The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 22, 2001, Page 8, Image 8
Carmen comes to Columbia
by Erin O’Neal
The Gamecock
The London City Opera, created six
years ago by acclaimed British
Artistic Director Martin McEvoy, made a
name for itself in England because of the
company’s dedication to quality
entertainment.
McEvoy’s successful actors, having al
ready won over European audiences, are
now trying their luck in Columbia.
The London City Opera company made
its European debut in 1996 with renditions
of “La Boheme” and “Madame Butterfly.”
In the winter of last year, the company
toured the United States with its perfor
mance of “The Magic Flute.”
This year, the company will perform
“Carmen,” George Bizet’s classic
Spanish opera, at the Koger Center for
the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Monday. An
orchestra will accompany the
performers as they interpret Bizet’s story.
At one point, “Carmen” was thought
of as unacceptable for a family-oriented au
dience and proved to be quite
shocking during the time of its release in
1875.
The novel, written by Prosper Mer
imee, was adapted for the stage. Extra char
acters were invented, and stereotypes were
exaggerated to provide the
bourgeois with a melodrama fit for their
tastes.
But even the soft, romantic picture ol
Spain that Bizet painted didn’t manage tc
offset Carmen’s outlaw image.
Don Jose, a Spanish soldier, becomes
enchanted with Carmen, a woman
working in a cigar factory in Seville.
He is so taken with her, he helps her
escape arrest and lands himself in prison.
Jose continues to tarnish his good name
when he is released from jail and joins Car
men’s gang of smugglers.
Jose leaves the gang when he is told his
mother has taken ill. By this point in time,
his enchantment with Carmen has become
an uncontrollable desire, and he vows to
her he will return.
He keeps his promise, but discovers
that Carmen and the toreador Escamillo are
having an affair. Unable to cope with this
fact, Jose kills her in an angry, sorrowful fit
of rage.
Though the play wasn’t an immediate
success, audiences grew to love it just as
much as the everlasting image of the Span
ish gypsy captured by Carmen.
Tickets are on sale for $30 and $28, de
pending on seat location, at the Kqger Cen
ter ticket office. For more information, call
the Koger Center ticket office at 251-2222.
*
The spotlight desk can be reached at
gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com
The Pharcyde return with new album
after five-year absence from hip-hop
by Clayton Kale
The Gamecock
REVIEW
CD: Plain Rap
ARTIST: The Pharcyde
GRADE: ☆☆☆ out of ☆☆☆☆
The first song on The Pharcyde’s
latest album, “Plain Rap,” begins with
ironically appropriate lyrics: “Where ya
at? Where ya been?” It’s been five years
since The Pharcyde released an album.
Rap fans might remember the first
album “Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde,”
with off the wall songs like “Ya
Mamma,” “Mister Officer” and “Passin’
Me By.” Their freshman album broke
new ground on the West Coast hip-hop
scene, moving away from gangster rap
and into intellectual, jazz-driven songs.
Their second album, “Labcabincalifor
nia,” broke new ground yet again, as Tre
“Slimkid” Hardson, Derrick “Fatlip”
Stewart, Imani Wilcox and Romye
“Booty Brown” Robinson, toned down
the tracks, using a psychedelic sound
to season their unique, stream of
consciousness rhymes.
Although Fatlip has since left'The
Pharcyde, “Plain Rap” doesn’t
disappoint. Even one mind short of The
Pharcyde of five years ago, the lyrics re
main intelligent, quirky and often
humorous, laid on top of tracks that run
the gamut from being edgy, like
“Network,” to mellowed out, like “Mis
ery.”
The title of the album works
alongside the group’s hip-hop
philosophy.
“I feel like everyone in hip-hop now
has to be something ... no one is just
rappin’ to rap for hip-hop’s sake,” says
Robinson.
“Plain Rap” is a versatile album that
is suited to be the background music at
a party or to play in your room while
working on the computer. The lyrics are
worth listening to and thinking about,
while the beats are perfect to bounce
your head to while driving.
Admittedly, it’s hard for me to judge
hip-hop, as I’m very particular about
what I like. However, I recommend this
album if you’re into The Roots, De La
Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, or if you
want to hear something fresh after
being bored by the formulaic
“bling-bling” rap that is prevalent in the
hip-hop scene today.
foJgBr
MOVIE
DIRECTORY
Dutch Square 14
Broad River and Bush River Rd.
All The Pretty Horses - (PG-13) 1:50
5:00
Antitrust-(PG-13) 1:20 4:30 7:15
9:40 12:00
Cast Away-(PG-13) 1:00 4:10 7:10
10:10
Double Take-(PG-13) 12:40 3:00 5:10
7:25 9:30 11:45
Dracula 2000 - (R) 7:40 9:40 11:45
Emperor’s New Groove - (G) 12:50
2:50 4:50 7:35
Family Man - (PG-13) 1:20 4:20 7:40
10:15
Finding Forrester-(PG-13) 12:50 4:00
7:00 10:00
Miss Congeniality-(PG-13) 1:40 4:40
7:30 9:50 12:15
The Pledge - (R) 1:10 4:30 7:20 10:00
Save the Last Dance - (PG-13) 1:30
4:40 7:20 9:50 12:15
Snatch-(R) 12:30 2:45 5:10 7:30 9:45
12:00
Thirteen Days - (PG-13) 12:40 3:50
7:00 10:00
Traffic - (R) 12:30 3:40 6:50 10:10
Vertical Umlt-(PG-13) 9:25 12:00
What Women Want -(PG-13) 1:10 4:10
7:10 9:55
Regal Cinema 7
Cast Away - (PG-13) 1:10 4:10 7:1010:10
Double Take-(PG-13) 1:50 4:40 7:40
10:15
Finding Forrester - (PG-13) 12:50 3:50
6:50 9:50
The Gift-(R) 1:40 4:20 7:30 9:55
Miss Congeniality - (PG-13) 1:30 4:25
7:05 9:45
Save the Last Dance - (PG-13)
1:20 4:30 7:20 10:05
Traffic - (R) 1:00 4:00 7:00 10:00
Carmike 14
102 Dalmations - (PG) 12:30 2:45 5:00
7:00 9:15
All The Pretty Horses-(PG-13) 1:30
4:00 7:00 9:30
Bounce-(PG-13) 1:30 4:45 7:30
9:45
Charlie’s Angels - (PG-13) 1:00 3:15
5:30 8:00 10:15
Double Take-(PG-13) 2:00 4:30 7:15
9:15 11:15
Dude Where’s the Car - (PG-13) 2:00
4:00 7:30 9:15 11:00
Family Man-(PG-13) 1:15 4:00 7:15
9:45
Finding Forrester - (PG-13) 1:00 4:15
7:00 9:45
Miss Congeniality - (PG-13) 1:45 4:15
7:00 9:30
Miss Congeniality-(PG-13) 2:15 4:45
7:30 10:00
Rugrats In Paris - (G) 1:00 3:00 5:00
7:00 9:00
Save the Last Dance - (PG-13) 1:30
4:30 7:00 9:30
Thirteen Days-(PG-13) 1:00 4:15 7:30
Traffic-(R) 1:15 4:00 7:00 9:45
Columbiana Grande
Antitrust-(PG-13) 1:504:30 7:20 9:45
Cast Away - (PG-13) 1:45 1:50 4:15 4:45
7:15 8:00 10:15
Chocolat-(PG-13) 1:45 4:20 7:15 9:50
Dracula 2000 - (R) 2:10 4:40 7:45 10:15
Emperor’s New Groove - (G) 1:35 3:55
The Gift-(R) 2:20 4:55 7:30 9:55
The Pledge - (R) 2:05 4:35 7:25
10:30
Proof of Life - (R) 1:55 4:50 7:30 10:20
Snatch -(R) 2:10 4:25 7:50 10:10
State and Main - (R) 1:40 4:00 7:05 9:35
Unbreakable-(PG-13) 7:05 9:35
Vertical Limit - (PG-13) 1:40 4:15 6:55
9:30
What Women Want - (PG-13) 1:30 2:15
4:10 5:00 7:10 7:40 10:00 10:25
Traffic
from page 7
is the lack of strong female characters.
Wakefield’s daughter is a junkie, and
his wife is so irresponsible she ignored
her daughter’s addiction for over more
than months.
Zeta-Jones’ character could be
considered strong because she does
show incredible survival skills, but she
is only fighting for a life of ignorant
bliss.
Many have criticized the way
Soderbergh films the different
locations. Mexico is grainy and yellow,
provoking one critic to aigue that Mex
ico is too beautiful of a country to be
filmed in such a way.
He missed the fact that the movie
was not trying to convey Mexico’s
beauty, but the dirtiness and
corruption of it.
Traffic is a beautiful movie
because it does not bother to preach.
The movie simply supplies the audi
ence with an impeccable cast, a mov
ing script about where humans place
their loyalties, and facts on the state of
the so-called drug war in Aijterica.
All of which leads to a large sup
ply of questions; however, Traffic
offers no answers. Instead, it demands
the audience find the answers for them
selves.
The spotlight desk can be reached at
gamecockspotiight@hotmail.com
Interested in writing for Spotlight?
Let us know, e-mail us at
gamecockspotlight @ hotmail .com
I Campus Recreation Fitness Programs
202 Blatt PE Center • 777-1827 • www.sa.sc.edu/pecenter/fit.htm •
9 Tuesday, January 16
A $10 fee and signed waiver are required before taking part in any group exer
cise sessions. Participants need to bring a valid USC Columbia ID with a
Spring, 2001 sticker to each class to show proof of registration. To register and
pay, stop by the Campus Recreation Office, 202 Blatt PE Center.
I Cardio I I Cardio I
Yoga I I Yoga
Step Body Step Body Step Instr. Instr.
Express Sculpt Express I Sculpt Express Choice Choice
Faculty I I Faculty li Hfeaculty I
Staff Sta«,M^^f
Step Step I Step I Step Body
Combo I Interval! Combo I Interval I Bar
I Express Express Express Express Express
I Pump Combo Sculpting Combo I ^^ne8s Choice
I Shallow Deep Shallow Deep
Water Water Water m Water J *
" 1 ■—11 ii1— --
Staff Staff
Yoga Yoga
Room 107 SpIP Room 107
.. . —
Kick Step Jump Hi/Lo Yoga Sunday
Boxing Pump , Interval Cardio 6:00 - 7:00 Yoga
1__—— —-—.— - <■--— !■-- ■1 ■——1 **—■-—-——
I Body Step „Step Step
Sculpt Interval Pump Interval
W 7:00"8:15
- --—— -■ — -
Step & Cardio kickboxing Step/
Slide Impact 8:20-9:15 Sllde
_Jump_