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.