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SITE OF THE DAY ht tp://www.madon Miss JOHN LYONS Features Editor The Town Theatre has opened 1997 with a performance of the Pulitzer Prize-winning story, "Driving Miss Daisy." The play, which was made into a movie starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, opened Jan. 10 and 111 | 111!!! ^v^PSRHI M?A. '^'/^ SHh^H IS It JOHN LYONS Features Editor Okay, so here's the story. While traveling through outer spac two beings known as Birdstuff and Sfc Crunch got lonely and created Coco, tl Electronic Monkey Wizard, out of spa] Atari XI00 parts. When Coco shorted out the spacecraft the trio crash landed in Alabama in tl late 80s. While traveling through our sob system, they listened to radio transmissio] from Earth, but due to a time delay th< heard the popular music of the early 6C The three space travelers assume surf guitar would be at the height popularity when they arrived, so the posed as humans and formed a surf guit band to allow them to travel in search parts they needed to repair their spacecra The trio recruited Dexter X, Man fro Planet Q, to work for them and set out brainwash music lovers everywhere. This story isn't the script for NBC latest must-see-TV spinoff sitcom. And no, if s not an idea for a Saturdj morning cartoon. According to Birdstuff, this story the true background of college radio icoi Man or Astroman?, who will be playir at Rockafella's this Saturday. "There's actually two stories about 01 origins," Birdstuff said. "One is that v crash landed here from outer space, bi to keep our cover, we've been telling peop that at one point we were just four geel college students without much in the ws of a social life. We've been trying to g people to believe this story, bi DJ Hurricane, Mack and The Wando Kic will be perfrorming c blend of hip-hop R&B and danc( music at Elbow Roon ;v- i-i Ft* EXT Dais will run until Jan. 26. The play details the relationship between Daisy Werthan, a crotchety, old Jewish woman from Atlanta, her business-minded son Boolie Werthan and her black chauffeur Hoke Colebum. The play begins after Miss Daisy has confused the gears of her brandnew Packard, and Boolie is making - - 1 Mai unfortunately most people believe from outer space." Despite the attempted subte e, Birdstuff constantly refers to underg] ir laboratories, space helmets, high vc le equipment and government organiza re and his speech is filled with tech jargon and mumbo jumbo that m ;? may not actually mean anything, le He said the band's recent reloc from Alabama to Georgia is part ol ar efforts to evade groups working ag ns them. ay "We constantly try to stay away )s. the various government agencies id want to know a little too much about of or Astroman?," Birdstuff said. "That' ay of the reason we relocated, ar "We spent a lot of our early Earth t of in Alabama, but when we left it wa ft- in the Frankenstein movie when the m was being stormed. We left as all the ] to were about to chase us out of their t parks." ' s Birdstuff stepped out of charade enough to admit that the band sin< *y liked the South but almost immed jumped back into character. 1S "In all honesty, we love to live i 18 South," he said. "Since we crash la *? that's where we've always lived. C too far from Little Debbies and Mooi n" and we just don't know what to do, ^e Birdstuff said Man or Astroman' it be the universe's wordiest band. He t 'le mostly about the band's space trave ty advance technology, but he did m? iy to say a little about the band's et Saturday at Rockafella's. it "Ifs going to be a little more dang ) l F r i d ay JAN.17 1 Zk J 1* m ; RA! EXTRA! Check ETC! INSI n iy dri plans to hire a chauffeur. Emmalee E. Robbins, the artistic director for Town Theatre, said the beauty of the play lies in its simplicity and humor. She said through simple, endearing vignettes, the play unfolds and the characters open themselves to the audience. This is a play of healing," Robbins said. "Through their journey, the characters find such friendship and understanding. "It is such a wonderful, simple trip into friendship and into trust." Heading up the cast is Ruth Gottlieb Moore, who plays Miss Daisy and has been participating in Columbia theater for about 50 years. She has appeared in films, television series, and commercials and is well known in Columbia for her role as the Story Lady on radio and television between 1945-1961. Moore played the role of Miss Daisy in the 1990 USC Summer Rep performance of the play. "It was very good to revisit the play," Moore said "Its a very beautiful, very simple play. It's designed to be simple." The cast is rounded out by Rodney Bowman as Boolie and Tom Quick as Hoke. Moore said both Bowman and Quick were good actors to work with. "I've enjoyed working with them so much," she said. "There has to be a rapport, especially with such a small group. The ensemble has to work as a unit, and that's the secret of having a good play. "If the ensemble works together, then it is believable. When the audience recognizes that, it means all of us have done our job." The majority of the play takes place in Atlanta, and the story runs its course through a series of touching vignettes. It opens after Miss Daisy has i or we're than normal," he said. 1 hope no us. The main difference is a very rfuge, up as far as on-stage voltage. H round we'll be up to 100,000 volts soo Itage planning on adding all sorts of e dons, equipment." nical Birdstuff said the show is ano ay or in the band's attempt to rejuvc live show. He said they plan t< ^heir audience involved and recor , audience members wear insulat amst _ tor grounding. , "Coco is usually performing t i that experiments on the crowd," Birds t Man "We're always trying to do as mi s part 38 possible. The way we see it is ii to get sweaty, everybody shoulc enure smell us." is like Birdstuff said the Rockafell castle is part of the band's preparatic people upcoming "trans-Atlantic missic railer they will "attempt to conquer again." r long Birdstuff said his advice to C merely residents for Saturday night i iately home. "What I would say to pe ndecT Columbia is that if they are sn let us have any concern for theii i Pies shouldn't come to the show,' "For those that insist on coming, ] ? mav they wear 33 pah" ?f Ni .glkgd rubber soles or something else th >1 and for grounding, inage "It's like the way Gallagher f) show their plastic sheets to protect th< or Astroman? fans should hav< ;erous shoes and insulated clothes." The Skip Pearsoi Trio will be playinj at the Hunter ? Gatherer. I ' ^ DE For The Weekend's Events ives ii crashed her car in 1948 and she is arguing with Boolie about whether she needs a chauffeur. It closes with Hoke feeding Miss Daisy a piece of pumpkin pie in 1973. Between these two events are a series of short scenes detailing the interaction between the three characters. With very few props, the cast of the show takes the audience for a ride into the lives of these disparate characters. The relationship between the three characters is developed in bits and pieces. The short scenes give brief glimpses into the characters and their slowly developing relationships. Brief conversations and ordinary events paint the picture of the extraordinary friendship that develops between Miss Daisy and Hoke. Robbins said, "What makes this play so touching is that it is so personal What Daisy does is very realistic. This play is so closely aligned to our lives." The brief scenes build sympathy for the characters through both humor and pathos. From Hoke's timid request for a raise to Miss Daisy's backseat driving, the characters are developed through realistic glimpses into their lives. The characters'external qualities are all that are ever shown, and it is through their normal, day-to-day behavior that their their depth of character is hinted at. The character development is so touching because it imitates life. There is much that the audience cannot know from watching the play, but this makes Boolie, Daisy and Hoke more believable than they would be otherwise. As the audience watches the characters grow old, they do so sympathetically. "Driving Miss Daisy" is an endearing Southern tale. Ast one sues r big step VVf9||||V|M [opefully n. We're ^ V ther step mate its ) get the amends ?d shoes orturous t^BT said. anshave t^' Jmg * m& em; Man Bfc^flB e rubber 1 rSaturday 1 JAN.18 'f \ % f ? nto 1 I Ruth Gottlieb Moore and Tom Qi Hoke Coleburn in Town Theatre' are pictured witn nodney Howmai The play will be running through Jan. 26, with shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for rom M on nr A cfrnm on IT JL LA 11 V/A XlOll U111U11 will bring their sur guitar rock t< Rockafella's wit] Athens band Five Eight. I ; J ; # town COURTESY PHOTOS lick, above, play Daisy Werthan and s "Driving Miss Daisy." At left, they 11, who plays Boolie Werthan. senior citizens, students and military, and $6 for anyone under 16 years old. For reservations call the Town Theatre Box Office at 799-2510. lan? -' v" ; *** * 9 ' a _ ? 1 t ^aiuraay I J an. 18 4f