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1 Year 1993,
Tuesday, March 31, 1992
Lifestyl
The Battalion /
Page 7 A
Aggie Players' 'Lullaby' production
promises revue of Broadway's best
by Timm Doolen
The Battalion
f The Aggie Players are almost always sure
■to provide an evening of quality entertainment
for a reasonable price, and that's exactly what
1 they deliver with their current production
The Lullaby of Broadway."
This is not a play or a musical in the tradi
tional sense, but rather a revue of songs from
e stages of Broadway throughout the past 70
ears or so. The numbers are loosely wrapped
the dreams of a young boy, played by Brian
rano.
Of course with just a little over two and a
alf hours, it's impossible to provide a thor
ough retrospective of the hundreds (maybe
thousands) of musicals that have appeared on
the stage over the past decades. Nonetheless,
Lullaby" is a worthy attempt to hit the high
lights of several (22) of the mainstream Broad-
;way productions.
As an Aggie Players production, the quali-
act on anclty °f the singing was much better than I expect-
the Senate The standout of the night was the perfor
mance by Sombra Davis as Christine in four
numbers from "Phantom of the Opera." The
ultra-high note on "Thihk of Me" was ear-shat-
lering, and right on pitch.
Her performance was complemented won-
■erfully by the rich voice of Mark Anthony
td broadeigSterling, who also deserves credit as the direc-
ents such Jtor of the production.
events. I wif hut the truly unsung hero is Anna Leslie,
y to interaciN choreographer. Almost every number was
Class of '94 Choreographed,in some way - more than half
If them with at least some sort of group dance
Immbers. All of them were at worst entertain-
Ing, and at best visually stunning on the small
Fallout Theater stage.
I One of the best choreographed, and funni
est numbers was "Summer Nights," one of the
two numbers from "Grease."
Over the course of the revue, the group
I pieces usually stood out, probably because the
canned background music was both pitiful and
soft, so the greater number of voices drowned
I •, i out the paltry music.
llieaKCr Of the ensemble songs, the male pieces
f were more memorable, such as "Luck Be a
Lady" from "Guys and Dolls" and the beauti-
| fully touching "Bui Doi," from "Miss Saigon,"
which describes the plight of Vietnamese chil
dren that American soldiers helped conceive,
[but left behind in Vietnam when returning
home. "They are the living reminders of all the
;rs
>ositions or
tiate a fai
remote anc
rticipationr
BILLY MORAN/The Battalion
Lisa Wood of the Aggie Players sings “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” from Fiddler on the Roof in a performance of
“The Lullaby of Broadway" in the Fallout Theater.
ided.
good we failed to do," sings Mike Whiteside in
a sentimental reminder of the problems of chil
dren "whose crime was being born."
Also from Miss Saigon was a wonderful
performance by Tonya Cochran of "Movie in
My Mind" which was ironically cdunterpoint-
ed with the all-male "There Is Nothing Like a
Dame" from South Pacific, a radically different
musical about a much previous war (World
War II) in Asia. In Rodgers and Hammerstein's
"South Pacific," the guys sing about how they
long to be with a woman; in "Miss Saigon,"
Cochran sings about having to surrender her
body to American soldiers in Vietnam.
Not all the songs are perfect by any means.
The young boy showed how bad he could sing
on "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a
Smile" from "Annie"; "Master of the House"
proved hard to re-create with the humor or the
singing of the professional productions of "Les
Miserables"; and minor flaws in other num
bers, such as "Friendship," "I Know Him So
Well," "No One Is Alone" and Never, Neyer
Land" detracted from an otherwise sparkling
set of songs.
Other songs -were performed well, but
seemed out of place without the surrounding
story, especially the numbers from "Les Miser
ables." The brief lines of dialogue before most
of the songs were helpful, but a good knowl
edge of the musicals the songs came from is a
big help for anyone watching the performance.
The two biggest questions I had about the
production were the music (why couldn't it
have been better?) and the size of the theater. ,
They surely could have sold out Rudder Fo
rum with their performances, which is a much
nicer theater. It's nice to be in the quaint setting
of the Fallout Theater in Blocker, but it's an
odd experience to have more people on the
stage (28 total cast members) than were in the
audience.
The show is not without its ups and downs,
but it is definitely a pleasing night's entertain
ment, especially to fans of musicals, and is well
worth the $5 ticket price. ; , , , ( ^
"Lullaby" runs April 1-4 at 8 p m. and
April 4 at 2 p.m. also. Call 862-2052 for more’
information.
r
DEPRESSION STUDY
Are you currently taking medication to treat your depression? VIP
Research is recruiting individuals who are taking a specific anti
depressant to participate in a research study of an investigational anti
depressant medication. Participants who qualify and enroll into the
study will be paid a monetary incentive.
CALL
VOLUNTEERS IN PHARMACEUTICAL
RESEARCH, INC.®
776-1417
J
Toore
^ GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER STUDY A
Individuals are being recruited for a research study on
Generalized Anxiety Disorder. If you experience anxiety
or would like to find out more about this study, call VIP
Research. $200.00 will be paid to qualified volunteers
who enroll and complete this study.
CALL
VOLUNTEERS IN PHARMACEUTICAL
RESEARCH, INC.®
776-1417
J
ULCERATIVE COLITIS ^
VIP Research is seeking individuals with ulcerative colitis. If
you've been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and you're 12
years of age or older, you may qualify for a five month study of
a currently available medication. $200.00 will be paid to those
who complete this study.
CALL
VOLUNTEERS IN PHARMACEUTICAL
RESEARCH, INC.®
^ 776-1417
Hey Freshman,
Be one of the few,
the proud,
the
MSG
Council
Assistants
sophomore Leadership development
MSC Council Assistants:
-work as assistants to the MSC President and Vice-Presidents
- work in the Student Development, Student Programs, Finance,
Operations, Public Relations, and Development areas of the MSC
- develop leadership skills through group dynamics
Informational meeting:
Wednesday. April 1. 7PM. 401 Rudder
Applications available Wednesday, March 25 in the
Student Programs Office (MSC 216 & 223).
r
ACNE STUDY
VIP Research is seeking individuals, 12 years and older,
with mild-to-moderate acne for a 12-week research study
of an anti-acne medication. $100.00 will be paid to those
who complete this study.
CALL
VOLUNTEERS IN PHARMACEUTICAL
RESEARCH, INC.® ..
V 776-1417 J/
e
GENITAL HERPES INFECTION
Individuals with genital herpes infection are being recruited for a
research study of an investigational antiviral medication. If you
would like to find out more about this study, call VIP Research.
A monetary incentive will be paid to qualified volunteers who
enroll and complete this study.
CALL
VOLUNTEERS IN PHARMACEUTICAL
,, RESEARCH, INC.®
V 776-1417
WANTED
A&M’S FUNNIEST PEOPLE
PARTICIPANTS AND SPECTATORS WILL WIN
REWARDS
FROM
Freebired's
Bill's Style Shop
Wendy's
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Massio's Pizza
Little Caesar's
Garfield's
Chilis
Witt's End
Casa Tomas
A&M Steakhouse
On The Double
Pizza Hut
Mario & Son's
Casa Ole'
Floppy Joe's
Brazos Stock Exchange
Equinox
Golden Corral
Ken Martin's Steakhouse
Beetle’s BBQ
If you have a stupid human trick, an impersonation or unusual talent then you can be
a part of A&M's Funniest People Contest. Come out April 1 to the MSC fountain
from 11 to 2. Participants will receive a FREE 91-92 Video yearbook.
Call AggieVision at 845-0458 or 823-2114 for sign up time & more information.
Sexy sounds for
sold-out show
t: l i |
- 73
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By Matari Jones
The Battalion
Explosive. Unrelenting.
Powerful. These three words
describe the performance of
world-reknown saxophone
player Branford Marsalis Satur
day night in a sold-out concert
in Rudder Auditorium hosted
by the MSC Opera and Per
forming Arts Society.
Marsalis said listening to
"Trio Jeepy" (his third album
which earned him his fifth
Grammy nomination) could
never prepare you for this con
cert - and he was right. There
were no patterns, no gimmicks,
and no predictable moments -
just pure melody in this very
free-form performance.
The first composition of the
evening, "G is for Groove" by
the legendary jazz master Duke
Ellington, exploded into a very
powerful and emotional per
formance with Jeff Watts on
drums and Robert Hurst on
bass.
The band then followed
with a furious and energetic 45-
minute jazz suite of about four
segued instrumentals. This set
the tone for the entire show.
The musical virtuosity, emotion
and vibrancy of these talented
artists filled the air.
The trio performed in a
rock-steady bassist, interactive
drummer style with a rich vari
ety of tempos and moods as
they laid down some irre
sistible, crazily impulsive
grooves. There is no doubt that
this trio works well together.
Marsalis touched the perfor
mance off in all the right places
with his dynamic and melodic
playing.
i Fqij Marsalis, the notes were
.eaaijy .and. intensely wrung, out
' of Kis sg.x on every chord and
every note. His one line blasts
gave way to more fluid, mellow
yet upbeat notes. Each Marsalis
entrance was as strong and in
terjectionary as the first.
Hurst and Watts nearly
stole the show with their electri
fying super-extended duets as
Marsalis would sit in the shad
ows at the back of the stage and
sway and nod at their work.
It was sometimes question
able if Marsalis was the main at
traction, since Watts nearly
dominated the show with his
somewhat overdrawn, yet
thunderous and rhythmic
drum solos. His polyrhythms
enveloped the band while he
played hard and harsh with his
vibrant beats.
Watts performed as if his
drumsticks were extensions of
his hands. There was never a
repeated, predictable or identi
fiable moment as he crazily
smacked and caressed his drum
kit. Watts played and he
played hard - vigorously un
sentimental and vibrant.
With his resounding, deep
and smooth bass interludes,
Hurst added a funky and medi
tative alternative to Watts as he
plucked out the themes.
An encore ended the con
cert with Duke Ellington's
"Mood Indigo". This type of
jazz was softer and subtler than
the earlier performances and al
most added a sexy blue mood
to the evening.
The artists looked and acted
as if they were having a good
time the entire show. Even less-
studied music lovers could rev
el in this evening of fantastic
music.
Branford Marsalis definitely
illustrated jazz at its finest. Lis-
tening to him w^s an excellent
way. do spend . a Saturday
evemng. — j
Beta
your chovce
8®
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846-1947
Open 9-6 Mon.-Sat
(across from Chicken Oil Co.)
Going Once, Going TwiceTisOLm
at the LOST 0 FOUND AUCTION
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Wednesday, April l...ll:30-2 : 30
MSC Flagroom
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Seventh No-Hitter Print
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