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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2000)
sday, April 11,2000 THE BATTALION Page 3 BY KELLY PREISER The Battalion eapin’ Lizards! “Annie,” one of Amer ica’s most beloved musicals, is com ing to Rudder Auditorium this week. “Annie” celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1997 and will play in over 100 U.S. cities, including College Station, during its national tour this year. The show is produced by NETworks, whose founder, Kenneth Gentry, has pro duced over 35 national tours, including “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “The Sound of Music” and “Damn Yankees.” music and amazing display of young musi cal talent. “Annie” will be the final production in the Memorial Student Center Opera and Performing Arts Society (OPAS) 27th sea son, “A Season Without Boundaries.” “We [OPAS] chose ‘Annie’ because it is a very famous and fun musical, and we thought that it would appeal to our younger audience as well as our campus students. It is a show that we all saw at least once when we were little growing up,” said Jeremy Byrd, vice president of MSC OPAS and a senior psychology major. “It fits into this year’s theme, ‘A Season I think it is more about a young child des perately searching for love and someone to care for her,” Byrd said. Whatever the meaning behind the sto ry, “Annie” has drawn large crowds since it was converted from its original comic strip form, created by Harold Gray and de buted in The New York Daily News in 1924, to the musical version in 1911. It is sure to be a success in College Station with its ap peal for all ages. “We hope to have children of all ages attend,” Byrd said. One of the greatest features of the mu sical is the talented young cast. The main r\ MSC OPAS brings Broadway classic to A&M irmacy Society:^ al meetingwith aK® a surroundingTeffiAf] fhetime and locations Toastmasters: Lean)! i and resume buildiojl j der at 8:30 p.m. ctefl for location. Fbrnwiil j ase contact Laura at® ic Students AssotiH Mil be a general meetl'j ■ 707 at 7 p.m. I lursday, April! te Christian Fellow#] ity Christian Fellow# [ Grad students n. for Bible study, pi$! , and snacks. Pleases* ; at http://stat.tamu,eil Lhtml for locations#1 ition, or call Jen ortt| 52. londay, Aprils] eta: There will bea^j ; at 7 p.m. in The musical score is composed by Charles Strouse, who won Tony Awards and the London Critic’s Best Foreign Mu sical Award for the music for “Bye, Bye Birdie” and “Applause.” Strouse’s compo sition of'“Annie” won a Tony for Best Score as well as two Grammy Awards. Strouse has also composed music for films such as All Dogs Go to Heaven and TV’s “All in the Family” theme song. This pro duction of “Annie” will be directed by its lyricist, Martin Charnin, who brought the original production of “Annie” to Broad way in 1977 and made it the 11th longest- running musical in Broadway history. It was originally known as “Little Orphan Annie,” which was a comic strip. Two decades after its Broadway pre mier, “Annie” is still known for its great Without Boundaries,’ in that it ends our season with a great performance of a musi cal that is encompassing of many people’s desire to be entertained and enlightened,” Byrd said. Because “Annie” is set in the midst of the Depression, many have said in the past that the cute and spunky curly red-headed little girl is more than just a lovable orphan, but has a metaphorical meaning. Librettist (the wijrfer of the words of a musical) Thomas Meehan, once described “Annie” as “a metaphorical figure standing for in nate decency, courage and optimism in the face of hard times, pessimism and despair.” “I think ‘Annie’ is mostly just a cute story, but I guess some could look more deeply into it and analyze the setting and time period that the musical takes place, but character, Annie, will be played by the young actress Meredith Anne Bull, who has previously played the roles of Baby June in “Gypsy,” Helen Keller in “The Miracle Worker,” Zuzu in “A Wonderful Life” and Molly in “Annie Warbucks.” “I think the best parts of this musical are seeing the child Broadway performers singing together. It is amazing how kids so young can already be so talented. It will be neat to get to enjoy that,” Byrd said. “For anyone considering whether to go, I would ask them to remember back to their childhood. Everyone knows and is entertained by the music from ‘Annie.’ I just think a lot of people would have a lot of fun at the show,” added Byrd. “And of course, the dog Sandy will be a part of the production.” ,, . Not Your Average Circus Act MSC i t / at 2000 *m\J v iesday, April! Jtherans Treehouse/ le study, fun, andfetf 0 p.m. at Our Savior’s! oh located near Norf j| presented by 4r MSC —■ _ /lovwy VMti? , silftlfe/ ONLY $8 info 845-1234 Chief Photo Editor loto Editor .‘cek, Graphics Editor ina, Graphics Editor Night News Editor hoff, Radio Producer r ton. Web Editor , Science & Technology £ ages, Bradley Atchison, KimberP allie Turner, Patric Schneider, lr- i O' Farrell, Melissa SackettStT rsan Redding, al Ruenes, Eric Andraos,Jeffreys* 5 son, Richard Home, David Spa#’ II, & Sean Gillespie, stant: Cristina Padron; BethAIrtpS, irrie Bennett, Marc Giether, KimWl rlissa Maricle, Jamie Morris S Katt>* | t: Noni Sridhara; Whitney SW. an Locker, Almudena Alta l Cll^s^ ,, j t. Brent Barkley. )logy - Scott Jenkins & Yolarid) i the Division of Student Media, t id 1 : i phone: 845-3313; Fax: 845-2WJ ttalion. For campus, local, and nattoM n 015 Reed McDonald, andoffato* 1 i a single copy of The Battalion. Fistr imesterand $17.50 for the smins S' II and spring semesters and s A&M University. Periodicals h ed McDonald Building, Texas Mills' Parents' Weekend Friday, April 14 Hosted By Freudian Slip Special Guests Aggie Wranglers ■‘r 5, g.V'Y 1' W* 7:30PM at Rudder Auditorium Tickets On Sale At The MSC Box Office Persons with disabilities requiring special assistance are requested to cab 845*8770 to communicate special needs. We ’squest notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist individuals to the best of our ability. FREE ADVANCE SCREENING 4JU Tuesday, April 18 8:00pm @ Rudder Theatre Free passes are available at Rudder Theatre Box Office or Lobby Passes required. Seating is limited and not guaranteed. Please arrive early. 5Wr ; COLUMBIA PICTURES e m coujma nnuci mma k. «u mm n Depo-Provera [Contraceptive Injection] medroxyprogesterone acetate injectable suspension After the show, bring your completed pass to your healthcare center to get d FREE CD Single (while supplies last) and learn more about Depo-Provera. For more information go to www.depo-provera.com.