The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
the b-side
Thursday, October 26, 2006 - 3B
'It came
from
Detroit,'
so go
By BEN MEGARGEL
Daily Arts Writer
What happened to the '70s
Detroit-rock heyday of Ted Nugent,
Alice Cooper
and The Stoog- It Came
es? Today, From
most non-rock Detroit
connoisseurs
would describe Tomorrow at
the Detroit 6:30 p.m.
rock sene as At the Detroit
rock scene an Institute nt Arts and
the stylings of the Detroit Flm
Kid Rock and Theater behind
Kid Rok and the DIA
maybe even the
White Stripes. Free with museum
While other genres have received
their national due (call it the Emi-
nem effect), the thriving garage
rock of the Motor City has flown
almost exclusively under the radar.
The new feature-length documen-
tary "It Came From Detroit" aims to
shine some light on these underap-
preciated acts.
"We did our best to make you
want to go out and buy a ticket to
these bands' concerts," producer
Sarah Babila said.
The Plus One Productions film
explores the raw energy of the
Detroit garage-rock scene from
its early obscurity to the current
success of groups like The Detroit
Cobras, Electric Six and The
Hentchmen. The film was shot over
the past four and a half years on
nights and weekends by director
James R. Petix ("Tokyo Below"). It
chronicles a number of bands, start-
ingwiththe Goriesinthe mid-1980s,
as they journey from local dive bars
to record contract signings.
"Ourgoal is to inspire," said Babi-
la. "When James (Petix) started this
RSC, Stewart take audiences to Rome
movie the White Stripes were just
blowing up. It was interestingto see
the progression of what started as a
group of friends at the bar.
You can create something out of
nothing."
The film has already gar-
nered some positive advance
reviews. Michael Hastings of the
Metro Times called "It Came
From Detroit," "a sweat-
drenched look at the Motor City's
oft-mentioned but rarely explored
garage rock revival..."
An exclusive sneak preview of
the documentary will be presented
tomorrow, at the Detroit Film The-
atre behind the Detroit Institute of
Arts. The event is in collaboration
Detroit's heydey
remembered at
the DIA..
with the DIA's American Music
exhibit, which features the work of
famed photographer Annie Leibo-
vitz.
The night will begin with a per-
formance by The Dirtbombs at 6:30
p.m. in Rivera Court, followed by
the film screening at 8 p.m. in the
Detroit Film Theatre. Immediately
after the screening, The Witches
and Outrageous Cherry will close
the evening with more live Detroit
rock. Tickets for the theater portion
of this event are $10.
To purchase tickets call 313-833-
3237 or visit www.dia.org/dft/
By ANDREW SARGUS KLEIN
ManagingArts Editor
They're here.
The Royal Shakespeare Compa-
ny has begun its residency in Ann
Arbor, and the community and
University are more than ready
- have been ready. Every single
production date has been sold out
to the general public for weeks,
with student rush lines totaling in
the hundreds.
After struggling with the
Power Center's coat hangers, 7:30
p.m. loomed, and a comfortable
voice rose above the din obliging
the audience to turn off all mobile
devices. With the lights still on,
three Roman soldiers walked on
stage, looking obviously annoyed
at having to wait for someone. The
audience didn't know how to react
at first, conversation still hanging.
The silence on stage stretched,
and soon the tension from the
three soldiers overcame the audi-
ence into anticipated silence. With
the sudden entrance of a messen-
ger bearing news of Marc Antony
in Egypt, the lights were cut and
"Antony and Cleopatra" began.
The production arrived with all
the trimmings associated with the
RSC. A simple, immensely engag-
ing set, scene changes executed
with minimalist musical accompa-
niment and several tasteful stage
acrobatics were all accounted for
from curtain to curtain.
Patrick Stewart.
The man laid the groundwork
for "Star Trek" as Captain Jean-
Luc Picard. He was Professor X
The RSC is here.
We're just along
for the ride.
in the "X-Men" series - it's eerie
how closely he resembles the Mar-
vel Comics hero.
But forget all that. Now, he's
Marc Antony, a pillar in the trium-
virate that rules Rome. Antony is
in the court at Alexandria, in love
with Queen Cleopatra, a woman
whose spoils include the heart of
Julius Caesar himself.
As the production's main press
photo suggests, the chemistry
between the two is undeniable.
When Stewart follows the line
"The nobleness of life isto do thus"
with a kiss, the audience is irrevo-
cably in his and Harriet Walter's
pocket. But at times they're too
irresistible.
The audience, more than eager
to absorb as much of the produc-
tion as possible, gave the cast
ample support. Every nuanced
quip, one-liner and eunuch pun
elicited heavy waves of laughter.
Comedy took over, brushing aside
the death of Antony's wife and
the mounting political turmoil in
Rome.
When Antony finally tears him-
self from Cleopatra to return to his
responsibilities, he carries an air
of frivolity about him that's picked
up and expanded by the other two
members of the triumvirate: Octa-
vius Caesar and Lepidus.
The atmosphere created by the
three rulers is at once impassioned
and childish. Octavius, while jus-
tifiably irate over Antony's negli-
gence, cannot make an argument
without losing his cool. Lepidus
tries desperately to appeal to both
sides, and ends up left behind.
As the opening night for the
entire residency, the RSC certain-
ly didn't take the safe route with
"Antony and Cleopatra." As the
plot races toward its tragic end,
the politics of the time, logistical
urgencies and moral contempla-
tion are bypassed by a pervasive
humor. When Cleopatra is told that
Antony is to be remarried, instead
of reacting to her fierce verse the
audience ate up the plight of the
poor messenger whom Cleopatra
repeatedly attacks as he tells her
again and again that yes, Antony is
to be married.
Scenes like these create the
sense that these worldly rulers are
ruled not by their reason but by
their hearts - and at times it feels
like we have kids in bright robes
ordering soldiers around for the
hell of it. Sentiments like "If I lose
my honor I lose my soul" and "We
have kissed away kingdoms and
provinces" fight for emphasis, nei-
ther gaining the upper hand.
This strategy hold together well
as Antony's brash plans unravel,
but the first act's momentum can't
be stopped. When Antony mortally
wounds himself in a failed suicide
attempt, the audience can't help
but laugh at the situation's irony
- upon hearing that Cleopatra's
suicide had been a lie, Stewart's
incredible chuckle is lost in ensu-
ing laughter, robbing the moment
of catharsis. As the dying Stewart
is raised by a rope to the upper tier
to be held one last time by Cleopa-
tra, some excess rope fell, almost
hitting one of the servants, much
to the audible delight of the folks
sitting nearby.
The play ends strongly enough,
but with a lack of gravity not
entirely the fault of the cast. The
comedic approach succeeded for
the majority of the production, but
couldn't quite find a climactic exi-
gency the text usually emits.
But the RSC is here. They've hit
the ground running. We're just
along for the ride.
On(line) demand: TV
networks give back
826michigan brings
Eggers, others to town
ByKRISTIN MACDONALD
Daily Film Editor
The Bookeaters are coming, and
they mean business. This Sunday
night, East-
ern Michigan Revenge
University's of the
Pease Audito- Bookeaters
rium will play Sunday at
host to some 6:30 p.m.
of the bright-
est names in Adt tae Petasern
contemporary Michigan University
literature and $25
indie rock,their
forces combining in the name of one
very worthy cause - teaching kids
not only to improve their writing,
but grow to love it along the way.
The benefit show's proceeds will
go to 826michigan, an Ann Arbor
non-profit organization that pro-
vides free tutoring services and
creative writing workshops to kids
ages 6 to 18. Taught by enthusiastic
volunteers (with some University
students and alumni among them),
classes range from random literary
trivia to lessons in plot structure
to the study of homonyms, with a
playful emphasis on keeping the
proceedings as entertaining as they
are instructional - where else could
you find a workshop on absurdist
poetry entitled "Nonsense is Better
Than No Sense At All"?
826michigan, one of several 826
writing centers sprinkled through-
out the country, has been flourish-
ing since opening in June of last
year. The 826 originated in San
Francisco in 2002 as the brainchild
of popular author Dave Eggers, per-
haps best known for his memoir A
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering
Genius and as editor of the liter-
ary magazine McSweeney's. Egg-
ers still maintains an active role in
the 826 centers, throwing his liter-
ary celebrity behind much of their
fundraising, and as headliner is the
driving force behind the Bookeaters
benefit tour. Having already swept
Los Angeles, Chicago and New York
with celebrity support from the
likes of Jon Stewart, Aimee Mann,
Lemony Snicket and Jake Gyllen-
haal, the tour's stop here in Ann
Arbor will be its last.
Officially titled the "Revenge of
the Bookeaters," the tour bills itself
as a show asking "the eternal ques-
tion: which is better - music or the
The power of the
pen. The power
of rock'n'roll.
written word?" Note that it doesn't
promise a definite answer.
Stephen Malkmus of Pavement,
Blanche frontman Dan John Miller
and alternative country rockers the
Cowboy Junkies will perform, with
authors Julie Orringer ("How to
Breathe Underwater"), Ryan Harty
("Bring Me Your Saddest Arizona")
and Ann Arbor's own Davy Roth-
bart, creator of Found Magazine,
providing the literary presence.
With Eggers on board, count on a
nisrht of wit, enthusiasm and - best
of all - a stand-out cause.
By BERNIE NGUYEN
ManagingArts Editor
If you're like me and have to
work on Sunday nights, don't sweat
it. You can still see whether those
crazy housewives burn down
any more houses every day of the
week, thanks to a new policy that
both ABC and NBC have institut-
ed, loading the latest episodes of
their hottestshows onto the web
for anyone to access at any time.
Conveniently programmed so that
you don't need any additional soft-
ware or downloads to watch the
episodes, each are commercial-
free except for a few 30-second
Internet advertisements.
For those of us unfortunate
enough to live without the won-
ders of Tivo, this new feature is
great for nights when you just
can't watch Matthew Perry spout
off some more one-liners - either
because we're studying for exams,
writing last-minute papers or just
beer-ponging at the neighbor's
place.
If you simply can't be there for
must-see TV, clicking a few icons
and watching the latest episode
of your favorite TV show in the
middle of that boring lecture is the
best thing since television shows
starting putting out DVDs.
So what does this mean for TV?
Well, for one thing, it means that
TV ratings aren't limited to their
real-time audiences anymore. It
also means that TV shows on these
major networks cursed with killer
time slots might have a chance to
put up a decent showing instead
of falling victim to a TV audience
unwilling to switch their bowling
leagues simply to accommodate
the crazy castaways of "Lost."
Now you can
watch 'Grey's'
online. (Don't.)
"'hctGysa yrt buuA Co:tesytofrmC
"Were the cost at 'Grey's Anatomy. A'en't we heautiful?. Aren't we smarl? Mmm."
Cliff hangers aside, some view-
ers - maybe they work at night,
or have conflicting show times in
their households - now have the
option of watching at their leisure.
And it's free. Did I mention that
it's free?
These new options that are
springing up everywhere, like
Pegasus out of Medusa's sadly
severed head, make it incredible
easy for anyone to watch the most
talked-about shows of the season
without even owning a TV. Head-
phones? Access to the Fishbowl?
Knock yourself out.
The Internet is bringing new
test audiences to the studios every
day - like "No One's Watching,"
a WB oilot once though doomed
until a segment of it appeared on
YouTube and was viewed hun-
dreds of thousands of times by
Web surfers.
Don't think, though, that this
new option is being offered or can
be used as an alternative to buy-
ing the season DVDs. Those who
desire their own copy will still
have to purchase episodes for $1.99
from iTunes. NBC and ABC know
enough about where their bread is
being buttered to keep the feature
limited to only the latest episodes,
perfectly tailored to keep viewers
craving that day-long marathon
of all the episodes of "24." But
they're also savvy enough to have
subtly used the Internet to both
broaden the audience that their
shows are reaching and provide a
quick go-to viewing that will help
prevent their copyrighted mate-
rial from appearing on video sites
like YouTube. Both an offense and
a defense all packaged together in
a 48 minute peek into the lives of
Wisteria Lane's lovers.
NewhouseOeMeet Us
and learn more about our
Syracuse University Master's Programs
Meet faculty, alumni and current students. Discover why the Newhouse Professional Master's Programs are the
nation's leader in communications!
Advertising * Arts Journalism Information Session in Washington, D.C.
Broadcast Journalism + Documentary Film & History SaturdayNovember4
Magazine, Newspaper & On-Line Journalism Information Session in New York City
Media Management + New Media Saturday, November 11
Photography + Public Diplomacy Open House in Syracuse, N.Y.
Public Relations + Television, Radio & Film Friday, November 17
For more information or to reserve a spot, please e-mail us at pcgrad@syr.edu, call us at 315.443.4039 or visit us online at
newhousemasters.syr.edu
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