The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, February 9, 2007 - 5
'U' groups aim to
'Encompass' diversity
The shadow of Aaron Sorkin looms over North Campus.
They can handle it
BASEMENT ARTS TWEAKS SORKIN'S CLASSIC 'A FEW GOOD MEN'
By WHITNEY DIBO
DailyArts Writer
When Theatre and Drama senior Adam Miller-
Batteau decided to direct Aaron Sorkin's "A Few
Good Men" through Base-
ment Arts, he knew audi- A Few
ence members would come Good Men
with a host of preconcep-
tions. After all, its classic Toniht at 7 p.m.
courtroom scene is an inte- an tomorrow
gral part of the American at 7 and 11 p.m.
pop-culture cannon. It was At the Walgreen
the film that made America Center
fall in love with Tom Cruise, Free
fear Jack Nicholson and dub
Demi Moore the hottest marine in Hollywood.
Not an easy act to follow.
"A Few Good Men" follows the trial of two
marines accused of murdering a fellow soldier
at Guantanamo Bay prison, and the Navy law-
yer who subsequently dares to confront a tightly
woven web of military cover-ups. It makes for
a crowd-pleasing drama, complete with the
intricate character development and rapid-fire
dialogue that later made Sorkin one of the most
sought-after writers in television.
Miller-Batteau and his cast are actually work-
ing with the original Broadway script, which dif-
fers slightly from the screenplay that launched
Sorkin's career. Ironically, the classic "You can't
handle the truth!" line is not the climatic moment
in the original Broadway script, but embedded
within a lengthy monologue instead - an issue
that Miller-Batteau had to take into consider-
ation. "You have to satisfy audience expecta-
tions," he said. "I didn't want people to leave and
think: 'That was great, but what happened to my
favorite line?"' Miller-Batteau ultimately acqui-
esced to the anticipated audience demands and
decided to switch a few lines around so as not to
disappoint fans.
The most interesting twist about Miller-Bat-
teau's rehearsal process was his direct contact
with writer Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin, best known as
the mastermind behind shows like "Sports Night"
and "The West Wing," was actually a musical
theater student at Syracuse University. Sorkin's
theatre professor at the time was current Uni-
versity Musical Theatre Department Chair Brent
Wagner, who agreed to field some questions from
Miller-Batteau to Sorkin via email. Sorkin deliv-
ered directing advice, script analysis and even
explained how he originally came up with con-
cept for "A Few Good Men." Talk about valuable
insight.
Through this correspondence, Miller-Bat-
teau learned that Sorkin has in fact rewritten
the show an additional four or five times, but the
latest script is not available to the public. Why so
many rewrites? The legendary Sorkin may have
referred to his original script as "amateurish," but
Miller-Batteau confessed it's the version he actu-
ally prefers.
In addition to the show's imposing reputation,
Miller-Batteau had to confront challenging logis-
tics. The script travels through five office locations
in Washington D.C. to the prisons of Guantanamo
Bay, finally landing in the famous military court-
room. All these scenes had fit in the modest space
OTHER FAMOUS (AND NOT-SO-
FAMOUS) AARON SORKIN TITLES:
"The West Wing"(1999-2003)- If the free museums and
giant parks can't convince you Washington, D.C. is the place
to be, falling in love with Josh Lyman and/or Sam Seabourne
should dothetrick.
"Sports Night" (1998-2000) - Cringe-inducing laugh
track aside, Sorkin's first TV series went behindfthe scenes at a
"Sportscenter"-type nightly news show with a fresher wit than
1998's TV viewers were ready for.
"The American President" (1995)- A romantic comedy
about the president of the United States? Give well-matched
stars Michael Douglas and Annette Bening half the credit for
realistically fleshing out that potentially hokey premise, but
Sorkin's unsentimental script also demonstrated his astute ear
for the backstage workings of the White House.
of the new Walgreen Drama Center's black box
theater - not an easy task considering Basement
Arts isn't exactly known for its generous funding.
With a cast of 18 students and only three and a
half weeks to rehearse, the fact that Miller-Bat-
teau and his cast are poised and ready to perform
this weekend is an accomplishment itself.
Seasoned acting seniors Rob Sulaver and Jef-
frey Blim take to the stage as the accused Lt. Col.
Nathan Jessep and novice attorney Daniel Kaf-
fee, performances that will placate even the most
stubborn Sorkin fan. So instead of renting the
classic courtroom drama this weekend, trek up to
North Campus for a free dose of the real thing.
By PRIYA BALI
Daily Arts Writer
Our fair University is fond of
touting its diversity, especially
through its
seemingly Encompass
unlimited cul- Show
ture groups.
Multicultural Sunday at7 p.m.
shows come At the Power
and go, each Center
proclaiming $5, $6 at the door
the ultimate
diversity. But
only one show can take top hon-
ors, and that would be Encompass.
This year's show will run on Sun-
day at 7 p.m. at the Power Center.
The show will feature perfor-
mances by Dance 2XS, Leim, the
Hellenic Student Association,
Sinaboro, Arabesque, Groove,
58 Greene, EnCore, the Persian
Student Association, Taal and
the Armenian Students' Cultural
Association. The mix may seem
overwhelming, but there's a focus
to the events. This year's theme is
"Expressions: Diversity Defined."
"We chose this theme because
we feel that the word 'diversity'
gets thrown around a lot on cam-
pus, especially this year regarding
the passage of Proposal 2, so we
decided to have that be the focus of
our show in a very concrete way,"
said Jaye Stapleton, LSA senior
and Encompass Core member, in
an e-mail.
Each of the groups will intro-
duce their performance through
a brief presentation on the impor-
tance of diversity to their particu-
lar group. The show will be an
accurate reflection of what each
of the groups strives for and how
they function through the year.
This will be the Hellenic Stu-
dent Association's fourth time
participating in the event.
"The HSA feels that the Encom-
pass show is a perfect opportunity
to showcase our culture through
music and dance," said Eleni Gou-
vas, LSA junior and the group's
treasurer.
The HSA dance troupe members
ANNA NIC(
DEAD
come from different regions of
Greece each with their own unique
dance style. HSA gives the dancers
an opportunity to exchange these
traditions.
Traditional Irish dancing by
Leim and classical Indian dancing
by Taal add to the mix. Leim sets
its innovative choreography to
both traditional and modern Irish
music with an infusion of pop. The
group Taal is named after a Hindi
word that describes the rhythm of
its music.
Groove will stir things up with
its unique sound, fashioned from
brooms, garbage cans and basically
any other odd household item that
can produce a percussive sound.
Electric guitar and bass add nec-
essary punch to the routines' well-
layered rhythms, generally based
around humourous skits reminis-
cent of both Stomp! and Blue Man
Group.
The Armenian Students' Cul-
Culture and
performance
groups combined.
tural Association will close the
show with music ranging from
traditional to contemporary while
dancing in authentic Armenian
costumes.
The dynamic of their dance will
be seen through the contrasting
natures of both male and female
dancers.
"The girls show the more deli-
cate side of Armenian dancing,
with intricate choreography, while
the boys display the force and
vigor of the dance," said Galine
Torossian, LSA junior and the
club's advisor.
You probably won't have a bet-
ter chance to experience the legit
diversity our University has to
offer. The Encompass show only
comes once a year - savor the mix
this weekend.
)LE SMITH
AT 39
" Acting icon charms
as roguish geezer
By BLAKE GOBLE
DailyArts Writer
What's going to happen to Brad
Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio when
they turn 74? The irreplaceable
Harrison Ford
will prob- ***
ably be play-
ing the same Venus
action hero in Atthe
25 years, and aThet
modern plas- Michigan Theater
tic surgery Miramax
will surely
turn leading men like Tom Cruise
into ageless Hollywood cyborgs.
But what happens in today's world
when a regular old A-list actor stops
lying about how old he is?
They don't often get the chance,
so it's no surprise that Peter O' Toole
("Lawrence Of Arabia") runs with
his. In "Venus," a succinct dramedy
from "Notting Hill" director Roger
Michell, O'Toole does something
odd and admirable among contem-
porary actors, acting his own age
(and even looking a good 20 years
older than it).
O'Toole is Maurice Russell, a
* still-active thespian who happens
to be one of surliest and most hon-
est representations of older age in
recent film. No "About Schmidt"
quirks here. Maurice drinks and
smokes and cusses like a sailor even
while beginning to cope with the
medical procedures and mental
fatigue that are all too common at
his age. He could be anyone's kindly
grandfather, except for one thing
- he's a bit of a pervert.
Maurice finds fresh late-life
excitement in the form of Jes-
sie (newcomer Jodie Whittaker),
a slow-witted country girl in her
early 20s who's the daughter of his
O'Toole slays
'em as a randy
old thespian.
best friend's niece. Jessie initially
arrives just for caretaking pur-
poses, but she quickly becomes the
titular "Venus" of Maurice's fasci-
nation. He doesn't hesitate in mak-
We're talking about Lawrence of Arabia he
ing advances on the young girl, and
friendless and bored, she willingly
accepts his offers of theater, clothes
and booze.
It's not an innocent arrangement.
Prostate problems might have ren-
dered Maurice permanently impo-
tent, but no surgery could ever stunt
this man's healthy libido. Jessie's no
dummy as to his real, uh, feelings,
either. At times the pairing feels
forced, with both openly selfish
about their own desires, and Jessie
in particular seems almost vindic-
tively manipulative in her desire for
fiscal security.
Maurice, however, is always in
it just for kicks - poor health and
an imminently looming death have
spurred him to seek one last exhila-
courtesy of Miramax
re. He's not going gently.
ration, and he pursues her dogged-
ly. Maurice is the sort of man who
understands the limitations of his
own being, so he knows to live with
as much folly as he can before the
eventual end. From clothes-fittings
to bar nights to a strictly regulated
game of doctor, Maurice happily
takes whatever lark he can.
In a way, "Venus" suffers from
outstanding lead acting - O'Toole,
already Oscar-nominated in this
role, is almost the sole reason to see
the film at all. Everything else in
the film seems subpar when com-
pared to his dynamism. Maybe it's
too self-referential to have an aging
actor play an aging actor. But what
other 74-year-old has earned those
rights?
For a timeline of Smith's life and a
tribute, go to our blog, The Filter, at
michigandaily.com.
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The untouched world of Canadian indie
By KAREN STASEVICH
For the Daily
Besnard Lakes released their
first album, Volume I, in 2004,
but despite
acclaim from **
Canadian
music critics, Besnard
they remained Lakes
largely anony-
mous. The Besnard LakesAre
band is the the Dark Horse
pet project of lagjaguwar
quasi-famous
Montreal producer and frontman
Jace Lasek, whose experience
may secure the band a merited
introduction to the music scene.
Little may be known about The
Besnard Lakes, but as the title's
"dark horse" implies, they may
find acclamation unexpectedly.
Besnard Lakes Are The Dark
Horse moves in slow motion - the
album's eight tracks are loosely
interwoven, employing beats and
distinctive instrumentals that
flow thematically throughout the
entire compilation. The songs are
mellow and serene on the surface,
but darkly punctuated by their
lyrics: "A lady with secrets writ-
ten all over her body / But I've
heard you lie / I've read your file,
you knew / I'd gather your life's
work and shred it to pieces."
Listening between the psyche-
delia to uncover the cold resent-
ment and forecasted destruction
in the opening track, "Disaster," is
integral to the album's full sound.
Lines like these may be overshad-
owed by the gentle strokes of vio-
lin and low rumbles of French
horns that accompany them, but
their brooding tones become pain-
fully obvious as the album presses
on.
Lasek's past and present
endeavors as a producer are evi-
dent on The Dark Horse. Much
of Montreal's indie music scene
cites Lasek as an influence, and
his notable accreditations include
projects with Wolf Parade, Stars
and Sunset Rubdown. Like Wolf
Parade, many seek Lasek's exper-
tise when looking to rough up pol-
ished edges on albums that sound
too pretty. His ability to add grit
and piquancy to otherwise lack-
luster tracks is clear in his own
work.
Second disc from
self-proclaimed
'Dark Horse.'
The inclusion of strings and
brass among the staple guitar and
drums, as well as glockenspiel,
organ and a choir, are organized
in meticulous arrangements. Yet
the lyrics retain a folklorish free-
dom: "And now my father rides
the trains / with the evidence
inside his brain / He must move to
stay alive / just because he knew
how to stop it." Lasek wastes no
words in his descriptions, leaving
the songs' deeper meanings open
to interpretation, keeping the
central focus on the instrumental
arrangements.
At first impression, the slow
pacing and somewhat hypnotic
style of The Besnard Lakes seems
unremarkable (think Broken
Social Scene slowed to a funeral
march with the Beach Boys's har-
mony). At the very least, a second
listen is required to pass fair judg-
ment on what is a very detailed
album.
Experimentation with sound
is a clear priority for the Besnard
Lakes - not the production of a
hit single.
However, success may be elu-
sive for that very reason. Patient
listening will precede affection
for the Besnard Lakes's album as
one that is an ideal backdrop for
relaxation. But unconscious hum-
ming? Perhaps not.
SI+E STOOPS
TO CONQUER
By Oliver Goldsmith
Dept. of Theatre & Drama." Directed by John Neville-Andrews
Feb. 15 at 7:30 PM." Feb. 16 & 17 at 8 PM
Feb. 18 at 2 PM." Mendelssohn Theatre
Tickets $22 & $16 - Students $9 with ID
League Ticket Office-" 734-764-2538