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snake - n 1 a m . IflUB oy royyi morrow j?? Staff Writ?r !f|| "Holy Ghosts," performed J at Longstreet Theatre this weekend and directed by Connie Blankenship, offered 8 a glimpse of a diverse group I of characters. ' J A rustic scene design hplns H set the appropriate environment in which this I cluster of unusual charac- H ters can meet. Initially we see Nancy Shedman, (Fredrica Lawlor), who has j left her husband and joined Amalagamation Holiness |P Church With Signs Following, a snake-handling .L. ml i * cnurcu. x ne inemoers 01 mis H| church are backwoods folk, ?j each with his own unusual story to tell. Though a bit out ? of the ordinary, they offer a love which Nancy needs. To ^ add conflict to the play, c Nancy's husband, Coleman d (Michael E)owell) brings a fi lawyer (MicKey Aberman) e to find Nancy at the church t< and demand a divorce, a However, Coleman, as well 1< as the audience, is pulled into and accepts this group of what appears at first sight s to be lunatics. u K The script, written by h Romulus Linney, offers w many jiifferent character a roles. The most delightful u element of the play springs e from this cast's com- c mittment and imagination in c bringing these characters to c life. George Nannarello, p playing Carl Specter, a man n Howard Rudd testifies to Jose Panganiban) Soaps i Bv Kim A Spoclal to the G Julie and Claire were loungini the early rays of spring. The win* towels with leaves, and in the b was wailing Chuck Mangione's 4 propped her sunglasses on her he "Have you been watching 'One IIXT- M ni-f ; J ?!1L - ?l-:. ixu, Claire saiu, wun a wnn class every day at 2:00. What's b< "You won't believe it," Julie s? news she thought everyone had getting together!" "YOU'RE KIDDING" Claire a bottle of "Bain de Soleil" in disg old enough to be her father!" Thosfi of von who arp addicted cite many different reasons f depending on the soap in which y< "Guiding Light" fan likes the cl berlain: "She goes after what sh or scruples whatsoever, and s Another student watches "G< romance: "I watched it to. see together, and then I just got I ainmen I ** Congregation members t uckhorn about the chur anganiban) razed over the loss of his og, moves the audience nm lailflhtop tn to arc Hie IMW^IIVVI W VX/UIO. lUkJ nthusiasm and quickness to jll his story makes him ppear both crazy and >vable. SALL1E PLATT also upplies laughter and rarmth with her character, [er story makes us laugh at ow foolish people can be rhen they try to conform; nd she helps spread the warmth of the love that xists among this collage of haracters. Warmth and aring are also present in the haracter of Cancer Man, layed by Tim Peek. This old nan, dying of cancer shows Coleman about his first i. _ $ inai ciec cker mecoch g on the sun deck, catching i was sprinkling their beach ackground a portable radio 'Give It All You Got." Julie ad and turned to Claire. Life to Live' lately?" ne in her voice. "I've got a ?en going on?-' lid, obviously glad to tell the heard. "Asa and Sam are nswered, knocking over her ust. "That is so gross! He's to "Love in the Afternoon" or your common passion, ou indulge. One girl who is a iiaracter of Vanessa Chamle wants. She has no morals ne s very open aooui n. eneral Hospital" for the Luke and I^aura get back hooked." A young man in . ? a ah! II? J . V - V WsL: A M ^ Byfe# ^ ,JS fuatnh ac Cnlama** CA?/V^ rrwtwvr vufurriwrr wrvui-###/< c?; J i/so of rattlesnakes. his wisdom and gratitude at every crisis the group encounters. It is the other characters' treatment of Cancer Man which shows us how much cood there reallv is within the group. Linney's script does not however offer much to support his plot. The audience never really cares whether Coleman and Nancy get their lives straightened out. Instead, the audience becomes more interested in the unique characters within the play. The movement from one story to another, though laughable, lovable, and unusual, does not as a whole ft *1-9 _ A - ^ v * : \c-J>& o|||m; -p J;:WM ' n^':*r1 ^jjp ^ experience with the Holy mse the Preston gave a more origina Young and The Restless": "The that show." The one thing eve they're pure escapism. No mati soap character can match it pregnancy, a murder, or a term The one thing everybody does the same. It's easy enough to se a number of writers and creato industry is controlled by an E middle-aged man sits in front day, turning out scripts with I names. Then, changing the by sent to the major networks. ' syndicate makes a killing, an shaft. I, however, having been r of this creativity fraud, and evidence backing my claim. ? 4v. :? ^ ril&l, U1CIC IS II1C IMlUU-! u City, oakdale? none of these t< however, exceptions. "Ryan's York City and "Texas" takes p one out.) The clincher is that or each town. On "The Doctors,' ?^ it. r r w ram a an questions Re v. / rsi _ < t frnuiu uy uosg toward the climax of the play in which the Reverend Obediah Buckhorn, Sr. allows the snakes to be brought out. Consequently, when Coleman, after being moved by this worship sci vitc, asKt? 10 uetome a member of the church, the audience was more amused than understanding at his switch in attitude. The success of "Holy Ghosts" depends on the establishment of relation ships between characters. The mixture of commitment and creativity from this cast gave the play the warmth and charm it needed to touch its audience. ^ jjV | * ; ' '' ^ | ^ - '^ ^"r^vj:"'-"- as! KGBHB ? ; " ~ ~ ^ ] ? > W i?. : v^ . fira wri(#?yi? 19 #vuc%/ / soul 1 reason for watching "The j women are better looking on rybody does agree on is that ter what problem you have, a and add to it an unwanted inai mness. n't agree on is that they're all ie, even though the credits list rs. In reality, the entire soap astern syndicate. A balding, of a typewriter eight hours a blanks left for the character lines on each copy, they are rhe writer is paid well, the d the public never sees the aised on television, am aware would like to point to the ? I ~ .4 1^ 1 /I i im'ttie. run rvoyai, vjreiu>a )\vns really exist. (There are, Hope" takes place in New >lace in? well you figure that ily one of everything exists in ' there is only one bar? The S?e Soaps, page 8 A A/f I Commentary W j < ml Lets recognize fih/D/if/?** fnr //5*i f Walk into any rehearsal of a university iheater production, sit down and observe. In no time, you'll come to realize that the students who act, direct, work backstage and just help with the play are definitely special. jj They are unpaid and overworked. They go to classes, | ieaa social lives ana learn meir lines. Ana wnen tne ngnts illuminate at Longstreet Theatre, Booker T. Washington Auditorium, Drayton Hall or wherever, these ordinary students bring to life characters who stir our imaginations, challenge our creativity and arouse our emotions. Pnr a thrw nr.sivjlav run mnnthc r?f nrantioo inH jb W? m v?M v> VIM J * unt IllVllillO V/? pi UV-IIW Ul 1U preparation take form and when it's over, student I regroup, try out again for the next show and start th? I cycle over again, learning lines and knowing "haract* r?.l ONE NEED ONLY see a university Mainstage or I Showcase play to appreciate the intense rehearsing and | aeaicauon wnicn is so rare in tne theater today. And the I theater-goers should make it a point to check the ac- I tors'/actresses' expressions and gestures, for thev are the I ! highlight of any play. I Saturday night, Romulus Linney's "Holy Ghosts" was | presented to those of us with enough foresight to realize I that every USC theater production contains some element | t=rTGePT3c * "Holy Ghosts" had each of these components and the audience about 220 pc jple enjoyed the play for the most part. However, it was distressing to see rows of green seats remain empty throughout the two-hour production and during the shows the previous two nights. Advertising, to some extent, could be better in these university plays but a large problem remains in the basic thinking of college students toward the theater Tn people, Friday and Saturday night activities end with going to movies, local bars or attending parties at dorms, i ALTHOUGH NOTHING is wrong with freedom of choice, it should be pointed oiSt that university theater needs to be and should be supported by USC students. Those that have seen USC theater realize the quality production ana worn inai goes mio an enjoyaDie per formance such as "Holy Ghosts." ] The theme of "Holy Ghosts" was the fact that people | should accent new wavs of thinking and other nennle's I peculiarities. At the end of the play, character Coleman Shedman finally accepU this new idea of a strange religion. In much the same way, both USC students and Columbia residents should be ooen to accent live theater - ? K ? 1 which is so valuable to the enrichment of our local entertainment. Ask a university actor or actress to do the seemingly ! impossible and it will be done. A foreign language can be learned, a bizarre accent can be implemented by an actor or a physical trait can be copied. The versatile theater | performer is as different as characters they recreate. Dedication seems to be a word to most people but ' university theater transforms the word into reality. And the only way for that dedication and talent to be responded to is with appreciative, intelligent, optimistic audiences: the same kind of people who shell out money to hear a rock band play at a bar. GO TO A USC theater production and make a living thing more alive. \ Nancy Shed man, played by Fredrica Law lor, I comforts Rev. Buckhorn in "Holy Ghosts. " j