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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 1998)
The Battalion lesday * July £1,1998 ggielife jzf player in his own write wm >58 An A&M student scripts his own future ! H ■ Baa lerck .nigh it; nesaui ntscn reai comei alsoiE ir das ‘area: ms ifl! I vl r : # f i : Si I — galH I WE Photo By Mike Fuentes/The Battalion By Manisha Parekh staff writer I f, as Shakespeare wrote, all the world's a stage, Guillermo DeLeon is right at home. DeLeon, a senior theater arts and English ma jor, has participated in over 32 plays since his freshman year in high school. And though he started out interpreting the words of others, his interests have taken him to the other side of the curtain: playwriting. "I am trying to paint my own mythology," DeLeon said. To this end, DeLeon has been creating the characters that bring his dreams and beliefs to life. He has written five plays since coming to Texas A&M. Two of the plays, "Death by Disco" (co-written with senior theater arts major Dan Grimm) and "Murder at the Blue Note," were performed by lo cal junior high school students. His other three plays, "La Llorona," "Watson's" and "Kelly Pierce," were written for the A&M theater program. DeLeon became interest ed in the theater while in high school. "We did a reading of 'Romeo and Juliet' in class one day, and afterwards a cute cheerleader came up to me and asked me if I wanted to try out for the school play," DeLeon said. "I got cast in the play and she didn't." DeLeon decided to pursue a major in the ater arts because he wanted to teach people how to act. However, his new dream is to be come a playwright. "I want to create an understanding of my be liefs," DeLeon said. For DeLeon, who was raised in the Rio Grande Valley, exploring and understanding his beliefs is a part of healing the rift between his faith and his culture. "I have a lot of conflict between the Catholic church and the curanderas (medicine women)," he said. "My plays are a way of try ing to see how it all comes together, what I've learned to believe." DeLeon said his inspirations are his dreams and his friends. "I get a character in my head and that's what the play's about. The characters are kind of like my friends," he said. "And my friends inspire the attributes of the characters." DeLeon said he writes his plays for a multi cultural audience. His writing is quick. You can see a lot of ability in the work.” — Jim Patton senior theater arts major "I think that it is important to show that prob lems are universal. I don't want to limit myself to one group or area, he said." Once the script is finished, then the hard part starts for DeLeon: the performance of the play. "Having ideas and ideals in my head is frus trating because sometimes it (the performance) is exactly like you saw it in your head, and other times it's not," he said."It's scary to see your dreams up there on stage. "But I do want to know what people think, and that's the only way." Amy Hilburn, a junior community health ma jor, played the role of Maria in DeLeon's first play staged at A&M, "La Llorona." To her, the writing showed quite a bit of skill. "I grew up with those legends (of the Valley), and his writing, characters and descriptions were very real," Hilburn said. "His writing was very authentic. He is very ver satile." For his latest play, "Kelly Pierce," DeLeon moved away the serious tone of his last two University plays, opting in stead for a light comedy. "Comedy is important. It is a lot harder to do because it is a lot more intellectual," he said. The play follows the trials and tribulations of a couple who have just broken up be cause of a misunderstanding. Jim Patton, a senior theater arts major, is di recting "Kelly Pierce." Patton, who also acted in "Watson's," said DeLeon's writing has a lot of potential. "His writing is quick. You can see a lot of abil ity in the work," Patton said. Nancy Castellanos, a senior journalism and theater arts major, said that the play is a lot of fun. "It's good schtick. It's a situational comedy that's a little risque," Castellanos, who also is star ring in the play, said. And although, DeLeon enjoyed writing the comedy, he said sees himself concentrating more on tragedy. His next play, which he already is working on, is a continuation of the tragic theme through "La Llorona." "It's part of a trilogy," he said. "It has to do with a confrontation between a curandera and a bruja (witch)." DeLeon would like to eventually teach at the university level and have one of his plays per formed by a professional theater group. "A play can only die if it doesn't get used," he said. Dr. DolitHe talks to audiences/ The Mask ofZorro cuts its way to the top D r. DolitHe Starring Eddie Murphy and Norm MacDonald Rated PG-13 Playing at Hollywood 16 Eddie Murphy continues his transition from I comedy star to kinder, gentler, Disney- ^ned star acceptable to most parents with Rudren. Following the trend of The Nutty Professor, [ r - ®°little gives Murphy another opportunity P r elaborate sight gags, usually involving a ° c k of animals, and some smart jokes that will ‘P by some. The extensive voice cast is a plus, with Norm a cDonald getting almost as much screen time as U J? h y as the voice of Lucky the dog. k.hris Rock's trouble-making guinea pig ^er really takes off, but will amuse younger Hidiences. Garry Shandling contributes the voice of a pi- 3 °n who has trouble with his spouse (Julie Kavn- rof "The Simpsons"). Jenna Elfman ("Dharma And Greg") portrays an owl with a knack for organization, and Albert Brooks plays what is likely the only suicidal tiger role in movie history. Dr. DolitHe has the standard slow, piano-backed "moral of the story" moments that are mandatory in family comedies today, but it should entertain all to some extent. Parents only have a small amount of profanity to worry about, and no real concern over matters of violence or sexuality. Fans of the Murphy of old may be disappoint ed with Dr. DolitHe, but he may earn new fans in the children.(B-) -—Gray Whitten The Mask ofZorro Starring: Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, and Catherine Zeta- Jones Rating PG -13 Playing at Hollywood 16 With a black mask, a gleaming sword and the desire to see the evil persecuted and justice spread across the land,Zorro is the old-is-new hero with a black costume and a passionate past. Zorro has captured the attention of audiences for almost 80 years and has had a long and illus trious career of 36 movies across 6 countries. The Mask ofZorro was finally released Friday after countless previews, starring Antonio Ban deras, Anthony Hopkins and making her debut, Catherine Zeta Jones. The story begins with Hopkins as the leg endary Zorro saving Mexicans from the tyrannical rule of the Spanish governor Montero. When the governor dis covers the true identity of Zorro, he destroys Zorro's life by imprisoning him. This is when the film fast forwards 20 years to the jail break of Zorro (Hopkins), the return of the governor to California, and the creation of a new Zorro (Banderas). The film will be an enjoy ment for many because it was directed by Martin Campbell, of the Bond film Goldeneye. Thus, a lot of ac tion can be expected. It was nice to see a depar ture from the many summer movies filled with special ef fects. Zorro is filled with people actually punching, hitting and sword fighting other people. However, Zorro does mimic movies from the past with a predictable plot, a predictable hero, a predictable villain, and a predictable love story. It was similar to sitting through Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, but this time the main characters had better accents. But Zorro succeeds, because of the refreshing cast of actors, who have genuine talent. Many times "hero movies" are given to the typical action stars, but inserting Hopkins was a well needed modification. ! # Anthony Hopkins (left) and Antonio Banderas (right) discuss the best way to fight evil in Zorro. Hopkins brings depth and drama to the role. Winning an Academy Award is a good indicator of the talent he delivers to the movie. Banderas' character may take on the same role as previous heroes but he adds more humor and not so much over-dramatization. Hopkins and Banderas save Zorro from walk ing down the predictable and overdone path. The movie is simple and lighthearted and will accomplish what a movie is suppose to do: entertain. (A-) — Marium Mohiuddin