Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

?EntertffimrienT 'Pump Boys i Irresis n.. i :i u oy jurmur Toumans A night like "Pump Boys ai proud. The cast left everyone hai when Mamma used to cook s gram Union's Cultural Series enjoyaoie snow to oegin tne s More than 600 people from laughed at "Pump Boys and the Township Theatre. The s S.C., where the Pump Boys, run a service station. Across Double Cupp Diner. Sisters R IN ONE of the show's son* son), and Pruddie Cupp (Do watering menu: "Sweet potatc biscuits." Rhetta shocks the f theDoubleCuppaftd you can ei you can get gas." If Larson sounds familiar vocalist who sang the Top 40 performed in "The Best Littl "Pump Boys and Dinette L.M. (William Swindler) sin] Was Almost Mine." Accordi love in country music. He sing on the cheek. The effect of t ton's picture lights above the The show's success is enha songs, Jim reminisces about remember their "Sister." IN "SISTER" the Dinettes Director s By John Vaughan Staging a classical Greek melodrama and violence on a isn't every director's idea of ; Even worse is when the ( push just to get a slot in the t lineup. But for USC instructor Ann ting "The Trojan Women" Theatre has been a satisfying "UNLESS SOMETHING much work, I can't get up f said softly in an interview yest ting is a lot of work, and I' worker. I'm lazy. "So unless I absolutely hav with it, I tend to let it go." The play opening tonight Theatre certainly fell into category, she said. Written c< Euripides, "The Trojan W many artistic questions for ac "Adapting it was problei know if difficult would be t And of course, I don't know i the problems," she said. THE PLAY focuses on v rape ? heavy subjects, to be "V Making a point Director Ann Dreher and Jayne M -v > and Dinettes' i^UI >iauic revi nd Dinettes" made Southerners nd clapping and remembering weet potato pie. Carolina Procould not have picked a more pring season. various areas of South Carolina Dinettes" Wednesday night at etting is fictitious Frog Island, i: r?jj* t v m i Jim, c,uuie, L.rvi. ana jacicson from the station is the famous hetta and Prudie run the diner. ?s, Rhetta Cupp (Nicolette Larnna Watton), sing the mouth) pie, corn bread, pecan pie and ellows with "come on down to at and get gas, or you can eat, or , it's because she is the female "Lotta Love" in 1979. Watton e Whorehouse in Texas." :s" couldn't continue without ging "The Night Dolly Parton ng to L.M., Parton is his first ;s of how he managed to ki^s her he song is captured when JPar?tnop need by touching songs. In the "Mamaw," and the Dinettes overwhelm everyone who has a sees chattel play ripe with limited budget | lie* a good time. iirector has to "The Troj heater's season by Euripides Theatre. i Dreher, direc- Directed b for Longstreet focuses on 1 challenge. Troy during Helen. seems like too Dreher's i or it," Dreher music by Sa erday. "Direc m really not a the heritage of < same grim real e to spend time Dreher said. at Longstreet 1 he work 1 the "work" those lines her mturies ago by anc* entertainm 'omen" posed "Euripides r iaptation. the director lau matic. I don't sentimental trie he right word. But Dreher < f I've solved all elements of he takes a bold lo< var, death and SEVERAL ' sure ? but in described their #QBi Shl Ji Rvl gpWBf h k ^B _ ?n^ J3 hb^, I v. lulvaney discuss the production of<4he Ti * U * *%, Bywij w I - pile! \\ jj vjj|jj 'w^^ \ J^v i I v* ^R v H^Kp ^ .'r' ; M^M^Wm --~"W lB,^g --T- "/:':'" iS ^Bj^B The darling Dinettes Rhetta and Prudie Cupp (Nicolette l.arso sister. Unfortunately, their sister is th know. Barber shop harmony, tap dancin guitars completed the night with the formed by the Pump Boys and Dinett "Drinkin' Shoes," "Highway 57" < the crowd in stitches, particularly wher describe how the man of the girls' dr Tan" ? a red neck, brown arms and When Jackson (Henry Gross) perfo and dances like the famous Chuck Berr iounaing memoers 01 sna iNa rNa. nges, messai Trojan Women' jan Women," a Greek classic depar , opens tonight at Longstreet deals Greek y Ann Dreher, the USC show Th< the plight of the women of with the famous war hponn nv<r Siinds closet adaptation features original Foi im Douglas of USC's music fice a 3reek classicism, not with the ing sc ism of some modern works, terrif Dr< s melodramatic, and along violei sights are set on "spectacle the p: ent," she said. posin "I eally wrote for the masses," u a i.n u wron ighed. He uses every cheap, , :k in the book." ? e^< in th< dso recognizes the unsettling audie r production, which she said Th ok at violence to women. sity's skimj OF the performers have made unnerving experiences in fac- wju ^ a scri with Hk diffpi some direc in so raisei may Sh rojan Women which opens today. for h Rjfc ? L- mtWSk vm> b^ ^ tc|E| ^ Mjapj^^^Kg. ^BBH|M n and Donna Watton) run the Double Cupp e stranger they'll never THE "CL with a brief g, banjos and electric The audience Pump Rock style per- show, es. Rust and 5 ind "Farmer Tan" left by the Cultui 1 L.M. and the Dinettes joined "Pun earns has a "Farmer's Knoxville, T< white chest. hour work s< rms "Mona," he sings formances. 1 y. Gross was one of the he says he en lead him to i 4?3b ges in usu | opens tonight tment, dance and singing. It also with violence and rape against the 1 melodramatic view of fate. 2 production runs through Feb. 5, performances at 8 p.m. except for ay matinees at 3 p.m. The theater is i Monday. r ticket information, call the box oft777-2551. :enes where they are raped, beaten and ied by conquering soldiers. sher said Greek plays usually prescribe ice to be played offstage, but she felt roduction would gain strength from ex g its audience to more brutality. made the decision ? and I could be g ? to incorporate rape into the play," lid. "It's not something I invented. It's ; script. But it's not usually before the nee." e traditional Greek chorus in the underproduction will feature actresses in 3y, torn rags, their faces and bodies up to show years of abuse. Rape scenes >e partially concealed in shadow behind m, but the audience will be confronted the women's screams and tears. tEHER SAID she cannot predict the ring reactions of the men and women in udience. w men besides her actors have seen any ie production, and their feedback has red. One recent USC graduate told er he was disturbed and embarrassed at ling his gender abuse women, while a *nd of one actress worried about other laughing. eher said while the man was renulsed hv a notion, he felt men might laugh ise they have laughed when the situation il. She referred to a recent case where in a Massachusetts bar stood by and apled while five men raped a woman on a table. Iven men who don't feel capable of ) tend to ignore it because it's not thing they are personally afraid of," the tor noted. IEHER SAII) she hopes the production ts the men and women in her audience me positive way. hope men will have their consciousness i and realize that their reaction to rape be part of the problem today," she said, e said the experience has been sobering er and the cast. le Townsl Diner in Frog Level, USA. OSING Time" sung by the cast i medly of all the songs sung in the : left with the same smile they had t swindler attended a wine and chec ral Series after their performance, ip Boys and Dinettes" only two inn. Rust described how they begai :hedules consisting of rehearsals fc rhe hours don't leave him much le joys it. His touring experience with i prospering career as an actor, he irnrluntinn J H UUUULIUBI "All of us, including me, h; happy-go-lucky, carefree hat alone at night," she admitted DKEHER STRESSED rap merely coupled with the play' cern with war. "I hope people will view secondary, or adjunctive, a war," she said. "The Trojan Women" cei war, but Dreher said this another challenge: She wanted message with some releva theatergoers. "We live in a time when pe ing about the end of the woi "The hand-to-hand combat somewhat romanticized and o DREHER SAID she hope tion's theatricality will allow draw meaning from the ancie She said she doesn't feel th material is bad for older teer the head of her 5-year-old dai who plays a doomed little bo] Dreher said she chose the p her fascination with Greek cl said several professors at U their students to see it. Acceptance of the play reh challenge faced by Dreher in s fact that previously she has m C1 r\t i r? I rnr?..ln^ in - ? ItgUldl SCaMJll, AN INSTRUCTOR at the i 1973, Dreher said she was "di the former department chaii Gillespie, from applying to di "I suppose it was politic merited. "I wasn't studying < other department members fe her in priority below cer students in directing who were Dreher is no newcomer however. She has staged ch during the summer seasons at has directed frequently a Workshop Theatre. She said after her husband ford (praised as an actor in n ductions), told her she was " of them," she decided to pusl for her chance at USC. "ONE OF the biggest reasc direct a show during the seast with the students," Dreher past, the only chance I've ha> them is if they came over to 1 Now the chance has been has been done, and she's just lights to go up tonight. flip MB #""" j3biifftli . * ends the show performance, hroughout the :se party given They said they ^ weeks ago in ^ n three-to-five>llowedby perisure time; but \ tne cast couia : said. ive altered our >it of walking l e was a theme ^ s primary conthe rape as a oncept to the "tainly is antiproved to be to convey that nee to 1984 r\n !r? Qro f h i 1/ _ ^/piv ui v linn i\~ rid," she said, in this seems ld-fashioned." A> :s the produc\ audiences to nt subject, e production's is, and is over Lighter, Fanny, / in the play. ilay because of assies, and she o o i eirc asKing ites to another taging it ? the 3t been given a jniversity since scouraged" by rwonian, Patti rect. :s," she com directing" and It this dropped tain graduate given chances, to the field, ildren's shows Longstreet and t Columbia's , Bob Hungerlany local proas good as any i a little harder >ns I wanted to )n was to work said. "In the d to work with Workshop." had, the work waiting for the