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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1996)
Cast pleases audience with intense plays By Liza Holtmeier Theater Critic The best performers show that they are enjoying themselves on stage. The cast of this weekend’s Theatrix Double Feature enjoyed themselves so much that it was con tagious. The first segment of “Keeping Things Whole,” Part One of the double feature, was “Eating Poetry.” “Eating Poetry” was based on vari ous poems by such poets as Mark Strand, William Carlos Williams and Dr. Seuss. Directed by Lisa Mercer, the movement piece used a variety of levels and ranges of en ergy to convey the pleasure poetry offers. Through their orgasmic vocals and gestures, the cast took the au dience through the different levels of enjoyment, comparing poetry to a delicious meal or even sex. Their chemistry and synchronization pro vided polish to the piece, while en hancing comic moments like Mike Semrad’s singing of “Waffle Baby” or Eva Nekovar’s outbursts into “The Drunkard.” The second segment, “Music,” showcased the astonishing intensity of the cast members. Every ounce of etiergy s^rngdtaije thrown into each nrove; each member seemed to enjoy every jiimp, turn, kick and head toss. Each cast member dem onstrated a naturalness with the various moves, but Jude Hickey es pecially lent a particular grace and fluidity to the piece. “Joy Sonnet in a Random Uni verse” was the highlight of the movement piece. Not only was Mercer’s incredible creativity showcased best in this segment, the sustained energy level was astound ing. Comic moments abounded as the cast played a varied game of charades, describing ideas, things and people through simple move ments and sound bites. The final segment, “Keeping Things Whole,” for which the show was named, again showcased the in tensity of the cast. Their focus, coupled with the lighting and inter esting group arrangements, pro vided the perfect ending to their performance. The second show, The New Chautauqua,” while less cohesive than “Keeping Things Whole,” still managed to communicate its mes sages on prejudice and to provide comic moments. The entire cast enjoyed interact ing with the audience. Both Mario Bravo’s wacky antics in “King and Actor” and Andrea Marzullo’s lithe ness and banter with the crowd dur ing “A Lazzo for Chautauqua” cre ated chuckles, while Kristi Routh’s portrayal of an evangelistic charac ter in “Conquest of Peter Pan” was stock character-acting at its best. Unfortunately, Matthew Soetaert’s Jim Carrey imitation in “Good and Evil” lacked creativity and was more annoying than funny. In “The Cripples,” the show took a more serious tone as it bluntly confronted the racism and prejudice in modem times. While this scene exposed the ignorance and fear in the hearts of die characters, the fi nal scene, “Prospero in Daylight,” lessened the impact of the message as the characters assumed a preach ing tone towards the audience. Dash Rip Rock dishes up music mix at Royal Grove By Bret Schulte Staff Reporter And they say that the life of a rock ‘n’ roll band isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. Kyle Melancon, of the New Or leans-based punkabilly band Dash Rip Rock, enjoys the distinct privilege of absolute freedom in between concert dates to use any Wal-Mart pay phone he desires. But he really only takes ad vantage of this when it is absolutely necessary. “Well, this time I’m actually call ing from the return section of a Wal Mart near Champagne, 111.,” Melancon said last Friday. “Right now there is a lady in roller skates looking at me.” Dash Rip Rock, one of the deep South’s premier touring punk bands, is forging notthJanftaK&talayat Lincoln’s Royal GroYe t$0f§Kt/ " Y “We’re really excited to be playing in 31 l’s home state,” Melancon said sarcastically. “We feel as if we’re walk ing on sacred ground.” Drummer Melancon, along with vocalist/guitarist Bill Davis and bass ist Hoaky Hickel, can hardly be com pared to 311, however. Dash Rip Rock is a potpourri of Southern rock both old and new, citing influences from Creedence Clearwater Revival to R.E.M. to The Reverend Horton Heat. “We have been described as rockabilly, punkabilly, country punk,” Melancon said. “We are.really a rock ‘n’ roll musical stew.” « We’re really excited to be playing in 311’s home state. We feel as if we're walking on sacred ground." Kyle Melancon drummer for Dash Rip Rock Melancon said Dash Rip Rock’s sound draws a wide assortment of lis teners and fans. He also contributes a recent resurgence in rockabilly to the band’s success—along with their abil ity to relate to a crowd. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get the crowd on our side,” Melancon said. “We’ll make fun of your town, make fun of your girlfriend — occasionally I’ll go nude—whatever.” One of the band’s more popular cuts is their version of the classic Danny & The Junior’s dance ditty “At the Hop.” However, their version is slightly modified to “(Let’s Go)Smoke Some Pot.” “We actually got banned from play ing it in Fayetteville, Ark. by some preacher,” Melancon said. “We don’t Courtesy photo DASH RIP ROCK, a New Orleans based punk-a-billy band, will be performing at the Royal Grove tonight. even smoke pot.” Despite occasional censorship, Dash Rip Rock loves the road life and is anticipating their most recent north ern tour. “We have seven albums out and we’ve always been touring,” Melancon said. “The crowd is really the same everywhere, but in the North they don’t seem to understand our weirdness quite as much. “Every concert is really a contained paradise,” he said. “Bring a date; it’s always a romantic evening with Dash Rip Rock.” Dash Rip Rock will be at the Royal Grove tonight after 7:30. Tickets are available at the door. - ‘Daylighf impressively blends action elements A mv dddxtx Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures AMY BRENNEMAN, left, and Sylvester Stallone star in Universal Pictures’ claustrophobic action-thriller, “Daylight.” By Gerry Beltz Movie Critic An action-suspense film with char acter depth. Somebody pinch me! “Daylight” has both the elements of “Die Hard” and classic disaster films like “The Poseidon Adventure” in cluded in the production, and director Rob Cohen (“Dragonheart”) blends both together wonderfully. Perhaps the most impressive act Cohen performs in “Daylight” is hing ing out an impressive performance from Sylvester Stallone as Kit Latura, a former Emergency Medical Services worker who lost his job in disgrace and scandal. There are 14 characters on which the movie focuses, and it’s been a typi cal day for everyone. Madelyne (Amy Brenneman) has had another play re jected, Steven (Jay O. Sanders) is try ing to keep his dysfunctional family together and... well, you get the idea. The one thing all 14 people have in common: they all take the underwater Please see DAYLIGHT on 13
