rinL..
Uncommon Women and Others
Kathryn Beisner, a great writer and storyteller who recounts women's
history and escapades wil command your attention and feed your
imagination. Come check her out. She wilt be reading at Common
Language Bookstore, 215 S. Fourth St. tonight. Admission is $3. Call
663-0036 for more information.
Page 9
Friday,
October 27, 1995
.Glosscronsh'raeaist nm
..:. . traeta ste
By Melissa Rose Bernardo
Daily Theater Editor
"Grease" is the quintessential nostal-
gia piece. Who hasn't sung along to the
John Travolta-Olivia Newton-John
screen version, and whose high school
hasn't done the stage version. The songs
- each one a '50s parody - are infec-
tious, the plot -good girl succumbs to
peer pressure and ends up much hap-
pier-just as entertaining. Which brings
us to the national tour currently in De-
troit ... This "Grease!" - note the
exclamation point added for the Broad-
way revival a couple years ago-claims
to be the "official" Broadway produc-
tion (as opposed to all those unofficial
ones running around), and if there's
something positive to be said for it, this
"Grease!" keeps the spirit alive.
You'll be tempted to sing along (but
MMMMOMWEIRORT
Blues Traveler is sure an attractive bunch of young lads, eh?
Tmvelers settle down
Grease!
Where: Fox Theater
When: Through Sunday
Tickets: $17.50-$39.50. Cali (810)
433-1515 for more information.
pTI
ii
through a thin, nasal upper register;
Ric Ryder's "Those Magic Changes"
is flat; Erick Buckley wimps out on
"Mooning."
Some of Calhoun's concepts are in-
ventive - turning "Those Magic
Changes" into Doody's rock-star fan-
tasy, for example. But some are just
carried too far-like making the Teen
Angel a cross between Little Richard
and RuPaul. And for some reason,
Calhoun isn't content to end a song just
once; after a while the false endings
("Beauty School Dropout," '"Those
Magic Changes") are labored and just
plain boring.
Fortunately, Adrian Zmed is there,
and his stage presence (not to mention
dreamy voice) goes a long way. What
an improvement he is over Ricky Paull
Goldin, the revival's original Danny.
(Of course, Zmed played a T-bird in the
movie "Grease 2.") And though he's a
little old to be attending high school, if
we can forgive those punks on "90210"
then we can forgive Zmed.
Al so commendable is Angela Pupello
as Rizzo; Pupello is not a stand-up
comic (Rosie O'Donnell, the revival's
original Rizzo), nor is she a faded '70s
TV star(Maureen McCormick, hersuc-
cessor), a pin-up queen (Brooke Shields,
McCormick's successor), oraTV-show
sidekick (Joely Fisher of "Ellen,"
Shields' successor). But Pupello is a
fine singer, and has a great look for the
role.
This production would probably not
survive - especially on Broadway -
without a gimmick. Hence the "names"
cast - however inappropriately - as
Rizzo and the current Danny on Broad-
way, pop singer Jon Secada. For this
tour, producers Barry and Fran Weissler
have assembled acouple TV icons from
days gone by: Sally Struthers ("All in
the Family," save-the-children, earn-
your-degree-at-home) and Don Most
(Ralph Malph of "Happy Days").
Struthers plays the hard-as-nails princi-
pal Miss Lynch, Most cuts a rug as DJ
.... . ........................................................
By Mark Carlson
Daily Arts Writer
Blues Traveler likes to look at their
grueling touring schedule as a great
adventure. While their earlier albums
depicted stories of fantasy travelers and
their adventures (hence their second
album, Travelers and Thieves), they
now are more likely to compare their
lives to that aboard a pirate ship. "I've
readalotofthese Patrick O'Brien books,
which, are all about these 1800s sea
battles," said the band's drummer,
Brendan Hill. "It's like that, you know,
we're in this big tour bus all together,
the band and the crew, and we've got
these 'canons' that we bring out and set
up and have these 'battles."'
Though that may be quite a dramatic
view of life on the road, Blues Traveler
must enjoy something about touring
because they stay on the road almost
constantly. Last year, they were on the
road for ten months out of the year,
usingthe spare two to record their latest
release, Four.
"Everything we do, we do as a fam-
ily, and I think having a really close
family group is the most important thing
of being on the road. If we didn't enjoy
the people around us, I think we'd find
it a lot more grueling. Because we can
all chill out and there's no animosity
towards anyone, we have a lot of fun,
*and we can let off a lot of steam with
each other."
Blues Traveler's latest adventure is
leading them on yet another tour of
.college campuses, stopping in once
BLUES TRAVELER
Where: Hill auditorium °.
When: Tonight and Tomorrow
Tickets: Available at the Union
ticket office for $20
Show starts at,8 p.m.
again at our very own Hill Auditorium
to help us celebrate homecoming week-
end. 4
All natives of Princeton, NJ, these
guys feel quite at home playing college
towns. The band was formed when Hill
met singer/harmonica legend John Pop-
per in their high school jazz band. Once
they were joined by guitarist Chan
Kinchla and bassist Bobby Sheehan,
the band started playing at frat parties
and small clubs on the many campuses
in the surrounding area. "We really do
love the college crowds. They're kind
of stuck in one place all year and they
needto get some energy out," said Hill.
"That's been the staple of our fan base
for quite some time."
It's nice to see that Blues Traveler is
still playing to the same crowds that they
have been for years, considering the fact
that they have had quite a lot of success
over the past six months. With MTV and
VH-1 playing the hell out of their single
"Runaround" and radio stations across
the country giving them more than plenty
ofairtime;the band's latestrelease"Four"
is selling incredibly well.
When the bandplayed Hill last spring,
they put on one hell of a show, so don't
miss this one.
Would you like to win a
free, cpol t-shirt for
Paramount Pictures'
new fi, "Vampire In
Brooklyn?" All a' gotta
do is stopby te Arts
ofice of the Daily (420
Maynard street) today
or Monday and tell us
two previous Eddie
Murphy movies (NOT
including the "Beverly
Hills Cop" movies.)
No purchase necessary. Supplies are
linmited. Employees of The Michigan
Daily and Paramount Pictures are not
eligible to enter.
please don't) during this fast-paced,
high-gloss production. Principal Miss
Lynch and the gang at Rydell High do
their best to make you feel welcome at
the class reunion. But director/chore-
ographer JeffCalhoun's concept of the
show goes over the edge trying to be
hip.
There's so much neon you'll need
sunglasses with extra UV-protection.
Willa Kim's costumes are at their best
in variations on the black-and-white
theme; once she brings in the neon the
whole stage looks like Toys-R-Us gone
mad.
With the exception of the inventive
hand-jive contest, Calhoun's chore-
ography is pastiche at best, silly at its
worst. The choral singing is brash and
grating, as are a number of solos:
Sutton Foster (understudy for Sandy)
pushes "Since I Don't Have You"
The cast of 'Grease.'
Vince'Fontaine; both actually prove to
be quite a lot of fun.
But Calhoun's cartoonish direction
is unforgivable. The whole thing is
shameless in its exhibitionism; every
line, every song is downstage to the
audience. The style is clearly louder-
faster-funnier, boom-bang-boom. But
there's nothing behind all the noise.:
The show is naturally full of spitit
and warmth; Calhoun just couldn't
leave it at that. He had to paint it over,
varnish it, and bounce light off it.
That's what makes this "Grease!" too
slippery to get your hands on,let alone
your heart.
Musician exemphfies new Russian tdition, era
By Emily Lambert
Daily Fine Arts Editor
When the Bolshoi Symphony Orches-
tra arrives in Ann Arbor for Saturday's
concert, it will be followed by an ever-
present shadow. This is no Halloween
stalker, rather a shadow of the reputation
the Bolshoi has earned in its amazing 219
yearsofmusic-making. The Bolshoi Sym-
phony, Russia's oldest orchestra, is atrue
addition to and product of its mother
country. It is regarded throughout today's
border-free musical world as one of the
best exponents of the Russian orchestral
sound, repertoire and tradition.
Tradition, though, is a tricky topic in
modern Russia, which is in a state of
massive evolution. The orchestra's iden-
tity is rooted in tradition, but its perspec-
tives are changing with the times. In this
spirit, the Bolshoi welcomes piano solo-
ist Boris Berezovsky to the concert stage.
The26 year-old, Russian bornbut Lon-
don based musician is the latest in a line
ofextraordinary Russian pianists. Hedoes
not see himself, though, as a successor
Bolshol Symphony
Orchestra
Where: Hill auditorium
When: Saturday
Tickets: $16-$43 at Union ticket
office, $10 rush tickets day of show.
Show starts at 8 p.m.
carrying on their work.
"I think that the musical life [of Russia]
was very diverse," said Berezovsky.
"There were a great many different pia-
nists, and I'm following a tradition of
some of them. I was influenced by a great
many Canadian, American and European
pianists. So can I consider myself a fol-
lower of those traditions? I'm a follower
of great pianists, but not traditions."
The idea of following in other's foot-
steps doesn't appeal to Berezovsky, and
neither does the prospect of leading oth-
ers down the career path he himself fol-
lows. A pianist from age five, Berezovsky
hates teaching and does not have stu-
dents.
"I have nothing to tell them. Usually I
feel very sorry for them," he said. "Yes,
when they cannot play... What's good
about starting very early is that you don't
have any technical problems. And these
people,they lovemusic,theywanttoplay
but they cannot. If you have a talented
pupil who's capable of doing something,
that's different. But I have never come
across that."
He has, however, encountered a student
with a black belt in karate. While passion-
atelystrikingachord,thestudentbrokethree
keys ofBerezovsky'spiano. She did offerto
glue them, he said in her defense.
Berezovsky has played classical
music's big-time game, and won first
place in the 1990 Tchaikovsky Competi-
tion. He hasn't abandoned tradition, but
he is unusually independent minded. Jazz,
for instance, fascinates him.
"I always liked jazz, but felt that it was
different... that you cannotplayjazz well if
you're a classical musician. But recently I
was listening to some of the jazz composi-
tions written by Stravinski and Hindemith.
And they're absolutely phenomenal. Great
stuff. At that point I thought I could try as
well... I should try and play jazz. I'm learn-
ing now and I'm playing a lot."
Berezovsky isinquisitiveandhe's infatu-
ated with the lifestyle of a famous pianist.
"It's phenomenal," he said of touring. "It's
different cities, different people, restaurants,
highlights. It's wonderful."
Ann Arbor is a special stop on this tour
for Berezovsky, who is genuinely anx-
ious to return after making his Ann Arbor
debut last March as a replacement for
ailingpianist Maurizio Pollini. "I'm look-
ing forward to playing in Ann Arbor for
one reason," he said. "It has a phenom-
enally good hall. It's unbelievable. I was
saying to everyone in the orchestra, wait
until you come to Ann Arbor. It has the
best hall in the world. The acoustics are
unbelievable. I'm looking forward to it
tremendously."
The pianist will play Rachmaninoff's
Piano Concert No.3 in d minor with the
Bolshoi Symphony in Hill Auditorium.
The orchestra will also perform Sibelius'
Symphony No.2 in D Major, and will be
led by the Bolshoi's recently appointed
conductor, Peter Feranec.
Boris Berezovsky exemplifies a new
era of Russian musicians, those who fuse
new openness and opportunities with tal-
ent and tradition. Do dreams for the future
beckon at every moment for this musi-
cian, who seemed eager to wrap up the
interview? Actually, he admitted with the
sounds of Mario in the background,
Nintendo awaits. Opportunities abound,
but some can wait.
Boris Berezovsky
.
711 N. University
668-6915
FAX 668-1823
902 S. State
668-7296
(State & Packard)
Quality * Selection * Value
"Best Michigan Items"
-1995 Michigan Daily Readership Poll
WE PROUDLY FEATURE THE BEST IN
MICIGI(AN APPAREL FROM:
The University of Michigan
School of Music
Sunday, October 29
University Symphony Orchestra
Halloween Concerts
Hill Auditorium, 5:00 and 8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $7.00 (main floor and 1st balcony)
$5.00 (2nd balcony)
NOTE: Walk-up sales began on Monday, October 23
at the Michigan League Ticket Office.
Tuesday, November 31
Octubafest
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