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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 24, 2004)
HE BAIT ill d from page that no leu her Colleges] versity CIS (CompuiJ n Services) te nessage to ever them so urprised by tfe i,” Sippial that time % were used to it slower speed ic faster speeds front of the tiai aid he will send rave here in( e based on ind they we ic hi eve a safe going throus ive crossingsi ides pass tfe mer said, said the incre cessary to ma more efficient to raise the ^ee; Aggielife The Battalion Page 3 • Friday, September 24, 2004 PAGE BY |ULIE BONE ‘Foreigner in town luo from Tuna, TX trilogy joins a full cast at this weekend’s OPAS show By Allison Brown THE BATTALION It all began more than 30 years ago when a young man, just one year to Union Pacif. It of college, was otTered a job inTexas. After a year of audition- ys, outlining the® and working in New York, the Oklahoman willingly accepted a advising them Jvemment job in San Antonio working for an arts program. It was will be enforceftrc that Joe Sears, co-author and co-star of the Tuna trilogy, met his ing is that theBon-to-be partner-in-crime Jaston Williams. “Imet Jaston Williams in 1973, and we became laughing buddies,” ars said. “We’ve been making each other laugh for 30 years and we still friends.” The pair of friends started putting together their first show, IreaterTuna,” in 1980. It was a good base for a working relation- ip, Sears said. The Tuna Trilogy, which incudes “Greater Tuna,” “A Tuna Christ as” and “Red, White and Tuna” is a series of two-man shows in hich Sears and Williams portray all of the zany citizens of a small :xas town. Over the past three years, MSC OPAS brought each of ese shows to College Station. This year, the duo returns with a full ist to begin die OPAS lineup for its tour of Larry Shue’s comedy, Ips us put moi; '* lc ^ orc hJ ner - cis" B rom | ev£ One ot the things the program advisory committee tries to do, ill meet with'll P ec ‘ a "y f° r a season-opening show, is find something with wide t " ) 9 in anatte ’P 63 *’ some ^ 1 * n g that will give us a bang to start with,” said Eric Lee, tin sneed junior communication and English double major and chair of MSC ___JPAS. “We saw the chance to get the guys of Tuna, (who) have been ^success here, so we jumped on that.” Sears said he is looking forward to returning to Aggieland. He :w up in a family that had an agricultural background, and when moved to Texas, he said he felt a connection with A&M, despite |ving in Austin. “The Aggies are my favorite team,” he said. “I’ve been an Aggie never since I moved to Texas, but I just can’t tell all the t-sips in ustin that.” Sears, who has performed for Robin Williams and former presi- :nt George H.W. Bush, said he knows college students are a group latdoes not normally go to the theater, but takes pride in the fact at they come to their shows. He said he hopes the experience will ^courage them to go see another play. He also said he enjoys performing for Texans in general because tey have a great sense of humor. “Texans have a Texas-sized sense of humor. They will be the rst to laugh at themselves, which sets them apart and makes them nique,” he said. “The ability to laugh at ourselves makes us content living where we live. I found my niche in Central Texas and I’m ery happy.” Though they are meant in fun, the jokes can sometimes get the uo into trouble. Sears does a joke in “Greater Tuna” about one of es, wluelicou/d im would eniiffl nts at A&MW ilty to student!! strengthen the(| : programs, fori 'suit. "FredMcG member, said. Hans I from page believe they Is staff for the Hansen said rk so hard, an; ak here and tii d custodians s ents learn in 2 , but there are alleviate theirs is that kids pi; it belongs.”! ng over at my h is hard, and his characters. Aunt Pearl, and a woman he greatly admires, Barbara Bush, saying the two women can’t go to Medina County in print dresses because they’ll get crop-dusted. It seems a Texas-sized sense of humor is overpowered by a Texas-sized sense of loyalty when the jokes are directed at someone’s mom. “The print dresses joke is one of my favorites, but George W. got on me for making fun of his mother, as any good Texas boy would do,” Sears said. Sears and Williams have been touring in “The Foreigner” off and on for 12 years. Williams plays a shy Englishman, Charlie, who goes to a small town in Georgia to reflect on his life. Charlie pre tends to be a foreigner who doesn’t speak English. Sears plays Betty Meeks, the innkeeper at Charlie’s lodge. A hilarious plot ensues when the locals start unveiling their secrets and plots in front of him, believing he cannot understand English. “The show is truly hilarious,” Lee said. “We say ‘laugh-out-loud funny’ in our advertising, but it truly is ... the antics that these guys go through will leave you literally rolling on the floor.” Unlike the Tuna Trilogy, this show features an ensemble cast handpicked to work with Williams and Sears, who said he thinks the show itself is one of the funniest comedies ever written. “It’s not as well known, but I think it will be very successful here,” said James Tyler, a senior chemistry major and vice chair of MSC OPAS. In his first tour of “The Foreigner,” Sears played the villain, a member of the Ku Klux Klan. For the following tours he portrayed Betty Meeks because the actress who played her was unavailable for the tour. He said he loves both characters, but enjoys playing Betty because she gets more laughs. “I went from playing the ugliest character to the sweetest character, which is either a mark of insanity or trust in my own talent,” Sears said. “1 have always said that controlled schizophrenia is half of being a good actor.” Between “Tuna” and “The Foreigner,” Sears has spent a lot of time playing women on stage. He said it is more of a challenge in the current show because he has to be a woman the whole time, which makes him conscious of how he holds his hands and how he stands. He said he has to stay clean-shaven and trimmed to give the illusion of femininity. “I’m lucky I’m a blond-haired man. If I was a dark-haired man I’d be in trouble,” he said. “Having to shave below the neck would be a major itch attack, and I’m not going through that, even for the play.” Though making audiences around the country keel over with laughter is a personal triumph for Sears, there is one joy in his life that far outweighs the rest: his 9-year-old granddaughter. Of all of the roles Sears has played, his favorite is the one he least expected. “1 never expected to be a grandpa, but it’s the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” he said. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MSC OPAS/SOLOSHOE COMMUNICATIONS Jaston Williams and Joe Sears, stars of the Tuna, Texas trilogy are joined by a full cast for Larry Shue's off-Broadway comedy "The Foreign er," scenes from which are shown above. Williams has received Washing ton, D.C.'s Helen Hayes Award nominations for "A Tuna Christmas" and "Rea, White and Tuna" as well as the San Francisco Bay Area Critics Award for "Greater Tuna." Sears received a Tony Award-nomination for Best Actor in a Play in 1995 for "A Tuna Christmas," which was nominated for Best Play. JAT mlrn Kingsley diior in Chief ilSSN f105W726) i» gh Friday dump !telslx| nday through ThursdJyi University hoktty hi rSM University Peroii&f on, TX 77840 POSTWS? The Baftafofl.TeasSSII# Station. TX77843-tltt. on news department i * s A&M University i ■s offices are in 014 Reel * phone 979-845-33U Fail Sdhebattalion net, Weti*j ation of advertising does i* semen! by The BaltafaiFlj splay advertising, cal 9J9|j mg, call 979-845-0S9V ed McDonald, andofStelrt y through Friday, Fax 9791 rl of the Student Serwesfn dent to pick up a singki* free, additional copes 8 )0 per school year. The Tuna Guys Perform Tonight! Don't Miss them in The Foreigner, a hilarious hit! ied e see W le havi copyifli lesignf ears! r , sertemBer 24,2004 , # 8Pm -mPniGlit Memorial student center j AGGie HiGhts i protocon ^ present POiter Tournament featuring Texas HOlt Em * # This is NOT a gambling activity. It is meant for recreational purposes ONLY. i3i> pNZfe nmenfcervcfc) cube 2.nd pHZe : $301*> best buy ^ 3rd pNzet $2.0 %t> best buy & For special needs, please contact us three days prior to the event 979.845.1515 aggienights.tamu.edu “Best show I've seen since A Chorus Line!” Charlene, Tuna, Texas I swear...even our sheep were laughing!” Aunt Pearl,Tuna,Texas “I laughed so hard, I dropped my cigarette.” Didi Snavely, Tuna, Texas Buy Your Tickets Now! Call 845-1234. www.MSCOPAS.org 49k $20 Stttde”'. tickets MSC OPAS enlighten \ entertain \ inspire ee those hilarious Tuna guys as you have never seen them before! Jaston Williams and Joe Sears, joined by a full cast, will open the 2004-2005 OPAS season with Larry Shue’s hit comedy THE FOREIGNER. If Sears and Williams kept you in stitches as the outrageous characters of Tuna, you won't believe the side-splitting hilarity brought on when joined by five other comedic actors! THE FOREIGNER Starring Jaston Wiliams & Joe Sears (stars of the Tuna Trilogy) joined by five other comedic actors! Friday & Saturday, September 24 & 25 7:30 PM in Rudder Auditorium * Available in balcony seating only. Limited number of tickets available for each performance. Discount valid at MSC Box Office only. TAMU student ID required. Limit two tickets per student per performance. Not valid for tickets already purchased. Offer expires September 25,2004.