Page 8
The Compass
February 12, 19jj
( entekemnment)
ECSU^s Vanities
explores theme of
reality vs. dreams
By Jeanne Leigh
- Although it is billed as a comic
.play, Vanities is as rich in irony
as it is comedy.
The Universi^ Players pre-
" sented Vanities in the Little The
ater January 21-22. Directed by
ECSU’s Zelene Bunch, the play
traces the lives of three young
Texas women, Joanne (Vickie
Webb-Thomas), Kathy (Lynne
Chapman) and Mary (Tracy La
TreUe.) from high school to
eleven years later in York City.
In the opening scene, the girls
are high school cheerleaders, dis
cussing their lives and dreams.
Joanne, the naive one, has set her
■mind on marrying her boyfriend,
Ted, and raising a family. Mary,
everlastingly on the go—espe-
'cially with men—plans to attend
'cdUege as a means of escape.
'Kathy, always organized and al
ways organizing, plans to attend
same college.
: The next scene, set in a sorority
house in the spring of 1968, re
veals that the girls have man
aged to stay together and to
pledge the same sorority. They
■ discuss life, boyfriends and sex
with zest and candor, creating
some of the play’s funniest mo
ments. The scene creates a fine
sense of dramatic tension be
tween Joanne, who is narrowly
conservative, and the freewheel
ing, free spirit, Mary.
Despite the conflicts, the
^women still display affection for
I ^ch other, and the characters
; are well-portrayed and believ
able. At this point in the play, the
actresses have shed the first
night jitters and are into their
roles.
■ The characters present an in
teresting contrast. Joanne lives
in a fairy-tale world in which ev
erything is supposed to remain
constant. Mary is worldly, rest
less, and afraid of commitments
to jobs, men, and to life in gen
eral. Kathy is the planner, who is
very organized; ironically, she
really doesn’t have any clear
plans for herself.
The final scene is set in a New
York City apartment in 1974. In
this scene, Joanne and Mary
meet Kathy at her pleasant
f apartment and discuss what’s
• b^n going on in each other’s
! lives. After drinking quite a bit of
: champagne, the friends show
their true colors. Mary and
' Kathy find out that they have
something in common: Joanne’s
' husband, Ted. The ensuing con-
‘I flict brings the play’s dramatic
I tension to a new level of intensity.
Vanities explores the themes of
' popularity, commitment, and the
conflict between reality and
dreams. From the beginning, the
characters have high hopes for
what life wUl bring them. Mary
begins as an innocent “nice girl”
but ends up as a worldly woman
who has opened her own Erotic
Arts Gallery. Kathy was once an
observer of her two friends, with
no real sense of what she was to
become, but in the final scene she
seems like a woman. Although
Joanne achieves her goals of
housewife and mother, but her
triumph seems bittersweet, at
best, by the play’s end.
Vanities was directed by Ze
lene Mariah Bunch, and pro
duced by Shawn Smith. The stage
manager was Jerome Brothers.
Lighting was by James Gibbs,
and sound by Jonathan Baxley.
Paulette Peterson and Beverly
Johnson were in charge of cos
tumes.
Movie Review
‘Adultery does not psy’
By Lisa Gregory
Fatal Attraction, one of
the most controversial
movie of 1987 is still
going strong in 1988.
The movie conveys powerful
themes of deceit and hate. These
are built aroimd a typical Ameri
can family- husband, wife, child,
and yes, a dog.
The outsider in the movie is
Alex Forest, protrayed by Glenn
Close.
Close, along with Michael
Douglas and Anne Archer, bring
their characters to life. They
transform the silver screen into
an emotional roller coaster.
Carefully planned camera
angles create different
moods and provide
an element of
foreshadow
ing. The
atmos 00
phere
in
Alex’s
home is
cold and
uninviting,
while Beth
and Dan’s home
home seems warm and happy.
The dramatic difference be
tween the two homes is essential
to the unfolding of the plot and
the way the audience perceives
the story. The director’s use of
contrasting images of light and
dark creates a feeling of panic.
The moral lesson presented by
Fatal Attraction is that adultery
does not pay. But the question is,
for whom does it not pay?
Beth is the innocent wife
who falls victim to her
husband’s mistake.
Dan is also
a victim,
but as
a
Fatal Attraction falls short in
one area: it takes a situation full
of typical people and events and
includes an atypical charact
er.
Alex is the typical
“other woman” —
she is sexy,
smart, wit
ty
‘Alex is the typical other
woman...However, she is
inexplicably prone to violet /fe|
of rase and psychotic acriom.**
re
sult
of his
own act
ions. How
ever, Dan is
transformed
from the evil
adulterer into the
hero, and he is allow
ed to correct his mistakes
and go on living a happy life.
and manipulative. However, she
is also inexplicably prone to vio
lent fits of rage and psychotic ac
tions.
Alex is also a victim. Misled
and rejected by a married man,
she is a victim of the societal ex
pectations that a single woman
who is pregnant by a marri^
man should dissapear into thin
air. Most importantly, Alex is a
victim
tim of her own conscience, wUei
drives her to her destructiwi, I
The final lesson demonstratai
by Fatal Attraction is that till
adulterous man, if he is smad
can come out smelling lik6 i
rose. But, the consenting womaoi
especially if a child is involve^
will be scarred for life . . . evei
without a scarlet letter “A" a
her chest.
Vicki Webb-Thomas, Lynne Chapman, and Tracy Godbold were the talented stars of
the University Players’ January production of Vanities. The play was directed by
Zelene Bunch. Photo courtesy of The Daily Advance
Bits
Pieces
200 DOWN, 691 TO (JO...The Admissions Office has an
nounced that the first 200 students have been notified of their
acceptance to the University for the Fall, 1988 Session. Accord
ing to William Byrd, Director of Admissions, ECSU admitted
891 new students for the Fall, 1987 Session, and he hc^>es that
the University will be able to admit at least that many for 1988.
The total enrollment for the fall session was 1591, Byrd said.
MORE ECSU STUDENTS RECEIVE $$$$....Two ECSU stu
dents have been awarded scholarships for the 1987-88 aca
demic year by the American Institute of Certified Public Ac
countants (AICPA). Dorothy J. Riddick and James H.
McMillan are included in the 420 undergraduate and graduate
minority students in accounting selected to receive these
awards. Ms. Riddick received a $1,000 scholarship and Mr.
McMillan received a $500 scholarship. THE AICPA schol
arships are designed to encourage minority members to enter
the accounting profession. Since the program began in 1970,
the AICPA has awarded over $3 million to some 3500 students.
CLARINET RECITAL...A faculty clarinet recital will be pre
sented by Sherrick Hiscock, Professor of Clarinet at ECSU,
March 27 at 3:00 p.m. in the Kermit White Center. Hiscock is a
former clarinet soloist of the United States “President’s Own”
Marine Band from Washington, D.C. Hiscock has performed
in recitals throughout the Unit^ States, Argentina, England
and France. Hiscock will be accompanied by pianist. Dr. Ra
chel Gragson and flutist Judith Messenger Hiscock.
LECTURE SERIES TO BEGIN...The Great Decisions ’88
Lecture Series will be held in the University Center each
Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 noon during Februap' 25-April 24.
ECSU students, faculty and the public are invited to attend
and participate in these vitally important discussions on na
tional and international topics. For more information call ext.
367 or ext. 330.
REID SELECTED FOR PROGRAM.. .Johnny G. Reid, a
junior biology major at Elizabeth City State University, has
been selected to attend Phase I of the Introduction To Biomedi
cal Research Program in Bethesda, Maryland from February
21-27, 1988. The program, which is sponsored by the National
Institute of Health and Infectious Diseases (NIHD), will allow
Reid and other undergraduate students to become familiar
with the laboratory facilities of NIH. Students will also be in
volved in seminars to discuss infectious disease control.
BLOODMOBILE TO VISIT ECSU...The American Red
Cross Bloodmobile will visit the campus of Elizabeth City
State University on Thursday, February 18, 1988, from 10:00
a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the R.L. Vaughn Center. For more in
formation, contact Mrs. Jean Robertson at the University In
firmary at 335-3267.
DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC HOSTS WOODWINDS...ECSU’s
Department of music hosted the 2nd Annual Northeastern
North Carolina Woodwind Clinic February 10. The Music De
partment’s Dr. Sherrick Hiscock conducted a reading session
as part of the woodwind choir rehearsals. High School band
students from 20 Northeastern North Carolina High Schools
participated in the session. Instrumental clinics were given on
each woodwind instrument by the Armed Forces School of Mu
sic Faculty Woodwind Quintet. The clinic concluded with a
concert in Williams Hall Gymnasium.
ECSU NEEDS MORE MEN...According to the Admissions
Office, the University is in need of more male students. About
60% of the University’s students are female, according to Ad
missions Director William Byrd. “Who are the woman on cam
pus going to marry?” Byrd laughed. Byrd is asking that ECSU
students get involved in the recruiting process by becoming a
friend of the Admissions Office. For more information, contact
the Admissions Office.
SOCIAL WORK MAJORS ON THE GO...The University’s
social work majors will be going to Norfolk State University
March 3 to hear noted author Andrew Billingsly. Billingsly is
well-known for his social work focusing on the black family.
LECTURE SERIES BEGINS...The Great Decisions *88 Lec
ture Series will be held in the University Center each Thursday
from 11 a.m. to 12 noon during February 25-April 14. ECSU
students, faculty and the public are invited to attend and par
ticipate in these vitally important discussions on national and
international topics. For additional information call ext. 367 or
ext. 330.
FAIR PLANS ANNOUNCED...ECSU wUl host its annual
Science Fair for Public Schools March 11. For more details,
contact the Biology Department.
ESSAY CONTEST TO BE HELD...The U.S. Constitution Bi
centennial Committee is organizing an essay contest on the
U.S. Constitution to be held in March. The best essay will earn
a $25 award. For more information, contact Dr. Naginder
Dhillon in the Department of Social Sciences.
FIGHTING AIDS...The ECSU chapter of the Student Asso
ciation of Social Workers has announced the theme for Social
Work Month, coming up in March. The theme: “Aids, We Need
to Know, We Need to Care.” The purpose of social awareness
month is to educate the public with information for self-protec
tion against Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and to
help the public understand how the disease affects the lives of
patients and those around them. The theme is also designed to
help the public understand how the disease affects the lives of
AIDS victims those around them and to help offset unfounded
fears and discrimination against AIDS victims.
ECSU STUDENT RECEIVES $$$$$$ Mr. Ervin Williams
of Miami, Flonda, a senior Music Industry Major in the ECSU
apartment of Music, has received a $1,000 Scholarship
Award from the National Association of Music Merchants,
illiams will receive both an engraved plaque and national
® ^^=heon this summer in Atlanta during the
NAMM International Music and Sound Expo. For informatioD
concerning music industry scholarships and career opportuni
ties, call Dr. S. Hiscock at 335-3361 or 335-3359.