The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, March 25, 2011 - 7
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Friday, March 25, 2011 - 7
Spellboundby MUSKET
University musical theater group kids around
in 'Putnam County Spelling Bee'
By Cassie Balfour ( Daily Arts Writer
"My unfortunate erection /
Is destroying my perfection,"
cries Chip Tolentino, played by
LSA fresh-
man Dave
Caldwell, The25th Annual
after his Putnam County
dream of Spelling Bee
becoming
Putnam Today and
County's tomorrow at 8 p.m.,
preemi- Sundayat2 p.m.
nent speller
is foiled Power enter
by adoles- From $
cence. It
happens to the best of us. Luck-
ily, the University will be able to
relive those traumatizing middle
school years this weekend at the
Power Center.
MUSKET will be performing
"The 25th Annual Putnam Coun-
ty Spelling Bee," a one-act show
about six quirky child prodigies
competing in a high-stakes spell-
ing bee while attempting to navi-
gate the single most harrowing
experience known to mankind:
puberty.
"These roughly nine to 13 year
olds are taking part in the Put-
nam spelling bee," director and
Music, Theatre and Dance senior
Rebecca Spooner said. "It's these
six eclectic and eccentric kids,
each have their own little quirks
and stories and backgrounds.
They're the misfits, they're the
outcasts, they're the oddballs and
the scapegoats, but they're all very
lovable."
The beloved comedy features a
kooky cast of characters brought
together by their insatiable need
to win the county spelling bee.
The Broadway musical has roots
connecting it back to the Universi-
ty, which is just one of the reasons
MUSKET picked the musical.
"The original Broadway show
has a couple of Michigan alums in
it and so we were excited to bring
it back to the University," pro-
ducer and MT&D junior Kathryn
Pamula said.
"Spelling Bee" has a small cast
of just nine members, with many
of the actors doubling up on roles.
The fast-paced show, which fea-
tures plenty of improv with char-
acters spontaneously ad-libbing
quick one-liners, is more light-
hearted than past MUSKET fare.
"This, is the first show that
MUSKET has done since I've got
here that no one dies," Pamula
said. "They've been fun at times
but someone always dies. So doing
a happy show with a small cast has
given the experience of a sense of
family and sense of community."
The characters in the show
range from brilliant child genius-
es like William Barfde, who spells
out words by outlining the let-
ters with his "magic foot," to the
zany Leaf Coneybear, who has to
go into a trance before spelling
out his word. Even though the
characters let their freak flags fly,
they're easily relatable for Uni-
versity students who undoubt-
edly cringe when confronted with
frizzy-haired "photo memories"
on Facebook.
"The characters are all strug-
gling with growing up," Caldwell
said. "My character is trying to
maintain this perfect child star
image. He gets very caught up in
his genitals, which are changing
and becoming erect all the time."
Caldwell added that getting
into character required him to
remember what it was like being
at that awkward age.
"I'm really focusing on being
true to what a child-slash-tween
goes through," he said.
"SpellingBee" maybe peppered
with raunchy and crowd-pleasing
musical numbers, but cast mem-
bers and crew seem to agree that
the focal point of the show is the
characters themselves.
cHRIS DZOMBAK/Daily
The "Spelling Bee" competitors include audience members.
"The jokes are great, but it's
really about the characters, and
as the director I've really had
the opportunity to dig into these
characters," Spooner said.
MT&D and LSA junior Ali Gor-
don, who plays the shy, diction-
ary-loving Olive Ostrovsky, knows
students will see themselves in
the show.
"The musical has a surprising
amount of heart. It's a show about
growing up; it's about kids real-
izing that they're on the verge of
adulthood," she said.
Every aspect of the contestants'
personalities has been considered
and toyed with - from each char-
acter's unique movements, to the
way they sing or talk, to the way
the cast members vibe off each
other on stage. It's obvious the
final product required an intense
amount of collaboration between
the cast and the production team.
"Everybody is really sharing
the weight the entire time, every-
body feels responsible for every-
bodyon stage ... everyone has their
eyes on the periphery so they can
help everyone else get through the
show," Gordon said.
"Spelling Bee" doesn't have
an intermission and is only 90
minutes long, so the cast mem-
bers have to be on their toes and
in character the whole time. The
audience is treated to an immer-
sive experience, which will have
viewers breathlessly rooting for
all the freaks and geeks on stage.
But Gordon does have one worry.
"My only concern now is that
I want to hydrate a lot before the
show, but I have terrible bladder
control, so I'm afraid I'll have to
run out of the theater. It is literally
my greatest fear," she said.
Despite the lack of bathroom
breaks, the show has another
aspect that sets it apart from
most musicals: It's interactive.
The final cast list for "Spelling
Bee" has yet to be determined,
as a couple of audience members
will be (voluntarily) picked to
join the rest of the offbeat char-
acters on stage during each show
to compete in the bee.
"The show never gets stagnant,
because it changes every night
depending on who's competing,"
Gordon said. "And we encourage
good spellers because it makes it
more exciting."
Nevertheless, the cast will
guide ambitious audience mem-
bers through the show. And,
added Spooner, "every speller gets
a juice box and a hug."
Spooner has one final piece of
advice before coming to the show.
"Brush up on your spelling
skills," she joked.
cOURTESY OF RELATIVITY MEDIA
"Did you seriously lose Doug again?"
All that power
By BEN VERDI able sexual encounters aside,
DailyArts Writer Morra doesn't do a single thing
for anyone but himself once he
"Limitless" can be read as two gets hooked on NZT. Appar-
different things, and depend- ently the smartest possible ver-
ing on what meaning we choose sion of Eddie Morra looks, acts
to attach to and talks a lot like any other
it, we'll either asshole who grew up with a sil-
hate it or be ver spoon in his or her mouth.
terrified by Limtless But, strangely, while this feels
how accurately disappointing and upsetting, it
it portrays our At Quality16 doesn't feel incorrect.
society. This and Rave This is where the duality in
film is either a how we read the film becomes
sleazy instruc- Relativity Media important. If the film is claiming
tion video on that the self-glorifying romps
what we should all strive for and Cooper goes on (once he's domi-
what average people (like us, nated the stock market and made
presumably) should do if we ever himself an overnight sensation)
become really rich and power- are the smartest possible thing
ful, or an indictment of what we someone can do, then it should've
would do were we to become big- been called "Pointless." But
shots like Eddie Morra (Bradley by thinking of this man's new
Cooper, "The Hangover"). superpowers as neither inher-
If we're supposed to think ently good nor bad, and using
of this movie in that first con- them as mere access points to
text, then, frankly, it sucks. It's find out what he really believes
like a 12-year-old boy imagined in, we are shown a saddening
what it would be like to have but spot-on mirror image of the
the smartest brain in the world. egotistical culture in which we
For the record, you don't have participate every day.
Student finalists
playatUMMA
By LUCY PERKINS me sane."
Daily Arts Writer Music has always been a part
of Kim's life, but the singer-
People write songs about songwriter didn't start writing
everything - teenage dreams, music until he went to college.
banana pancakes and daylight He found a few classes in LSA
are just a that offered courses in song-
few of the The Ark at writing, which spurred his
themes interest in the area.
that have UMMA Student "They teach you a lot about
graced the Songwriter creativity and expressing your-
airwaves of self," Kim said. "There's a lot of
late. And Series Finale collaboration."
usually, the Tonight at8 p.m. Engineering freshman Hobey
only music Kuhn, another March finalist,
people hear UMMA started learning guitar when he
is written Free was in eighth grade.
by artists "I started writing songs early
who have made it "big." But on, but they were really unde-
today, Ann Arbor will get the veloped," Kuhn said. "I always
chance to hear original songs stuck with this really typical
written by students at the Uni- verse and chorus."
versity. As Kuhn grew up and gained
Each month this semester, more experiences to draw upon,
The Ark has held a competi- his style changed significantly.
tion in which students from the "Now I just fool around on the
University of Michigan, East- guitar with cool chord changes
_ ern Michigan University and until it sparks something," Kuhn
Washtenaw Community College said. "Then I'll start singing a
submitted original songs. The melody, and then the words fit in
four winners of the competition with the rest of the song.
are featured in a performance at "(My music) used to sound
the end of the month. more like Nirvana, Vampire
Weekend or Spoon, but now I'm
going toward something more
A songwriter's like Radiohead and Coldplay"
Last spring, Kuhn and his
Super Bowl. brother built a recording stu-
dio in their backyard, and he
recorded an entire album under
the name Resident Scout.
Tomorrow, the winners from Kim has also used collabo-
January, February and March ration as a source for growth,
will all return to compete in the forming a band called Dan Kim
final round of competition with and The Blueberry Incident over
the chance to win a live perfor- a month ago. The group has per-
mance at UMMA and the oppor- formed at several Ann Arbor
tunity to be an opening act at the venues, including Bar Louie.
Ark. Music will continue to be the
"Other people exercise or main mode of expression for
work out to de-stress them- both Kim and Kuhn.
selves," said Dan Kim, a 'U' alum "It will always be a passion
and one of March's finalists in of mine," Kim said. "In June I'll
the series. "But for me, music be applying to med school, but
is my way to get away from the music will always be a part of my
world. It energizes me and keeps life. We'll see where it takes me."
Strikeout for 'MLB'
By TEDDY PAPES totally disconnected from the
Daily Arts Writer hitting system. Pitching is its
own minigame, and its intricacy
Baseball is a boring sport. doesn't mesh with the simple
It has its merits, of course, but batting style. Hitting is all about
exhilarating action is definitely the positioning of the joystick
not one of and timing, but there is no feed-
them. The * back for what is going wrong.
great thing Hours of play aren't enough to
about old MLB '11: decipher if missed balls are the
baseball video result of swing that was too late
games like or early. Even when contact is
"Ken Griffey Playstation 3 finally made, it seems more like
Jr." was how a random coincidence than an
much they Sony improvement in skill.
diverted from The analog play style is only
the live sport and created a sur- one of the multitude of features
prisingly fun and arcade-like "MLB '11" is now packing. It
experience. But rather than has accumulated so many new
going for an enjoyable video features and additions over the
experience, "MLB '11: The course of its annual releases that
Show" aims too close to the real it's impossible to keep track of
sport and scuttles itself in the everything. Offense is so con-
process. Instead of a stream- gested with baserunning, lead-
lined game that pits the batter ing,stealingandslidepositioning
against the pitcher, offense and that when itcomes time to do one
defense become disconnected of them, it gets lost in the excess
in a slogging mess of mechanics information your brain is trying
that amount to a frustrating and to process and the umpire will
vapid game. yell "Out!" before its even clear
what has transpired.
The online play compliments
I' Ke n the generally miserable expe-
'I'm Kenny rience of "MLB '11." Playing at
Powers and I the mercy of a slow opponent is
grueling. Waiting for pitches can
do not approve take far too long, and a game that
is concerned with the minute
this game.' details of timing is thrown off
by incredibly laggy online play.
Even when the game is played
offline, the downtime is brutal.
The first thing that greets There is so little actual game-
each power-on of "MLI '11" is a play in "MLB '11" that its nega-
skipping audio track indicative tive characteristics make doing
of the prevailing lack of care and nothing seem like a more enjoy-
polish that was devoted to the able alternative.
game. The intro video is a live Mastering"MLB'11" might be
action replay of clips from the a more feasible goal for experts
previous year's baseball season of the series, while average gam-
and it feels wholly out of place. ers will be left scratching their
Even the menus and font are heads. The new analog systems
obtrusive and nicely compliment might even be a fresh change
the outdated nature of live action for those too familiar with other
in a video game. baseball games, but it's hardly
The big new feature of "MLB enough to make up for its other
'11" is pure analogue pitching pitfalls. Seasoned players would
and hitting. The pitching system do well to steer clear of this title
is an intricate and complicated and newcomers beware: A truly
use of the analog stick and is dreadful experience awaits.
to be the smartest person in the
world to get a haircut, wash your
clothes, contribute nothing to
society and have sex with tons
of women, which is 90 percent
of what Morra does once he dis-
covers the powers he gets from a
new super-pill, NZT.
The drug is illegal, and Morra
has to steal it from his drug-
dealing ex-brother-in-law to get
his hands on it, but once it's in
his system he quickly transforms
into the person he presumably
always wanted to be.
So, if the point of this movie is
that enough power can corrupt
even a good person, then, frank-
ly, it still sucks, because Morra
is kind of a lazy douche before
the powers anyway.
However, if we place "Limit-
less" in a broader cultural con-
text, we can then assign it much
more value and importance as a
pessimistic look at what people
in 2011 would do if they could do
anything in the world. Innumer-
'Limitless' sees
our limits.
It's a lot like the question that
the characters of "Office Space"
were asked to consider: What
would you do with a million dol-
lars? Honestly, as nice as we like
to say we are, who would do any-
thing but spend it on themselves?
Who, when put on the spot, can
come up with something better
to do with a million dollars than
"two chicks at the same time?"
One can't critique the message
or main character of "Limitless"
without also judging the world
that gave rise to both. Morra is
endowed with limitless cogni-
tive power - this is true - but
throughout the movie he reveals
his unbelievably limited view of
what that power is for.
*Based on availability - first come first served. Expires 4/30/11
3870 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor
734-747-9060
www.selfstoragespecialists.com
Michiganbay Spring 2011
MemanMalyooazl