For many people, the Olympics is a major highlight. Watching incredible feats of athleticism in unfamiliar locales is always a treat, and the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang was no exception. No matter the season, no matter the sport and no matter the country, the Games are a delight for people around the globe. That said, we can only ever view the Games through a television screen, thousands of miles away from the real action. This is part of what makes the film “Olympic Dreams” so enticing — it’s a chance to see the Olympics from a new point of view, a behind- the-scenes look at the way the Olympics is run and the people who come to the Games with big dreams. The film follows two main characters: Penelope (Alexi Pappas, “Tracktown”), a first- time Olympic athlete competing in cross-country skiing, and Ezra (Nick Kroll, “Big Mouth”), a sociable dentist who takes the opportunity to volunteer at the Olympics. The two characters have very different experiences at the event: Penelope is plagued by the pressure to perform well in her competition, while Ezra enters the village joyful for the chance to even attend. While Penelope’s perspective as an athlete is a new and interesting story for the average audience, Ezra’s is one that we understand. The way his eyes light up as he takes in the sights of the Olympics is charming and relatable, the awe of seeing a new side of something that he finds great joy in. But despite their differences, they are drawn together by their titular dreams and a struggle to understand what they want in life moving forward, causing them to form a strong connection. Despite the somewhat cliché premise, “Olympic Dreams” is a very unique film for a number of reasons. For one, it was filmed in the PyeongChang Olympic Village during the 2018 games, depicting rooms and buildings that were actually being used for the Olympics during shooting. The reason this was possible is one of the other unique things about this film: Kroll, Pappas and director (and Pappas’s husband) Jeremy Teicher (“Tracktown”) were the only members of the cast and crew during shooting, though you would never guess that from watching. Another unique aspect is the sheer number of athletes in the film. Pappas, Olympian-turned-Hollywood actress, ran track for Greece in the 2016 Olympics in Rio and released a film that same year (“Tracktown,” which starred Pappas and was co-written by Pappas and Teicher). In addition to Pappas, several of Ezra’s patients were real Olympians in the 2018 games. It also features Morgan Schild, a freestyle mogul skier for USA, as Penelope’s hallmate Maggie, and Gus Kenworthy, a freestyle skier, playing a version of himself that strikes up a delightful friendship with Penelope. But the main star of the film is the relationship between Penelope and Ezra, an emotional connection that formed so quickly and so intensely that they couldn’t explain what it was, but knew that they would never forget it. Pappas and Kroll are both effortlessly charming, conveying a warmth and bliss in each other’s company in every scene. Watching Penelope and Ezra run through the Olympic village, eat Korean barbeque and dance like no one’s watching, you get a sense that these are two people who are perfectly happy when they’re together. “Olympic Dreams” is a love letter to the Olympics, to the good and the bad of finally achieving your dreams and finding people in the chaos. For an hour and a half, you are transported to a snowy village in South Korea, where you get to watch two people find each other within the brief bubble of the games. Despite the cheesy title and premise, the film manages to weave a story that is a perfect middle between stiff and cheesy, a sweetness that is injected in every line and interaction in such a way that you walk out with a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart. ‘Olympic Dreams’ is a warm hug on a winter night FILM REVIEW KARI ANDERSON Daily Arts Writer Walking out of Ford Field Saturday night, I felt like I had made a mistake. My ears buzzed with the sound of a record-breaking 70,000 strong audience sing-along. My mind raced to try and capture the memory of what I had just seen — a 58 year old Garth Brooks sprinting back-and-forth across a circular stage, and then lots of subsequent panting. My throat hurt, of course, from all the cheering. In the back of my mind however, I couldn’t help but feel foolish. Or even worse, mean. When I saw that Luke Combs was coming to Grand Rapids and Garth Brooks was playing in Detroit on back-to-back weekends, I immediately decided that I had to attend and compare the experiences. Combs and Brooks outline the ideal trajectory of a career in country music — Combs’s stardom is rising and Brooks is a bonafide legend. The opportunity to see both ends felt unmissable. However, I should have known that trying to compare anyone to a seven-time CMA Entertainer of the Year meant setting up the other artist for failure. Still, as my starstruck daze starts to fade, I can see where my head was at: Combs has been heralded as the second-coming of neotraditional country — the ’90s sound that Garth is the King of. Combs’s latest album beat Brooks’s Hot Country Chart record for the most entries in a single week. The most explicit link between the two artists was drawn by Combs himself: During his concert, he covered one of Brooks’s signature songs “The Dance.” The potential for Combs to become the next-generation Garth Brooks is clear — once one is able to reconcile their age differences. Take, for example, the shows’ energetic highpoints. In the middle of “1, 2 Many,” one of Combs’s uptempo drinking songs, a crew member rushed a can of beer to the middle of the stage. There was a pause in the music as the crowd unraveled what was happening. When it clicked that, yes, he really was about to shotgun a beer on stage, the audience erupted. During “Ain’t Goin’ Down (til’ the Sun Comes Up),” Brooks didn’t reach for a beer, but two uncapped water bottles. Instead of downing them (which seemed warranted given all of his running around), he splashed them around the stage, into the audience, and finally poured out two more onto a drum set. Whereas Brooks’s crowd interaction involved trading cowboy hats with a young fan for a few verses, Combs later refilled the contents of one audience member’s raised red solo cup with his own as he was singing. While these approaches to audience engagement feel comical in comparison, both artists’ enthusiasm, and more importantly, skill for connecting with their fans, is obvious. Brooks showcased his ability to read the room when, after a sequence of fast songs, he decided to scrap the upcoming slow song on the setlist and keep the high energy going. Combs also demonstrated his ability to manage an audience. Even though he has two incredibly popular albums out, Combs held the crowd in the palm of his hand while playing an unreleased song called “Without You” acoustically. I chalk this power up to Brooks and Combs having what I hesitantly call “dad energy.” Not because they have kids (Combs doesn’t), but because they care in a way that feels uniquely genuine. Brooks was all waves, hand-hearts and “Happy Birthdays!” during his show. He repeatedly expressed his gratitude, staring starry-eyed into the stands and opening his arms wide, as if he was embracing everyone. Combs is less direct at showing his love, but just as emotional in his songs. “Refrigerator Door” and “Even Though I’m Leaving” were both sweet moments at his show that highlight Combs’s knack for appreciating life’s little things. “Dad energy” is about warmth. Lots of country artists are good at conveying joy or heartbreak, but it’s much harder to make a crowd feel safe in the way Garth and Luke can. Most of Garth’s encore consisted of just him and his guitar. He took song requests from the signs his more-seasoned fans knew to bring, and he made a request of his own by deciding to cover “Piano Man.” This, I think, is the mark of a legend. The ability to rely exclusively on your discography and yourself to pull off entertaining a stadium of people. Combs hasn’t had the time to get there yet, but even Brooks himself thinks that he will get there eventually. After winning his latest Entertainer of the Year Award in 2019, Garth predicted that Luke would grow to become Entertainer of the Year eight times — breaking another one of Garth’s records. Two concerts, two weeks: Luke Combs and Garth Brooks MUSIC NOTEBOOK KATIE BEEKMAN Daily Arts Writer COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW COUNTRY LIVE/ELLEN DANA PIERANGELI Community Culture Editor ‘Lord of the Flies’ rendition is disturbingly brilliant As most public school kids in America will remember from their ninth grade English class, “The Lord of the Flies” by William Goldingis is the quintessential dystopian novel of our childhood. While I was never fully convinced by the 1940’s classic that humans in general, let alone 12 year old boys could collapse into madness so easily, the University department of Theatre and Drama performance may have convinced me otherwise. Music, Theatre & Dance fifth year senior James Harbaugh, the director of “The Lord of the Flies”, brings the story to life in an innovative and breathtaking way. Harbaugh depicts the young boys’ quick descent into chaos as all forms of civilization break down in a way that sheds light on a side of humanity you never wanted to see but can’t look away from. Harbaugh is a genius when it comes to the stage. His vision for this show was shocking and terrifying and all around horrible in the best possible way. He made smart choices that utilized the space, props and actors in unexpected ways, while staying true to the story. Instead of an overdone jungle theme, Harbaugh put his actors in worker jumpsuits and used classroom and construction props as the minimal set. Though it wasn’t canon with the original story, it made perfect sense for this production and didn’t detract from the realism of the show. Their fire was a rope of orange extension cords, their shelter a metal construction lift. He even made use of the light box in the studio; the final scene depicted Jack stabbing his spear through the switch box, killing the lights on his hunt for Ralph. This use of technology and modern appliances gives the play an almost “Black Mirror” feeling, bringing a dated book into the modern age with new significance on how technology interacts with the very core of humanity. His use of sound effects was minimal and effective: Throughout most of the show, a hollow wind sound engulfed the stage, sucking the air out of the actors and audience alike. I don’t think I took a full breath the entire show, and suddenly Piggy’s asthma predicament didn’t seem so comical. The most genius part was Harbaugh’s casting. Instead of the traditional all male cast, he had a mix of male and female actors, with females portraying most of the leads. Music, Theatre & Dance freshman Claire DeJean played Ralph, the textbook honorable, but occasionally naive leader; Music, Theatre & Dance senior Jillian Lee Garner played Jack, the schoolroom bully turned savage hunter; and Music, Theatre & Dance junior Shea Fairbanks Galaudet played Piggy, the beloved superego of the group. These three women portrayed their characters with fascinating depth and a childlike vigor that didn’t seem manufactured. Watching every character onstage have an emotional breakdown for two hours was exhausting but utterly convincing. Allowing women to portray these roles solved what is most lacking in the original book. This story takes the ‘boys being boys’ argument to the extreme, but by having the majority of the characters played by women, the characters became more universally human. Not only can these characters as women still behave just as savagely and cruelly as the original characters, but it also proves that women are fully capable of playing these types of roles. Rarely are women cast in roles that allow them to explore such emotions, because it’s even more rare that such roles are written for women. By placing women in roles that are not only usually portrayed by men but are also so viscerally human, Harbaugh broke down the expectations that women are fundamentally different from men and created a story anyone, regardless of gender, can see themselves in. Whether they want to or not. The book is disturbing enough; reading about 12 year old boys succumbing to their wild side, ripping each other to shreds with no ounce of morality is gruesome at best and emotionally scarring at worst. But seeing that story play out onstage was something else entirely. Of course, we all look at those kids and think ‘I would never do something like that, they’re monsters.’ But skimming through “The Lord of the Flies” the night before a high school English test in the comfort of your bed is one thing. Watching real people, people you know, people you go to school with and are even friends with, unlock that side of themselves for a performance makes you realize just how easy it could be to succumb to those temptations, if put in the right circumstances. The final performance of “The Lord of the Flies” will take place on Friday, Feb. 28 @ 8pm in the Newman Studio. IFC FILMS Both artists’ enthusiasm, and more importantly, skill for connecting with their fans, is obvious Combs and Brooks outline the ideal trajectory of a career in country music — Combs’s stardom is rising and Brooks is a bomafide legend “Lord of the Flies” Friday, Feb. 28 Newmann Studio 8PM “Olympic Dreams” dir. Jeremy Teicher IFC Films 5 — Friday, February 28, 2020 Arts The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com