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. empow or-less ed me Dr. Lu mostly doesn' D 'Fe anther culatio earnest need g ing pro she's for an howev Fatale< Euro a it loser her pre Luk varied much stern-f 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 to addt some n own m4 many c that th thing, profour like pa, sleep li dead m lyrical, sionally sumptu "Este specim band Ia equipp: be clos Mo ha circum: Darniel ried an instrun er in t soundit Great C like "I dressed 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.