University of South Carolina Libraries
-entertainment Comedian/hypno Photo by Ruth Schooler p Comedian/hypnotist Tom DeLuca pokes fun at psychic tl phenomena during the comedic part of his show; at *( Russell House Ballroom Wednesday. DeLuca disclaimed u Ill psychic powers, but his hypnotism was very powerful n in the eyes of his audience. Opera sampler opens s From Staff Reports The arias, quart The Columbia Lyric Opera will open its iqco qq cAocnn untk ?? repertory. iinw uu ovuijuii mm an uj/vi a oaitipici "Thic nTrttJrat program at 8 p.m. tonight in Drayton Hall. fP, . The program includes highlights from J?* music is t "Cosi Fan Tutte," "The Consul," "Porgy ,A"? * and Bess," "Suor Angelica," "Carmen," trnHitinnnl ron#* "Falstaff," "I Pagliacci," "II Travotore" Rolhnson Lvrk and "La Divina." nomnson, i^yric Some of Columbia's most popular opera seaSon "Hansel performers, including several members of . . ' t T. USC's Department of Music faculty, will rit anfi appear in the program. Along with the Lyric i th directi Opera's Artistic Director Donald Gray, the Th ?<nfW?ro show will feature Wamell Berry, Kim ^l^nted again Breden, Laury Christie, Richard Conant, J ? . ? T Mary Deyerle, Wally Dixon, Gene ^<305 for stu Ferguson, Randal Ferguson, Mary Fritz, columWa Milic John Gates, Washington Holmes, Evelyn McGarrity, Lanny Palmer, Susan Pelter, ' Phil Pickens, Richard Veale, Robert Weston THERE WIL1 ana Terry Williams. artists receptio formance. The THIS SEASON'S membership theme, and adds $7 to ? "Opera Appeals To Everyone," ties into the student prices, programming selected by Artistic Director For more infoi Gray for the "opera sampler" performance. office at 771-6303 'Deathtrap' wins state By John Vaughai ror a nrs believable," sai competition jusi about four days director said \ would interest people who wer gauge Actl's su Quick said 1 minutes from t\ time for compi was difficult I Billy Dubou and Jan# Turner >tar tonighf'and* t in fcct I Theatre'* held-over 'Deathtrap/ formation, call list keeps crow 1 John Vaughan "I am not psychic, I have no supernatural abilities ? just sal slick," joked Tom DeLuca to a Russell House Ballroom idience Wednesday night. But as DeLuca kept the half-filled ballroom howling with stonishment and delight, his ability as a showman was no ke ? the young comedian/hypnotist staged a very slick irformance that left his audience talking excitedly late into >e night. Sponsored by the Carolina^Program Union's (Special Pro ams uommuiee, uejbuca s appearance at USU was a two>ur showcase of original comedy and mind-blowing hyprtism. DRESSED CASUALLY, with a brown tie fitted loosely ound his collar, DeLuca opened his show by asking idience members if they cared to reveal any personality lirks. After a few hesitant responses, he asked if anyone ould like to reveal a roommate's quirks. Hands shot up iross the ballroom. After one particularly tattling comment, D?I uca replied, ^here is your roommate? Is he here? Let's just,'spit on him, K?" This set the tone for much of DeLuca's good-natured ircasm and quick, biting delivery. He needled certain H)ple in the crowd and excused himself with the tongue-inteek disclaimer, "justkidding." His comedic routine included a brief, humorous slide show .#4 n ? /-i_ 11:?. iu a iau ctniuuiit ui aumciiLC pat ut'ijjaiiuil. l^ctlllilg UI1C Illctll i stage, E>eLuca pressed him: "Have we ever met before?" "No." "You seem very proud of that." D&LUCA JOKED his way through a range of material king fun at subjects such as extra-sensory perception and ychic phenomena. He elicited chuckles with references to e Amazing Kreskin, another hypnotist/per former who urs college campuses, as "the Amazing Crisco." When the time came for his own hypnotism performance, wever, DeLuca worked into serious concentration without issing one humorous beat. He selected volunteers at random, seated them on stage eason Seeing thi 3ts, sextets and selections I - most popular from the QI# Q ^ T fl | 1 will appeal to both the and opera novice alike. gy Douq Bell amiliar, even though the _ _ even know that it is from I must wonder how greatly toire," said Mrs. Phillip by my surroundings as I view )pera president. Hyde...Together Again.' I wa -oauction 01 tne opera's as I have never watched a and Gretel," will be staged alone. 3 Township, with Columbia he Lyric Opera Orchestra Imagine sitting in the cen >n of William Moody. deathly quiet auditorium, s impler" program will be. empty chairs. The thought it 8 p.m. tomorrow and at 3 movie in such strange solit ckets are $5.25 for adults with a dread I couldn't quit lents and are on sale at the such an experience is the ant Ppstivfll Assnrifltinn nffipp movies are an a dout ? a gr art aimed at huge, responsive . be a special fund-raising 1 following tonight's per- The lights went down and th >arty is open to the public I looked back to the projectioi dult ticket prices and $3 to to hail some friendly human. even detect the presence of i mation, call the CMFA box The prospect of so private a s me with an acute case of the r rnntPQt w a ? w w * as luck would have it, nothing to dispel the gloo Hyde" is the sort of bad it conceived as a bad movie, d the popular first production to be anything but a bad n d Act I Theatre in West even make jokes about how epresent South Carolina at is. i competition of the Festival Community Theaters in The last shot has Robert L. extyear. *u_ i _i? auiiiui ui me nciiunui ciassi Lion defeated other shows of the film-Hlerally turnin?in h ? around the state in cornweekend to earn the honor. In "Jekyll & Hyde," Dr. Blankfield of television's "I outing it was just un- surgeon working in a zany 1 "Deathtrap" director Jim Our Lady of Pain and Suffe iecided to be in the (state) half of the film is identic to get our name out." Doctors in Love": cheap, vi ed around in a trance for ifterward," Quick said. The dru8s-1,mbs and orRans e thought the recognition and involve area theater Eventually Jekyll, falling j "sitting back" waiting to laboratory table, accident :cess. mound of powdered po developed. A dozen groans ; e had to cut about five un-spectacular special effe e play to fit into the allotted mannered (i.e., impotent) tition. He said the cutting crude, hairy, jewelry-laden ecause "the script is so maniac, Mr. Hyde. being held over at Act 1 The movie has two ass* morrow. For more in- plays Mr. Hyde with a ci he box office at 796-755G. relish that is occasionally aw ) /d astonished and began to work his magical artistry. After excusing a few for various reasons, DeLuca was left with a diverse group comprised mostly of USC students. Under his hypnotic spell were Joanne Doty, Abby Fenelon, Liz Holland, Jill Mainwaring, Pat McKelvey, Miranda Miller, Michael Keith Moore, Tracy Moss, Ed Sookikian, Larry Stoy, Rick Taylor, Annick Thorsen and one man who escaped nameless after the show. DeLUCA TOOK his subjects on a wild ride through varied experiences as the fascinated crowd roared with amazement. The hypnotist made his subjects believe they were at an X-rated movie, on a sun-drenched beach, returned to the age of five or in frigid cold. Some of the funniest occurrences were observed during post-hypnotic suggestion. DeLuca intoned orders to certain subjects, then woke the group up. Many said they did not beleive they had been hypnotized ? but on a subtle clue from DeLuca, the men believed their pants were unzipped and the women believed they had been insulted. One woman insisted she did not feel hypnotize. "Catch her," DeLuca instructed an assistant before pointing a finger and "firing a blank" at the young woman. She dropped asleep as if shot dead. DeLuca had fun with names, causing baffling problems for . his subjects. Three women could not utter more that a guttural first syllable of their names, one woman could not recall her name at all despite prompting, and one man deemed himself Betty, Abby, Brian, Don, Carl, Walter, Paul, Frank, Mike, Tom and Mark across the course of the show. His name was Ed. PRETENDING TO close the performance, DeLuca sent his subjects back to their seats ? but at the sound of various key words, certain "marked" individuals raced back to the stage. One woman, believing she was from Jupiter, grabbed the microphone and began speaking urgent gibberish. Another man arrived on stage to "translate." Bill Chisolm said his friend, a subject, returned to his seat and was told he was supposed to return to the stage to dance ai me sound 01 uie word, "unicago." cmsolm said his friend Sn "Hypnotist," page ^ 1 s bad film alone 3 experience worse ude filled me | e account for; F j:; ~\f i**** ithesis of what eat "popular" * i j audiences. , / / k k / le screen lit up. ? ?\ n booth, hoping / But I couldn't / a projectionist. j screening filled | J natinee blues. I the movie did m. "Jekyll & Mari( Blankfield plays Dr. Jekyll and lovie that was Mr. Hyde in a bad comedy film based loesn t pretend fam0U8 fictional characters. lovie, and can bad a movie it 0uis Stevenson, f',m fCVICW c that inspired is grave. of dramatic excessiveness (in other words, T , .. , he keeps one awake). Jekyll (Mark Friday's") is a ?rina^Thp^iAND THE denouement is a rather in ?i tn "Vnnntf teresting bit of irony involving the film's two .ai 10 X OUIlg fomaloc IAtr.,11>? ? ? - n?yi|\ii u^/njn d |ii mi} j>cx"smrvco tisncc ngar, u - u y (Bess Armstrong) is attracted to the lewd ipans, , lunacy of Mr. Hyde, while Hyde's loose lover (Krista Errickson) is charmed by Jekyll's platonic courtliness. ; asleep at his ally snorts a I don't think I laughed during the entire tion he has movie; I would remember it if I had, for and some very even ^e slightest chuckle would have been cts turn mild- ?*?? , ? . wuy nuiurui, numan sound in the Jekyll into a theater. dope fiend/sex Walking out of the theater, I felt somehow outsmarted by all the empty seats; each of ets. Blankfield them represented a man, woman or child azed, freakish who possessed enough good sense to stay esome in terms home.