Page 6
THE COMPASS
—si
Thursday, October 17,1991 [
ENTERTAINMENT
lite
/
T re (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is devastated after the killing of fiis friend Rickey
(Morris Chestnut). Tre reveals his pain in a scene with his girlfriend
Brandi (Mia Long).
Photo courtcsy of Colunibia Pictures
Players to present
Dracula early Nov.
By Robert Wilkins
The University Players, Elizabeth
City State University’s drama troupe,
will present the comedy-thriller
Dracula on Nov. 6,7,8and 10,1991.
The play will be performed each eve
ning at 8:00 p.m. in the Little Theatre,
located beside the G.R. Little Library
on campus,
Dracula, based on Bram Stoker’s
nineteenth century novel, is a witty
version of the story of a suave vampire
whose passion is sinking teeth into the
throats of attractive young women.
Professor Van Helsing tries to save
Dracula’s latest victim, Mina. Can he
do it? Or will the pretty Mina also turn
into a vampire?
The Player’s production, being
directed by Shawn Smith, offers a fine
cast of student and alumni actors. The
title role will be played by newcomer
Trone Gibbs, an ECSU freshman from
Elizabeth City. Vincent M. Smith, a
senior business major from Merritt,
N.C., will portray Van Helsing. Swift
last appeared with the Players as
Bynum in Joe Turner’s Come and
Gone.
Senior art major Stephanie Crouial
will appear as Dracula’s prey, Mina.
No stranger to the Little Theatre stage,
Stephanie has performed major roles
in Hedda Gabler and The Lion in Win
ter. Mina’s boyfriend, Jonathan
Harker, will be played by senior
Play Preview
marketing major DelPotter. . _
Chester Dunton, remembered for
his portrayal of Seth Holly in Joe
Turner's Come and Gone, will play
Dr. Arthur Seward, headmaster of the
asylum for the insane. Returning to
the Players after several years is Joyce-
lyn Proctor as Dr. Seward’s some
what daffy sister, Sybil. Joycelyn has
previously performed with the Play
ers as Madge in Picnic and Abigail in
The Crucible.
Rounding out the cast are Tom
Williams as Renfield, a schizophrenic
inmate, Roda D. Riddick as Miss
Hennessy, the housekeeper; and Bruce
Boyd as Wesley, an asylum attendant,
Lisa L. Gregory is serving as assis
tant director and Jerald D. Robertson
II is production manager. Sets, light
ing and special effects are being de
signed by James Gibbs and Randy
Berry. Susan Mahaffey is the costu
mer.
Admission for Dracula is $3.50
for the general public, $ 1.50 for ECSU
faculty and staJff and $ 1.00 for ECSU
students. Tickets may be purchased at
the door on the evening of perform
ance.
For additional information regard
ing the production, phone the Univer
sity Players’ office at 335-3436
(campus extension #436).
Rose Riddick (left), Tom Williams (kneeling) and Vincent Swift will
appear in the University Players’ production of Dracula Nov. 6,7,8 and
10. Riddick will appear as Miss Hennessey: Williams as Renfield; and
Swift as Henrich Van Helsing. Phcobyj-ifcR.*™
BoyzNTheHood: a searing glimpse
into shadow of the American Dream
By Ursula McMillion
On the big screen today some films
are more than just entertainment; they
resonate with crucial messages about
the society that we live in. BoyzNThe
Hood, the feature film writing and
directing debut of 23-year-old John
Singleton, is such a film. Singleton
signed with the well-known Creative
Artists Agency while still a student at
the University of Southern Califor
nia,
The film opens with two stagger
ing statistics: ‘One out of 21 Black
males will be murdered in their life
time’ and ‘Most of them will be killed
by other Black Males,’ and a shot of a
symbolic stop sign.
This powerful drama focuses on
the life of three friends growing up in
South Central Los Angeles. The
audience meets these characters when
they are young boys but the story
primarily deals with their late teenage
years. The film, according to South
Central LA native, Singleton, is prin
cipally about “boy s turning into men. ”
Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is
being raised by his father. Furious
Styles (Larry Fishbume). Tre has
befriended the neighboring Baker
family boys. Doughboy (Ice Cube)
and Ricky (Morris Chestnut) who do
not have a father in the home.
These threecharacters’ lives—Tre,
Doughboy and Ricky—are shaped by
either the presence or absence of fa
thers in their daily routines and the
values of proper parenting. Ultimately,
Tre ends up at Morehouse College
and his friends end up murdered on
the streets of South Central LA.
“The film has a lot of messages in
it,” says Singleton, “but my main
message is that African-American men
have to take more responsibility for
raising their children, especially their
boys.”
Singleton employs some vividly
shocking scenes in the film such as
young boys discovering a decayed
corpse—a victim ofashootout—while
playing, babies walking in the streets
while their drug addicted mothers offer
sexual favors for vials of crack and
police holding guns to the head of
young people for no reason.
The film develops the father fig-
iu"e. Furious, who espouses on man
hood, coopera tiveeconomics,theU.S.
Movie Review
messages in it, but
African-American men
responsibility for raising
especially their boys”
boy), Donovan McCrary (Ricky
/-I 7 1 . r 10) and Kenneth A. Brown (Chris
The film has a lot of n).
, The screenplay and direction
my main message is that
have to take more
their children,
Director John Singleton
Boyz N The Hood
military and other hardships which
plague the African-American com
munities. His conversations with Tre
shout the importance of the father to
young men.
Furious holds several intimate
conversations with Tre during his
adolescent years focusing on the role
of the father as “King” and the son as
“Prince.” Topics such as sex, house
hold duties and Furious’s personal
experiences of racism are revealed
through these dialogues. “Any fool
with a dick can make a baby, but only
a man can raise his children,” Furious
tells Tre.
Furious also criticizes the U.S.
Armed Forces for being unfair to
African-American men, citing his per
sonal experiences i n the V ietnam War.
To illustrate the way African-
American communities are oppressed
in the United Slates, Furious taJces Tre
and Ricky during their teenage years
to the Compton, CA community,
which is virtually off limits to mem
bers of the South Cenu-al LA crew, to
show them abillboard advertising real
estate invesunents. As gang members
and others in the community approach.
Furious lectures about the system of
oppression in the United States. He
charges that powerholders have
planted liquor stores and gun stores on
each comer in African-American
communities to ensure that people
will get drunk and turn the guns on
one another.
The movie, shot entirely on loca
tion in South Central LA, illuminates
another side of this society—the lives
of the people who live in the shadows
of the American Dream. The film is an
ironic mixture of commonplace and
the gruesome and grotesque.
During the production of the film
the “LA Hood” gang meml>ers ob
jected to actors wearing colors of other
street gangs, police cars speed by in
hot pursuit and police helicopters
circled nearby houses.
The acting in the film was strong
and believable. Key performances
were given by Nia Long as Brandi
(Tre’s girl friend), Tyra Ferrell as Mrs.
Baker (mother of Doughboy and
Ricky), Angela Bassett (Reva Styles,
mother of Tre), Redge Green (Chris,
paralyzed friend of Tre, Doughboy
and Ricky), Desi Amez Hine II (Tre at
10), Baha Jackson (younger Dough-
this enlightening drama were exi
lent. Writer and director, John Singli
ton tells a poignant story about il]
community in which he was rai:
He aims to give a realistic picture t
South Central Los Angeles, whicj
has a reputation for being poor, vij
lent, drug-ridden.
Singleton’s script points out hoi
the media has distort^ the image (
the community, and shows that goo
people do come out of the it. He hi
manizes the community by portraj
ing those who must endure this da)
to-day confusion and violence an
who don’t get their stories on the
p.m. news casts.
Three member of a South Centij
Los Angeles gang served as consuli
ants to Singleton and the actors. The
contributed an exceptional degree o
assistance in wardrobe, realistic dia
logue and inflections. Other credii
include Steve Nicolaides, produce
(Stand By Me and Misery), Charle
Mills, cinematograghy (DaysofThm
der) and Stanley Clarke, musical scoi
{Return to Forever).
Boyz N The Hood is a Columbi
Pictures presentation.
I;
ik
Furious (Larry Fishbume), Tre and Doughboy relax on the porch of ai
L.A. home in John Singleton’s powerful film, Boyz in the Hood.
Pboto courtesy of Columbia Picbi
Boyz album reflects film’s mood, themes
By Tarsha White
A trend has developed of black
films that are straightforward and
streetwise-films like Spike Lee’sDo
the Right Thing and Mario Van
Peebles’ New Jack City. This trend
has also resulted in an important new
role for soundtrack recordings. They
now must match the energy of the
visuals with music taken direcdy from
the world these new talents are por
traying.
The latest and perhaps most excit
ing evidence of this trend, is the sound
track todirec tor John Singleton’s criti
cally acclaimed film, Boyz N The
Hood. The soundtrack was released
by Qwest Records, a subsidiary of
A&R, under the supervision of Roaul
Roach. Roach, the A&R Vice Presi
dent in charge of QwestRecords, made
his entry into movie music working
with Quincy Jones on The Color
Purple. He became involved withSin-
gleton’s project at an early stage.
“In late 19901 had a chance to read
the script,” Roach explained, “and I
started writing temporary notes and
cues right on the pages as I went
along. To me, the inteiit of John’s
film, its heart and soul, was evident
from the very first scene. I knew the
music would have to capture that same
kind of authenticity. The film says,
simply, ‘Take a look around.’ The
soundtrack says, ‘Seewhatyouhear.’”
The Boyz N The Hood album in
cludes new material written especially
for the screen by rapper Monie Love
(“Work It Out”), Tony! Tone! Toni!
Album Review
(“Me and You”), newcomer Yo Yo
(“Mama Don’t Take No Mess”) and
the controversial 2 Live Crew
(“Hangin ’ Out ”). It also features music
by Quincy Jones (“Septembro”) and
Tevin Campbell (“Just Ask Me To”).
Several songs contain exphcit lyr
ics. “Every Single Weekend” by KAM
is a vivid song that addresses the
movie’s central themes and makes a
powerful statement about Black stere
otypes and problems. It also drama
tizes one of the fUm’s central con
cerns—Black on Black crimes.
“Hangin’ Out” by the 2 Live Crew
is typical of the group’s style, al
though its lyrics are less harsh and
shocking than those of other 2 Live
Crew songs. Most Wanted, a Comp
ton-based group, adds “Growin’ Up
In The Hood” a song similar to those
of 2 Live Crew. It describes how rough
life can be in South Central Los
Angeles and the effects of poverty in
a Black society. Roach says it is an
other example of keeping the “street
feel” real. This track has been ear
marked as one of the album’s two
initial single and video releases. Tevin
Campbell’s “Just Ask Me To” is the
other.
In “It’s Your Life” Too Short
sounds like a cross between Bootsy
Collins and George Clinton. It is a
song about the effects of crack and
other drugs on people.
Stanley Claik’s “Black On Black
Crime” begins by asking why is it that
there is a gun-shop on almost every
comer. The song answers this ques
tion by saying it’s because “they”
want us to kill ourselves.
The song reflects the film’s honest
and unflinching approach to the prob
lem of Black on Black violence.
Rapper Ice Cube also addresses the
violence found in Los Angeles’ South
Central section in “How To Survive
In South Central. ” Ice Cube makes his
acting debut in Boyz N The Hood as
well.
“Just A Friendly Game of Base
ball” by Main Source is a rap song that
compares the “fast life” with a game
of baseball in which the police are the
umpires and the kids are players. This
song brings a timely indictment of
police brutality.
‘Too Young,” is an up-tempo song
by the teenaged group Hi-Five, who
scored ahit with “The Kissing Game.”
Hi-Five uses singing as well as rap
ping by group members in this song. It
is different from other Hi-Five songs
in that it deals with adult subject mat
ter. The music is different also be
cause it sounds more like hip hop than
R&B. The song shows life as viewed
by a younger person, who says that he
is too young to even try to get his point
across although he is mature and in
telligent enough to make decisions.
Force One Network is an Oakland-
based group Roaul Roach describes
as “a hip hop version of Earth, Wind,
& Fire.” Their song, “Spirit (Does
Anybody Care?)” combines hip hop
energy mixed with classic soul,” he
says. The song’s thought-provoking
lyrics cover the theme of brotherhow
a theme echoed in Tevin Campbell
“Just Ask Me To.” Campbell is tf
phenomenal 14-year-old whosedebi
album is being produced by Al i
Sure for Qwest Records. “Just A'
Me To” will also be released c
Campbell ’ s album. The song explon
one of the movie’s themes—^ii
there for your friends in times of nee
Yo Yo’s “Mama Don"’t Take N
Mess,” which is based on an o'
Commodores tune,revealsthe singer
rapping talents. Her style mixes u
with hard soul music and R&B.
“Work It Out” by Monie Love is
fast-paced song with an interestit
beat. The lyrics are in the high spei
reggae-style which is Monie Love
trademark.
“Septembro” by Quincy Jones
one of the two slower-paced R&
songs on the album. This song wi
composed especially for the tragi
scenes of the movie, and is mosll
instrumental. The other R&B numh
isTony! Tone! Toni!’s“Meand You
It takes the listener’s mind off of it
problems that are presented on it
soundtrack for awhile and adds fl
mantic feeUng. \
Overall, the soundtrack lo Boyz j
The Hood is gioat Although many
the songs contain explicit lyrics tlK 1
deal with the serious problem of Bla( [
on Black crimes. (
This album is excellent not ori
l>ecause its songs deal with real U
problems, but also because the mus
is outstanding and well worth lisK*
ing to
■ I
Crouail's art shov^ expresses sadness, beauty
By Sharon Chappell
Stephanie Crouail, a senior art
major from La Rochelle, France, dis
played her senior art in the Johnson
Hall art gallery Oct. 2 through 11.
The facial features on Crouail’s
drawings were exceptionally well
done. Technically speaking, the shad
ows and highlights could not have
been better. The hair of each person,
however, in contrast, was drawn very
simply as if not to compete with the
face.
TTie drawing of the old face was
Art Review
especially interesting. It was impos
sible to tell if the face was male or
female, but the age was obvious. Once
again the eyes conveyed a message—
sensitive intelligence appealing for
understanding.
Crouail’s pottery commanded at
tention in a more subtle way. Each
piece was dark without much color.
Several of the vases looked like their
contents had overflowed, spilling
partially done the sides. Because of
the inherent sadness in the otherpieces,
the effect of the “spills” was like view
ing tears.
Stephanie’s work had a beautiful
but sad quality. In her art show bro
chure she explained that to her “eve
rything in life is beautiful, especially
sorrow, because it exposes someone’s
soul.”
Crouail’s largest painting was a
visual demonstration of this philoso
phy of color. It consisted of five pan
els. Several sad faces looked out from
the surface of the panel. In one comer
a child with fearful, anxious eyes was
looking through a fence. He looto
forlorn as if he was about to give u
And yet the scene was obvious
not real. The skin of each face w
made up of individual brush strokesi
different colors—red, green,
bill
yellow and orange. The eyes w0
drawn more realistically except
the colors used. The eyes were eitl
red or teal green.
Crouail used this technique fof
ofherpaintings. Only a few faces t>
dark blue eyes.
Crouail achieved her aim
beauty and sensitivity.