The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 23, 2005, Page 10, Image 10
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THEY SAID IT
“Acting is merely the art of keeping a
pa jq large group of people from coughing”
^ SIR RALPH RICHARDSON
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PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Theatre South Carolina will perform the Tony Award-winning play "Dancing at Lughnasa” beginning Friday through March 5 at Longstreet
Theatre. USC theatre and graduate students will portray the five unmarried sisters living together in 1930s Ballyberg, Ireland.
Friel mixes tragedy, triumph
By JENNIFER FREEMAN
THE MIX EDITOR
on’t let the confusing title scare you
away from seeing the, show. The
pronunciation of “Dancing at
Lughnasa” is easier than it seems - Loo-nay-sa.
Theatre South Carolina will continue its
season with this Tony Award-winning Irish
drama Friday through March 5.
The drama, a fictionalized version of author
Brian Friel’s childhood, is set in Ballyberg,
Ireland, in the 1930s and follows the story of
five unmarried sisters living together. In a series
of vignettes during Lughnasa, the Celtic harvest
festival, the family’s inner workings are brought
to light.
“It is a story of coming of age and
discoveries. It is very relevant, with beautiful
language. It is a story of hardship and heartache,
but also of dreams,” said Jim Hunter, artistic
director of the theatre department.
“This is an ensemble piece,” said Tim Gardner,
director of USC’s production, in a news release.
“The sisters share with each other and the ones
they love. A sharp word is followed by forgiveness;
a reproach becomes a prelude to a song or a cup of
tea. It’s often funny and touching.”
“Dancing at Lughnasa” was made into a
movie in 1998 starring Meryl Streep, but
Hunter said audiences should check out the
Longstreet production, as well.
“It’s better!” Hunter said. “What’s
wonderful about this story on the stage is that
you have the emotion and the conflicts
happening right there with you.”
Hunter said “Lughnasa” is a great first-time
Longstreet experience.
“The audience surrounds the stage on three
sides, so the action is happening right there in
your face. You have a connection with the story
that you just don’t get in the movie.”
Performing in the Theatre South Carolina
production of “Dancing at Lughnasa” is a
combination of undergraduate theatre students
Meghann Marty, Patrick Williams and Nicol
Cabe; graduate theatre students Bethany Ford,
David Britt and Marybeth Gorman; and April
Kreskin, a recent alum.
Gardner’s previous work includes the
docudrama “Litde Man” and the animated film
“I Promise” about life as an autistic child. He has
directed, written or acted in more than 100
productions. His credits include the “Elvis
Miniseries,” “The Young and the Restless” and
many national commercials. Gardner has
“It is a story of hardship and
heartache, but also of dreams.”
JIM HUNTER
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE THEATRE DEPARTMENT
directed “The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite”
and “Always, Patsy Cline” at the Trustus Theatre.
He is also the director and partner of Columbia’s
Mad Monkey video production company.
Authored by Friel, the play won the New
York Drama Critics Award, the Outer Critics
Circle Award and the Olivier Award.
Also a writer of short stories and
screenplays, Friel is one of Ireland’s most
renowned playwrights. His plays have been
performed at Abbey Theatre, London’s West
End and Broadway.
Curtain time is 8 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday, with a 3 p.m. matinee Sunday and
March 5. Tickets are $10 for students; $12 for
USC faculty and staff, military and senior
citizens; and $14 for the general public.
To contact the box office, call 777-2551.
Comments tm this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu
CD REVIEW
Beep Beep horns in
on Omaha scene
“Business Casual”
Beep Beep
★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By PATRICK A. AUGUSTINE
THE GAMECOCK
A few years ago, the mention
of Omaha, Neb., wouldn’t have
elicited breathy sighs of
contentment from indie kids
across America. However, with
the breakout of Omaha-based
Bright Eyes and its label, Saddle
Creek, the totfai that progress
forgot has become a legitimate
outpost of music literati.
Now, Saddle Creek has a
diverse stable of artists, from the
neo-folk Bright Eyes to ‘80s
keyboard revivalists The Faint.
With the addition of the
electronic art-rock band Beep
Beep, the label can claim to be
something other than a
Midwestern escape for artists
trying to reinvent existing
genres.
Nearly every member in Beep
Beep’s lineup has ties with the
Omaha scene — bassist Joel
Peterson plays with The Faint,
vocalist Chris Hughes played
with Conor Oberst in The
Magentas, and drummer Mike
Sweeney also swings sticks for
Criteria, a side project with
Cursive’s guitarist Steve
Pedersen. Only guitarist Eric
Bemberger has no obvious links
to the sometimes incestuous
music scene that Saddle Creek
cultivates, but collaborated with
Hughes for two years before
taking on Sweeney and Peterson
to record “Business Casual.” This
cross-pollination between artists
certainly yields impressive results
on Beep Beep’s freshman effort,
and the influence of bands like
XTC and Arab on Radar is clear
in their sound and lyrical subject
matter.
A driving attack of dense
guitars and dark cymbals does its
best to cover the post-punk
wailed delivery that is Hughes’
signature. It’s a shame
considering the band wades
through cultural commentary of
the most explicit nature. In doing
so, abandoning the
Desaparecidos’ poetic take on
suburbanites for more of a punch
in the gut to sexual morays and
office life.
While label-mates The Faint
are probably the closest thing
sound-wise to Beep Beep, the
latter trades The Faint’s
keyboards for a dual guitar
approach that makes for
danceable art-punk that never
lets up during the album’s 27
minutes. In one sense, the fog of
their recorded effort betrays the
12 days spent in the studio with
AJ Mogis, and simultaneously
promises a life sonic assault that
will leave concert-goers with
ringing ears and tired legs. None
of the songs are much over three
minutes, and like listening to
The Locust, it’s hard to imagine
how the band will fill a
headlining set with anything
other than a dense wall of sound.
On “Business Casual,” Beep
Beep is at its strongest during
tracks like “Misuse their Bodies”
♦ Please see BEEP BEEP, page 11
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Matt Heath, Carmen Keigans, Bryan Gibson and Brian Whitman make up the female-fronted alternative
rock group I Nine. The band incorporates electric cello and thoughtful songwriting for its unique sound.
I Nine uses Facebook craze
to broaden college fan base
By TIFFANY CAROFFINO
THE GAMECOCK
First, USC had Hootie & the
Blowfish, now I Nine. Another
Gamecock band is hitting the
scene, this time with a more
innovative approach to musical
styling and publicity.
I Nine is comprised of four
members: Carmen Keigans, Brian
Whitman, Bryan Gibson and Matt
Heath. Whitman calls the band
“acoustic alternative rock” and
compares its sound to Charleston’s
Jump.
The members met at USC in
September 2003 and formed the
band Isle 9. Unfortunately, this
name was taken, so they changed it
to I Nine.
The name stuck, and is quickly
becoming a well-known entity
around campus. A couple of the
members’ friends got together and
created a Facebook group to help
them gain some publicity. What
began as a joke is now a group with
more than 1,000 members.
Whitman said the first 300
members were the hardest to get,
and after that it was easy for I Nine
to work its way into the profiles of
USC students.
Austin Lindsay, a first-year
advertising student, said she joined
the group without knowing
anything about them.
“They invited me into their
♦ Please see I NINE, page 11
MOVIE REVIEW
‘ Constantine' one hell of a ride
“Constantine”
Starring Keanu Reeves,
Rachel Weisz
★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By GABRIELLE SINCLAIR
THE GAMECOCK
John Constantine, the title
character of the new comic-book
inspired, angel-and-demons trip
down apocalypse lane, is
damned, and by his own doing.
In a successful suicide attempt as
a teenager trying to escape his
own mind, he committed the
worst of all mortal sins. And
though brought back to life two
minutes later, he’s going to have
to pay. And soon.
Being damned to hell is bad
enough without having to know
about it, and so this is
Constantine: exorcist, smoker,
damned soul, frustrated Catholic.
He sees demons. He’s seen and
felt the face of hell. He’s bitched
to Gabriel the aijgel. He’s
pathetic and he’s dying from lung
cancer. Faith isn’t really much of
an option for Constantine. Even
his one-liners are bitter, even
weak. Keanu Reeves, last seen as
Diane Keaton’s boy toy in
“Something’s Gotta Give” and
before that as the iconic Neo in
“The Matrix,” plays the self
serving savior just right.
Constantine was born with a
gift. He can see “half-breeds,”
half-demons and half-angels who
live and work on* the normal
plane of reality as emissaries of
their respective masters. He can
also see full demons, who
DAVID JAMES/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Keanu Reeves plays John Constantine, a world-travelling, mage
like misfit who investigates supernatural mysteries in "Constantine.”
sometimes break the rules by
crossing over on to the normal
plane. Constantine takes it upon
himself to “deport” these demons
back to hell — wielding relics as
supernatural weapons and the
like, exorcising monsters from
little girls.
And it’s not a mission from
God. If he is out to save anyone,
it’s himself. The concept of
motives and meaning are lost.
Good and evil are blurred in his
psyche. Good is being done,
ultimately, but his goal is never
reached by those actions.
Questions of relevance regarding
the value of motivation are raised
well in this artful, fast-paced and
creative film. A movie involving
demons and angels on {ifiy level
risks being cheesy and overdone,
but “Constantine” is genuine and
the special effects are impressive
and add to the overall quality of
the film.
Keanu Reeves gives a
surprisingly layered performance.
He’s not your typical superhero.
He’s stretched out and thin, a
man with no future and no hope.
A true badass, yet sometimes he
just seems to hang there, dragged
down by gravity and empty
regret. He’s like a failed gambler
with nothing left to lose, still
trying to con his way back in the
game. For Constantine, doing
the right thing seems about as
decent an option as any.
The supporting cast is also
excellent. Rachel Weisz (“The
Mummy Returns”) gives an
American accent a go as Angela, a
detective Vvho may or may ntk
play a key role in the undoing of
♦ Please see CONSTANTINE, page 11