The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 — 5A

ALEC COHEN / DAILY

THEATRE REVIEW

TV REVIEW

“come out and

play”

Billie Eilish

Interscope Records

The
night
that
Brett

Kavanaugh was confirmed as
an Associate Justice of the U.S.
Supreme Court was bitterly
cold outside. Early October —
too early to dig out your winter
jacket, but too late for thin
windbreakers. As I was leaving
a restaurant with my friend, I
glanced up at the TV screen set
on CNN news: “Breaking News:
Brett Kavanaugh confirmed to
U.S. Supreme Court.”

The
hundreds
of
sexual

abuse
victims
stepping

forward to tell their stories had
shattered my spirit over and
over again this year, but this
seemed like the icing on the
cake. Then my friend asked,
“Who’s Brett Kavanaugh?”

The terrible thing about

ignorance is that it’s so easy.
It takes no effort at all to push

away the world around you and
focus on more pressing things,
such as exams or what you’re
doing
Friday
night.
That’s

why, when I saw Musket’s
production of “Cabaret” at
the Power Center this past
weekend, I knew it was vital to
our times.

Musket,
the
largest

student-run musical theatre
organization at the University,
puts on one Broadway-style
production
per
semester.

“Cabaret”
was
their
latest

musical venture, set in 1929
Berlin — the most liberal city
in Germany with a vibrant,
sultry nightlife that openly
embraced
homosexuality
—

four
years
before
Hitler’s

appointment as Chancellor of
Germany. The story follows the
relationship between Clifford
Bradshaw, a visiting American
novelist played by LSA Fifth
Year Casey Board, and Sally
Bowles, a cabaret singer played

by SMTD Sophomore Caroline
Glazier. “Cabaret,” based on
the play by John Van Druten,
was directed by SMTD and
LSA Junior Isabel K. Olsen
and choreographed by SMTD
Sophomore Johanna Kepler.

“Cabaret” opened in a burst

of energy with “Willkommen,”
which welcomed audiences to
the seedy Berlin Kit Kat Klub.
Emcee Wilson Plonk (SMTD
Junior)
deserves
special

mention
for
his
excellent,

exuberant
performance.

Plonk
skillfully
embodied

the
overwhelming
passion

of Berlin in the 1920s while
simultaneously
keeping
the

audience at ease with the
flamboyant backdrop of the
production.

Musket did a wonderful job

of giving the audience glimpses
at
the
underlying
fascist

regime
while
maintaining

that, on the surface, life still
contained parties and wild

TRINA PAL

Daily Arts Writer

Musket puts on pertinent
performance of ‘Cabaret’

entertainment.
“Money,”

a
number
evolving
from

embracing
the
grandeur

of
wealth
to
desperation

at not having it, was the
performance’s first look at
the dichotomy of Germany
in the 1920s. After using the
first half of the production to
establish
relationships
and

set
the
scene,
“Tomorrow

Belongs
to
Me,”
directly

before intermission, stunned
the audience with its sudden
display of the hidden Nazi
culture in Berlin. Clifford’s
friend revealed an armband
emblazoned
with
a
black

swastika and the cheerful,
sultry dancing changed to
dark, ominous stomping.

As
a
character,
Sally

Bowles chose to ignore the
hints of Hitler’s rise even
when
blatantly
obvious.

Glazier’s rendition of “Maybe
This Time,” reflecting her
happiness
at
finally
being

in a stable relationship with
Clifford, was artfully done and
did justice to her character.
Sally stays in-denial, singing:
“Life is a cabaret old chum,”
until
the
very
end.
The

simplicity of detachment is
written all over her face, but
the audience senses the danger

in remaining idle, a message
incredibly
relevant
to
our

current political climate.

The second half of “Cabaret”

included the memorable “What
Would You Do?” performed by
Fraulein
Schneider
(SMTD

Sophomore Samantha Buyers),
a poor landlord in love with
a
Jewish
fruit-seller
Herr

Schultz (SMTD Junior Aaron
Robinson). Fraulein Schneider
ends her engagement to Herr
Schultz in the wake of the
Nazis’ rise to power, but Herr
Schultz firmly believes that “it
will pass,” even after bricks are
thrown through his window in
an effort to drive him out of
town.

Denial can only persevere

for so long. The last scene
shows
a
spotlight
shining

on a missing orchestra, with
instruments lying haphazardly
across the floor and music
stands upended, but music
continued to play. We see the
Emcee rip off his suit to reveal
an
inmate’s
concentration

camp uniform with a bullet
hole in his chest, while other
members of the cast, wearing
white, stare at a bright light
in the middle of the stage.
Strobe lights flash on and off
and we see the cast contort,

as if being shot, before finally
collapsing, lifeless. Everyone
is taken in the end — the
orchestra, the cast, even the
audience. Seeing intricately
developed characters die is
heartbreaking,
reminding

us of the full consequences
of Hitler’s power and how
the
current
sociopolitical

divide in the U.S. seems to be
converging on the same path.

A musical as relevant as

“Cabaret” was a wonderful
selection, but I would have
liked to see more explicit
connections
to
our
times.

“Cabaret” is a wake-up call for
its audience, but still largely
sticks to the original script.
Deviations to move from the
past to the present would
have allowed the audience
to resonate more with the
message.

“Cabaret” shows us how

easily one can focus on the
beauty of the world and ignore
the
reality.
This
country

currently hosts a president
who openly shames women,
racial minorities and the queer
community. How long can we
keep up this complacency?
Letting our minds become
numb to atrocities is as good
as joining the perpetrator.

ALEC COHEN / DAILY

No matter how many Nicki

Swift videos accuse Catherine
Zeta-Jones (“Red 2”) of being
one of the haughtiest stars in
Hollywood, I constantly find
myself arguing in her defense.
What is it about her that draws
my unwavering allegiance? Is
it her marriage to fine wine
Michael Douglas (“Ant-Man
and the Wasp”)? Is it because
I cannot separate her from
her character of Velma Kelly
in the 2002 adaptation of
“Chicago”? Or is it because
she has mastered an American
accent despite hailing from
Wales? It’s probably Michael
Douglas, but while the actress
reportedly may not be a delight
to work with, she consistently
turns out a great performance
no matter the quality of the
project. Zeta-Jones can act
her ass off, and nowhere is this
superhuman ability to salvage
a script as evident as in “Queen
America.”

Much like its central star,

I have mixed opinions about
“Queen America.” Due to the
irreversible trauma inflicted
upon me by “Insatiable,” I

entered into pageant-centric
“Queen America” expecting
the absolute worst. After all,
the shows resemble each other
so much they could be cousins:
Southern-fried teen pageantry,
overbearing and appearance-
obsessed coaches, the promise
to highlight messages about
body image — the list goes on.
Additionally working against
my first impression of the

show was the idea that it had
acted
as
an
opportunistic

rip-off meant to capitalize
on
the
newsworthiness
of

“Insatiable.” No one likes a
copycat.

Very early on, the show

distinguishes
itself
from

“Insatiable”
by
putting
its

central focus on the coach
Vicki Ellis (Zeta-Jones), rather
than the individual competing
in the pageant. Vicki Ellis is the

best pageant coach in Tulsa —
scratch that — all of Oklahoma,
in the midst of creating her
next star. Her protegée, Hayley
Wilson
(Victoria
‘I
Think

We All Sing’ Justice, “The
Outcasts”), is the reigning
Miss Tulsa and a favorite to
take home the crown of Miss
Oklahoma. When we first meet
Vicki barking orders as Hayley
sprints on the treadmill, she
appears to be nothing more
than another two-dimensional
character used only as a vessel
to make overdone jokes about
the superficiality of pageants
or lazily embody everything
wrong
with
this
specific

subculture. Vicki’s vitriol is
more sloppy than sharp, and
she seems to be judgemental
of her anti-pageant niece Bella
(Isabella Amara, “Spider-Man:
Homecoming”) because she is
overweight.

As the episode progresses

and
more
information

about Vicki’s family life and
background is uncovered, she
becomes a much more complex
and purposeful character. The
bourgeois,
Escalade-driving

Vicki is not all she appears
to be; behind her façade is a
white-trash girl who betrayed
her roots in favor of pursuing a
life she assumed to be superior

ALLY OWENS
Daily Arts Writer

“Queen
America”

Series Premiere

Facebook Watch

Sundays at 9

p.m.

Catherine Zeta-Jones to the
rescue in ‘Queen America’

SINGLE REVIEW: ‘COME OUT AND

PLAY’

INTERSCOPE RECORDS

Billie Eilish may only be

16, but it seems like she’s
been around forever. A year
after her big break into
the music industry, Eilish
has already established a
clear
brand
of
stripped-

back, atmospheric pop that
showcases her unique voice.
This bare yet poignant sound
reaches a melancholic peak
on her recently released
single “come out and play,” a
song perfect for the holidays
without any direct ties to the
season. Listening to Eilish’s
voice is like holding a hot
cup of tea in front of the fire
— it is comforting most of the
time, but occasionally rises
with a sharp pang of emotion,
burning the listener with
momentary glimpses into the
singer’s darker thoughts. She

is complex, but so is her art,
offering her audience a way
to understand the turmoil
that seems to lay under

Eilish’s
languid
exterior

through her poetic lyrics and
simple orchestrations.

“come out and play” clocks

in at a typical pop single
length of three minutes and
30 seconds, however, the
song could easily go on for
several more verses without
losing the listener. Eilish
merges the crackling spirit

of the holidays with a solemn
longing to produce the kind
of mood that is found in
only some winter songs, like
“River” by Joni Mitchell and
Luther
Vandross’s
“Every

Christmas.”
While
Eilish

is a newcomer compared to
legends like Mitchell and
Vandross, she displays the
kind of soulful sorrow of an
artist with legitimate talent
that will last the test of time.
The single’s simplicity and
earnest narrative ring true to
this talent, surprising anyone
who takes the time to listen
with an outstretched hand,
asking them to leave their
worries behind and come out
to dance in the snow.

-Clara Scott, Daily Arts

Writer

FACEBOOK WATCH

to the one she was born into.
This denial of her history cuts
much deeper than mere class
tension: In order to pursue
this luxe life, she abandoned
Bella at birth to be raised by
her sister. It is this connection
to Bella that serves to explain
why Vicki has so much stake
in, and concurrently, so much
disappointment with the way
that Bella has turned out under
her sister’s care.

“Queen
America”
is
not

perfect by any means: Jokes

fall flat, exposition can be
clunky and the only overweight
character is still positioned
as the binary opposite of
class and beauty. Its central
character is no paragon either.
Vicki actually believes that
she is unerring in most of her
stances, and that in projecting
her own insecurities onto the
likes of Hayley or Bella she is
helping them. However, it is
this intoxicating imperfection
that makes “Queen America”
a relative stand-out among

the array of recently debuted
web series — especially those
released on Facebook Watch.
The show does not attempt to
delude us into believing they
have the solutions for these
large
overarching
issues.

Rather, it plunges beneath the
simplistic surface of pointing
the finger at the wrongness
of pageants in order to give
us an in-depth look at how
class, beauty standards and
body image interact to create a
horrendously damaged woman.