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THEATER REVIEW A ‘Night ’ of unforgettable theater delights patrons “THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA” Trustus Theatre out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY TIM MCMANUS THE GAMECOCK “The Night of the Iguana,” the last commercially successful play of celebrated playwright Tennessee Williams’ early career, has received marvelous treatment at Trustus Theatre. The play takes place over one day and night, at a hotel atop a hill in Mexico, overlooking the Pacific coast. This hotel, owned by mid dle-aged American widow Maxine Faulk, played by Nancy Pope, seems to be the typical — for Tennessee Williams — 1940s hotel in western Mexico. The recently widowed manager is busy seduc ing one native Mexican bellboy as the other bellboy plays harmoni ca and tries his hand at voyeurism; a German couple on their honey moon fondly chuckles at Nazi Germany’s bombing of London. But sparks fly when our stressed-out — almost comically so —" tour guide, Laurence Shannon (Steve Harley), arrives. Laurence is an Episcopal minis ter who was not quite defrocked, but locked out of his church and committed to an institution for “fornication and heresy... both in the same week.” At the hotel he meets Hannah (Vicky Saye Henderson) — an unwelcome, un paying but eternally well-meaning and generous New England seam stress traveling with her invalid poet father. , . Laurence Shannon, whose dif ficulties are at the center of this play, panics and struggles his way through many things during the play, including panic attacks, al cohol, God and, especially, women. These women include: Charlotte (Crystal Devore), the naively seductive adolescent girl with whom the reverend had sex ual relations earlier on the trip; Judith (Margo Regan), the “butch vocal coach” who is furious at the reverend not only for his affair with Charlotte, but also for his unannounced stop which has stranded her and her pupils at Maxine’s hotel; and the aforemen tioned Maxine and Hannah. All of these women are played, not only as forces upon the rev erend’s fragile sanity, but as de termined and sympathetic char acters unto themselves. This gives the play not just a heightened lev el or realism, but also makes the reverend’s struggles all the more intense. • The play is not at all without its dark humor. The German couple’s cruel laughter at the bombing of London and the troubles of Hannah’s invalid father, Nonno (Lou Kaplan), is black humor at , its sadistic best. Several of the rev erend’s struggles with his female traveling companions are also quite funny. When his previous sex*ual experience with the 17 year-old Charlotte becomes ap parent, he defines statutory rape as “when a man is seduced by a girl under 20.” No review of this production would be complete without men tioning the set. It, which consists simply of the veranda of Maxine’s tropical Mexican hotel, is as gor geous as it is believable. With its background of tropic foliage that creeps menacingly over the Mexican architecture, it has to be one of the finest sets the Columbia stage has ever seen. For a night of fantastic theatre, where brilliant writing, believable acting and gorgeous set come to gether to form one unforgettable evening on stage, go no further than Trustus Theatre. “The Night of the Iguana” can be seen at Trustus Theatre in the Vista at 520 Lady St. It shows Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com CD REVIEW Story of the Year worth hearing I ■ ■11—1IIII III — ■■ II ■■ ■■ “PAGE AVENUE” Story of the Year ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY DAVID STAGG THE GAMECOCK In a musical world where genre lines are blurred daily, it becomes harder and harder to contrive a new sound that will attract listen ers, especially in the independent rock scene. Story of the Year’s de but release, “Page Avenue,” molds just enough of an eclectic mix of rock styles to make it something worth listening to. The band push es the envelope just far enough to separate themselves from a host of other emerging indie-rock groups. The St. Louis quintet’s first record combines musical time changes and sections that have a half-time feel with hints of metal, punk and hardcore that set them apart from other bands. And their sound certainly cannot be catego rized under any specific musical label. Standout tracks such as “Divide and Conquer” and the first song, “And the Hero Will Drown,” rip through the listener, switching rhythms and vocal styles in a heartbeat. As a whole, “Page Avenue,” produced by John Feldman, of Goldfinger fame, blazes its sonic trail quickly — each of the 12 tracks clocks in at between three and four minutes. Though short, they are still relentless in their ap proach; nearly every song is just as erratic as the next, yet the record maintains a sense of over whelming harmony and reflective lyrical content. Lead singer Dan Marsala’s di ary-style lyrics are just as brash as the manner in which he sings them. On the first single, “Until the Day I Die,” he spews forth emotipn through words “Should I bite my tongue/ Until blood soaks my shirt/ My hands are at your throat/ And I think I hate you?” On other tracks, he not only pushes his vocal chords to the limit, but his writing as well. On “And the Hero Will Drown” he screams, “The night will come and rip away/ her wings of inno cence through every word we say.” The only drawback to the al bum is that it seems to be genre specific. It lends itself to tastes in the realm of The Used with a hint of Refused or Taking Back Sunday. However, Marsala’s an thems are catchy and easy enough to stomach even for those who can’t stand a sometimes-unintel ligible lyric track. Some songs might be a little too bland, like the softer-by-comparison “Swallow the Knife” and, sadly, the title track. But the good songs on this record are really good, filling in such stylistic holes. In a demonstration of the record’s versatility, one track has a fist-pumping break of an over harmonized chorus. The end of “In the Shadows,” sans scream ing, could have easily been writ ten by Bon Jovi. And on the very next track, “Dive Right In,” the opening riff has guitarists Ryan Phillips and Phillip Sneed churn ing out double-timed guitar melodies that lend themselves to ’80s metal and cement the record’s style as uniquely Story of the Year’s own. The band’s eclectic sound is catchy enough for Story of the Year’s songs to remain in your head and edgy enough to engage new listeners. Some songs don’t seem to hold up to the really good ones, but the mix produced is still enticing and makes you want to continue listening to the rest of the record. They definitely have the ability to go places —as long as they continue to maintain their own style. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Tactics Advance CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 Some of the action, with its fun but complex and detailed nature, might turn away casual gamers, but those who are willing to put a little bit of time into “Tactics” will certainly not be disappointed. The game’s most defining and central feature is the job class sys tem. This system allows for great customization in the action, as players can assign different jobs, such as Archer or Soldier, to the various members of the group. Each of the 40-plus jobs in the game comes with different abili ties, strategies and weapons arse nal. As the game progresses, char acters learn new abilities by using different weapons, and conse quently new job classes are made available. Players can change their characters between different • job classes throughout the game to utilize a different set of abilities for each battle. Even with the great game play and story, the most noticeable fea ture of “Tactics Advance” is its overall presentation, complete with orchestrated music and sharp visuals. Both the music and the graphics are on par with those in the PlayStation version of “Tactics,” and the visual presen tation puts most other Game Boy Advance games to shame. “Tactics Advance” undoubtedly raises the bar for all future Game Boy Advance titles “Tactics Advance” is a fun filled and mature game, especial ly for a game system that is fre quently thought to be strictly for kids. For serious RPG fans, it’s worth buying a Game Boy Advance for the chance to play the game. In all of its aspects, “Tactics Advance” surely proves that good things can come in small pack ages. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockm ixeditor@notmail. com Austin City Limits festival to offer more than 130 acts BY KELLEY SHANNON ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN, TEXAS - Only in its second year, the Austin City Limits Music Festival has this city making good on its self-pro claimed title of* “Live Music Capital of the World.” The smorgasbord of country, blues, rock and gospel has gotten plenty of notice in music circles. Part of the reason is its partner ship with the long-running tele vision show “Austin City Limits,” a popular music program that airs on PBS stations nationwide. “With the marriage of‘Austin City Limits’ and the festival, it was perfect,” said Charlie Jones, the festival’s producer. “The word has spread really fast. ” The Friday-through-Sunday festival features more than 130 acts, including R.E.M., Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Nickel Creek, Ben Harper and Steve Earle as well as up-and coming musicians and regional ly known bands. Also making ap pearances this year: Spoon, The Derailers, Patrice Pike, W.C. Clark, Robert Earl Keen, Liz Phair and Los Lonely Boys. At least 26 bands playing at the festival have performed on “Austin City Limits” since the show began in 1975, said Mary Beth Rogers of public TV station KLRU, which produces the show. In its early years, the program was known mostly as a country music showcase. It since has branched out and in its 13 one hour shows each season offers a ' variety of “roots” music. “It’s anything that really gets to the heart of American roots, whether it’s country, whether it’s blues, whether it’s jazz,” Rogers said. “That’s really given us a broad latitude in booking acts for the show.” As a bonus, Rogers said, the festival helps satisfy the public’s desire to connect with the show. The TV studio at the University of Texas seats only 400, and mu sic fans continually lament that tickets are hard to get. Aside from the musical acts, the event venue — Zilker Park, in the heart of Austin — is a main attraction. The park is in a part of the city known for its laid-back lifestyle and live bands that play every night at clubs and coffee houses. Like the TV show, with its trademark Austin skyline shown on the studio set, the festival scene is highlighted by views of downtown buildings, the Texas Capitol and the University of Texas tower. Graduating in December? s Don't miss this chance to order your Official USC cap & gown, announcements, diploma frames and more at the Class of 2003 Graduation Fair, held in the newly renovated Russell House Bookstore. Also available will be information on your free gift and half price membership dues in the Carolina Alumni Association, job search information, commencement videos and photographs. Graduation will be here before you know it— don't miss this important event! OF 2003 GRADUATION FAIR Russell House Bookstore lesday September 30th 10am-3pm Wednesday October 1st 12-6pm Tiursday October 2nd 10am-3pm Good advice, free of charge. The USC Counseling Center and The Mix are USC Counseling Center here to help with your pressing issues. Submit • Phone: 777-5223 questions to our new and improved advice Seventh floor, Byrnes Building column. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. www.sa.sc.edu/chdc/chdchome.htm E-MAIL YOUR QUESTIONS TO: advicecolumnusc@hotmail.com WE GAINED WEIGHT We've added over 250,000 brand new scholarships and revamped our entire site to give you more accurate search results! . \ Check Out Gamecock's Scholarship Channel at: ( www.dailygamecock.com/scholarships powered by: BrekeStMar I