The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, March 30,2011 - 5A
* The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 5A
Miller reimagined
Britney does it again
'Crucible' to show
at its playwright's
namesake theater
ByJACOB AXELRAD
Daily Arts Writer
Arthur Miller once wrote,
"Nothing is as visionary and as
blinding as moral indignation."
These words
from one of The Crucible
the world's
great dra- Tomorrowat7:30
matists echo p.m., Fri.and
the real-life Sat. at 8p.m.,
dilemmas Sun. at 2 p.m.
between through April10
right and Arthur Miller Theatre
wrong that Tickesfrsm $10
are perva-
sive through-
out his canon of work. Starting
tomorrow, the University's School
of Music, Theatre & Dance will
return to Miller's universal
themes with the premiere of "The
Crucible."
Written as an allegory to the
1950s McCarthy era, "The Cru-
cible" focuses on a community
enveloped by mass hysteria and
fear during the Salem Witch Tri-
* als of 1692. But the upcoming pro-
duction, while paying homage to
McCarthyism's original influence,
veers in a different direction from
traditional stereotypes.
"We're going away from witch-
craft and communism. It's about
the manipulation of power," assis-
tant director and MT&D junior
Doron Bloomfield said.
According to Bloomfield, the
timelessness of the play is appli-
cable to today's world, not only in a
broad scope, but also in the small-
er, intimate interactions that often
go overlooked due to its signifi-
cant stature in American dramatic
history. Scenes like the break-up
between Proctor and Abigail prove
relatable to a college audience.
In keaping with this viewthe
cast andltrewhave contemporized
this "Crucible" to present what
director and MT&D assistant
professor Jerry Schwiebert refers
to as "classic now," a distillation
of the play to its essential parts.
As opposed to a literal adherence
to the text, the show's look and
feel are set in three distinct time
zones: Puritan New England, the
McCarthy era and the present day.
"The set is here and now, but
it's not Ann Arbor, 2011," said
MT&D senior Adam McCarthy,
the show's scenic and lighting
designer. "It's relevant, but there's
no specific context."
McCarthy and MT&D senior
Marguerite Woodward,theshow's
costume designer, have worked to
design a "Crucible" where the set
and props aren't there for aesthet-
ic value, but rather serve a utili-
FLE PHOTO/Daily
Arthur Miller was an active alumnus of the University even after gaining tame.
tarian function for the actors. To
achieve this, clothing and lighting
were essential in creating an open
space for the actors to tell their
story, as opposed to placing them
in a true-to-life 1692 court case.
"The set itself is pretty bare,"
McCarthy said. "But each prop
adds meaning and theme. It was
importantto let the set be a canvas
for adding props, light and actors."
When Miller directed his own
version of the play, he too believed
in a simplistic structure. In his
autobiography, "Timebends,"
Miller states the influence on his
own writing of the Greek struc-
tural concept, wherein the past
and present intertwine - theater
is where we witness this conflict
play out on stage.
As a student at the University
from 1935 to 1939, Miller stud-
ied journalism while honing his
writing abilities. In 1936, he won
the first of two Hopwood Awards
for drama. Studying under the
laste professor Kenneth Rowe, a
renowned University playwriting
instructor, Miller developed his
belief in the underlying dramatic
structure inherentin alldrama,
from antiquityto the modern era.
Yet it was only when he left Ann
Arbor and encountered injustice
firsthand that Miller formed the
basis of his Tony Award-winning
play.
Miller and other notable mem-
bers of the New York-based
Group Theater were called to
testify before the House Un-
American Activities Committee.
Miller refused to "cooperate"
and was sentenced to jail for con-
tempt. He then traveled to Salem,
Mass. to research the seventeenth-
century Witch Trials for what
would become a scathing attack on
McCarthy's own witch hunt of sus-
pected communist sympathizers.
Today, University students con-
tinue to study and perform this
material written over 50 years
ago. More than history or politics,
what motivates the cast and crew
is a chance to discover new ele-
ments behind the text.
"When you start to strip away
the layers of politics and religion,
you find that as much as someone
may appearto be driven by an idea,
they're actually driven by very
human factors," Adam McCarthy
said of the play's development in
rehearsal. "At the end of the day,
everyone is in fact a sympathetic
character."
Nowhere could be more appro-
priate than Ann Arbor for a stag-
ing of what Miller referred to as
his "most theatrical piece." As
an active alumnus, Miller cared
deeply for the institution thatgave
him his start, and lent his name to
only one theater during his life-
time: The Arthur Miller Theatre
in the Walgreen Drama Center on
North Campus, where this pro-
duction will take place.
Specifically, Miller took an
active interest in the students of
the University, even after gaining
fame and recognition. In decid-
ing which play to choose for the
spring season, Schwiebert empha-
sized a desire to incorporate as
many students into the production
as possible. With a cast of 20, "The
Crucible" has provided ample
opportunities for student actors.
"This play offers the most parts,
especially female parts, out of any
of his other plays," Schwiebert
said.
Audiences can expect the story
they know, but shouldn't expect
an overarching socio-political
pretext. The production con-
cerns itself with the fundamental
nature of Miller's play: the little
moments and struggles that com-
prise a life. With political context
stripped away, the final product
should remind us of the power a
great Miller drama can bring to
the theater.
"I hope people come away say-
ing, 'Oh my god, Miller knows how
to write a play,' " Woodward said.
By JOE DIMUZIO
DailyArts Writer
Britney Spears's selling
point is sex - and the lack of it.
Whether tarted up as a school-
girl fantasy,
sweating slave *
or automaton,
she's unattain- Britney
able and all
yours. With $PeaS
a voice that's Femme Fatale
characteris-
tic but never live
obstructive,
she's whatever you like - she's
every woman.
It wasn't always this way.
Britney's anonymity has always
followed her, but it was a dis-
tinctly Amurrican one - the
slight Southern twang, blonde
and busty, the occasional
"mama." Britney was vacuous
and comfortably sexual, famil-
iar and charmingly empowered
by men behind the curtains.
One shaved head and two
kids later, Britney's rounding 30
and single, and not much other
than perception has changed.
2006's Blackout more or less
shrugged off her public melt-
downs, matching her slithering
come-ons to Timbaland protege
Danja's cerebral future funk
and Bloodshy & Avant's taut pop
on "Toxic." On "Gimme More,"
"It's Britney, bitch" felt absurd,
with or without the comma,
because stepping back, you had
to wonder if you ever knew who
she was to begin with.
It would be an exaggeration
to call Blackout a pop master-
piece, irony be damned, but the
album more or less deserves it.
The production and cohesion
of it was and still is stunning.
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retaini
work
Best of all, the songs embraced
the vacuum of Britney, screw-
ing her whispers into hysterical
rhythmic acrobatics, taking the
heat of her effort and molding it
into some cold, steely club funk
crucible - ballads, emotion and
responsibility be damned.
After the lopsided Circus,
Femme Fatale returns to the
cohesion and icy lust of Black-
out, flirting with menace and
bedding mixed results. Where
Britney can play formless
COURSOfoAVE
vered female, she's more- but losing a lot of the spark.
a marionette to talent- Singles "Till the World Ends"
n, and chief producers and "Hold It Against Me" are
ke and Max Martin are mostly effective if not clunky
peerless puppeteers. She club exercises, the former doing
t bother with Hallmark the big-beat-in-Billboard vogue
and the latter wrapping a dou-
ble-entendre with wobbling,
i flirty razor keyboards topped with
a dub break that's comfortably
)ushin -30 threatening.
The best cuts confound and
Spears on endear. Bloodshy & Avant's
"How I Roll" is a spare, double-
m-ne Fatale.' dutch bon-bon that feels tense
but lets loose. "Trip To Your
Heart" is sugary rave roman-
ticism, ornate but spacious.
as (Katy Perry), emas- "Inside Out" stomps and the
n (Rihanna) or maudlin otherwise deadweight "Seal It
ty (P!nk). She doesn't With a Kiss" bites with Brit-
nest cameos. The excit- ney cooing, "Yeah I like you
ospect of Britney is that like that," as her voice echoes
a willing springboard in what sounds like the world's
y production adventure, smallest and emptiest club.
er avant-garde. Femme Forty minutes out she
dabbles in dubstep, goes remains impenetrable, unreach-
nd impresses even when able, pristine. Her voice is a sil-
s the range and thrills of ly-putty cliche, the mysterious
rvious bedfellows. allure of sex you always wanted.
e, Martin and a slew of The noir of nonexistent nights
producers streamline almost dangerous, the feminine
of Blackout's chilling, rendered in masculine robes,
aced midnight crawl, the glimpse of excitement -
ng the cut-'n-paste hack- Femme Fatale's title feels more
to Britney's come-ons than appropriate.
Has anyone seen my dog?"
'My Dog Tuli p is a treat
Goats are only as good as leader
By ELLIOT ALPERN
DailyArts Writer
For the purpose of being clear,
it must be said that the Mountain
Goats would be an afterthought
of a band with-
out lead singer *
John Darni-
elle. The man The Mountain
is more than Goats
the group's
centerpiece; All Eternals Deck
he is its entire
reason for Merge
being. On All
Eternals Deck, this point is driven
home consistently. There is very
little to appreciate aside from the
singer's sophisticated lyrics and
candid vocals, but when Darni-
elle is on his game, the Goats are
harmonious and evocative. Such
a disposition leaves the album in
a gray area of enjoyment - some-
times it's powerful, sometimes
it's awkward, but often it's just
flat and uninteresting.
All Eternals Deck begins with
tempting promise. The first
track, "Damn These Vampires,"
is undeniably uplifting, and is
emphasized by piano chords that
become progressively more bold
and resolute. However, even in
what is probably the album's best
song, it seems that Darnielle is
tryingt
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ster jea
o bevague and mysterious time, the Goats could've easily
unnecessary depth. While cut it without consequence.
may try to impose their Darnielle's prowess at song-
eaning into his words, in writing is the only thing to make
ases the truth seems to be All Eternals Deck worth the
e lyrics don't mean any- effort. In "Birth of Serpents,"
but sound eloquent and his lines are clever and nuanced
ndly philosophic: "Feast (if a bit rambling), and give some
gans, never get enough / insight into his own personality:
ke dead men, wake up like "See that young man who dwells
en." The singer clearly has inside his body like an uninvited
talent, though he is occa- guest?" Two tracks later, "Age of
y inhibited by his own pre- Kings" is heavy and grand, show-
ousness. ing that while Darnielle can be
ate Sale Sign" is a fine creative under the right condi-
en of what occurs when a tions, he instead intentionally
ikes a stab at rock and isn't chooses to fill the record with
ed for it. The melody could mundane material.
e to catchy under other In 2005, New Yorker critic
Sasha Frere-Jones called John
Darnielle "America's best non-
untain Goats hip-hop lyricist." While this
may have been true on previous
ve gone flat. releases, there's no reason to
suggest that the claim still holds
water. The California native
would do well to strip down
stances, but much like his overly enigmatic wordplay
lie's own sound, it is hur- and go with lines more true to
d out of breath, while the heart. While he can clearly cre-
tents are mashed togeth- ate witty rhymes and references,
he unrewarded hopes of they seem to lack any connection
ng edgy. At times, "Prowl with the singer himself. All Eter-
ain" sounds suspiciously nals Deck contains glimmers of
Damn These Vampires" promise embedded in the general
I in a different pair of hip- tedium, but unfortunately it's not
ans. With a 13-track run enough to save it.
By BEN VERDI its duration.
Daily Arts Writer That said, it isn't boring. And
it's not simple. Basically, Tulip
"My Dog Tulip" is extremely functions as a pseudo-daughter
English. It's the kind of movie for an old Englishman called
that, for reasons unexplained, J.R. Ackerley (the name of
will cause original novel's writer, voiced
crusty by Christopher Plummer, "The
65-year-old Last Station") who lives a
men and My Dog Tulip charming but rather lonely life
women to in London. He adopts Tulip and
laugh uncon- At the Michigan spends almost 17 years raising,
trollably, leav- loving and trying to contain
ing everyone New Yorker the spirited German Shepherd.
too young Ackerley has no children, no
to remember the 1950s look- wife and no real friends, so the
ing stone-faced and confused. kind of companionship he seeks
It attempts to be a comedy, and in taking in Tulip is one he's not
succeeds at provoking the kind exactly prepared for - nor one
of tea-sipping, quirky and unpre- he is able to resist - as the dog
dictably cute laughter the Eng- is easily the most loving thing
lish have mastered and think he's ever come in contact with.
everyone else understands. While there is an immediate
"My Dog Tulip" is Paul and and lasting transformation that
SandraFierlinger's first attempt takes place within Ackerley as
at a full-length feature film, he learns to love Tulip, we're
though Paul was nominated for simultaneously shown Tulip's
an Academy Award for a short progression from a rambunc-
film he directed in 1980. This tious, young, athletic dog into
history is not surprising, con- an adult struggling to raise her
sideringthat "Tulip" feels like a own puppies and accepting the
short expanded into an 80-min- limitations of urban life. Tulip
ute feature. Were it a book, it takes on veryhuman qualities
could probably be read in one the more we watch her and lis-
sitting. It's a minimalistic, ani- ten to Ackerley describe their
mated story about a man and his relationship, but not in the way
dog, and, though there are a lot we've seen dogs become like
of nuances and humorously odd people in the past.
situations along the way, the Tulip is not Lassie, nor is she
film examines one plotline and Old Yeller, Shiloh or Marley.
one train of thought throughout Tulip doesn't finally save some-
one from dying at the end, nor
does she die in some tear-jerk-
ing manner as a somber violin
plays. Rather, Tulip is a more
worldly, multi-dimensional
kind of dog protagonist, a free
spirit who eventually grows to
see the world in a more com-
plete way.
In a way, she's actually a
more human dog than the clas-
sic dogs to whom we've learned
to attach personalities and
souls. She mirrors the trans-
formation of an uncontrollably
Contrary to
popular belief,
not a sequel to
'My Dog Skip.
optimistic teenager into a less
animated but more content-
ed grown-up better than any
didactically heroic or infinitely
wise canine we've seen before.
Tulip is used as an example of
how we accept the limits and
responsibilities of our lives, and
shows her owner the full range
of directions a single deep rela-
tionship - a perfect friendship,
for which Ackerley tells us he's
been searching his whole life -
can take us.