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^ ^ j|^ Knigh By JACKIE PRICE It opened to the twang of ? ? * - * vnu cuumry ana western ^music and the setting of a 9 Wjhabby hotel meeting room, and from that point on the ft USC Repertory Company's presentation of "The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia" crackled 3$ with rough Texas-style % humor. "Knights" is the first play in Preston Jones' famed Texas trilogy, each part of which deals with life in a j small Texas town. "Lu Ann ^Hampton Laverty 9 Jberlander," the second play in the trilogy, was presented last summer by the company. THE ALL-MALE of "Knights" gave a colorful and often hilarious per4 formance that was filled with down-home profanity. ^ The Knights of the White t A Magnolia, a fraternal order I' n;?v?:iAM 4^ 4U? 1/1.. \r\ wri animal tu uic rviu rviux tvian, but basically harmless, staged their meetings in the Cattleman's Hotel in the ficticious town of Bradley ville, Texas. The central character, World War I veteran Colonel Kincaid, was played by Bill Rock wood. Rock wood, who looked like the legendary | W Teddy Roosevelt, was fine in his portrayal of the man who i fC\ | summer i ^0^ I Clearance \ I Entire IJ I Inventory of j Men's Long / i /Sleeve / U /Dress JB * #11 onirts lliill | / 50% off i mmm m I ? v ::-#isy ?- ",'Vv^^^ tsBre is the last link to the knight's days of past glory. Wheeling himself recklessly about the stage in his wheelchair, he was uproariously forgetful i ?i i ?* ?* ? J emu (tusem-ininuea. MERT HATFIELD, as the "lard-butted boozedrinking" bully was just funny enough to keep the audience from hating him. Rex Wilson, as L.D. Wilson, a long-winded political type who is the only true believer in the values of the order, also was convincing in his role, especially in the emotional final scenes. The trio of Stan Ashley, Richard L. Jennings and Allon TVA?r?r.ll? U lutvii mwana, nuwcver, stole the show with their wisecracking, bickering performances. Little more than overgrowm kids interested in dominoes and liquor, the three actors proved to be a hilarious comedy team, a mixture of the three stooges and the characters on the "Andy Griffith Show." Jim Holmes, as the effeminate Mama's boy Milo Crawford, drew perhaps the loudest laughs of the night whenever he spoke in his high-pitched voice. He nearly brought the house down with one line, "1 am the moon," during the scene Z7TJ | Calvin | | Bill Blass I John Henry :) Noebridge f 1212 Main St I /Near the Capitol Phone 252-5430 Open Mon.-Fri. Wiliwm mm i WKak ^ "3 Lee Htnes/Gamccock ok Up where the order was inducting a new member, played by Michael Dowell. THROUGH all the profanity and arguing of the play, the cast managed a powerful delivery of the themes of the breaking down of previously unquestioned values. When Colonel Kin caid died in the end the Knights last link with the past was severed, and the order fell apart. Rex Wilson was especially effective in the final scenes in conveying a deep sense of loss and sudden alienation. "Dammit, everything's changing," he sobbed during the play's most powerful One thing that did not change was the excellence of the USC Repertory Company. Each of their presentations thus far during summer has been refreshing and entertaining. Those who have missed the plays should be sure to see any or all of them while they are still in "rolling repertory" format. f~Wi dianion /Ae&ff&i Iy4ctRouncl 1/2 ct Round 1 ct Round 1/4 ct Oval */2 ct Oval 1 ctOval */4 ct Marquis 1/2 ct Marquis 1 rt Marm?i? ? -WW rnv4m.*mm LOCALLY OWNED if*. IJU WIN fi NEXT TO PEN Nam OnTh By DAVID WOOTEN With three albums out to date and another one on the way, the rock band Nantucket has established itself as a travelling attraction for rock fans from coast to coast. They recently opened up a series of tour dates for AC-DC in the Midwest and are now on a southern swing as the top gig of the night. Guitarist Tommy Redd recently reflected the band's feelings about doing small clubs like Dundee's in Columbia as compared with the coliseum circuit and lareer crowds "Thp wav economy is right now, we're better off in the bars," he said. "It all depends on what part of the country we're playing in." The bearded Redd continued, "To tell you the truth, it doesn't matter that much to us where we go, wc ic wui Kanoncs ana we enjoy the hell out of what we're doing." AS NANTUCKET cranked out tune after rock-n-rolling tune at Dundee's, the band's ball-busting, crowd-pleasing attitude spoke for itself. The 0rnnn inifio uiiuaitu UIC UUC-lllgUl stand with the energetic title cut from their latest LP, "A , Long Way To the Top," a i song dedicated in memory of the late Bonn Scott of ever- f popular AC-DC. A short but spunky song entitled "Quite Like You" from the debut album followed, keeping the crowd on thpir fW?t anH I <taii? ) d rings. I SAVE W UP TO 50 &/q NOW j ' $299.95 $188 j $499.95 $349 [ $1495.00 $999 1 $795.00 $549 1 <1 IOC AA 1 . . . . $3495.00 $2495 $795.00 $549 $1195.00 $795 $3495.00 $2495 \ /V r/ y V JF 44* * < ft 4 I | I AND OPERATED R rowN I NEYS 765-2345 ,Y 9:30-6:00 J hjcke stomping for more. The band unveiled a total of seven cuts from their unamed forthcoming album during the course of the evening, including "I Don't Want To Lose You," "Never Felt This Way Before," and "Looking You Up."The U44 4 -1 ' luiter tune siowea me pace down a bit, allowing the audience to slow dance and catch its breath for the first time all night. "Never Felt This Way Before has been bought by Atlantic Records and will be released as a single in the near future. Following the sample set, a pair of old favorites, "Is It Wrong To Rock-n-Roll?" and "Real Romance" rekindled the crowd's energy and set the mood for the remainder of the show. "Real Romance enabled saxist Eddie Blair, guitarist Mark Downing and drummer Kenny Soule to strut their stuff solo-style while the others were cooling (!^n tls swing off their respective instruments. THE BAND kicked off their final stretch with a new song entitled "Bon Voyage" that resembled the powerful ieaa guitar Led Zepplin tunes of the early 1970s. Perhaps the band's all-time favorite to date, "Heartbreaker," followed, with the explosive "Time Bomb" waiting in the wings. A pair of new rockers, "Lonely Girl" and "Give Romance a Chance" set the stage for the final encore of the night. With "Hey Hey Blondie" Nantucket said Bye Bye to Dundees. IF THEIR Columbia appearance was any indication, Nantucket may be entering the prime of their career and earn a place alongside the most respected recording acts of today. They are certainly rocking in the right direction. E9Q RESTfiURPflT rfk nnH Mimn 1 - - iw a?j|i mm ml" wm m