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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1997)
The Battalion iss of the Spiderwoman rings R-rated 'slice of tellect' to Texas A&M By Michael Schaub The Battalion 'ore than 20 years after Ar- ler: Bk / I gentine novelist Manuel IsmBY XPuig penned El Beso de la Uijer Arana {Kiss of the Spider 'ffomari), audiences nationwide pii flock to see the newest incarnation |hi If the Kiss, a Tony Award-winning iimoadway musical. ■The MSC Opera and Performing |ffe:fts Society will bring the NET- works production of the musical to [ic Rudder Auditorium tonight at 8. enle performance comes on the ■els of shows in Shreveport, La., md Jackson, Miss. |y ittjeffrey Cranor, di- on fttor of audience ■ucation and devel opment for OPAS and ■senior journalism major, said Kiss of the Spider Woman offers I ^audiences something different from most Broadway musicals. V “It’s a musical Bat makes you think,” Cranor said. [' '“Its still an enter taining, fun show, but it has an edge over a lot of Broadway ^Hows. It has a slice of intellect.” fl The musical version of Kiss of Hhe Spider Woman swept the 1993 Tony Awards, winning seven, in- NL eluding Best Musical. Puig’s novel [Lp also was adapted as a stage play and a critically-ac- Baimed motion “I love it,” Cranor said. "It’s won derful. It’ll be interesting to see a completely different cast perform it.” The musical tells the story of two prisoners in South America: Moli na, jailed for his homosexuality, and Valent in, jailed for his Marxism. The two become reluctant friends as Molina shares with Valentin his ob session with the movie star Aurora. Molina is haunted by a film in which Aurora played “the SpiderWoman,” a harbinger of death he continues to see in his dreams. The musical’s depiction of tor ture and cruel prison conditions are the reasons OPAS gave the produc tion an “R” rating, Cranor said. “Hopefully, the rating will let fami lies know what to expect from it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s inappropriate. It informs people about social condi tions in a despotic govermnent.” Argentine ac- tress Sandra Guida plays the roles of Aurora and the SpiderWoman. Guida said the tour has gone smoothly despite the play’s intense subject matter. “People love the show,” Guida said. “They’re very accepting. It’s not an easy show to digest.” See Kiss, Page 4 “It's a musical that makes you think. ,, Jeffrey Cranor OPAS director of audience education and development Mila Mason ^ndra Guida plays "the SpiderWoman," a fictional 'harbinger of death.' By Melissa Price The Battalion S ome things are passed on from generation to generation — heirlooms, old keepsakes and even musical talent. Mila Mason, a 32-year-old up- and-coming country and western singer from Kentucky, grew up in the midst of the entertainment in dustry. Her mother, a musician who often took her children along while touring, sparked Mason’s interest in pursuing a music career. “My whole family can sing — sometimes you just can’t help follow ing in their footsteps,” Mason said. Mason will perform along with country artist Kenny Chesney in the “Wal-Mart Country Music Across America Tour” tonight at 7. The free concert, which will be held at the Super Wal-Mart store in Bryan, will be followed by an in-store album signing session by both artists. Both Mason and Chesney will perform 40-minute sets in front of about 2,000 people. The tour, which originated in 1995, aims to accelerate the ca reer development of upcoming country musicians while provid ing free family entertainment. This year’s tour will visit more than 260 Wal-Mart store parking lots across the nation. Country Music Television (GMT), the newest addition to the concert series, will be touring with the artists and filming concerts for a two-hour program. Mason said the Wal-Mart con cert gives families from small towns an opportunity to see perfor mances they would not normally have the chance to see. Mason said she prefers performing in small towns because she is able to close ly interact with the fans. “It has a homespun flavor to it, whereas other concerts get way too big,” she said. “It’s a great out door live concert that you can bring the kids to — it’s like the big ol’ Sunday barbecue.” Chesney, who did not consider a music career until he was in col lege, hit the top five in 1995 with “Don’t That Make You Want to Fall in Love” and “All I Need to Know.” Chesney, who got his first break in the music business as a song writer, said being a country singer is what he is all about. Although the entertainment industry can get hectic, Chesney said perform ing in front of fans is an exhilarat ing experience. “Just being up there hearing crowds, being able to sing my records and having people know them — that’s a great feeling,” Chesney said. “When I am on stage and everything is clicking, it’s awesome.” Charlie Hadleman, a disc jockey April. 24 Rudder Auditorium TICKETS ON SALE SATURDAY 8 a.m. at the MSC Box Office Persons with disabilities please call &4S-1S15 to ’ With SpGC/icll CJUGSt tO I3G AfillOUnCGCl ALL SEATS, RESERVED 10 TICKET LIMIT Page 3 Wednesday • April 2, 1997 It's a country thing Kenny Chesney and Mila Mason will perform today at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Bryan at KORA and a freshman journalism major, saw the Wal-Mart tour in Texarkana in April 1996. He said stu dents and Bryan-College Station residents should take advantage of this one-of-a-kind opportunity. “We get the local favorites who are established here like the Bellamy Brothers, but rarely do we get some one who is up-and-coming,” Hadle man said. "This concert is more per sonal — if you go to the Summit, you’re not going to be as close.” Mason said she suspects the audience will enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of the Wal-Mart con cert tonight. “They can expect to have as much fun as we are having,” Mason said. “We're just a bunch of goof- balls. We’re nothing pretentious — we’re just out there having fun.” * * Kenny Chesney HOWDY! The Vice President for Student Affairs Office wants you to be aware of our open door policy. Our office is here to help you in any way possible. So, if there is anything we can do to make life at Texas A&M better, come by 10th floor Rudder Tower or call 845-4728. JOB OPENINGS IN AGGIELAND Graduation ... 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