The Battalion
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Page 3
Friday • April 11, 1997
i
|Lo Boheme is a story of impoverished young lovers in 19th century Paris.
tale of
Frenchfriends
La Boheme relates timeless struggles of youth
By Melissa Price
The Battalion
fter breaking up with his
girlfriend of two years,
the only thing a devastat-
;d Joe Aggie wants to do is grab
abeer with some friends — un
til he realizes he spent his last
dime on rent.
Although this situation may
sound familiar to ,
many college stu
dents, this sob
I® story is not exclu
sively a modern-
day occurrence.
La Boheme, an
operasetin 19th-
'J century Paris, de
tails the lives and
loves of four
friends struggling
to make ends meet.
MSC Opera and Performing
Arts (OPAS) will present the New
J York City Opera National Compa
ny’s production of Giacomo Pucci
ni’s La Boheme Saturday at 8 p.m.
L and Sunday at 2 p.m. The perfor
mance, the first opera OPAS has
featured this season, will be held in
Rudder Auditorium.
The story centers on two
foung couples who, despite
y
k
eisif 1
“If you have ever
seen opera before,
this is as good as
it gets.”
Suzannah Taylor
OPAS chair
hardship, manage to laugh
about their misfortunes while
keeping the romance alive. In
sharp contrast to the brief-yet-
passionate love affair between
the poet Rodolfo, and Mimi the
seamstress, is the on-again,
off-again affair between the
painter Marcello and the se
ductive Musetta.
Jeffrey Cranor, OPAS director of
audience education
and development
and a senior jour
nalism major, said
students will enjoy
La Boheme because
the characters deal
with issues students
can relate to.
“It focuses on the
daily struggles col
lege students have
to face, such as, ‘How are you go
ing to pay rent,’ and, ‘Where are
you going to eat?’” Cranor said.
“This show is not alien to anyone.
They are portraying the lives of
every A&M student, every t-sip,
every college student, up there on
that stage.”
Suzannah Taylor, OPAS chair
and a senior speech communi
cations major, said the National
Company gives awe-inspiring
performances that can be en
joyed by a diverse audience. She
said supertitles, which are simi
lar to subtitles used in foreign
movies, allow the audience to
easily follow the plot while still
experiencing the dramatic over
all effect of the Italian opera.
Taylor said quality perfor
mances, spectacular sets and su
pertitles make the National
Company’s presentation of La
Boheme unique.
“They have really maintained
opera as a classical art form, but
made it accessible to a new gen
eration,” Taylor said. “If you have
ever seen opera before, this is as
good as it gets. If you have never
seen opera before, this is a great
opportunity to do so.”
Sheri Scoggins, OPAS director
of children’s programming and a
junior history major, encourages
students to take advantage of
this extraordinary opportunity.
Although many people view
opera as an elitist art, Scoggins
said La Boheme is easily under
stood by everyone.
“The opera itself is very elegant,
but the story is written for the com
mon people,” Scoggins said.
See La Boheme, Page 5
Student's devotion to stars
proves idolatry alive and well
By Aaron Meier
The Battalion
K athy Bates won an Oscar for portraying one in
Misery. Robert Deniro flopped at the box office
last summer playing one and Rosie O’Donnell is
Tom Cruise’s biggest one.
They are all fans, known for extreme devotion.
In past decades, such stars as Elvis, Marilyn Monroe
and Babe Ruth had scores of devoted fans. Today’s fans
also find themselves devoted to a wide variety of per
formers and athletes.
Jamie Schneider, a sophomore biomedical sci
ence major, has devoted herself to Kurt Cobain,
the late lead singer of the band Nirvana. Schnei
der said she followed Cobain’s and Nirvana’s ca
reer from its beginnings.
“I remember when Nirvana was an under
ground band,” Schneider said. “The reason I liked
them so much was because of Kurt’s lyrics. He was
a real individual and didn’t mind saying what was
on his mind.”
Schneider said she found Cobain’s lyrics mysterious,
and they did not always make sense to her. It was that
sense of the unknown that she said also attracted her
to the enigmatic rocker.
When Nirvana’s Nevermind started climbing the
charts after the release of the single “Smells Like Teen
Spirit,” Schneider said she felt like she was on the cut
ting edge of music.
“At first I thought it was really cool that the band I
liked so much was hitting it big,” Schneider said. “After
a while, though, it sucked because everyone just liked
him [Cobain] because he was popular.”
Schneider said her reverence to Cobain and Nirvana
solidified right before the band’s In Utero hit record
stores. She has five posters of Cobain in her room. She
also has little pictures from magazines.
See Fans, Page 5
PI SIGMA EPSILON
PRESENTS
SAT. APRIL 12TH
12:00PM
ys> n
42 TOURNAMENT
AT THE
DIXIE CHICKEN
2 FREE BEER MUGS PER TEAM
$ 16/Team OR $20 at the door
Registration tables in Wehner and MSC
April 9th through 11th
SPONSORS:
Garcia’s, Cafe Eccell, Inspirations,
Hollywood Theater, La Barronena,
Casa Ole, Mazzio’s, Applebee’s,
Outback Steakhouse, Farmers
Market Deli, Hastings, Kroger
Video, Chili’s, Rosalie’s Pasta,
Wolf Pen Creek Car Wash, T
Bone Jones,
BCS Bicycles, El Chico,
Double Daves
For More Info Call
John Herron
@696-6110
orNickMirgeaux
@775-1802
Graduating in August or December
English 210 & 301 (Tech Writing)
A;
Force Dates
Summer I
Wednesday, April 30
Thursday, May 1
Friday, May 30
Summer 11
Wednesday, April
Thursday, May 1
Monday, July 7
30
Fall
Wednesday, April 30
Thursday, May 1
Monday, August 25
Forcing Hours for All Dates
9:00 a.m. to 11 :00 a.m.
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
1. Make sure you have the correct prerequisite
(English 104 or equivalent).
2. Come to Blocker 224 during the force dates and times listed above.
3. Bring a letter from your academic advisor stating that you are
graduating in the semester for which you are registering.
No forces will be done during pre-registration.
You must come in during these dates to get a seat.
If you can't make these dates, send a representative
with your letter and a list of preferred times.
Forcing Information line: 862-7724
Web site:
http://engserve.tamu.edu/files/writingprograms/rulesforforcing.html
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