The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, January 12, 2007 - 5 Seriously, would you surrender your soul to work at Rolling Stone and be on a reality series? Be honest. Dead weight VAPID PEOPLE VYING FOR AN EQUALLY VAPID INTERNSHIP Sweet Charity is now playing at the Ann Arbor Civic Theater By BEN MEGARGEL DailyArts Writer From the opening shots of MTV's new real- ity show "I'm From Rolling Stone," it's woe- fully clear the show's producers sought person- ** ality over manners. When the renowned godfather I'm From of rock journalism Jann Rolling Wenner gives congratu- Stone latory calls to the seven aspiring writers suddenly MTV competing for a year-long Sundays at 10 p.m. contributing editor posi- tion at Rolling Stone magazine, one misses his call twice, one asks him to spell his name and another declares he'll bring condoms with him to New York City. For this set of "interns," decorum is out of the picture. The group is comprised of MTV's list of usual eccentrics: wonderfully scruffy Univer- sity of Southern California student Colin; San Francisco hip-hop fanatic and complete hood connoisseur Krishtine (yes that's spelled cor- rectly); Kate Hudson-in-"Almost Famous"- style hottie Krystal (yes, a blonde with the name Krystal); UC-Berkeley graduate and Aussie party animal Peter; former juvenile hall resident and current head-case Russel; and gender-bending, workaholic Tika. But despite its eclectic cast, the show fea- tures none of the rampant bed-hopping and steamy hot tub menage-a-trios of "The Real World." Instead, contestants compete for sto- ries, write on deadlines and interview famous musicians. While this may sound more thrill- ing than the typical coffee runs of most low- level summer jobs, these tasks sadly remain within the dull framework of a normal journal- ism internship. Whereas other shows like "The Apprentice" and "Top Chef" throw contestants into large- scale, high-pressure productions, "I'm From Rolling Stone" leaves its cast with the far less engaging task of staring blankly at computer screens. In the debut episode, the writers are individually evaluated on a 1000-word piece they wrote in the two days prior to coming to New York. Because of the intangible nature of such work, the outcome is less like stirring com- petition than watching a disgruntled English teacher grade. To complement the (relatively) serious nature of the series, the production is far grit- tier than most, featuring the dull lighting and SO, YOU WANT TO WORK FOR ROLLING STONE? Well, we can't stop you, but in case you do, here's what you need to know/have: " At least three to four writing samples (no, that does not include diary and/or blog entries). * Journalistic integrity (don't laugh). blunt editing more commonly seen on docu- mentary-style MTV shows like "True Life." Rather than adding a feeling of truth, however, the technique only serves to further emphasize the dryness of the subject matter. But even more jarring than the show's com- plete lack of excitement is the fact that its char- acters, while genuinely spunky and vivacious, are blatantly under-qualified for any sort of internship, let alone a full-time position as an editor. This assortment of aspiring journalists was ultimately tossed together with the patented strategy of "The Real World," picked for the dramatic effect of their diverse personalities rather than abilities. "I'm From Star Magazine" would probably be a more fitting title for these neophytes. A healthy, bipartisan Sdose of 'Charity' By CATHERINE SMYKA Daily Arts Writer When student groups like MUS- KET or Basement Arts introduce a new show, studentsfrom all majors and back- grounds are encouraged to audition. But usually local actors and theater enthusiasts can only find Sweet Charity Today and tomorrow at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. At the Ann Arbor Civic Theater $21-$24 Heaven and Earth's silver lining By PRIYA BALI in five years. Daily Arts Writer The play begins with the Jade Emperor, lord of Heaven, discov- If you believe that Heaven and ering his immortal daughter's Earth coexist, imagine them con- shameful romance with a name- nected by less cowlierd. He transforms the * something The Silver Silver River into an impenetrable that's not River barrier between the two worlds, only visible creating a complete darkness over but readily Today and both lands. explored 'by Saturday at. In a Brown Bag Lecture at the simply trav- 8p.m. Institute for Humanities, David H. eling down At the Power Hwang explored the striking con- a river. As a trast of what the Silver River once 4,000-year- $18-$40 was and how it has transformed, a old Chinese problem he called "the challenge to legend would have it, the existence create something on two levels." of the Silver River allows both Although the play is based on an realms to unite. ancient legend, its theme of forbid- What happens when Heaven and den love is timeless - and, of course, Earth collide? "The Silver River," always relevant. A love's survival in named after the Chinese word for a violent and chaotic world tran- "Milky Way," attempts to answer scends both time and cultures this question through a musi- alike, and "The Silver River" hopes cal folktale about forbidden love to achieve these qualities. between a mortal and an immortal Hwang, internationally recog- - a theme that spans both Easter nized for both his Tony Award- and Western literature. winning play "M. Butterfly" and The Power Center is set to open his work on Disney's "Aida," brings its doors to this singularly resplen- a uniquely Asian American per- dent production for the first time spective to contemporary play- writing,4 concernec culture, r society. The p. the exper Sheng. Afters Leonard l as an ar Yo-Yo M and extei Symphon monic an Orchestra Lov fin spi "The m felt was with a diverse repertoire "There was no need for it to be d with issues involving complicated." ace and gender in modern One featured instrument is the Chinese lute, called a "pipa." The roduction's composer is Jade Emperor's role is exclusively ienced music Prof. Bright sung in Chinese, whereas the rest of the cast sings in English. All of studying with composer these elements contribute to the Bernstein, Sheng worked imaginative beauty and dreamlike tistic advisor to cellist quality of the mythical love story. a's "Silk Road Project" Hwang intended for the legend- nsively with the Seattle ary characters to feel real. y, the New York Philhar- "Any time you look at gods and d the Boston Symphony goddesses in myths they are exten- a. sions of human behavior. My ten- dency is to humanize them more and bring out those qualities in a once again way that allows the audience to be brought into the mythical world," ids awa to Hwang said. ds a way to Although this world is under- an the ages. standably exaggerated, the overall a th a es piece doesn't become a fantasy - nor does it forget about the impor- tance of creating a tangible (and tost important thing, we believable) reality. that the music should Whether this world refers to a comfy seat in the audience. At the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre Company, all community mem- bers, from single parents to math professors to Engineering under- grads, are invited to join a cast. "The theater groups on campus are really focused on the students, as they should be;'"director Ed Reynolds said. "But if the School of Music is putting on a production, adults can't audition." To fill that void, Reynolds makes sure to allow faculty, alumni and Ann Arbor residents to join the many students in his casts. The AACT's latest, Broadway classic "Sweet Charity," maintains an excellent tradition. Dance hall hostess Charity Hope Valentine (Ann Arbor residentKathy Waugh) maintains an unwavering faith in true love despite the continu- ous stream of misfortune blocking her way. Somewhat seductive but thoroughly charming, Charity is determined to prove to her fellow dancers Nickie (January Proven- zola) and Helene (Katie Hoeg) and the entire Fandango dance club that a girl like her can find a man. "She has a heart of gold, but she's a little misguided," Reynolds said of the character. "Our Charity is phenomenal; she can make you laugh and break your heart at the same time." But no Charity can win an audience by herself. That's where choreographer Jeff DiFranco's dancers come in. Reynolds's passion for his tal- ented dancers is not misplaced. The real clincher, however, lies in the distinctness of the seamless A LITTLE 'CHARITY' HISTORY: " Opened on Broadway on Jan. 29,1966. " In 2005, Christina Applegate ("Anchorman") played the role of Charity. . The show was nominated for12 Tony Awards and won only onefor Bob Fosse's choreography. steps themselves. While incorpo- rating a few well-known kicks and spins, DiFranco exercises entire sequences of nontraditional move- ment, such as the catlike "Rich Man's Frug" and zombie-ish "The Rhythm of Life." Each actors' step, breath and action (both during musical numbers and monologues) synchronize crisply with theback- ground music of the orchestra. The band not only guides dance num- bers but enhances the life onstage. Cast aside, Reynoldsspecifically marked the production staff as a key component of the show's evo- lution. "We all have our eyes on the same prize," Reynolds said. Consistent infatuation with the play itself, which has been popular since early 1966, can certainly jus- tify Reynolds's enthusiasm. After four decades of performing in cit- ies all over the United States and London both on and off Broadway, "Sweet Charity" has yet to disap- The '60s - but with students and locals. point audiences. "This show is 41 years old but still fresh," Reynolds said. The diverse University and regional cast of the production has allowed Reynolds to offer audi- ences a play he has always loved. "Artistically, I have high stan- dards, and my actors deliver," he said. Merging students and locals might not be the norm around these parts, but in this case, it sure paid off. sound incidental," Sheng said, referring to "Silver River's" blend of contemporary Western opera and Chinese folk music. Heaven or Earth, the audience can safely assume they will be invited by the sights and sounds of "The Silver River" into both.