The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 12, 2000 - 9 Food, folks and Italian-style fun at Genitti's 'Blues' By Jaimie Winkler Daiy Arts Writer When was the last time you were harassed by the bride's brother at a big Italian wedding? Genitti's Hole-in-the- Wall gives you a good tongue lashing and some fine Italian sausage. Good Italian food and funny people are hard to come by, but Genitti's has both. The restaurant offers a traditional seven-course Italian meal amid its latest interactive comedic production, "Wedding Bell Blues." Just like at a real wedding, "guests" sit at tables with people they hardly know, but everyone is under suspicion for being part of the act. (Im convinced the qw people next to me were involved because no one enjoys chicken noodle soup that much.) Audience members mingle with each other, getting to know the other guests at the table while waiting for the promised meal. Enter the older brother. He introduces Genitti's to the patient audience and announces - Gasp! - the groom has not arrived yet. The show rests on the pressing question: will the groom ever arrive? The mothers of the bride and groom flutter about during dinner. The bride, clad in a white terry cloth bathrobe, calmly greets her wedding guests. The restaurant, decorated for the occa- sion, is owned and operated by the *'NIBII' tribute for diehard Sabbath fans Genitti family who double as waitstaff, Service is family style and the cast cooks and, at times, actors. Since 1975, draws everyone into the gigantic Italian the family has offered the current menu, family. Audience cohesion is important packed with its traditional recipies and for the second act - the wedding cere- an entertaining performance. mony. The seven-course meal begins with But has the groom arrived? soft, perfectly toasted, parmesan bread Members of the wedding party use and chicken noodle soup followed by a crazy antics to stall the ceremony. The surprisingly flavorful garlic cream pasta. show relies heavily on audience partici- Antipasto salad precedes a triple entree pation and response {just ask Dave, who fit for any carnivore: baked chicken with was taunted for being an Ann Arborite as zucchini, Italian steak with potatoes he played Bachelor #1). The script, writ- (they say it's pork, but figure that one ten by Timothy Campos who also plays out) and finally the Italian sausage. Save the photographer, has room to breathe room for the sausage and plan to revisit and adapt to each audience. for more. The dinner ends with cannoli Whether the groom arrives or not, and drinks, which can be taken into the someone gets hitched and following the "chapel."ceremony the wedding party and guests The cast of quirky characters from "Wedding Bell Blues." Italian sausage, anyone? gather together to share in the time hon- ored classics "The Chicken Dance" and "The Hokey Pokey." Some of the jokes are a little cliched, but the audience eats it up and never stops laughing. The groom's father, played by Duncan Williams, has little stage time but some of the best lines. The cast admits to having day jobs, and although not professional actors, they are great at entertaining and playing with the audience. If you want good the- ater, head downtown, but if you want a good time, this is the place. Genitti's Hole-in-the-Wall is located in Northvile. CFall (248) 349-0522 or go to rr'rmg ttenittis.c'orr for tickets and directions. Ticketss arc e39.95. When an artist or brnd reaches mcgastar status, tribute albums are inevitable. If that artist or group attains the kind of cult followsing that Black Sabbath has, sequels are bound tsr fol- loss "Ntiity in B'lack 11" rs xc,rtiv that. the flllvw-utp to a Gratmv- Grade: B r winning ode to Nativity in the legendarv Blc heavy mectal Black II heroes of the 70s. Various Artists Like its prede- cO cessor, "N.1 B. 1" r d b 5 , is loaded with Drr it s Wrt5r stars, including oad R .;er legends in their own right such as Megadeth, Pantera and Slayer. The bands cover a variety of popular and lesser-known tracks originally recorded by Black Sabbath, adding their own unique sounds to the already extraordi- nary music of Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward. Some of the groups on the tribute chose to perform their chosen tracks itl near-original form, showcasing the genius of Black Sabbath rather than their own talents. Pantera's cover of "Electric Funeral" and Slaver's "Hand of Doom" are two good examples of this strategy. The songs are virtually identical to those recorded as many as thirty years ago. In other cases, the bands chose to retool a classic Sabbath tune to incorpo- rate their own unique sounds. "Behind the Wall of Sleep," performed by Static- X, has little more than lyrics in common with the original recording of the song, but it is obvious that the band has been heavily influenced by songs like the one they are covering. System of a Down contributes a version of "Snowblind" that is similar to the original, but features the distinctive vocai stylings and fren- zied guitar work that are the group's trademark. Primus, in a show of genuine reverence, teams up with Ozzy himself to present a reworking of "N.I.B" that has a rmuch more pronounced bassline ''than the original. . While the tracks performed as written generally retain the sense and feel of the originals, those with which the artists on "N.I.B. II" take liberties may not always be pleasing for diehard Sabbath fans. Tracks by Sourlfly and Static-X, two of the yssrrorer ssroups represented on the albttmt. so in a different mrusical iree- tion tha they were probably intended. vAtx Calavera's enraged vocals and irsrutis's pound in guitars make "Under the Sun" sound incredibly menacin and Static-Xs contribution is far more artificial-sounding than anything pro duced by the original toursome. The album's worst moments come when modern hip-hop artists lrusta phym s and eIcd(pe) attempt to cover vintage Sabbath tunes. led(pe)s ver- sion of "Sabbra Cadabra" shares only a guitar rifs ith the original, and even that is sampled. The lyrics, supposedly those penned by Ozzy Osbourne, are unintel- ligible wails that grate on the ears. Busta's cover of "Iron Man" is the only track on the album that Ozzy actually re- wrote the lyrics to, and the new version contains annoying laughter and Bersta repeatedly shouting "This means war!" The track is, in Black Sabbath terms, blasphemy. While many of the tracks on "N.I.B. II" are excellent covers of classic Sabbath songs, a few of them become something that Ozzy definitely did not have in mind: Crap. The good tracks do outweigh the bad, but Black Sabbath fans, beware before listening. You might not like what you hear. MEXICAN CAFE 333 E. Huron o Ann Arbor . ~ . ANN ARBOR'S FINEST { MEXICAN STYLE FOOD! MEXICAN RESTAURANT Mijips Dhily r4A