4B - Thursday, December 9, 2010 UMGASS From Page 1B of the principal characters in "The Sor- cerer." "It's all basically ridiculous satire of aspects of English life at the time ... You get to kind of look back through that." Surprisingly, one of the most satirical of Gilbert and Sullivan's works is set in a land far away from jolly old England. "The Mikado," which premiered in 1885, paints an exaggerated portrait of British law and rank under the disguise of imperial Japan. The work, which ran for 672 per- formances, is arguably the most popular and best known G&S operetta. It will also be UMGASS's spring production, slated for April 2011. Propelling the political and social sat- ire of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas is W.S. Gilbert's witty dialogue and hilari- ously impossible storylines. "Theplots areso ludicrous,butsomehow you believe it, and it works," said UMGASS president Ali Kahn, a senior in the Ross School of Business. "At the end they always throw in this giant twist that somehow is logical but just doesn't seem practical, and it solves every single problem." As an example, Kahn cited the duo's 1879 sensation "The Pirates of Penzance." The operetta's leading man, who believes he will be free to leave the band of pirates he serves once he turns 21, realizes that he was born on February 29 of a leap year. He must therefore remain a pirate until his actual 21st birthday, which will occur sometime in his eighties. "(G&S have) got this witty humor that still appeals to modern audiences even though (the shows) are from the late 1800s," Kahn said. Sullivan's music also has elements of satire, as it parodies grand opera of the period. G&S operettas are packed with musical jokes that reference the operas of Wagner and Verdi. Kahn, who has stud- ied these references, noted that Sullivan lifted a passage from Verdi's "La Traviata" and jokingly recycled it in a soprano aria in "The Pirates of Penzance." "Sullivan took (music) out of the opera of the time or the opera right before that and just placed it right in the score," Kahn said. "So people in the audience would have gotten those jokes. Now people don't necessarily get it. But I think the music is just so beautiful because it's a nice mix- ture of the high opera of that period and The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 4 the way music was going into operetta." Interestingly enough, Sullivan's ambi- tion was to write a serious operatic work that would rank among the operas of the composers whom he parodied. Even Queen Victoria herself once remarked to the composer, "You ought to write a grand opera, Sir Arthur, you would do it so well." Although Sullivan did compose an opera - without the help of Gilbert - it never gained the same recognition as the operettas he produced with his longtime partner. Despite Sullivan's unfulfilled dream, even the composer himself could not deny the tremendous success of his joint ven- tures with Gilbert. The partnership of Sullivan's playful melodies and Gilbert's incomparable wit helped the entire canon of G&S operettas to stand the test of time. One hundred fourteen years after their final collaboration, Gilbert and Sulli- van still remain household names. Their operettas continue to be performed inter- nationally by societies dedicated to pre- serving the topsy-turvy world of G&S. G&S AT THE 'U' Founded in the late '40s, the University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society is one of the most esteemed and respected of its kind. Since its first performance, the society has offered top-notch amateur performances of G&S, while at the same time educating modern audiences of this all-too-neglected artform. "I think it's necessary to keep Gilbert and Sullivan going," Kahn said. "It's a very important genre and time in history to present to audiences. I think that if societies like us didn't do it, (Gilbert and Sullivan) would have a hard time finding a home in other theater companies." Gillett believes UMGASS is especially important because it provides local audi- ences a chance to see quality Gilbert and Sullivan performances without leaving Ann Arbor. "This is the only company, unless you go to Toronto or New York or Chicago or San Francisco, that you're going to see this level of quality of production," he said. "For a student organization, they produce about the most professional production of G&S that you probably are going to see." At its most basic level, UMGASS is a community of members joined by their love for G&S, whether they are University students, faculty or Ann Arbor residents. 4 4 4 SAM WOLSON/Daily The University of Michigan Gilbert and Sullivan Society was founded in 1947 and puts on two to three shows every year. The society offers a special niche for oper- etta lovers who continue to participate even after they graduate. "It's got a ton of alumni," Kahn said. "Over time people come up to us and say, 'I was in UMGASS in the '70s when I was a Law student here.' And then they come back later and they can still participate." Kahn went on to explain that members of UMGASS often form a supportive and close- knit family - both figuratively and literally. "We've got second-generation UMGASS-ers, believe it or not," Kahn said. "I guess at some point, there have been one or two marriages that have resulted. It's very much a family. "I feel like I'm a part of the Ann Arbor community, not just the University," Kahn added. "I feel like the relationships I've made are so lasting and will definitely carry into the future after I graduate." While UMGASS makes an effort to pull in longtime G&S fans, the society also tries to make the works accessible to first-time operetta-goers. Gillett pointed out that while they may focus on a time and place far from our own, the univer- sal themes and intellectual humor of G&S will appeal to modern-day audiences and, in particular, students. "It's kind of lucky that Gilbert chose, most of the time, universal subjects," Gil- lett said. "So these aren't stories about gods and kings - like in opera where nobody can really relate to it." Though the universality of G&S oper- ettas attracts a wide audience, first-time G&S attendees are often intimidated by the outdated and antiquated language that can make it difficult to follow the story. Archaic British expressions like "at sixes and sevens" and "yam for toko" can throw even the most experienced audi- ence member for a loop. UMGASS tries to get around this barrier by providing definitions of old-fashioned idioms and vocabulary in the program. In addition, supertitles are projected above the stage during musical numbers. "We usually try to get the singers to enunciate really clearly, but I think (supertitles are) an advantage for those who are brand new to it." Gillett said. Kahn pointed out that Gilbert and Sulli- van may not be as foreign to college students as one might think. In fact, pop culture is filled with references to G&S operettas. "I was watching a 'Family Guy' episode the other day, and one of the songs from 'The Sorcerer' came on," Kahn said. "It's one of those references that just appear, and if you know what it is, it's one of those great moments." Kahn's run-in with G&S on primetime television shows just how widespread and well known Gilbert and Sullivan's works are. While these two artists would have most likely made names for themselves had they worked independently, it is for- 4 tunate that they worked together to pro- duce the some of the best-loved works of musical theater in the English-speaking world and beyond. When a student begins to experience for himself or herself the pair's perfect balance of theater and music, it becomes evident why societies 4 like UMGASS continue to perform the works of G&S to this day. 4 4 SAM WOLSON/Daily When founded, the goal of UMGASS was to perform all 13 of Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas. This weekend, the group will put on "The Sorcerer," composed in 1877. DANCE From Page 2B for everyone to see. "As artists, we create something mean- ingful to us, present it and we hope for the best," McClendon said. "The scary part is, people are going have opinions about what you created and they may not be the opinions you wanted them to have, but I wouldn't want to create something that someone was indifferent about. I actually want you to hate it or I want you to love it; that's the way I would prefer that it would be." The seven seniors will get plenty more reactions to their work when they show- case their pieces for choreographers, directors, University alumni, friends and family at the Baryshnikov Arts Cen- ter in New York City on May 6 and 7 in a self-produced show, a first for the Dance Department. The brainchild of the Class of 2011, the show has been facilitated by the students' hard work as well as the help of the dance faculty and Dean of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance Chris- topher Kendall. "We're kind of challenging the Dance Department to keep up with us," Nieves said. "Even if none of us get jobs from there, our goals are to showcase the Uni- versity on the East Coast, to show what we can do. That's something you can put on your resume, that you just got out of college and you produced a show in New York. How many 21-year-olds can say that?" Each of the seniors will carry that same ambition with them as they graduate and face the fickle dance world. When asked what most of them refer to as "the ques- tion," the seniors all seem surprisingly assured about their futures. Nieves, Romi- ta and Yarrington hope to move to New York City and begin performance careers, Crescenti is applying to a contemporary dance school in London and auditioning in New York and Chicago, Sheena and Wanserski will go abroad and McClendon will pursue his second passion, singing. "It's a little scary because a lot of our friends who are not in the dance world are already getting interviews; half of my friends already have jobs," Romita said. "You can't apply for a job in the same way as, say, a business major does." "(A career in dance) takes building a community basis. You get jobs on your own with your tech ability and with your presence but also with who you know," Crescenti said. "You go into those audi- tions with hundreds and hundreds of people all wanting one spot, and people who are your age, people who are younger than you, people who have been living in the city for years and years and are hun- gry and tired and want this job a thousand times more than anyone else in the room." No matter what happens, each BFA is optimistic about what's in store for the future. "I know that it'll be fine, and I love to dance, so in some way or another some- thing will work out," Yarrington said. McClendon summed up the feelings of the closely bonded class quite succinctly: "We're going somewhere great, and we can feel it." 4 4 SALAM RIDA/Dai "Barista" is Italian for "bartender." COFFEE From Page 3B own community, but every barista also has the opportunity to connect with his or her customers. "The best part of my job is all the peo- ple I get to meet and talk to. straight up," Roney said. "Coffee's very interesting. I've been very interested in it for a long time. But I think what makes me like it more than other jobs I've had is that face-to-face interaction with hundreds of people every day. It's ail extrovert's job." In a place as unique as Cafi Ambrosia, Bies enjoys the diversity of people that come through the shop. "You start learning a lot about people who are really interesting," Bies said. "It kind of gives you a microcosm of a com- munity." For Bies, that community represents a reprieve from his academic life. Gutows- ki also finds his job to be a healthy relief from school, especially duringthe stress- ful time of exams. "It's not school, so it's also a distrac- tion," Gutowski said. "Even when it becomes time-consuming ... I would say it's a fun job." Bies, who once worked at Beanster's in Pierpont Commons on North Campus, finds Ambrosia to be a relaxing place to work, with its own customer commu- nity. "It's totally an escape," he said. "Pro- fessors come here, and GSIs hold office hours here all the time. It's also where people come to break up - two people come in together, have a serious conver- sation and then leave separately. It's like, 'I'm really glad we can facilitate your breakup.'" The ubiquity of coffee is so embodied in campus culture that it even becomes a part of the rise and fall of relationships. Coffee is an integral part of many stu- dents' daily lives, and in appreciating the drink that runs our late-night study ses- sions, it's best to not overlook the baris- tas who form the lifeblood of the coffee exchange. The Dance BFA seniors wil take their pieces to New York City this May for a two-day showcase.