Classifieds
Call: #734-418-4115
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EFFICIENCY ‑ 1 & 2 Bdrm Apts
Fall 2019/20
Rents range $875 ‑ $1850 most
include heat and water. Showings
scheduled M‑F 10‑3
734‑996‑1991
By Robert Fisher
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
04/23/19
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
04/23/19
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Tuesday, April 23, 2019
ACROSS
1 Barcelona buddy
6 Scattered, as
seeds
10 Rifle filler
14 Hopeless case
15 Fast-food legend
Ray
16 Enjoy a comic
book, say
17 Small plucked
instrument
19 Fall back (on)
20 “__ Been
Awhile”: Staind
song
21 Columnist
Landers
22 Israeli president,
2007-2014
23 Blackjack card
24 New York region,
or its narrow
bodies of water
27 Petit or grand
crime
29 Docking fee
30 Hog’s nose
31 Objective
32 Fisher-Price
product
33 Tropical tree leaf
38 Busy IRS month
41 Not at home
42 China’s Zhou __
46 Doesn’t miss a
thing
49 Forbes
publisher
Forbes
51 Fluttering pitch
53 Dainty taste
54 Gelatin dish
55 Slugging legend
Mel
56 Canonized Fr.
female
57 Slimming surg.
58 Popular necktie
knot ... and a hint
to the starts of
17-, 24-, 33- and
51-Across
62 Cookie cooker
63 Big on
64 Vital heart line
65 “Bill & __
Excellent
Adventure”
66 Cap’n’s
underling
67 Wyoming’s __
Range
DOWN
1 Ten-percenter:
Abbr.
2 Native American
in a Cooper title
3 Not yet born
4 Precious stones
5 Mars or Venus
6 Like teenagers
in the comic strip
“Zits”
7 Chimp kin
8 Was victorious
9 Sgt. or cpl.
10 Unpaid debt
11 Kalahari
mongoose
12 Source of
machismo,
perhaps
13 Epic journey
18 Tylenol target
22 Gaza Strip gp.
23 Capp and
Capone
24 Greek cheese
25 Mideast ruler
26 NFL analyst
Tony
28 Trophy shape
31 Toward the tiller
34 Hang around
35 Grand Canyon
animal
36 “Little” Dickens
girl
37 Org. hacked at its
Watergate offices
38 Require much (of)
39 Lost in thought
40 Signed on for
another tour
43 Skill rarely
practiced now
44 Not aligned with
45 Little rascal
47 Descendants
48 “Best in Show”
org.
49 __ of honor
50 High: Pref.
52 Boxing matches
56 Horse’s footwear
58 Innocuous
falsehood
59 Musician Yoko
60 __ King Cole
61 “The Da Vinci
Code” author
Brown
FOR RENT
HEY.
YOU'RE
DOING GREAT
AND WE
know you
can do it.
Don't give up!
Not every theater company
can attempt “Sweeney Todd.”
Between its dark humor and
sophisticated,
fast-paced
text,
“Sweeney
Todd”
has
many
potential
pitfalls.
For
those
unfamiliar
with
the
show,
the complex plot can also be
incredibly confusing upon first
viewing.
This past week’s production
of
“Sweeney
Todd”
by
the
University’s
Department
of
Musical Theatre put all these
concerns to rest. It was a tour-
de-force
in
quintessentially
Sondheimic writing, a captivating
and convincing take on a famous
yet flawed work.
The production made use of the
Power Center’s large stage and
extensive lighting capabilities. In
the opening number, when the
cast sang from the front of the
stage, lights from the pit orchestra
shone up on the ensemble, casting
eerie shadows on their faces.
The
set
was
simple
yet
sufficient. Foggy factory-esque
windows and pseudo-industrial
brick walls cast a mechanical
backdrop for the play. It was a
barber shop and bakery at times
and a judge’s home at others.
While I usually don’t focus on
set design in my reviews, I must
take some time to acknowledge
the barber’s chair — it was
easily my favorite aspect of the
production. As Sweeney Todd
slit the throats of his victims,
he turned them away from the
audience. A mere press on the
petal at his feet turned the chair
into a ramp, delivering his victims
into the meat pie oven many floors
below.
For those unfamiliar with
the plot, Todd is a convict who
has recently escaped prison. He
believes his wife to be dead and
his daughter adopted, and he
vows to avenge these acts. After
winning a bet with a rival barber,
Todd opens a barbershop above
an (admittedly) terrible meat pie
shop. The pies are made out of
the flesh of his victims as he slits
the throats of various barbershop
patrons.
Abysmal as this plot may sound,
Sondheim manages to give the
plot a humorously peculiar spin.
At one point, for example, Todd
and Mrs. Lovett (the pie shop
baker) sing a lengthy, comical song
about the various professions of
their victims and the types of pie
that they will produce.
The talents of SMTD seniors
Allie Re (Mrs. Lovett) and Jamie
Colburn (Sweeney Todd) were
on full display in this scene.
Colburn was horrifying at times
and humorous at others, repulsive
at points and yet impossible
to ignore. Re was hilarious
throughout, particularly when
it came to her feature numbers
(“The Worst Pies in London”
standing out the most to me.)
The seemingly indefatigable
energy of the large cast of the
show also carried it through
its
nearly
three-hour
run
time.
Though
not
heavily
choreographed in a traditional
sense, the cast frequently walked
hurriedly across the stage or the
upper balcony. I felt as though I
were amid a bustling 19th-century
lower-class
community
in
London.
And
while
Sondheim
and
Wheeler’s lyrics have a tendency
towards wordy complexity —
a complexity only heightened
by the strange vernacular of
colloquial British English — the
cast managed to land much of
their jokes. Though it was hard
to understand every word, I was
constantly engaged, more than
willing to put forth the effort to
understand the text.
The unusual orchestration of
the musical gave it another twist.
It feels more like operetta at points
then it does modern musical
theater — a harp and nine strings
are not exactly components of
a standard musical theater pit
— and yet this production was
approachable and engaging even
as it was slightly unusual.
In the end, as Todd accidentally
murders his wife, intentionally
murders Lovett and then is
murdered himself, the production
managed
to
maintain
the
humorous tone that had carried
through the work thus far. One
common pitfall that I have found
in other productions of the work
is that it becomes unbelievably
morbid
at
this
point.
This
production, however, managed to
maintain a light tone even despite
these deaths.
As soon as the show ended,
the audience was on their feet for
a rowdy standing ovation. This
was easily the most enthusiastic
response
to
a
University
production that I have ever seen,
perhaps even on par with the
great enthusiasm at MUSKET’s
“In The Heights” last year.
From lighting to singing and set
design to acting, this production
seemingly had no faults. And
when it came to applause, the
audience (and this critic) surely
took notice. As I left the theater,
I found that I had forgotten that
this was a student production.
Had I walked out onto Times
Square in New York City, I
would not have been particularly
surprised.
SMTD’s ‘Sweeney Todd’
exceeds all expectations
SAMMY SUSSMAN
Daily Arts Writer
GLASSNOTE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
ALBUM REVIEW
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
Jade Bird’s self-titled debut
album, Jade Bird, functions as
both a grand announcement
of her advent to stardom and
a declaration of who she is
and who she hopes to be. Bird
enters onto the world stage
with a string of singles and EPs
already notched under her belt,
strong and unafraid. The album
feels like a firm handshake
and a knowing smile. Bird
doesn’t seek validation from
the audience or critics —
let alone amateur college
writers like myself. Instead,
the pervading sentiment of
the album is that Bird knows
she’s good — really, really
good — and this album is
simply her way of letting us
know.
There’s
no
arrogance,
however,
in
her
music.
Jade
Bird’s
album
may
trumpet her long-awaited
arrival, but it’s a celebration
of the self (both Jade, and
the listener), not a display of
hubris.
The
12-track
album
contains an enticing mixture
of vulnerability balanced with
strength, heartbreak countered
by
confidence.
Bird
seems
comfortable within her own skin
— her own voice — singing “And
that’s my motto / Don’t let ’em
near enough to let me down” in
the song “My Motto.” She’s open
about her vulnerabilities, but
sadness is seemingly unwelcome
in the powerful display of self-
love and acknowledgment that is
the album Jade Bird.
Yet,
while
the
album
is
named after herself, Jade Bird
is honest about the struggle
of knowing one’s self. “Ruins”
open the album with energy
and gentle acoustics, laying bare
Bird’s beautiful vocals. This
vulnerability
is
accentuated
with the Bird’s echo of “I’m not
sure who I am” — an admission
that strikes at a deeper question
of what releasing an album can
signify to an artist. Yes, it’s a
mark of success, talent and hard
work. But the release of Jade
Bird skyrockets the artist to new
heights. Suddenly, the woman
named “Jade Bird” is more than
who she was. This essential
question of who Jade Bird is
hangs heavy over the entirety of
the album, hinting that this vital
introduction is also the artist’s
exploration of her own identity.
Soul-searching doesn’t last
for long, though. Bird blasts
through
with
anthem-level
songs like “Uh Huh,” making
one almost forget her previous
uncertainty. The amount of pure
power Bird wields throughout
the song is enough to entice the
listener to their knees while
she sings of control, authority
and dominance. “Good At It”
and “Love Has All Been Done
Before” are full of heartache,
but again, Bird doesn’t welcome
pity or pining into her music.
It’s heartache done the way it
should be –– full of passion and
vivacity.
The album closes on a gentle
note with “If I Die,” full of
beauty, with the warmth of a
piano in the background. By
the end of the album, it feels
as if Bird has come full circle.
From opening with a poignant
question of identity to final
assertions of “I’m ok with who
I am” in her final song, Bird
has seemingly found herself,
and conversely, the listener
has finally found Jade Bird. “If
I Die” is heart-wrenchingly
lovely, as Bird croons that “If I
die, don’t put me in stars / Put
me in words, not hallelujahs /
They come from the heart and
they’ll ring true.” Bird never
asks for love, or admiration
or acceptance. But here, in
these final words, she earns it a
thousand times over.
Here, at least, this writer
can immortalize the songs and
memory of Jade Bird as she
requests — in unworthy words
that can only beg redemption by
their bone-deep sincerity.
MADELEINE GANNON
Daily Arts Writer
Jade Bird bids a strong
hello with debut album
Jade Bird
Jade Bird
Glassnote Entertaiment
Group
To honor the end of this school year,
a few of us in the film beat have decided
to pay homage to a select few of the
greatest endings in movie history.
For me, no other movie ending
better captures the beauty of cinema
and the power of nostalgia than that
of “Cinema Paradiso.” The scene is
simple. Salvatore, our protagonist,
much older than he was at the
beginning of the film, watches a
compilation of old movie scenes made
for him by Alfredo, his childhood
mentor. No words are necessary
— we can tell everything we need
to know through his eyes, which
quickly fill with tears. The scenes
remind him of his childhood years
working at a movie theater, all the
things he once felt and all the things
he’s lost. Despite the tears, Salvatore
has a smile on his face. Although the
past is gone, his memories of it will
never leave him. “Cinema Paradiso,”
especially its ending, is a profound
love letter to cinema and its ability to
help us remember our own stories.
— Elise Godfryd, Daily Arts Writer
“Good Will Hunting” is one of my
first cinematic loves and it continues
to rank in my top 10 for a number
of reasons, including killer music, a
knockout cast and some of the most
quotable lines ever. But perhaps
the greatest charm of Van Sant’s
masterpiece is its, truly flawless
ending.
In the final scene, Sean (Robin
Williams, “Mrs. Doubtfire”) opens
the mysterious note in his mailbox
from Will (Matt Damon, “The
Martian”), and grinningly reads the
unforgettable phrase, “I had to go see
about a girl,” the same last line from
the story he told Will months before
about how he met his wife. Cutting
to the open road and Will’s battered-
up car, we are filled with the same
sense of satisfaction as Sean, proud
at Will for driving off into the sunset
after Skylar (Minnie Driver, “Grosse
Pointe Blank”).
Simple, yet profound, the final
moments of the car coasting down
the interstate, accompanied by the
iconic Elliott Smith ballad “Miss
Misery,” fall perfectly in line with
the tone of quiet profundity reflected
throughout the film, and distinguish
this ending as one of the most
gratifying and full-circle of all time.
— Samantha Nelson, Daily Arts
Writer
“Annihilation” is not a perfect
movie. The loose adaptation from
the first part of Jeff Vandermeer’s
Southern Reach trilogy was a quilt
of fascinating ideas executed poorly.
And yet, many of its flaws are
forgettable because of the film’s truly
horrifying final 20 minutes.
In what has to be one of the
strangest dance-offs ever conceived,
a colorful pulsating alien transforms
into a doppelganger of Natalie
Portman’s Lena. What follows is
a jarring, skin-crawling series of
physical maneuvers. The most
revolting aspect is that the alien is not
attacking her; It is simply mirroring
her movements. When she reaches
out her hand, it punches her back.
When she runs for the door, the alien
pins her against the door so it too, can
escape.
The finale of “Annihilation” is a
testament to the realization of heady
themes into a simple yet effective
conclusion. It demonstrated some
of the most ambitious filmmaking
of 2018 and, for the most part,
redeemed the movie.
— Anish Tamhaney, Daily Arts
Writer
I’m cheating a little bit, but
Hirokazu
Kore-eda
(“Nobody
Knows”) made me. My ending scene
is not technically the final one from
“Shoplifters,” but rather the perfectly
unsatisfying
rift
that
Osamu
(Lily Franky, “The Devil’s Path”)
and Shota’s (Jyo Kairi, “Erased”)
informal
father-son
relationship
comes to under Kore-eda’s artful
direction. In it, Shota boards a bus
and leaves the surrogate father
who failed him, Osamu desperately
chases, calling Shota’s name, and
all Shota can do is watch. But as he
watches, he whispers, calling Osamu
“Dad” for the first time.
What a way to elaborate on one of
the best lines of “Shoplifters,” spoken
several scenes earlier. “If they really
loved you,” Osamu’s partner Nobuyo
(Sakura Andô, “100 Yen Love”)
tells Yuri (Miyu Sasaki, “Samurai
Gourmet”), whose birth parents
neglected her, “this is what they’d
do,” and surrogate mother rocks
daughter back-and-forth in her arms.
If you know the harsh reality of
love in families, this is the scene you
end with: full of hesitation, of waiting
too long to say important things, of
not knowing how to say goodbye.
But in those futile pursuits, Kore-eda
seems to see the purest kind of love in
the act of trying anyway. I see it, too.
— Julianna Morano, Daily Arts
Writer
Go ahead. Make your jokes.
I’ll wait. “Which ending are you
picking? Hurhurhur.”
Now tell me: Which of the
endings to “The Lord of the Rings:
Return of the King” are you going to
cut? What catharsis are you going to
you going to deny the audience, you
monster? Is it Aragorn’s coronation
and the Hobbits finally getting
recognized as heroes? Is it their
return to the Shire, where they
realize that despite everything they
did, life in their home has gone on
and will continue to go on as usual?
How about Frodo leaving Middle-
Earth because he can’t cope with
everything he went through? Oh, I
see, you’re going to take away Sam’s
happy ending, because even though
he’s the one person to resist the call
of the One Ring, he doesn’t deserve
to settle down and have a family
who loves him as much as we do. No,
these endings are all perfect, and this
movie is perfect.
— Jeremiah VanderHelm, Daily
Arts Writer
Our film favorite endings
FILM NOTEBOOK
6 — Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com