GOSSIPING WITH PEREZ PAGE 5B.
DISSECTING N64'S BEST GAME EVER PAGE 3B.
THE MICHIGAN DB
T HU R S D A , N EM D A IL Y
T HURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2006
FILM C( 1
Retro flicks:
Notjust
for kids
S o maybe they're hard to
discuss with a straight face.
So maybe they don't receive
cinephiles' critical analysis or
any sort of industry award. Who
cares? The live-action kids movies
of the late '80s/early'90s are still
an arguable pinnacle of the fam-
ily-film genre, and not just for their
current kitsch value. Admit it: If
you happen to channel-surf past
the first five minutes of 1992's "The
Mighty
Ducks,"
you'll
drop
whatev-
er you're
doing to
watch
the rest.
The KRISTIN
current MACDONALD
of live-
action kids' films simply can't
compete. While I hate to be one of
those snobs who yammers on about
how "they just don't make 'em like
they used to," I still can't help but
observe when the sad truth of the
situation rears its ugly head. In
terms of live-action kids movies,
the present knee-high generation
is getting utterly gypped by the
likes of the Cheetah Girls, Hilary
Duff and recycled Tim Allen, and
anyone with young siblings, nieces
or nephews must heed the call to
cultural duty and start stocking
their adolescent film libraries with
the right stuff.
Please note: The phrase "live-
action" should indicate that I don't
mean to shortchange the high-
quality alternative of today's CGI;
films like "Toy Story," "The Incred-
ibles" and "Shrek" are all top-notch
entertainment even for older age
brackets. I'm talking about last
summer's kids-saving-owls "Hoot"
here. And before you throw down
this column in disgust at my over-
sight of the "Harry Potter" series,
let me remind you that modern kids
fantasy is so effects-heavy that it's
half-cartoon and therefore disqual-
ified from consideration.
Fantastical kids-on-a-magic-
quest epics of the '80s, however,
feature puppets and claymation to
a decidedly live-action effect. "The
Neverending Story" (1984), "The
Goonies" (1985) and "Labyrinth"
(1986) each boastvisual innovation
that can still surprise a modern
audience - after all, muppet-magi-
cian Jim Henson directed "Laby-
rinth." He makes even the stone
walls of a deep well come to life.
More importantly, these films
aren't so sanitized. The rag-tag
crew of "The Goonies" curses
constantly and roughhouses even
more, and for my money better ful-
fills the fantasies of its adolescent
audience by actually acting like
them. Today's girls-aimed drama is
especially squeaky-clean, sticking
to sterile fables of princesses (or
the American equivalent, presi-
dents' daughters): "A Cinderella
Story," "First Daughter," "The
Princess Diaries," "Chasing Lib-
erty," "The Princess Diaries 2."
These probably have some set of
mildly redeeming qualities. But no
one can tell me they compete in
any way with the old-school sim-
plicity of honest stuff like 1995's
"Now and Then" or 1991's "My
Girl."
Such simplicity still rings true in
favorites like "The Sandlot" (1993).
When was the last time a decent
sports movie came out about a
team at the Pee Wee level, anyway?
Sports provided the primary cate-
gory for kids' movies before cheesy
superspy spin-offs like "Storm-
breaker," "Agent Cody Banks" and
"Spy Kids" starting dominating the
screen, but today's entries are slim
See MACDONALD, page 2B
Tom Watts, senior stage technician from the Royal Shakespeare Company, smoothes a screen curtain on the set of "The Tempest" while IATSE member Jon Michelson inspects the sets suspended in
the rafters.
S 'But take a closer look, and you'll see that it takes
more than the actors to put together an impressive production. Crew members, engineers and designers
for the RSC have made themselves at home at the University, working with local stage professionals
as they put together every show, making sure that each is as perfectly dramatic as the last.
syPhoto esyb etrShtefels
For the past three weeks, the focus
of both the University and Ann
Arbor arts communites has been
on the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The RSC will have performed a total
of 21 times at the Power Center by the
end of their stay Sunday, and many have
regarded this rare event as one of the
most culturally enriching opportuni-
ties to have come to Ann Arbor in some
time.
The residency has been devoted to
participation with the community. The
RSC has taken part in 140 educational
seminars providing insight into all fac-
ets of their work. But the most concen-
trated and continuous relationship has
been between the RSC and local stage
crew workers, who have spent the past
weeks changing the sets between each
of the three works performed. The com-
pany here includes 73 members, from
actors to educators; 12 are crew techni-
cians.
The backstage and technical opera-
tions have been a joint force of labor
between these 12 RSC members and
IATSE Local 395, the Ann Arbor chap-
ter of the International Alliance of Stage
Employees. These union members set up
and operate the majority of the shows
and concerts that come to town.
The nature of the RSC's residency is
unorthdox. Whereas most theater per-
formances have one set for one stage, the
RSC has brought three, for "Antony and
Cleopatra," "The Tempest" and "Julius
Caesar." This peculiarity is unique to
the company not only while on tour but
also in Stratford-upon-Avon where each
of the stages in the complex plays host
to three shows. Although this allows
the company to perform a wider range
of shows on a regular basis, the operat-
ing system is much more labor-inten-
sive than most theaters. Throughout the
residency, the IATSE and RSC members
have switched sets for each of the three
works daily. The sets, curtains, screens,
lighting, props and costumes not only
had to be changed but they also needed
to fit into the limited space available in
the Power Center. For those doing the
job, this has been a massive amount of
work.
Because of the pressure of running
the three performances, the Royal
Shakespeare Company has forged the
strongest relationship with these par-
ticular members of Ann Arbor, the
professional stagehands. After spend-
ing countless hours together over the
past weeks, the RSC and the IATSE
Local 395 have become close partners.
Although "Julius Caesar" and "Antony
and Cleopatra" use many of the same
sets, "The Tempest" requires a much
more complicated stage fitting.
With shows alternating daily, the res-
idency has demanded fast and efficient
work from the crew members. The labor
necessary for the shows built a rap-
port between the trans-Atlantic stage
crew almost immediately. They imitate
accents, joke together and explain the
finesses of each others' culture. The
gathering of eccentric personalities
behind the scenes of some of the great-
est works written in the English lan-
guage has lead to a harmonious working
relationship between the two groups.
Sitting in the backstage office of the
Power Center with "Antony and Cleopa-
tra" muffled to an extended stage left,
company manager Richard Clayton
proudly acknowledged that this new
friendship has been a major factor in the
success of the residency. While Shake-
speare's great tragedies and comedies
are performed on the stage at the Power
Center, the plot behind the scenes has
been the backbone of this momentous
cultural occasion.
MORE ABOUT THE RSC
Quick facts about everybody's favorite company
Key Productions
- The University's own Arthur Miller's "The Cru-
cible" (2006).
- "Othello" (1989) with Willard White as Othello
and Ian McKellen as lags.
- "Richard III" (1984) with Sir Antony Sher as
Richard Ill.
- "Hamlet" (1976) with Sir Ben Kingsley as Hamlet.
- "Hamlet" (1992) with Kenneth Branaugh as
Hamlet.
Noteworthy tours
- More than 120 different British towns and cities in
the past 25 years alone.
- Residencies in Michigan and Washington state.
- Over the past few years, the RSC has entertained
audiences in China, Japan and Kuala Lumpur.
This year at the University
- "Antony and Cleopatra"
- "The Tempest"
- "Julius Caesar"
TURN TO PAGE 6B FOR COMPLETE PHOTO ESSAY
~LIST
Nov. 9 to 12
The Daily Arts
guide to the best
upcoming events
- everywhere
you should
be this week
and why.
TheAssociationforPsychoanalytic
Thought will screen "Transamerica"
11 a.m. Sunday in 4448 East Hall. The
story of a pre-operative transsexual,
starring Felicity Huffman, the film
will be followed by a panel discus-
sion. The panel will include Peter
Hegarty from the University of Sur-
rey, England, psychoanalyst Kathy
Moore and the University's own Ira
Konigsberg, film theorist. It's $5 for
students, $10 for APT members and
$15 for general public.
Humorists will get their funny on
at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase
Sunday night at 8 p.m. Twelve of the
top stand-up comics from Michigan,
Ohio and Indiana will compete for
spots on the brand-new Comedy Cen-
tral show "Live at the Gotham." It's
just like regular auditions - except
with an audience. The event is taking
place at the old VFW Hall on314 East
Liberty St., and will include Dave
Bell and Ben Konstantin, among oth-
ers. Admission is $5.
Basement Arts kicks off their pro-
duction of "The Exonerated" today, 7
p.m. at the Walgreen Drama Center
on North Campus. Written by Erik
Jensen and Jessica Blank, "The Exon-
erated" tells the stories of six people
wrongfully convicted of murder and
sentenced to death, freed after years
of imprisonment. Directed by Ryan
Pearson in conjunction with So You
Say Productions, it runs tonight and
Friday at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., and Sat-
urday at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
The Brooklyn-based indie quar-
tet French Kicks will perform Sun-
day night at the Blind Pig. The band
kicked off its tour early October in
support of its critically acclaimed
latest album, "Two Thousand,"
released this past July. Opening for
them is Canada, a local septet featur-
ing two cellists that play seductively
experimental pop-folk.Doorsopenat
9:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance
at the Michigan Union Ticket Office
and $12 at the door.