks sounds like he's somewhat content with his success. Complacency is always counterproductive: The album doesn't go anywhere that Hunger didn't - in fact, it's a regression. The 24-year-old New Yorker sounds out of place with South- erners Young Buck, Scarface and 8Ball on the bouncy "Ice- man," an apparent promotional stunt attempting to capitalize on Southern rap's current popular- ity. The problem is, while the track's guests are Southerners, Banks isn't, and it shows. He's best when a track is dark and hard-hitting or when it's strictly for the clubs. He's clueless on a slow-tempo, laid-back beat like this one. And on a song where he's supposed to be politely admir- ing the opposite sex, "Help," he still manages to throw in the line, "I got her, she hop in the ride so I can holla / My favorite girl outside of my Impala." He just can't help himself. But there are some standouts, as expected from a member of a clique as powerful as G-Unit. Banks shines on the first two singles, "Cake" and "Hands Up," but not without the help of mentor 50 Cent, who guests on both. The former includes a sample that sounds like it's from a Broadway play (but it works, like Jay Z's "Hard Knock Life") and the latter is an Eminem- produced banger with synths over short, relentless drum hits. "Hands Up" is a slightly less- hype version of Banks's "On Fire," but still one of the better tracks on Rotten. There are 16 songs on the album, and for every decent track, there are two or three fillers. There isn't one specific thing that Rotten lacks - sev- eral songs suffer from poor production ("Playboy 2," "NY NY") while others have lazi- ly written hooks ("Stranger," "Change"). But if there is one specific skill Banks has lost since his mixtape days, it's his ability to manufacture and deliver clever lines. He still has a few in his arsenal: "I got red, blue and white don't even ask about ice / I look like a cop car flashin' its lights," but on the whole, listen- ers are lucky to get one of these per song. If Banks is satisfied playing second fiddle to 50 the rest of his career, Rotten Apple is cer- tainly acceptable, but if he wants to emerge as a true solo star this isn't going to cut it. His G-Unit affiliation alone should get him another platinum plaque, but his fan base is going to be disap- pointed - again. "If I hear one schmuck request 'You Got a Friend in Me,' it's over." Eccentrict redux By Abigail B. Colodner Daily Arts Writer If you recall the amiable "You've Got a Friend in Me" from "Toy Story 2," you've heard a snippet of Grammy and Oscar-winning singer/composer Randy Newman. In recent years Newman has Randy worked heav- Newman ily in film, S composing Sunday at entire scores 7:30 p.m. for popular $36.50 -$46,50 movies like At the "Meet the Michigan Theater Parents" and "Monsters, Inc." Despite this most recent body of work, most people who think of Newman think not of family-friendly Pixar fare but of songs like "Short People (Got No Reason to Live)" and "You Can Leave Your Hat On," in which he entreats a woman to take off her clothes and "shake 'em," but leave her ... Well, you get the picture. Newman's music falls into the pop and R&B genres, sometimes tinged with a New Orleans flavor. Newman can feel like a guilty pleasure; he takes on decidedly unsavory characters with such caustic wit that you just have to love them. He's earned steady critical acclaim since his 1970 sophomore album 12 Songs. One of his earlier tracks, "Louisiana 1927," about a catastrophic flooding of the Mis- sissippi River in 1927, has found a second life of sorts in the year after Hurricane Katrina. "Some people got lost in the flood / Some people got away all right / They're trying to wash us away / Louisiana." Typically Newman accompanies himself on piano, and often uses choruses and orchestration to add a distinctly ironic slant to his songs. But Newman has also made some seriously heart-rending ballads, and he usually includes himself in his criticism. A plain, middle-aged man with a croaky voice, Newman uses these potential shortcomings to heighten his songs - his phras- ing and vocal expression make up for what he lacks in operatic skill. His music has made people alter- nately, sometimes simultaneously, overcome with tears and doubled with laughter, and Sunday he's sure to find an appreciative audience. ER 0 -e oe T PURPLEBLCK WHITEONBLACK RE& &LACK MAIL ORDER T-SHIRTS $16 EA(POSTAGE 1NC) S-XL BUMPER STICKERS 3/$5.50 SEEIMAGES AT BENTOM.CMBEDBUSH SNORES&AIRIANI SCREENPRINT NKSRDER 1002 PONTIAC TRAIL CHECKIS: ANN ARBOR, MI 48105 MAYO CLINIC Nursing Graduates Paid interview expenses Generous relocation package Benefits start first day } Tuition assistance Competitive salaries Continuing Education Mayo Clinic Nursing in Rochester, Minnesota invites new graduates to embark on an adventure and discover unparalleled opportunities for career mobility and growth. Our hospitals are world- renowned acute care teaching facilities where quality nursing is our tradition and mission. For the new graduate we offer clinical and classroom-based orientation to foster professional and personal growth and development. A primary preceptor is assigned to ensure a successful transition from student to professional. To apply or learn more about nursing opportunities for new graduates at Mayo Clinic, please visit www.mayoclinic.org/jobs-nursing-rst. Phone: 800-562-7984 E-mail: nursing.hr.staffing@mayo.edu Mayo clinic is an affirmative action and equal opportunity educator and employer.