The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, December 4, 2009 - 5 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, December 4, 2DD9 - 5 "The Two Couple Play and Other Short Works" requires many students to play multiple roles in one evening. A 'Couple' of laughs This weekend, Basement Arts showcases an anthology of entirely student-created plays By Carolyn Klarecki I Daily TV/New Media Editor The lights come up on a small. stage, illuminating two student actors dressed as a geriatric couple in a spar- ingly decorated doctor's office. As they start to Couple Play bicker in Yid- and Other dish accents with interstitial Short Works sighs and eye Today at7 p.m. rolls, the few and ay A7. and people in the a m.and intimate the- Tomorrow ater laugh and at7 p.m. ndd approv- At Studio One ingly. Even in the Walgreen I Stoma Centet though opening Free night was 24 hours off, the atmosphere pervading the dress rehearsal for Basement Arts' lat- est production, "The Two Couple Play and Other Short Works," was more than promising. From the professionalism of the directors to the dedication of the actors, it's natural to assume the show has been in rehearsal for a while or it's under the direc- tion of an experienced faculty member. In actuality, rehearsals have been in progress for only three weeks, and the cast and crew of the project is composed of students with a varying ranges of theater experience. "The Two Couple Play and Other Short Works" consists of three one-act plays written, produced, directed and acted by students. Though the three sepa- rate works bear similar styles of humor, aesthetic and theme, the variety of characters and sto- ries should appeal to a large and diverse audience. The title piece, "The Two Couple Play," has suc- ceeded in relating particularly to college-aged audiences. "I've been hearing a lot of real- ly positive feedback I didn't really expect from 'The Two Couple Play,' which is.. about what it is like to be in your 2Os in 2010," said LSA senior Zach Smilovitz, writer of all three plays and first- time director of one. (Smilovitz also serves as the Daily's political satire columnist.) "It's very difficult ... It feels like a lot of theater today is not about what our age group is going through," he said. This production has allowed those involved to explore and experiment with multiple facets of putting on a show. With actors taking very different roles in mul- tiple plays, directors acting as pro- ducers and writers trying their hands at directing, this produc-. tion has been a learning experi- ence for the entire cast and crewi "I'm in the acting program. I'm also a film director even though I haven't directed a play since my freshman year here. It's been four years since I've directed a play," Liam White, Music, The- atre & Dance and LSA senior said. White is also the show's producer and director of one of the plays. Naturally, these crossovers lead to some complications. Nico Anger, Music, Theatre & Ounce senior and lead actor in two of the plays, says that instantaneously switching roles between an old Jewish man and a young aspiring 20-something has been his big- gest challenge. "I literally go off stage and come back on 10 seconds later and have to do the next thing," Anger said. "It's difficult jumping from one rehearsal to another with all of the lines ... and having to keep them all straight. A lot of the times I start saying lines from other plays or I mix it up and start going into the Jewish accent while I'm in the car. It gets confusing." Though producing three very different showsiin, huih a Ishort' amount of time presents some obvious challenges, the dedication and talent of everyone involved will be visible come show time. "The Two Couple Play and Other Short Works" will be performed tonight at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. and tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Studio One at the Walgreen Drama Center. Admission is free. Friars woo listeners one lady at a time By DAVID RIVA boundaries." Daily Fine Arts Editor Among these YouTube sensa- tions are "North Face Girl" and "And now, due to circumstances "Freshman Girl." Both tunes beyond my con- exploit the subject matter the Fri- trol, I present to . ars most frequently revisit. you the Friars." The Fnars "It's no secret, girls are usu- For 54 years, Tomorrow, ally our target demographic." that's how the 8p.m. Morris said. "The unisex versions University's old- At Rackham of 'North Face,' 'Freshman' and est a cappella $6 'Buckeye Girl' didn't make the cut. group has been Eight guys singing a cappella have introduced. It's to assert their masculinity some- an appropriate warningto the audi- how." ence that a group of eight young These satirical songs are all men are about to take the stage examples of what the Friars are armed with silly songs and danger- best known for: writing original ous dance moves. lyrics to familiar tunes. Their job description, according "We take a popular song, 'Lean to LSA sophomore Aaron Bindman On Me' for example, and we decide is to "attempt to be funny, dance what really piques us as college st- awkwardly, sing occasionally and dents - what do we know so much be as entertaining as possible." about that we can create multiple As far as a cappella troupes go, hilarious verses dedicated to it," the Friars are about as unfettered, Bidman explained. free-spirited and footloose as they come. "We acknowledge that musical- ity is not the only factor ina suc- Putting a twist cessful performance," LSA senior a t* Dominic Merica said. "The fun we on familiar tunes. have on stage spreads through the audience, soI think that having fun is really the most important ele- "That is (how) we created 'Face- ment in a good show." book Me,' an original that will To give credit where credit is debut at this concert," he added. due, however, all members of the Morris has a similar take on the Friars are members of the Men's writing process for Friars origi- Glee Club, an organization that nals. upholds high musical standards. "The formula is pretty simple: Even though their ability to be Find an easy target like soror- showmen onstage takes prece- ity girls, make fun of everything dence, their capacity to hold a about them and make them laugh chord and hit a harmony should not atthemselves," he said. be overlooked. Popular songs with no lyric In addition towbeing a talented alteration are also performed in singer, tongue-in-cheek sarcasm addition to these parodies. The hnd'a healthy dbs f6f self-dhpreca- selection-process forthese num- tion are essential qualities for every bers is lengthy and arduous to say Friar. the least. The Friars' near-celebrity status "We all gather around and play on campus only helps to illuminate the greatest game ever: Risk," these qualities. Bindman explained. "World domi- "Of course we don't feel like nation becomes song domination. celebrities," Bindman said. "We We play the game as many times as prefer to be called educators. We songs needed for the concert with help people realize that if given the winner of each round choosing marginally good looks and mini- asingle song. After playing roughly mal singing talent yet you also can 16 times (approximately 80 hours), be quite witty, women will actually we have our songs chosen and then pay attention to you." start the process all over again to Engineering junior and first- determine who solos." year Friar Kevin Klinke expressed Past concerts have included a similar sentiment. songs ranging from Motown ("I "To be honest, no (I don't feel, Want You Back," "ABC") to mod- like a campus celebrity)," he said. ern radio tunes ("Better Together," "To be not honest, I'd say that I'm "Hey Ya!") as well as hits by the 'kind of a big deal.' I'm sure that Beatles ("Yesterday"), Beach Boys will change after my first concert ("California Girls"), Barenaked this Saturday when girls are sure Ladies ("It's All Been Done") and to start flocking and whatnot. But .Backstreet Boys ("I Want It That at this point I still wholeheartedly Way"). believe I'm a nobody." Choosing a favorite Friars song Merica reinforced this endear- is like a parent picking a favorite ingself-loathing. child for the singers and audience "I've been told an assortment of members alike. Bidman, however, nice things about the Friars," he cited "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz as said. "I believe these comments the tune he's most fond of. must have all been made by people "We are not credited enough for who have not attended our con- our soft, sensitive side," he said. certs." "We are more than the class clowns LSA senior Sean Morris, how- - we are the class clowns who you ever, realizes Friars transcend Uni- can maybe see asking out, if no one versity recognition and have been else is available for that night." praised on an international level. So whether you're a young lady "The best feeling is getting ran- looking for a thoughtful guy with dom emails in broken English from a sense of humor, an a cappella people in Korea or Germany who enthusiast or someone who likes 'love' our YouTube videos," he said. laughing at white boys trying to "It's really rewarding to know that dance, be sure to check out the Fri- our message of abstinence, sobri- ars tomorrow night at Rackham ety and piety crosses international Auditorium. DO YOU LIKE MUSEUMS? BOOKS? FOOD? ART GALLERIES? SYMPHONIES? YO %U SOUND LIKE A GOOD FIT FOR DAILY FINE ARTS. E-mail join.arts@umich.edu for information on how to apply. The war in Iraq's human Grim Reapers By ANDREW LAPIN Daily Film Editor There's something absurdly alienating, and maybe even dehumanizing, about hav- ing to break the news of someone's death to people you don't know. The ordeal forces you to boil down the complexities of human grief to a simple science that can Messenger be understood and manipu- At the lated. But in "The Messen- .i ger," the new Iraq war-era Michigan drama by director and c O Losope writer Oren Moverman (who previously co-scripted "I'm Not There"), that science of grief is played for pathos instead of cold disconnection. Ultimately, when the product being shipped is sadness, it hurts a lot to be the delivery boy. Ben Foster ("Pandorum") gives a deeply touching breakthrough performance as Will Montgomery, a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army who is sent home after injuring himself in battle and is reassigned to his local "Angel of Death" squadron. When a soldier dies, it becomes his job to break the news to the next of kin, or NOK, as they're coldly called. There must always be two soldiers present to deliver the death notice, and Montgomery's partner is Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson, "Zom- bieland"), a grizzled veteran of carrying these Grim Reaper-like tidings. Tony talks about their job as though it's a military operation akin to Desert Storm, and he brings certain rules to their line of work: Speak only with the NOK. Don't greet them with a "good morning" - "Ain't nothing good about it," Tony remarks. And under no circum- stances are you to touch the NOK. No extended compassion beyond the government-regulated amount is allowed. "The Messenger" isn't really an "Iraq war movie." It's a film about being in the pres- ence of death and an exploration of the vari- ous forms grief can take. Far from making an overtly political statement, the movie succeeds because it's a deeply human drama with touch- ing performances, including Steve Buscemi ("Fargo") in the most heartbreaking three- minute role you'll ever see. Foster and Harrelson both play tortured Gotta love a man in uniform. souls whose spirits were broken long before they became Angels of Death. Foster is par- ticularly devastating. The young actor is in every scene, and his stoic silences speak vol- umes about the intense pain that's hiding just under his skin. He begins a tentative and ethi- How two men deliver the message of death in the military. cally questionable relationship with a newly widowed recipient of his message (Saman- tha Morton, "Synecdoche, New York"). This story could have gone into territory too grim for even this film, but the two actors are so delicate with each others' emotions that their scenes together are some of the most effective in the movie. In his first directing job, Moverman proves himself as an ace at navigating the whole spec- trum of human emotion through superb cam- erawork that never shifts its focus away from the drama. He knows when to use extended single takes for blistering emotional effec- tiveness, and keeps a morbidly aware tone throughout. A homecoming scene where a returning soldier mocks-the song "Taps" is fol- lowed immediately by the funeral of a different soldier, where, yes, "Taps" is played. No need to dance around the subject of death like a more cautious filmmaker might have done: Here the subject's always right there in the open, invad- ing every frame, the true star of the film. There's no hope in "The Messenger" in the traditionally melodramatic sense, but ulti- mately an uplifting spirit does prevail in the characters that has nothing to do with the hor- rors of war. Here is a film that is deeply rev- erent to and understanding of our military. The fact that it was made by a veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces, not the U.S. Armed Forces, is demonstrative of the universality of the themes on display here. There is death in war, just as there is death in life, and films like "The Messenger" can help us to live and learn alongside its presence.