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Page 2 The Blue Banner February 17, 2005 Features U Liminode Tous les Jours” uses mixed media to tell love story by M. R. Vincent Stajf Reporter “Limonade Tous les Jours” premiered in the 2002 Humana Festival of New American Plays at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. The play opened in Asheville Feb. 3. Just when viewers think it dead ends into melodrama, it blossoms into unexpected beauty by eclectic means. “Well acted, but some of it was over the top,” said Lacey Haslam, junior art stu dent. “It was funny, too, and that’s essen tial when things get so serious.” UNCA’s own Rob Storrs, adjunct assis tant professor of drama, co-stars as Andrew, a middle-aged divorcee who meets a young Frenchwoman Ya Ya (Mara Simmons) in a Paris cafe. Storrs’ performance is incredibly dead- on. Facial expressions, hand gestures, even his sighs are fully realized and unforced. Other than a solemnly delivered solilo quy by Storrs, Simmons gets most of the words in and even sings. Thickly accented in French, Simmons speaks clearly and articulates all the right words. “Andrew was great, but Ya Ya talked way too much,” said Mariah Grant, senior environmental studies student. The set, designed by Kevin Palme, is minimalist, but the few props have value and meaning enough for the story. Andrew came to Paris, of all cities, to escape love. The opposite happens for Andrew. For 90 minutes, “Limonade” deconstructs what love and desire mean to these two people and, in the process, they develop a strong relationship. It takes a while to get to know Andrew, but Ya Ya is all out there, always poised to wax poetics and trudge through the mired philosophy of her experiences. “Limonade” employs multiple methods of media to address the couple’s relationship. One scene is all talk, while another is a slow operatic dance, choreographed by Julie Gillum. A, f Seeing colorful, physical characters sud denly appear in black and white detracts from the sense of familiarity one gets hav ing stage actors performing less than five feet away. However, the juxtaposition is interesting in itself, aside from the story. “My plays are broken, jagged, filled with sharp edges, filled with things that take sudden turns, careen into each other, smash up, veer off in sickening turns,” according to writer of the play Charles Mee on his Web site. Mee’s unorthodox approach to playwrit ing has its foundations in the classics. He sees no story as original and presses others to rewrite even his own plays. Some of Mee’s works are already a reworking of such plays as “The Bacchae” and “Orestes,” according to the Web site. “Limonade Tous Les Jours” is directed by Jess Wells, who most recently directed “The American Dream” as a part of NC Stage Company's Catalyst Series. Since “Limonade” revolves around a couple, it might be best viewed by cou ples, unless the couple is unwilling to ana lyze their desires and what drives desire. iSefinitely engaging and provoking down to the subconscious, “Limonade Tous les Jours” gloriously delivers a sour kick with a sweet aftertaste. It’s dramatic lines and ramblings are rel ative to us all. “Limonade Tous les Jours” runs through February 19. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. at 35below in the Asheville Community Theatre on 35 E. Walnut Street in downtown Asheville. Tickets are $10. PHOTO COURTESY OF 35BELOW “Limonade Tous les Jours,” now playing at the Asheville Community Theatre’s 35below, explores a love story between an American man and Parisian woman and stars Rob Storrs, UNCA adjunct. Coming soon to 35below; “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” by Frank McGuinness The dance sequence offers the best example of unexpected beauty. The “waiter,” (Cory Boughton) not quite a fully developed char acter climbs up on part of the set as Ya Ya tries on different dresses. Ya Ya finds the right dress, and as she begins to dance with Andrew, the atten dant lip synchs opera. At first laughable, the scene quickly cap tivates, reminiscent of a 1950s musical when spontaneous song and dance were widely accepted means of expression. During scene breaks, a film runs over the backdrop showing the characters around town. A play that confronts Western and Arab tensions and explores the experience of the political hostage. Opening April 7 @ 8p.m. Picnic’s: The place to go if you miss mom’s down-home cooking by Katie Rozycki Staff Reporter It’s hard to miss Picnic’s, the little red barn off Merrimon Avenue. After spending so many trips up and down that road, it is easy to group this small scarlet restaurant jumbled with a myri ad of other businesses. This quaint little eatery is worth a stop if you’re looking for a meal that rivals mom’s. In many cases, the food sur passed expectations and many mothers’ cooking aptitude. The restaurants’ wood-roasted chicken was spectacularly ten der and juicy. Perhaps it did border on greasy, but come on, the messiness is worth it. Marinated with fresh garlic, citrus juices and other spices, the blend added flavor and juici ness to the bird. Picnic’s chicken pot-pie was the real winner. HTITTTTT It even beat their fabulous oven-roast ed chicken. ’em ,V ■/> . IS! CHARLOTTE CLAYPOOLE/staff photographer Picnic’s on Merrimon Ave. offers a wide selection of country cooking at a reasonable price. cheese, the macaroni and cheese is a perfect combination of all essential ingredients. The healthier veggie options were just as good. jjJH Fresh-tasting, crisp kale was a favorite. It cooked Served in an old-fashioned tin, with a thick, flaky crust. Colonel Sanders couldn’t hold a candle to this. Just under the buttery crust was a large portion of extra thick stew, loaded with peas, carrots and large chunks of ultra-tender chicken. Eating this compares to heaven on earth, if you look past the odd gray color of the stew. Their sides were satisfying accompaniments to the chicken, and stand just fine on their own as well. An all-around favorite was the macaroni and cheese, a time- tested, classic recipe. Picnic’s obviously knows how it’s done. Creamy, milky cheese lies in between densely-packed noo dles with crispy cheese on top. Not overdone with too much was well, but still retained its crunchy tex ture, not suc cumbing to sogginess like cooked greens are prone to do. The green beans were unique, with loads of pep per, potatoes and bacon mixed in. Though they were a bit watery,the flavor made up “It took me an hour to eat because it was just so good.” Mary Catherine Grant undeclaredfreshman for it. Two of the less spectacu lar sides are Picnic’s stuffing and Parmesan mashed potatoes. The stuffing was well-flavored but not magnificent. The tex ture erred a little too much on the mushy side and didn’t seem fully cooked. The mashed potatoes were painfully dry, with a bitter fla vor that signaled a little too much parmesan. A selection of assorted breads rounded out the meal. The high light, by far, was the cornbread. Wonderfully soft and sweet, this crumbly con fection melts in the mouth and could easily serve as dessert. Though served with butter, it definitely is not needed. Another option is their cheese biscuit: old-fash ioned dry, crumbly bread with a flakey crust, marbleized with bits of cheese. The cheddar cheese amid the flakes of bread welcome addition to a was a classic southern old standby. Picnic’s has a wide array of mouth-watering desserts to per fectly finish off any meal. From cookies the size of your hand, to rich, creamy cheese cakes, to homemade pies, there’s definitely something for everyone in the dessert depart ment. “You could tell everything we got was homemade,” said Mary Catherine Grant, undeclared fresh man. “It didn’t feel like it was frozen and they just warmed it up.” Words could not describe Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie made with a brownie crust and smooth peanut but- ter cream, topped with melted chocolate, words cannot describe the deliciousness of this pie. “It took me an hour to eat it because it was just so good, I wanted to savor every moment of it,” said Grant. Another well-received cake was their Red Velvet. A large portion, this Red Velvet had three layers of dense chocolate cake packed in between with thick sheets of sweet cream cheese. The cream cheese icing is wonderful. Sweet, creamy, but not too strong, the icing was a perfect accompaniment to the cake. Picnic’s “Death by Chocolate” cake might actually live up to its name. Overwhelmingly chocolatey, most people simply couldn’t handle its intensity. “I can’t really handle that much chocolate,” said Lauren Fox, sophomore psychology student. However, for those who can and gladly will handle amounts of chocolate, by all means go for it. This will serve well. The prices at Picnic’s were just like their food-good on most occasions, with only a few disappointments. Their Reese’s Pie was close to four dol- “You can tell they work hard to serve their customers.” Lauren Fox sophomore psychology student lars for a miniscule portion, but their cakes were satisfying- ly large. Their pot-pie is $5.99, and only two extra dol lars for an addition of a side and insane bread. Their veggie plate is also $5.99, and, with the right choice of sides, this is a great value. If a large group is eating, and you can make a few group deci sions without having to duke it out, the family deals are the way to go. For only $18.99, you get one whole chicken, two large sides and four rolls. An assembly line-like serving area made getting the meal prompt and convenient. There is simply a paneled window over the sides offered, and you can request what you want that way. The whole process made car ryout ordering very efficient. Call-ahead ordering is also welcomed. In fact, anything is welcome in this store. The employees were nothing less than wonderful when deal ing with customers. “You can tell they work hard to serve their customers (well),” said Fox. “Million Dollar! Baby” pulls no punches, swings for the Oscars by Sean David Robinson | Campus Editor L’ Boxing films are a tricky busi ness. Actors hit the weight room for months at a time, injuries are just a poorly-pulled punch away, and creating the illusion of reality can prove costly and ineffective if the director can’t make his audi ence believe that they’re watching a boxing match instead of actors simply pretending. That is, of course, unless yoiit actors are Clint Eastwood, Morgai Freeman and Hillary Swank. Then you get Oscar nominations out the yin-yang. Director and actor Eastwood had exactly this good fortune fall upon his newest creation, “Million Dollar Baby,” nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Picture, Best Actor (Eastwood), Best Actress (Swank) and Best Supporting Actor (Ereeman). Swank deftly delivers a simulta neously heart-warming and heart- wrenching performance in this critically acclaimed film, matched only in brilliance by Eastwood’s remarkable feel for low-key hght- ihg and Freeman and Eastwood's combined natural abilities to ornery curmudgeons. The story itself holds nothing back, but instead swings straight for the heartstrings of every mem ber of the audience. Why tMs is so can’t be known without giving away the ending, but rest assured no one will leave the theater light hearted and whistling after seeing this dramatic masterpiece. Screenwriter Paul Haggis adapt ed the story for “Milhon Dollai Baby” from a set of short stories written by F.X. Toole about aging- boxing coach Erankie Duni (Eastwood) and his newest recniil Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank). The story follows Maggie’s pur suit of boxing glory under the guiding hand of Frankie, who reluctantly agrees to train Maggie, even though she’s 31 years old and, to his chagrin, a girl. After his life-long friend Eddie “Scrap-Iron" Dupris (Morgan Freeman) con vinces Frankie to train Maggie, the two enjoy whirlwind success^j^ across the globe before tragedy befalls the pair, thus beginning the heart-wrenching aspect of the story. The film is a masterfully con- f 5 structed piece that combines ||j,- Eastwood’s proven talent for dark ly-lit shots with his eye for captur- ing human emotion. ot The story itself hinges on the j(], idea that Ae audience isn’t sure whether Frankie \vill train Maggie ^ at all, and then, for how long kc before abandoning her. Eastwood fjg captures the essence of this uncer tainty by placing himself and other characters that help Maggie in- 1(; lighting that only illuminates them )|t} from the chest down, dehumaniz- jti ing them to an extent, but alsO; making their presence seem tern- £3, poral. ?ai As the plot progresses we le^, ran that Frankie really does care p IBr Maggie, and Eastwood corre- 5,5 spondingly alters his lightijlS lehi schemes to reveal more of ® ' characters’ faces with closer, mo« In brightly-lit shots that allow ® 'hii audience to see the permanent ivei and intensity of the boxer’s re u, loir tionship with her coach. A point of contention with tw ver film is a comihon one with toy Eastwood effort: With and commercials- excluded, Jia run-time was just over two ho long. There are no chase scenes spaceship special effects and n pop-tunes to make the time p any faster. . Eastwood’s approach, asjvas case with his am 'an Ca lari ige box ’office J f* “Mystic River,” is to audience to endure the quiet and pleasures of his characters, matter how long it takes. (18 lroi
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