Multiple break-ins at three of the Alderman Road residence halls early Saturday morning have many first-year residents on edge.

In total, $5,700 in electronics and $25 in cash were taken from several suites in Dunglison, Dunnington and Courtenay dormitories sometime after 2:30 a.m., according to University Police Sgt. Melissa Fielding.

Residents in many of the suites that were burglarized reported that the unknown person or persons who committed the thefts gained access to their suites and dorm rooms by cutting screens behind opened windows.

On the third floor of Dunnington, the unknown intruder or intruders reportedly pulled out a screen behind a window the residents frequently leave open. The burglar or burglars subsequently stole a DVD player from the common room and a laptop computer from an individual dorm room, said Stephanie Trexler, a first-year College student and Dunnington resident.

“There were people sleeping in the rooms that he went into,” Trexler said. “Now we’re all getting really paranoid and locking our doors all the time.”

Fielding said because of warming weather, break-ins through open windows are typical this time of year. However, the burglaries that occurred Saturday morning are unusual because some occurred in occupied suites.

“I’ve been here for a while, and I’ve never heard of someone slashing a screen to gain access to an occupied suite to steal electronic equipment,” Fielding said.

Residents from the burglarized suites said they noticed unfamiliar faces in the area early Saturday morning but were not alarmed.

“People were awake and coming back from frats,” said Geoff Hale, a first-year College student and Dunglison resident. “It’s not unusual to have people we don’t know in our suite because it could be someone’s friend or someone bringing someone back from a frat.”

Hale said an X-Box and Boise wave radio were stolen from his Dunglison suite between 3 and 4:30 a.m.

Although police have been unable to determine whether the break-ins were committed by a single individual or a group, Fielding said a witness reported seeing what appeared to be a white male of medium build, 170 pounds, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and between 18 and 22 years old in the area at the time of the burglaries.

In addition, a resident’s credit card may have been stolen during the break-ins, Hale said.

If a credit card was stolen and subsequently used, police may be able to track the burglary suspect or suspects.

“Basically anytime there is a theft of a wallet or credit card, we follow up any activity on those cards,” Fielding said.

University Police have advised Alderman Road residents to lock their doors and secure windows. Resident advisors have also sent cautionary e-mails to residents notifying them of the incident and advising them of precautions they should take.

Fourth-year College students and Sigma Chi fraternity members Kurt P. Rupprecht and John P. Selph were found not guilty yesterday of assault and battery charges stemming from an altercation in front of the Sigma Chi house Nov. 1.

The charges were dismissed based on insufficient evidence, Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Joseph Platania said.

“From a criminal aspect the case is closed for Mr. Rupprecht and Mr. Selph,” Platania said.

On the night of the altercation, second-year College student Carson Ward was hospitalized after being struck twice in the head and falling to the ground which resulted in him losing consciousness, according to the Charlottesville Police report.

Rupprecht and Selph initially were charged with the malicious wounding of Ward, which is a Class 3 felony. Punishment for conviction of a Class 3 felony ranges from five to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000.

After the trial was continued Jan. 22, Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Ronald M. Huber began to approach the charges as a misdemeanor, and had them reduced to assault and battery, which is a Class 1 misdemeanor. Punishment for conviction of a Class 1 misdemeanor ranges from jail confinement for up to twelve months and a maximum fine of $2,500.

“In order to prove a malicious wounding charge the Commonwealth would have to establish that the defendants wounded or injured Mr. Ward with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable or kill him and that such an act was done with malice,” Huber said.

He explained that Ward was struck twice during the altercation, and that a fist is not regarded as a dangerous or deadly weapon.

“Under the facts of this case, the Commonwealth attorney had an obligation to reduce the charges,” Huber said. “The office cannot proceed with charges which are not supported by evidence.”

Because the charges were reduced from felonies to misdemeanors, yesterday’s hearing was a trial and not a preliminary hearing, which normally takes place in felony cases.

“I was very proud of [Selph],” said Scott Goodman, Selph’s attorney. “The actions he took prevented a lot of other people being hurt. He acted admirably — unfortunately it was a tragic result to a bizarre evening.”

Selph, Rupprecht and Rupprecht’s attorney Francis Lawrence could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Inter-Fraternity Council officials said the IFC supported the two men throughout the investigation.

“The fact that Sigma Chi was able to provide the men with some funds for legal support is a great example of the Greek System supporting its members,” IFC spokesperson Alex Berrang said.

Sigma Chi President John Lewis said he was pleased with the outcome of the trial.

“Essentially the two most important things are that Mr. Ward had a full recovery and our brothers were found not guilty,” Lewis said. “I am happy that everyone can walk away having learned something.”

Neither Ward nor his family could be reached for comment yesterday.

University graduate, scientist and entrepreneur Greg Olsen will be the next private citizen launched into space by Space Adventures, Inc., the company announced yesterday.

Olsen, who earned his doctorate in materials science from the University in 1970, will become the third man launched into space by the Arlington, Va.-based Space Adventures, a privately-owned company that engages in space tourism and other space opportunities.

Space Adventures, through an arrangement with the Russian Federal Space Agency, is set to send Olsen to the International Space Station for eight days in April 2005.

Olsen said he is honored to be selected to travel into space.

“I can’t wait to get up there,” Olsen said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed about.”

Unlike Dennis Tito and Mark Shuttleworth, the two previous citizens sent into space, Olsen will perform extensive scientific research. He said his experiments will involve the infrared camera produced by his company Sensors Unlimited, Inc, which he founded in 1992 and sold in 2000 for $700 million.

University Engineering Prof. William Jesser, chair of the material sciences department, said the department’s semiconductor research over the past decade had assisted the development of the infrared camera.

Olsen said he hopes to conduct his research in coordination with the University’s Astronomy Department.

“We hope to couple up with them and provide data under their direction to look at stars and constellations that you can’t see with normal cameras,” Olsen said.

Olsen leaves Wednesday for Star City in Russia, where he will begin an intensive six-month training program. In addition to being able to train for six months, Sullivan said Olsen fulfilled the other requirements set forth by Space Adventures, which include a $20 million fee, passing a medical test demonstrating peak physical condition and proposing a scientific and educational program to be conducted while in space.

Sullivan added that the mission could take place as early as this October.

Science has sparked Olsen’s interest throughout his life and career, he said.

“Science has always been part of my background,” Olsen said. “I grew up in the Sputnik era, with John Glenn and all those heroes.”

In December 2000, Olsen gave $15 million to the University to expand engineering research activities, especially in materials science. The gift, which has allowed for the construction of Wilsdorf Hall, was the largest ever received by the Engineering School, according to University spokesperson Carol Wood.

Space Adventures CEO and President Eric Sullivan, another University graduate, said Olsen was committed to his alma mater.

“He’s very generous, and he’s very dedicated to doing things at U.Va.,” Sullivan said.

Jesser, under whom Olsen earned his Ph.D., praised Olsen’s work as a University graduate student.

“He was a very successful, hardworking student who was very talented, very capable,” Jesser said.

The University Police Department celebrated the completion of a new evidence room Thursday that will feature a state-of-the-art computerized tracking system and consistent temperature regulation, University Police Lt. Mike Gibson said.

“It will be a huge improvement over the current system,” Gibson said.

The evidence room, adjacent to the police department, will replace an older evidence room located within the police building.

According to Gibson, the current evidence room suffers temperature problems that could damage evidence and is about ten times smaller than the new facility.

“The current evidence room that we have is extremely small,” Gibson said. “It has some ventilation issues and huge temperature variations — we have outgrown it.”

University spokesperson Carol Wood said she expects the new facility will contribute to University Police Chief Paul Norris’s goal for increased efficiency in the police department.

“In making these enhancements I think one of Chief Norris’s goals was to increase the operating efficiencies within the department,” Wood said. “When it comes to dealing with critical evidence, these changes build on improvement initiatives the chief and his staff have been undertaking in the University Police Department.”

According to Gibson, evidence will be transferred from the old room to the new room over the next few months. Before moving the evidence, Gibson said the police department will install a new security system and assign a number to each evidence item for tracking.

“All the evidence will be barcoded and tracked through the computer,” Gibson said. “It will also allow us to introduce computerized evidence tracking where now they do that manually.”

Completion of the evidence room was announced at a ceremony last Thursday in which the University community was invited to view some of the room’s new features, including pass-through evidence lockers and refrigerated evidence lockers.

According to Gibson, the new lockers will allow officers to package and submit evidence 24 hours a day without contacting the evidence custodian. The evidence will be stored safely in lockers until the custodians can record it.

Evidence that requires refrigeration includes physical evidence recovery kits from rape scenes and blood samples, Gibson said.

“All the temperature controls are under lock as well, so nobody can adjust the temperature,” he said. “The entire room is on generator back-up.”

According to Gibson, University police worked with Charlottesville police in the design of the new evidence room.

“We are not in competition,” Gibson said. “We consulted with them when we were designing our room and integrated a lot of their ideas.”

The Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society last night held a debate between representatives from the College Republicans and the University Democrats entitled “Education in America: A Political Perspective.” The debate pitted the two student political organizations against one another in a series of prepared questions on educational political topics.

Phi Eta Sigma Vice President Joshua Wu moderated the debate, which drew a crowd of about two dozen attendees.

Wu opened the debate on the question of school vouchers’ effectiveness in society and improving the educational system.

“Educational attainment is directly tied to economic status,” former University Democrats President Ian Amelkin said. “The voucher program takes money away from poor families and helps lower-middle class families.”

Amelkin said the Republican Party is willing to give up on the public education system.

College Republicans Chair Ali Ahmad argued that the school voucher system and President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” act forces public schools to be held accountable, punishing bad teachers and inefficient administrators.

“Education needs to be held accountable as other goods that the average American consumer puts out money for every year,” Ahmad said.

The topic of discussion then moved toward Title IX legislation and the divide in technology access for students between wealthy and poor communities.

College Republicans member Gary Wooldridge said fixing the divide by increasing governmental funding is “ludicrous.” Wooldridge said the District of Columbia spends nearly twice as much as Virginia counties per pupil and has an inferior school system.

“There is no correlation between the amount of money spent on education and the outcome of that money,” he said.

Amelkin responded that he was bothered by the use of such statistics, citing what he described as gross economic differences in Virginia’s counties.

Abstinence education was also discussed during the debate.

University Democrats President Allyson Gold noted that some people start having sexual intercourse at a young age in some communities and that other forms of pregnancy and disease prevention methods should be taught. Ahmad countered by questioning the rationality of young people and stressing abstinence education as a way of “bolstering the nation’s moral fibers.”

The debate ended with closing remarks in which the College Republicans cited privatization of many facets of public education as a viable solution to educational problems. The University Democrats emphasized an obligation by the wealthy to pay for programs from which they do not directly benefit.

Second-year College student Adam VonDeusen, who claimed to have no affiliation with either political party, said he was impressed with the debate.

“I think they both did a good job representing what their parties stand for,” VonDeusen said. “You could have had higher party officials here and they would say the same things.”

First-year College student Kristen Meletti, a self-professed independent, said she was also pleased with the debate.

“The statistics they brought in show that they really researched,” Meletti said. “It wasn’t just their personal opinions.”

The University Athletic Department plans to implement a new online student ticketing system for the 2004-2005 men’s basketball season, according to Director of Sports Promotion Andrew Rader.

“In the last several years there has been an increased concern for the Athletic Department [because of] a declined interest and support in the Virginia basketball program,” Rader said. “So, we wanted to put in place a policy to make it easier for students to secure their tickets as well as give us an indication of attendance. Ease and convenience are the principal benefits for students.”

Under the new system, University students will have to register online before the start of the basketball season. They will then be sent e-mails prior to basketball games and will be given a two-day period in which to register. Students subsequently will be sent notification that they can claim their tickets.

Ticket claiming will require students to print out a statement with their name and a unique barcode on it. At the game, students will present the paper and their student identification to gain entrance to University Hall.

The new system will replace the old system of “first come, first served” in which students are admitted to University Hall in the order in which they arrive with no pre-ordering system in place. However, people still may be able to camp out to get better seats once they have gotten their general tickets from the online system depending on how the new system is implemented, Rader said.

Since the new system allows the Athletic Department to track specific attendance, a point-based loyalty rewards program will be set up along with the new system. Students who attend games will receive points for coming. Rader said two points will be awarded to students for games that are not sold out and one point will be awarded for games that are.

If more students register for tickets than are available for a given game, students will be selected through a weighted lottery system. Students who have the most loyalty points will have a better chance of getting tickets through the lottery, according to Rader.

“This system allows us to promote attendance with a system that rewards it,” Director of Ticketing Dick Mathias said. “Mostly, we are trying to make sure that we are filling the student section every home game, hopefully with students. The major benefit for students is that they know whether or not they are going to get in the building.”

The idea for the new ticketing scheme was inspired by an almost identical system in place at the University of Maryland.

Maryland Associate Athletic Director Michael Lipitz said Maryland implemented the system because of concerns over multiple-night campouts, long lines and students missing class.

“We had issues with just general crowd control,” he said. “It was a pretty smooth transition. When you go on [the Web site] and click everything, it’s pretty self-explanatory. The students find it very convenient.”

Rader said an additional benefit of the system is that the Athletic Department can more easily track attendance so that tickets for general admission can be sold if students will not fill the seats.

Rader will make a presentation to Student Council tonight and a resolution will be introduced by Student Council College Rep. Tom Gibson next Tuesday asking for Council’s support of the new system.

“We want to get the resolution passed by the end of the semester so that we can start promoting the new system over the summer,” Gibson said.

–Staff reports contributed to this article.

Virginia’s community colleges experienced an increase in tuition per credit hour because of state budget cuts.

According to Frank Friedman, the president of Piedmont Virginia Community College, the price per credit in the 2001-2002 school year to the 2003-2004 school year increased from $37.12 to $59.60 equating to a 60 percent hike in a two-year period.

Even with the tuition hike, Piedmont administrators cut some courses and shortened the library hours.

However, total enrollment at Piedmont has increased since the tuition hike.

More students under the age of 20, especially those coming straight from high school, have been enrolling at Piedmont. The number of students between the ages of 30 and 50 enrolling at Piedmont has declined, Friedman said.

Piedmont still offers financial aid, and the school is asking for more state financial aid to offset the tuition hike, Friedman said.

–Comp. by Daniel Shumaker

By James Rogol
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

In retrospect, the 80s are mildly entertaining. Some, like Welsh author Jasper Fforde, think there is still room for improvement. By replacing pet rocks with pet dodos, imposing a Gordon Gekko-esque corporation on society and envisioning a Britain governed by literature, he creates a decade even more bizarre than the real thing.

Like Fforde’s previous two novels, “The Well of Lost Plots” immerses readers in this mutated version of the 80s as they follow the exploits of literary detective Thursday Next. For those unfamiliar with her past appearances, Thursday has the ability to physically enter the realm of written text. Once within a book, she maintains order in the Book World as an apprentice of the literary law enforcement agency, Jurisfiction.

Fresh off her victory over the villainous Acheron Hades in “Lost in a Good Book,” Thursday takes a deserved leave of absence from Jurisfiction. Her vacation in “Well” is interrupted by the appearance of Hades’ vengeful little sister, Aornis, who begins to tamper with Thursday’s memories.

In addition to combating Aornis’ memnomorphic attacks, Thursday must also investigate the mysterious disappearances of her Jurisficion colleagues. Their departures coincide with the upgrading of the Book World operating system (which transfers the plot to the reader) to UltraWord, which the missing/deceased characters had been testing.

Although this may sound like some sort of Philip K. hybrid of mystery and science fiction, Ffordian fiction reads more like Monty Python teaching a course in classic literature. In fact, Jasper’s irreverence carries the first third of the book, before the main plot is introduced.

The humor manifests itself in a variety of ways, from ubiquitous word play to subtle gags, such as listing a 13th chapter in the table of contents without actually writing one. Fforde’s wit bears its ripest fruits as he re-characterizes classics. He turns “Great Expectations’” Miss Havisham into a maniacal motorist equivalent to one of New York’s finest cab drivers and subjects the cast of “Wuthering Heights” to group anger management — all in the spirit of the characters’ existing personalities.

Bibliophiles are sure to delight in these witty literary references, yet those less knowledgeable are not left behind. While certain cameos, like Beckett’s perennially late Godot, will lose their potency if a reader has never heard of “Waiting for Godot,” countless other references can be enjoyed on the merit of their sheer absurdity.

Many of these ridiculous moments occur when the characters are not the focus of their native novels, which is more often than not. Fforde deftly handles these scenes, showing his full comprehension of other author’s characters. His greatest coup de grace, though, is his creation of the Book World itself.

Although it figured prominently in Thursday’s previous outings, the Book World was never fully explained until now. In “Well,” Jasper explores how the writing process functions in the Book World, effectively legitimizing the fantastic premise. Instead of having an author compose a text, a book essentially writes itself as the characters reenact scenes for each reading.

The system is explained with such detail and enthusiasm that it is difficult for one to deny such a fantastic concept, however flawed it may be. The idea that denizens of unpublished works can roam the titular Well (where all such novels are shelved) and can buy plot devices on the black market is pure genius.

In that sense, Fforde’s growth as an author coincides with the growth of his odd world. He uses these advancements to explore new narrative techniques, as well. For instance, as Thursday is being pursued, she evades her foes by jumping into the footnoterphone conduits (akin to telephone lines linking characters in books). Thus, her scene takes place in the footnote to the scene of those pursuing her.

Despite these innovations, the novel still has its drawbacks. As mentioned previously, the plot is slow to develop. While the initial chapters are by no means unreadable, they do tend to drag in comparison to the subsequent ones. Similarly, Aornis’ story gets lost amidst the rest of the action, and never receives the attention it deserves.

More importantly, Fforde draws on the previous books in the series and builds on them. Without the knowledge of Thursday’s past, a reader will likely become rather confused. A heroine pregnant with the child of someone who does not currently exist can only be explained away with a trip to the library or an uncanny willingness to suspend one’s disbelief.

Shortcomings aside, “Well of Lost Plots” is an entertaining, energetic ride well worth one’s time. There is even a sly critique of writers and their lack of originality not-so-subtly woven into the plot, giving it more depth than the average best seller. Like the Cat formerly known as Cheshire, long after the book vanishes from sight, a smile will still remain.

On their 2002 debut album, “Highly Evolved,” The Vines polarized rock fans — while some praised them as being the next saviors of rock, other fans denounced them as sloppy Nirvana rip-offs. Their public behavior didn’t help their reputation in the eyes of their critics. They were thrown off “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” for trashing their set during a dress rehearsal, and reportedly the lead singer, Craig Nicholls, would often show up unfit to perform for concerts and public events.

However, despite these public relations disasters, it has always been the forcefulness of the The Vines’ music that has kept them in the public spotlight. Imprecise playing added to their spontaneous charm, while everything — the band as an entity, the instruments and Nicholl’s voice — seemed to be on the verge of coming apart. The act of coming apart added to the nihilistic excitement that The Vines generated on their album and during live performances. Songs like “Outtathaway!” gained popularity for their combination of melodic hooks and chaos, and more often than not on “Highly Evolved,” The Vines precariously balanced the two.

On their new album, “Winning Days,” this balance is consistently off, and The Vines seem to have forgotten some of the idiosyncrasies that made them interesting to begin with.

Take, for example, “Ride,” the first single off of “Winning Days.” The production sounds too polished for a band that relies on its intensity; the drumming is clear and midtempo, the guitar riff is crisp and Nicholl’s voice has been digitally altered to create background instrumentals. In the past, Rob Schnapf, who produced both of The Vines’ albums, allowed for some of the rough edges of the band to show; guitars would choke on an overabundance of distortion and Nicholl’s howling, cracking voice would mix in with its imperfections in tact. Rather than giving the impression that the band was unskilled, however, the rough mix gave “Highly Evolved” an uncensored, uncompromising feel.

A significant subtraction of this component on “Winning Days” cripples the band’s effectiveness, and although there is no doubt that these songs will be infused with excitement in a live setting, they amount to calculated noise on the album. The song “TV Pro” is precisely divided into loud/soft dynamics, and thus, it doesn’t retain any excitement from the contrast. In fact, the abruptness of the shift, combined with the instrumentation itself, reminds the listener of a subpar “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”

Unoriginality is prevalent throughout “Winning Days.” The title song, while noticeably more melodic and thought out than other cuts on the album, also sounds radio-manufactured with its pop-esque hooks and layered vocals. It would not be a surprise if this song turned out to be the second single off of “Winning Days,” and whenever one can make educated guesses about a record label’s marketing decisions, it demonstrates how much album filler is present.

The lyrics are probably the most frustrating aspect of the album, and they are alternatively insightful and immature. On the chorus for “Sunchild,” Nicholls sings, “Forgot about the engine in the rain. / Don’t let it bring you down / For us that ain’t the way. / We’ll keep our lives reserved for those who have to pray. / But I can’t.” The self-aware diction in lines such as these is contradicted sharply by the profanity-filled, childish rebellion of other songs. From a musical perspective, “F.T.W.,” along with “Animal Mother,” is one of the strongest, most melodic cuts on the album. However, the lyrics ruin the song, and Nicholls screams, “F*** the world!” ad nauseam. The result, while it was probably meant to be jarring and inspiring, is instead laughable.

The Vines’ “Winning Days” is full of good musical ideas that are executed in a poor fashion, and the result is an emotionally stagnant collection of songs. The atmosphere of restraint works directly against The Vines’ strengths, and instead of unbridled fury, the listener is given packaged pseudo-rebellion. “Winning Days” is the sophomore slump that many artists fear, and hopefully, The Vines will learn from their mistakes and grow from here.

By Meg McEvoy
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

LiveArts’ current musical “NINE” features some fantastic singing, a decent story and probably more skin than its audiences have seen in public in a long time. The beauty of live theater is they do it all (dancing, singing, lingerie) without a bit of airbrush or a puff of stage fog.

A cast of 16 women, a leading man and a boy playing his childhood self bring to life Maury Yeston’s musical adaptation of Federico Fellini’s popular film, “8 1/2.” The provocative story dramatizes the life of Guido Contini (Jeff Dreyfus), a famous film-maker on the brink of losing his wife, angering his numerous lovers and becoming professionally washed-up, unless he can straighten up and churn out another hit movie. While Guido is hailed as the best movie-maker since Charlie Chaplin, his last three films flopped. The play follows Guido and his wife Luisa (Jane Mayer) to the Spa at Fontane di Luna, where Guido hopes to regain his inspiration and avoid pushing Luisa toward divorce.

Guido’s problems, however, follow him. Catty actresses-turned-mistresses demand Guido’s time and affection, his producer threatens to revoke his contract if he doesn’t produce a hit and a harsh critic breathes down his neck. Even the apparition of Guido’s dead mother tells him to “shape up.”

What’s a rich, handsome, ridiculously sought-after creative genius to do?

It’s the type of Hollywood-esque conflict that takes a lot of beautiful people to make us care. Luckily, director Bob Chapel found the talent and the beauty to make “NINE’s” storyline pop.

There seems to be plenty at stake in the conflict over Guido and Luisa’s marriage. Their affection is excellently played by both Dreyfus and Mayer, providing some of the show’s most moving moments.

Guido’s anguish over his career is also absorbing. His producer, Liliane La Fleur (Jeannie Jones), her accomplice (Moira Fogarty) and a searing critic, Stephanie Necrophorus (Marthe Rowen), all clad in vampy black costumes, seem to desire Guido’s failure and swarm about him like devilish bees.

The meaning behind the title, “NINE,” is reveled in a sequence at the end of act one. Justin Grant, as 9-year-old Guido is seen in recollected scenes of his childhood at St. Sebastian’s Catholic school, spending time on the beach with a prostitute and learning to dance the tarantella.

“NINE” refers to Guido’s wish to be always 9 years old, when life was simple. But, what should boil down to the stuff of a typical mid-life crisis instead drags into confusing scenes which attempt to justify all of Guido’s flaws. This sequence over-philosophizes and draws attention away from the struggles we are actually interested in seeing resolved.

Accents, from Italian to German, are in abundance throughout the show. At their best they add humor and texture to the characters and provide an international flavor; at their worst they obscure the dialogue, especially during songs. For example, though Jeannie Jones exhibited great singing, dancing and tremendous energy in “Folies Bergeres,” the text was muddled by her French accent, and we simply didn’t know what the song was about.

A few audience-participation segments featuring Jones cooing at unsuspecting male audience-members disturbed the show’s momentum and left the mostly over-60 crowd just a tad uncomfortable.

Still, the show sparkled with often-terrific singing, excellent characters and lively dance numbers. Strong ensemble singing complimented the solo numbers and helped Guido’s pieces as Jeff Dreyfus had one of the weaker voices. Delightful performances by Catherine Ogden and Heather Mayes stood out.

The set and costumes also put a shine on this piece. The set, featuring a metal platform staircase against a painted rendition of Rene Magritte’s “La Magie Noire” provides the perfect balance between steely, industrial practicality and the soft lines and color of a work of art. Sliding pocket doors and windows provide depth as display cases for dancers, who become part of the scenery.

Costumes, in all black and white, often dance between masculine and feminine, tailored and soft. This exhibits the diversity of the female-heavy cast and showcases an underlying feminine power in this seemingly male-centered musical.

Perhaps most notable of all is “NINE’s” effect in LiveArts’ fairly intimate space. If Arthur Kopit’s script is a bit airy, this production is not. Without even a proscenium to hide behind, “NINE’s” small cast plunges through some exposed moments and fully commits to the serious undertaking of a not-so-serious play. While other productions might have relied on dusky lighting and a few extras to cushion the choreography, “NINE’s” fabulous cast strips down to their skivvies and reminds us of the scenic possibilities of the old-fashioned folding chair. The result is skillfully polished, not over-produced.

Though the material wasn’t the stuff of epic, LiveArts takes a small musical and makes it into a vibrant experience –- an altogether enjoyable alternative to a night at the movies. “NINE” runs through April 3; call LiveArts Box Office at 434-977-4177 for details.