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Wednesday, October 24,' 2018
Volume 44, Edition 16
Elon, North Carolina ,
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LIAM O'CONNOR I STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
I j During the first dress rehearsal of “Sweeney Todd,” Alec Michael Ryan, who plays the titular character, reunites with his old razors Monday, Oct. 22.
Elon musical theatre puts on a spooky, dissonant show
Deirdre Kronschnabel
Elon News Network | @kronsclicl
The single hanging lightbulb in the
corner illuminated snaking cords, the
color of bruises. Harsh purple light
flashed in the orchestra pit each time
the twin spotlights swung to center
stage — a pair of fleeting highway
headlights. They turned the patchy
carpet a sickly yellow. Low rafters
wrapped in thick, black fabric crossed
directly overhead, mimicking furled
pirate sails. The floorboards above
creaked each time Sweeney Todd
crossed the stage to growl a line.
Then, with a flicked cue, the organ
began to play.
The music of “Sweeney Todd: The
Demon Barber of Fleet Street” was
written by composer Stephen Sond
heim. From Oct. 25 to 27 and Nov. 1
to 3 in McCrary Theatre, his score will
underlie the story of a broken barber
exacting bloody revenge.
Kevin Lacey, a sophomore musical
theater major and the assistant music
director, joked that Sondheim decided
II
SONDHEIM IS LIKE ITS OWN
GENRE, BECAUSE HE’S
TRULY A GENIUS. IT WAS
JUSTSOMIND-BOGGLINGLY
BRILLIANT.
ANDREW PURDY
the parts by sitting on the piano keys.
“You’ll listen to the person sitting
next to you, and they’re singing a half
a step up,” added junior ensemble
member Andrew Purdy. "It’s complete
garbage on its own, but in the bigger
picture, it sounds so cool.”
Singing Sondheim’s score
Sondheim wrote certain music to
represent each character, and at cer
tain points in the production, the mu
sic turns to layers and layers of these
different sections, one on top of the
other.
“He’s taking little pieces of songs
and intentionally placing them on top
of each other. Just playing with them,”
Purdy said.
“The whole thing is built on inter
vals — spaces between the notes that
are really small, and follow a certain
pattern,” Liat Shuflita said, a Junior
who plays Mrs. Lovett.
SeeT0DD|pg.12
JESS RAPFOGELI STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Connie Book swears on Isabella Cannon’s '24
Bible during her inauguration in Schar Center
on Thursday, Oct. 18.
Officially
in office
Reflecting on Connie Book’s
inauguration as Elon's ninth
president
Alexandra Schonfeld
Elon News Network I @ascfionfeltl096
A 129-year-old story that started at
the roots of a tree began its next chap
ter last week as Elon University inau
gurated its ninth — and first female —
president, Connie Ledoux Book.
Almost exactly a year after the uni
versity announced Book as the new
president, succeeding Leo Lamberts
19-year tenure, the ceremony on Oct.
18 marked the official start of her du
ties as the presidential medallion was
placed around her neck. The ceremo
ny took place in the newly erected
Schar Center, which was filled with
students, faculty, staff, alumni and
community members.
Book opened her inaugural ad
dress by referencing what she called
“Liberating Acts.” She highlighted a
book she was given when she began
her time at The Citadel, the Military
College of South Carolina — where
Book served as the first female pro
vost for more than two years.
Book took the job at The Citadel
in 2015 with no previous military
background — which is nearly un
heard of for the 176-year-old institu
tion whose student body is about 90
percent male.
But that was her “Liberating Act.”
After working at Elon for 17 years,
Book made the decision to dive head
first into the opportunity to be sec
ond-in-command at the military col-
lege.
The theme of freeing oneself fol
lowed through the entirety of Book’s
speech, remembering back to her fa
ther’s “Liberating Act.” He piled his
wife and nine children into their sta
tion wagon in 1970, left their home in
Louisiana and went to pursue a grad
uate degree at Oregon State Univer
sity—sparking Book’s love of higher
education.
See BOOK | pg. 4
NEWS • PAGE 6
Elon volunteers
stand with hurricane
victims.
LIFESTYLE • PAGE 10
Saint Xavier blesses
Elon’s campus with a
fresh new look.
SPORTS • PAGE 14
Tailgating to create
new traditions for
student.