The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Friday, March 11, 2011- 5 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, March 11, 2011 - 5 'Pretty' in the Basement The latest Basement Arts play examines the meaning of beauty By Lucy Perkins I Daily Arts Writer Gallagher gets into his 'Gear' When people go to the the- ater, they expect to hand their tickets to an usher, shuffle down an aisle and apologetical- Reasons to ly squeeze L by others to their seats. Tonightat7 and They set- 11 p.m.,tomorrow tle in, the at 7 p.m. lights dim, the curtain Walgreen Drama rises and it Center, Studio One begins. In Free this week- end's Basement Arts production of "Reasons to Be Pretty," these events will happen, but in a very different order. "The show starts with an explosive fight and that sets the stage for the rest," said Jon Manganello, a sophomore in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and one of the leads in the play. "As the audience is walking in, the play has already started. They will be walking into the theater and we'll be screaming back- stage," he said. Before the play begins, the character Steph discovers that her boyfriend Greg thinks she has an average face. When she con- fronts him about it, the opening fight scene ensues. Throughout the rest of the production, Greg and Steph, along with another couple, explore what it really means to be attractive. According to Manganello, "Reasons to Be Pretty" addresses issues that people usually ignore. "It really delves into the ques- tions we don't want to ask," Man- ganello said. "Like, how much is being pretty worth and why is it so important to be attractive? We're so quick to make comments about how people look that we don't always recognize the conse- quences of those comments. But this show does." Manganello plays the charac- ter Greg, opposite Steph, played by MT&D freshman Emily Han- ley. "My character is the guy who is trying to hold everybody together while everybody's falling apart," Manganello said. "I definitely relate to my role the most, but the great thing about this play is that each character is relatable." Because the themes of "Rea- sons to Be Pretty" are so univer- sal, the actors have been able to easily find connections between themselves and their roles. "There are parallels between the actors and all the characters - that's what makes this play so human," Manganello noted. "None of the characters are per- feet and everyone's out there screwing things up," he said. According to Hanley, the four-person production is very C"wiSD ZOMBAK/Daily "Rteasons ta be Pretty" starts with a tight betore the curtain eves rises. demanding. "The parts ask for alot of range in human emotion," Hanley said. "My character, Steph, throws a frying pan at Greg before the show starts, so most people think she's crazy. My goal is to get the audience to see her side of the story and believe her." Manganello also went through the obstacles the play has had. "The dialogue is so collo- quial and honest that it's a chal- lenge for actors who are used to plays that are written in ways that aren't necessarily how we speak," he said. Challenges such as these have brought this already small cast even closer together. "We're forced to be in these high-stakes situations, so it's almost impossible not to bond," he said. One of the reasons the actors have become so close offstage is because of close interactions onstage as well. "There are scenes where the characters are tumultuous and violent, but others where they're really loving," Hanley said. "Each character has just been through a lot, but despite everything, they're really in love." The transparency and honesty in each character is what Man- ganello hopes will hit home to the audience. "It's exciting when the audience can walk out of the theater, inter- nalize what they saw and make it their own," Manganello said. "Everybody can relate to this show, whether they've had experiences like this or not." Jordan Rochelson, director of "Reasons to be Pretty," has written for the Daily. By ELLIOT ALPERN DailyArts Writer Let's get one thing clear: even with a nearly identical roster, Beady Eye is not Oasis. With the departure of songwriter Noel Gallagher (brother of lead B4yE singer Liam Gallagher), the Different Gear, music style Still Speeding is similar but by no means Beady Eye the same. In place of ambitious anthems and lofty ballads, the leftover band members deliver music that is uncomplicated and fun. The char- acteristic Beatles influence isstill there, but think more "Revolu- tion" than "Hey Jude." The result is an album that is less of a direct descendant from the British bill- board commandeers and more of an estranged relative with a new groove. Different Gear, Still Speeding proves, if nothing else, that Liam is gifted enough to survive with- out the tumultuous relationship that constituted the brothers' bond (as the title clearly hints). It's his own brand of prog rock - the album never approaches the blockbuster potential that was unleashed with "Wonderwall" - but the style is still unique and engaging. The tempo is quick and spirited, with a clearer Rolling Stones rock'n'roll tinge that is essentially summarized by track "Beatles and Stones." Opening track "Four Letter Word" accentuates carefree play- fulness through a din of cymbals and guitars. (Hint: The titular word is "love.") It fittingly sets the tone for an ensuing array of merriment. "The Roller," which peaked high in European single charts, contains traces of the patented Oasis infectiousness that once constantly hooked the British Isles. Later on the record, "The Beat Goes On" veers in a dif- ferent direction - or perhaps in a different gear - but shows that Liam can still make a viable bal- lad, and that he isn't forced into a new genre by the absence of COURTESYOFtBEADY EYE his songwriter brother. Different Gear doesn't slow down until this peaceful but mournful track, giv- ing it the feeling of a high-speed car chase that's windipg down to a serene and somber conclusion. Though Beady Eye's debut release doesn't run into any fatal flaws, that's not to say that it works top to bottom. For all his success, Liam occasionally lacks melodic variation - "Three Ring Circus" sounds like "The Roller" retooled - which may lead to the conclusion that Noel did contrib- ute to Liam's songwriting talent. No Noel, no problem. Additionally,Different Gear never gambles past its initial change in style, which strips it of the oppor- tunity to achieve the big hits the band members had grown accus- tomed to in previous years. But these problems could be indica- tive of the difficulty in starting anew, so it might be best to chalk them up to a few preliminary bumps in the road. Still, Different Gear shows a lot of promise, and more than sug- gests the band can make it past the desertion of Noel Gallagher. What the listener will ultimate- ly take away from the album is charm, and unlike Oasis, it never takes itself too seriously. Instead of the typical Beatles vs. Stones argument, Beady Eye has taken cues from both bands, crafting an intricate amalgamation with the roughness of the Stones and the precision of the Beatles. Raising 'Doubt' at Arthur Miller By ERIN STEELE duction spent a lot of time DailyArts Writer exploring the idea of doubt and what it meant to each of them In the preface to his drama individually. "Doubt," renowned American "Matt made an effort at the playwright John Patrick Shan- beginning of the rehearsal ses- ley writes, sions to bring out the passions, "The hopes and doubts of the cast beginning members," producer Brenda of change Tonight and Casher said. "I was surprised to is the tomorrow at 8 p.m., find such diverse beliefs among moment Sundayat 2p.m. our cast, yet all willingto exam- of DoubL. toe the beliefs or faith systems It is that Arthur MillerTheatre that exist within this play (and) crucial From $10 the questions it hopes to ask: Is moment doubt useful even if you are a when I renew my humanity or believer? Without facts, is your become a lie." This weekend, certainty enough?" the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre In addition to a large amount will explore the tipping point of introspection, the cast also between uncertainty and took time to closely analyze the assuredness in its production of script in order to bring it to life Shanley's play. onstage. "I'm telling you, it's this big" Farrelly bros. latest 'Pass' is a major fail By STEPHEN OSTROWSKI Deputy Magazine Editor Ill-conceived and surprisingly dull, the Farrelly brothers' "Hall Pass" is the latest blemish on a resume that once affirmed the duo as Hol- lywood's de Hall Pass facto deans of successful slap- At Quality16 stick. and Rave Owen Wil- son ("Little NewLine Fockers") and Ed Helms doppelganger Jason Sudeikis ("The Bounty Hunter") headline as pals Rick and Fred, respectively, a pair of suburban- ites disenchanted with their mar- riages to Maggie (Jenna Fischer, TV's "The Office") and Grace (Christina Applegate, "Going the Distance"). Peeved by their bum- bling and oversexed spouses, the wives - in a topsy-turvy effort to strengthen their relationships by proving their husbands' sexual ineptitude - grant Rick and Fred a "hall pass," a no-consequences one-week reprieve from mar- riage. From there it's a very silly sprint to get laid, one that pain- fully sputters through contrived and sophomoric gags. Giving Wil- son and Sudeikis carte blanche to paint the proverbial town red, the Farrelly brothers fail to deliver the amusing ride that the prem- ise promises. It's not that there's a lack of bawdiness, but the over- the-top element, offering nothing refreshing - an unsavory pas- tiche of marital, ball-and-chain jokes and scatological humor - simply flops. And given the (faint) thematic similarity, it's difficult not to shop a comparison to a not-too- distant flick that re-energized the no-reigns buddy film, 2009's much more entertaining "The Hangover" (and with "Hall Pass" featuring a portly, bearded coffee barista as a dingbat supporting character, the faux-Galifianakis parallel is also inviting to draw). Of course, the characters' disil- lusionment - really, how wild can one go in the 'burbs of Rhode Island? - is the crux of the film's humor. It's the men's misguided attempts at picking up women at an Applebees's, and not the film's zanier moments - like eating pot brownies on the golf course and an awkward visit to a racy club - that might best tickle audiences. Who signed the permission slip for this movie? What's made previous Farrelly efforts tolerable are the arresting oddballs: the cerebrally vacant but perversely likable Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in "Dumb and Dumb- er," the stiff, lovesick Ben Stiller in "There's Something About Mary" or even the sheepish, lovable-loser Jack Black in "Shallow Hal.""Hall Pass" suffers from a lack of these outliers - blas adults bemoan- ing, well, adulthood - and fur- ther seesaws with unbalanced performances. Wilson especially underwhelms - lie perhaps too See HALL PASS, Page 6 The 2005 Tony winner for Best Play tells the story of Father Flynn, a priest at St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx during the 1960s. He comes under the suspicion of principal Sister Aloysius when rumors of sexual misconduct arise between him and one of the school's young students. Throughout the play, Aloysius and her colleague Sister James grapple with the uncertainty of their judgments about the situ- ation. For his first mainstage pro- duction for Ann Arbor Civic, director Matt Martello pro- posed the idea of staging "Doubt." "I really wanted to do ("Doubt") because I saw it twice on Broadway, and each time I had a different reaction as to whether Father Flynn was guilty or not guilty of the crime," Martello said. "I think it's one of the better written plays of the past 20 years." Because the play requires so much thought on the audience's part, Martello opted to use a sparse backdrop to draw atten- tion to the four-person cast and their actions. "Ourset is alot more simplis- tic because I just wanted the audience to focus on the play and the words themselves," he said. "I wanted it to be more of a 'words show' rather than a big spectacle." Those involved in the pro- Shanley's 'Doubt' won the 2005 Tony for Best Play. "The whole rehearsal process has been wonderful because the cast and myself have been analyzing the script as we go," Martello said. "There's a whole lot of gray." Martello is confident anyone who comes to see "Doubt" will be drawn in by the intellectual challenges it poses, especiallyto what he calls the "true theater enthusiast." "Very rarely do you have scripts where every word meant something and nothing's wast- ed," Martello said. "And I'm not speaking in hyperbole at all when I say that I really feel that this is as tight a script as I've ever experienced. I think people should challenge themselves and watch it for that reason." Casher shares Martello's con- viction that the play has some- thing to offer every viewer. "I hope that (those who attend) find something in the play that nudges them," she said. "It seems as if the ques- tions themselves are proof of our humanity."