The Madison Catholic Herald -- May 1, 2003 Edition -- Arts

MADISON -- Madison Area Concert Handbells (MACH) will perform its annual spring concert, "Showtime!," on May 16 and 17.

On Friday, May 16, the concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 203 Wisconsin Ave. The second concert will be Saturday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. at Asbury United Methodist Church, 6101 University Ave. near Allen Blvd.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth ages 16 and under and may be purchased at Borders Book Shops or at the door.

For more information call 608-845-2476 or visit the MACH Web site at www.madisonhandbells.org.

Theater Bus

MADISON -- Theater Bus for people over 60 is planning a trip to the Horicon Marsh for a narrated tour aboard a pontoon boat on Friday, June 6.

Luncheon at the Audubon Inn, a National Historic Landmark, and transportation are included in the cost of $42. For reservations, call 608-257-0003 before the May 15 deadline.

Concert at college

MADISON -- Edgewood College presents the Edgewood Campus-Community Choir in its spring concert on Sunday, May 4, at 2:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph Chapel on the Edgewood College Campus.

Tickets may be purchased at the door: $5 general admission to benefit the Blackwell Music Scholarships.

Steven Ebel in concert

JEFFERSON -- The Council for the Performing Arts will host Jefferson native Steven Ebel in his performance of "Songs and Sounds of Love" on Friday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center, 700 W. Milwaukee St.

Ebel will perform classical, folk, and Broadway music. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in vocal performance.

Tickets for "Songs and Sounds of Love" are $8. For tickets or for more information, contact the council at 920-674-2179.

TV Programs of Note

Following are some theatrical movies and television programs of note. This information is being provided to assist people in making viewing choices.

Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 6 p.m., 11 p.m., EWTN (cable) -- Daily Mass. No 6 p.m. showing on Sunday.

Thursday, May 1, 3:30 a.m., EWTN (cable) -- Meditations on St. Joseph with Fr. Benedict Groeschel. May 1 is the Feast of St. Joseph the worker. Repeats 5 p.m.

Sunday, May 4, 7 a.m., WISC (CBS) -- Mass. Celebrated by Msgr. Thomas Campion, sponsored by Apostolate to the Handicapped.

Sunday, May 4, 8 p.m., WHA (PBS) -- The Gin Game. A pair of beloved veteran sitcom stars go to the other extreme in this bleak nursing-home drama. The program is based on an adaptation of D.L. Coburn's Pulitzer-Prize winning play of the same name. Serving as executive producers and reuniting for the first time since their original teaming on The Dick Van Dyke Show are Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore portraying co-dependent, bickering residents of a shabby facility for the elderly. Directed by Arvin Brown, the film's acting can't be faulted for its searing honesty and lack of vanity, but not everyone will appreciate this crushing tale of loss and loneliness. Yet there are insightful objections to the stereotyping of the old that the actors articulate and by the end each speaks of taking accountability for their failures. Their situation, and the way their lies and broken relationships are revealed, makes for some poignant if not heartwarming drama.

Sunday, May 4, 8:30 p.m., WYOU (cable) -- Christopher Close-up: "Act Natural." Actor Ken Howard (The White Shadow, Crossing Jordan) discusses how he and his family coped with his father's Alzheimer's Disease.

Monday, May 5, 7 p.m., TCM (cable) - Metropolis (1926). Silent classic of a future society ruled by an aristocracy living in luxury above ground while the workers suffer miserably underground, comforted only by the religious faith of a young woman (Brigitte Helm) in whose likeness a sinister scientist (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) fashions a robot inciting the workers to rebel, but all ends in reconciliation. Directed by Fritz Lang, the story's melodramatic turns and woolly finale may be dated but not its vivid pictorial sense, grandly expressionistic decor, and theme of social justice. Bleak picture of exploited workers, stylized violence, and some sexual innuendo. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was A-II - adults and adolescents. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Monday, May 5, 7 p.m., A&E (cable) -- "Mary Martin." From the Biography series, a profile of the talented theater actress whose famous roles won her three Tony awards.

Tuesday, May 6, 7 p.m., TCM (cable) -- Complicated Women. Documentary about movie actresses, who before the introduction of the strict Hollywood Production Code were able to explore themes of female independence and empowerment with little fear of censorship.

Thursday, May 8, 9 p.m., PBS (WHA) -- "The Wall Street Fix." A Frontline documentary studies a corrupt business model, tracing the rise and fall of WorldCom, which went from the hottest stock to the biggest bankruptcy.

Friday, May 9, 7 p.m., WMSN (Fox) -- The Matrix (1999). Virtually incoherent sci-fi tale in which a tiny band of cyber rebels (led by Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne) do battle with virtually indestructible humanoid killers set on destroying every last vestige of humanity in the 22nd century. As directed by the Wachowski brothers, the action movie's violence is glorified, glamorized, and made to look exciting with eyepopping special effects. Excessive violence and recurring profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification of the theatrical version was O - morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating was R - restricted.

USCCB Movie Reviews

Media/Arts Briefs

Handbell concerts

Theater Bus

Concert at college

Steven Ebel in concert

TV Programs of Note