The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, February 18, 2015 — 5A
COMPAGNIE NON NOVA
“Do you ever feel / Like a plastic bag / In a French performance art troupe.”
Balloons come alive in
‘Afternoon of a Foehn’
By COSMO PAPPAS
Daily Arts Writer
We’re warned: Don’t leave
the theater for the 25-minute
duration of the performance,
as any disturbance in the air
can
be
problematic.
There’s
no re-entry anyway. We walk
into the Experimental Theater
of Skyline High School, being
the youngest people who aren’t
children and the oldest people
without children. Inside, a man in
a beanie and a long navy peacoat
methodically cuts away from a
pink plastic bag with limbs and
a head in the center of a circle of
fans. Jean-Louis Ouvrard, the
performance-operator, sets the
fans and assumes his position at
the controls at the rear. A flute’s
chromatic sequence, soon joined
by an arpeggiating harp and
saturated chords by the basses,
heralds the beginning of the
cutest thing you’ve ever seen:
dancing balloons.
Commissioned by the Natu-
ral History Museum of Nantes in
2008 for their annual Fête des Sci-
ences and designed by French the-
atrical performer Phia Ménard,
Compagnie Non Nova’s show Pre-
lude to the Afternoon of a Foehn is a
charming marvel of design. Their
name, Compagnie Non Nova, is
an abbreviation of “Non nova,
sed nove,” Latin for “Not new
things, but in a new way.” What
UMS describes as their “multidis-
ciplinarity” is a result of the col-
laboration of professional artists
from many different backgrounds
and traditions. Exploration of
“the abstract ideas of matter and
transformation” unites the art-
ists of Compagnie Non Nova and
underlies the beautiful playful-
ness of this show.
The narrative arc of the show
is fairly simple. At first, only one
plastic bag performs its delicate,
adorable twists and spins. Soon,
other recycled buddies join the
spectacle.
Ouvrard
skillfully
manipulates the wind to make
the ensemble dance together, but
his involvement doesn’t end at
assembly. Here, he gets up and
dances with the balloons. But
the more balloons he adds to the
mix, the more responsibility he
has and the more overwhelmed
he becomes as he strains to man-
age his creations. To reflect this
change in mood, the music grows
more somber. As Debussy gives
way to suspenseful, brooding,
minimal music, Ouvrard’s con-
tentment and delight with his cre-
ations devolves into anxiety and
embattlement, erupting finally in
a massacre of the balloons. Ouv-
rard rips them to shreds, first with
scissors, then his hands, resorting
at last to his teeth. While most of
the audience clapped, many of the
children in attendance grimaced
at the destruction. Prelude to the
Afternoon of a Foehn (“a pun that
refers to a mountain wind,” the
UMS site details) is the story of a
creator-turned-destroyer,
over-
come by his innocent creations.
Compagnie Non Nova’s work
made and kept the promise of a
delightful, fun show that was truly
suited for all-ages audience. The
cuteness and innocence played just
as great a part as the sheer tech-
nical prowess and design. But it
was something else to come away
with the in-your-faceness of the
show’s violence. The performance
was billed as a children’s show
through-and-through. The press
only alluded to the fun and gim-
mick of the floating performers,
and even the decision to include
Ouvrard’s assembly of the balloons
cemented the shows self-aware-
ness as something akin to art-and-
crafts. So for Ouvrard to destroy
the balloons felt like a statement
something along the lines of: If
you’re not willing to teach and
remind your kids that violence
exists alongside fun in the world,
then we are.
Working on all of these levels at
once, Compagnie Non Nova’s Pre-
lude to the Afternoon of a Foehn is
a mature, playful and thoughtful
show that exhibits the professional
acumen and incredible creativity
of Ménard, Ouvrard and the other
members of the Nantes-based
company.
There will be shows this Thurs-
day, Friday and Saturday. Tickets
and times are available at the UMS
page for the performance.
A note on reduced ticket pricing
for students from the UMS website:
“UMS will set aside a limited quan-
tity of student tickets in select seat-
ing areas at half-price. Purchase
online at ums.org/students or in
person at the League Ticket Office.
Tickets are available on a first-come,
first-served basis on September 8,
2014 until they sell out, or until 11:59
pm the night before the performance
(11:59 pm on Thursdays for weekend
performances). Students must be
enrolled in a degree program. Stu-
dent ID must be presented to pick up
tickets; if no student ID is presented,
student must forfeit tickets or pay
full ticket price.”
Reunion episode
filled with hours of
hit-and-miss content
By MATTHEW BARNAUSKAS
Daily Arts Writer
With 40 years of “Saturday
Night Live,” it’s a note of irony that
its legacy was cele-
brated on a Sunday.
It boasted a three-
and-a-half-hour
extravaganza
to
mark the feat with
a guest list so long
it rivals “Too Many
Cooks”in length. If
anything, the 40th
Anniversary Spe-
cial was indicative
of “SNL” ’s legacy:
it had some great
moments, most of it was OK and
some parts fell flat. At this point,
“SNL” is an institution. There are
moments where it won’t be strong,
but it will always be there, trying
its hardest to bring laughs.
The special was heavily front-
loaded trying to get as many big
names out as quickly as possible.
Naturally, Jimmy Fallon and Jus-
tin Timberlake continued their
bromance to end all bromances by
opening the show. The duo’s rap of
iconic one-liners reflects just how
much “SNL” has influenced pop
culture.
Steve Martin’s opening mono-
logue brought forth the divisive
question, “Who makes the best
guests on the show?” Is it come-
dians, actors, musicians, athletes
or musicians named Paul? As the
special played out with a favored
bias toward comedians, they
dominated the monologue and
segue sequences.
The live sketches had several
early highlights, with Celebrity
Jeopardy growing more and more
absurd as celebrity imperson-
ations crowded the stage, includ-
ing the iconic Burt Reynolds/
Turd Ferguson by Norm Mac-
Donald and Darrell Hammond’s
Sean Connery, who misreads
“Who Reads?” as “Whore Ads.”
Weekend Update showcased
the power of women on “SNL”
with its dream lineup of Amy
Poehler, Tina Fey and Jane Curtin
anchoring the update desk. Of all
the jokes, Poehler’s comment on
the special itself — “that won an
Emmy in the first 10 minutes and
then lost it somewhere in the mid-
dle” — was the most pointed in
self-criticism. The special revered
the establishment of “SNL,” but
never denied that there are weak-
nesses in the show’s historic run.
Predictably so, there were
weak moments in the lengthy
show. The special fired its most
powerful ammunition early and
at times struggled to maintain its
earlier rapid-fire pacing. Chris
Rock wasted his heartfelt appre-
ciation for Eddie Murphy as he
came out to say, “I liked being
here,” with no real punchline.
Murphy’s presence on the show in
the early ’80s kept SNL afloat and
featured a bevy of hilarious char-
acters, but there was no Gumby,
Mr. Robinson or surprise resur-
rection of Buckwheat to be seen.
The same goes for Chevy Chase,
who was saved by the presence of
Garrett Morris in the persona of a
“News for the Hard of Hearing”
translator.
The tribute montages appeared
too densely near the middle, but
several cornerstones of “SNL” ’s
identity stood out. The behind-
the-scenes audition tapes dis-
played the beginnings of classic
sketches as cast members audi-
tioned for the first time. They
also gave an opportunity to show
future icons that didn’t make the
show like Stephen Colbert, Jim
Carrey and a beardless Zach Gali-
fianakis. New York’s presence in
the show’s history was highlight-
ed, bringing back the post-9/11
episode where Lorne Michaels
asked Mayor Rudy Giuliani, “Can
we be funny?” to which Giuliani
earnestly replied, “Why start
now?”
Whenever the special seemed
to be running out of gas, there
was always someone to kick-
start it. Martin Short and Maya
Rudolph (in character as Beyon-
cé) energetically usurped almost
every musical character or skit
from the show’s history. Later,
Jerry Seinfeld had a fantastically
awkward reunion with “Sein-
feld” co-creator Larry David.
The comeback of Digital Shorts,
led by Andy Samberg and Adam
Sandler, brought a musical trib-
ute to breaking character during
a sketch (mainly at the expense of
Fallon and Horatio Sanz).
The
musical
guests
varied
eclectically. Paul McCartney was
an obvious choice, but the inclu-
sion of Miley Cyrus and Kanye
West raised eyebrows. Although
the two may not be indicative of
“SNL” ’s history, they both put
together memorable performanc-
es with Cyrus’s tribute to Paul
Simon and West’s avant-garde
talents (and some self-deprecation
in the Wayne’s World sketch). But
most fittingly, Paul Simon himself
closed with “Still Crazy After All
These Years.”
Yes, after all these years, “SNL”
is still here. There will moments
where it’s lacking, but in the end
there will always be that special
moment to remember the show by.
So, “Goodnight and have a pleas-
ant tomorrow.”
TV REVIEW
‘SNL’ celebrates
40 years of meh
NBC
In a van down by the river!!!!
B+
‘Saturday
Night
Live 40th
Anniversary
Special’
TV Special
NBC
By ANDREW MCCLURE
Daily Arts Writer
Ovadia & Sons has never raised
my eyebrow, be it from shock or
disgust or inspiration. However,
the NYC-based sportswear house
seldom does things the wrong way
— from their crisp shirting and fine
tailoring to toying with retro fabric
patterns. Their spring 2015 collec-
tion flirted with familiar concepts
without overindulging, refusing
to get sucked into the make-your-
eyes-hurt sandstorm of colors and
loudness that often haunts luxury
brands when this week rears its
head.
The most distinctive element
we saw was the so-regal hound-
stooth option (think if herring-
bone and gingham did each other)
on signature overcoats and sports
jackets, in classic black and white,
dovetailing with black underneath
and at the feet. It takes a muted
look and lends it a whisper, just
loud enough to piss off the Law
students. The houndstooth didn’t
cease — it reappeared on a black-
sleeved bomber over a drape-y,
tail-less white button-down. Scott
Sternberg over at Band of Outsid-
ers is just one proponent of the
dress shirt without the “dress,”
eschewing gussets and tails for an
even hem around the entire waist.
In addition, eyes peeled for more
of this streetwear-inspired drap-
ing — no longer does one need his
jacket to obscure the underneath
shirting. Let it hang, and low.
Dominated
by
dichromatic
pieces, the show is not set up to
fail like, say, a Versace show in
which … nevermind. In other
words, O&S tends to lean con-
servative, yet their offerings are
invariably on-trend with play-
ful blends. A half-shine hoodie
lets its hood kneel on the lapels
of yet another houndstooth: this
a time navy-black suit. Because
O&S is first and foremost a sports-
wear label, they love bridging
the gap between sport and city.
The show wraps up with throw-
back patterns (’50s windowpane,
sharkskin, plaid) and almond
shearling-like coats, proving, at
once, that they know what they’ve
liked in the past and are poised to
reintroduce it — without being too
annoying about it.
STYLE RECAP
NYFW: O&S dresses
down the dress shirt
OVADIA & SONS
Nice dress robes, Harry.
By ANDREW MCCLURE
Daily Arts Writer
San Francisco native John
Elliott, 32, told Style.com, “I’m
just a kid from the Northwest
trying to do the best I can with
the means I got.” Humility, drip-
ping off a dude who, in months
time I contend, will be dripping
in sweat from his phone that
won’t stop boinging. But the
callers won’t be dorks, unless
you deem Kanye or Nike a dork.
Elliott
had
a
breakthrough
opening at NYFW, finally put-
ting to stage the severely on-
trend looks that have anyone
who reads High Snobiety or
WWD foaming at the jowls:
stacked-leg joggers, nylon bomb-
ers that drape instead of hug, a
bit of black leather, rider jackets
and all sorts of ribbings and tex-
tures.
Save maybe the rider jack-
ets (albeit even they are Elliot-
tized with their wrist zippers),
JE&C is anything but heritage.
That is not to say the line is anti-
Americana; but it would rather
give the kids what they want,
something most of whom aren’t
totally aware of yet. Cue Kanye.
For the record, I don’t give a shit
that Kanye just orchestrated his
Adidas collab and called it some-
thing that sounded pretentious,
even for Yeezy himself. Further,
JE&C is the house that Kanye
wishes he had built: stacking
legs like bricks, making comfort
king and unearthing textures
that look like pencil shavings on
acid. Yes, John Elliott has found
something here — and we’re still
not entirely sure what it is and
how it will evolve. All we know
is that we like it, not because it
possesses some Rick Owensian
mystique, but because it couldn’t
be any more on-point. That’s a
mystique in itself.
STYLE RECAP
NYFW: textural mix
at John Elliot + Co.
JOHN ELLIOT + COMPANY
Totally a Slytherin.
PERFORMANCE REVIEW