the -sidye
* The Michigan Daily J michigandailycomI Thursday, November17, 2011

weekend
essentials
Nov. 17 to 20
ON STAGE
The Indian American
Student Association
(IASA) has put on
its legendary cultural
show for decades,
evolving into the larg-
est student-run show
in the country. This
year's show, "Rivaayat:
Rediscovering our
Roots," explores the
origins of Indian cul-
ture through elaborate
song and dance. The
show is at Hill Audi-
torium this Friday at 7
p.m. Tickets from $12.

Stripping down the layers of the glitzy musical on the
eve of MUSKET's production
by Ariete SpecinerDay t sWater

CONCERT
The Beijing Guitar Duo
trained at the Central
Conservatory in Bei-
jing with unparalleled
professor Chen Zhi and
at the Peabody Con-
servatory in Baltimore.
They've won a diverse
array of awards and
recognitions, including
the Tokyo International
Guitar Competition
for classical guitarists.
They're playing this
Sunday at Rackham
Auditorium at 4 p.m.
Tickets from $20.

Emcee welcomes the audience with a "Wilkom-
T he room is dimly lit and there's a piano. The
men" and beautiful girls drape the stage with
their voices and bodies. The boys hoot and hol-
ler, tables line the room with couples flirting - men with
women, women with other women, men with other men.
Then, the boisterous and beautiful Sally Bowles sashays in.
The director abruptly stops the show. He gives the cast
a few pointers: The actors need to be aware of their sur-
roundings, what they need to change and how to fix their
mistakes.
This fantasy life of the glitzy and glamorous show busi-
ness comes to a halt. And this halt; this barrier between
the show and life, is what "Cabaret" is all about.
The musical is set in 1930s Berlin when the Third Reich
was on the rise and the Nazis were gaining power. Some
Germans thought this new regime would help Germany
ascend to power after the hardships of a post-World War
I world - little did they know the Nazi party would turn
Germany upside down.

But inside the Kit Kat Klub - the fictional setting of
the show - The Emcee directs a parade of revelry, ex-pats
Sally Bowles and Cliff Bradshaw fall in love and the audi-
ence and performers laugh and have fun, ignoring the con-
flict to come.
TRAVELING ACROSS
TIME AND PLACE
The groundbreaking musical has been per-
formed many times since its inception and
Broadway run in 1966. Most famously, "Caba-
ret" made the leap from the stage to film in
1972, starring Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey.
"Cabaret" will enjoy a reincarnation this week-
end through student theater organization
MUSKET's production at the Power Center.
Many people deetrmine their familiar-
ity with cabarets from the show - MUSKET
member and Music, Theatre & Dance sopho-

more Conor Ryan said he has never been to "a nightly cab-
aret establishment." But a rich history exists behind the
art of these nightclub staples.
According to former cabaret pianist and MT&D pro-
fessor Jerry DePuit, Rodolphe Salis established the first
See CABARET, Page 4B

FILM
This summer, "The
Help" somehow man-
aged to stay at the
number one position
at the box office for a
very, very long time.
No, we don't get it
either. But if you didn't
contribute to that
unholy box office gross
and feel like indulg-
ing your curiosity this
weekend, M-Flicks
is showing the film
for free tomorrow at
7 p.m. at the Natural
Science Auditorium.
AT THE MIC
The University's
MFA program counts
numerous award-win-
ning poets and authors
among its graduates.
The Mark Webster
Reading Series in
UMMA's Helmut Stern
Auditorium gives stu-
dents a window into
the developing work of
current MFA students.
One poet and one writ-
er will read in a mellow,
laid-back environment.
This free event begins
tomorrow at 7 p.m.


"You're kind of
transported between
two worlds."
-MT&D Sophomore
Conor Ryan

DESIGN BY KRISTI BEGONJA
PHOTOS BY AUSTEN HUFFORD