fednesday • April 29, 1998
The Battalion
A 6 CilELIFE
!
Pictured: A scene from the original
production of Dein Perry’s Tap Dogs,
directed and designed by Nigel Triffitt.
| ^
E
k‘1
hoe-stomping show sparkles
at Radder Raditoriam
By Aaron Meier
Night news editor
Ihis isn’t your sister’s dance
recital. Tap Dogs is the wildly
I entertaining experience that
Hs traditional tap dancing,
Irn industrial percussion and
ks of sweat.
[ith tonight’s 8 p.m. perfor
ce concluding the OPAS pre-
jttion of Tap Dogs, it would be
jne not to see this kinetic ex-
:nce.
xmen lead the audience
jgh a spectacle that exceeds
ancing’s normal limits and
Is into the realm of percus-
Jand industrial rock.
|7l|HHerb Ritts would put togeth-
proadway show, Tap Dogs
Id be the product.
To call the show a “gravity-de-
■> experience” would be no
iteration. In last night’s per-
ance.Tap Dog David Cov-
bn strapped on a construc-
& harness and with the help of
his castmates and some rope,
was suspended upside down
while he sent Sammi Davis, Jr.
spinning in his grave.
It would also be no hyperbole
to label the Tap Dogs as a “show
that produces tons of sparks.”
In another segment of last
night’s show, four cast members
grabbed electric metal grinders
and ground metal pipes which
threw sparks into the air while cast
member Garon Michalitsis pound
ed out rhythms with his feet.
Recent productions such as
Rent, Bring in da Noise, Bring in da
Funk and the Blue Man Group have
paid homage to industrial sets and
urban music. Tap Dogs follows this
vein of production values.
The set of Tap Dogs starts off
small and limited to a simple
raised platform. After several
smooth flowing permutations,
the set concludes with a six-tiered
scaffolding and a construction
that defies logic.
One of the real strengths of the
show is its utilization of different
materials. Aside from Covington
kicking it on the ceiling, the Tap
Dogs bring out rhythms using
their feet on ladders, metal poles
and in a Thunder Dome-esque set
of metal ramps that turns the show
into as much of an athletic chal
lenge as a musical marvel.
The cast is a motley crew of
charm. As opposed to being a sim
ple showcase of shoe shuffling, the
Tap Dogs bring their personalities
to the performance.
Humor, pantomime and macho
chest-beating elevates the show
from six dancers to six men gen
uinely having fun on stage.
The performers are accompa
nied by two versatile musicians
who help keep the show’s energy
flowing but have the task of timing
their music to the stomping of the
cast members’ feet.
Tap Dogs is a blending of tradi
tional elements with a new genera
tion of theater. This is a rare treat in
Bryan-College Station, so enjoy it.
itor
roW
Know the code.
MSC OPAS introduces the student season ticket
fee option. For $140 you will receive six vouchers
to any of the MSC OPAS Season 26 performances
of your choice.
Hey, it’s on your parents.
During registration, simply add code *23 to your
optional fees. This summer, we’ll send you a
form to select your performances.
It’s that easy.
Vl£>
* 0<
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mons.DK 1 1
Inscoiti 1 '!
nlferJoi#!
pick Pa# s I
rtin, Lam
Ifations.!-"]
: 845# :
Ufsare8a' :v
:
Always.... Patsy Cline
big, the musical
Bully
Fiddler on the Roof
House of Blues
Les Miserables
Madame Butterfly
Nigel Kennedy
Russian National Ballet
Smokey Joe’s Cafe
St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra
Tango Buenos Aires
MSC
OPAS
enlighten • entertain • inspire
26
MSC OPAS (409)845-1661
1. Limit 2 vouchers redeemed per performance. 2. Seating is best available in limited areas
including: orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony levels. 3. No refunds or exchanges after you
have selected your performances. 4. Vouchers must be redemeemed prior to 5 business
days before the performance. 5. Additional tickets may be purchased, subject to availability,
at the time of voucher redemption.
77843-II1L
^ave Matthews clears a path on
before These Crowded Streets
Caleb
McDaniel
Staff writer
A ttention all avid
Dave Matthews
Band fans. If you
were worried by the
sound of the new DMB
single, “Don’t Drink the
Water,” rest easy.
Despite the different
texture of the band’s latest
release, Before These
Crowded Streets, the al
bum still delivers all of the
same soaring melodies,
fantastic drum rips, incredible bass lines
and unique vocal variations that you have
come to expect from the most innovative
band in rock ‘n’ roll today.
Matthews and company carry new musi
cal influences into the recording studio for
their third major label release, but they
bring the same instrumental mastery to the
table for Before These Crowded Streets.
Carter Beauford still puts together per
cussion sequences that make the listener
doubt that the drummer has only two
hands. The talent of bassist Stefan Lessard is
finally given the showcase it deserves on
Crowded Streets.
Leroi Moore and Boyd Tinsley add layers
of sax and violin to the band’s sound that
make DMB unique among contemporary
musicians. And Dave Matthews — well, the
band is named after him. Enough said.
The guys try some new things on their
new album, and they succeed in a big
way. Bela Fleck joins the band on the ban
jo. (That's right, a banjo.)
And do not be surprised if you recognize
the forceful female vocalist on “Spoon”
and “Don’t Drink the Water.” It is none oth
er than Alanis Morissette giving the band
some help on background vocals.
Dave Matthews Band
Before These Crowded Street
BMG/RCA Records
Critique: A
“The Last Stop” is built around the
same Far Eastern chords that made
“Minarets” such a delight on Remember
Two Things, the band’s very first Bama
Rags release. Not coincidentally, the two
songs share the same haunting lyrical
theme, musing profoundly about the fool
ishness of violence and war.
“Stay (WastingTime)” mixes a catchy
pop melody with touches of R&B and a fun
guitar progression.
Sit in awe while Beauford and Matthews
trade drum and guitar licks as if they were
born to play together. This track is closer to
the old, raw honesty of the DMB sound than
“Don’t Drink the Water.”
“The Dreaming Tree,” “Pig,” “Crush” and
“Spoon” offer quiet, moody beauty to the
closing half of the album.
Over an hour after starting the first track,
the last track draws to a close, just in time for
you to start the album again. Listening the
second time is even better than the first. The
album is the band’s most challenging yet,
but it will grow on you.
The record has its weaknesses, if only
to remind us that the quintet are mortals
after all.
Please see Band on Page 4.
Ever
expires at graduation
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