The Compass
Thursday, March 21, 2002
9
Arts & Entertainment
CRIMES OF THE HEART
IS A MUST SEE
JAY-Z THE BLUEPRINT:
MTV UNPLUGGED
Jessica Barrier
White_dov@hotmail.com
Missed seeing “Crimes of the
Heart?” Then you’ve committed a crime!
This Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy
written by Beth Henly and directed by
junior Viking Nykki Houston kept audi
ences rolling.
The play was shown nightly at 7:30
from February 20 through the 25 in the
Elizabeth City State University’s Little
theatre.
Nykki Houston was first introduced
to “Crimes of the Heart” when it was
performed at her high school and she
decided to try directing it. Ms. Houston is
a member of the University Choir and the
president of the University Players. She
has acted in two previous ECSU plays:
“Lysistrata” and “Dark of the Moon,” and
has written several one act plays. Last
Spring Houston’s one act play “i brought
her forget-me-nots” was produced during
the one-act plays festival. During the
upcoming festival, April 16 & 17, her one
act play “Lost Funds” will also be per
formed.
“Crimes of the Heart” is a hilarious
play about the reunion of three sisters
who live very different lives. The sisters
are forced to reunite unexpectedly after
Babe,' the youngest sister, shoots her
husband.
The play opens in the Magrath
kitchen in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, in the
fall of 1974, five years after Hurricane
Camille. At the beginning of the play we
find Lenny Magrath, played by Rebecca
Goehring, celebrating her birthday alone
in the kitchen of her grandfather’s house.
Lenny has just turned 30 years old and is
the oldest of the three sisters; she is
quickly becoming an old maid because
she spends most of her time caring for
her ailing grandfather who raised them.
Meg Magrath, played by Julia
Goodman-Todd, is 27 and she is the
middle sister. Meg has been away in
Hollywood trying to become a successful
singer/actress, but her failure in stardom
is nearly as bad as her track record with
men.
Babe Botrelle, played by Kyrstle
Lee, is 24. Babe, is probably the most
eccentric of the three sisters and she
has just shot her husband Zackery
Botrelle in the stomach at the beginning
of the play, and Lenny has sent a tele
gram to Meg asking her to come home.
During the play the sisters’ first
cousin, Chick Boyle, played by Quincina
Uzzell, sporadically annoys the three
sisters. Meg has a fling with an old
flame. Doc Porter who is now married.
Doc Porter is played by Christopher
Figgs. Lenny’s secret personals ad
romance is revealed. Lenny dated a
gentleman named Charlie from Mem
phis, but then abruptly broke up with him
due to fear that he would not want her
because she has shrunken ovaries and
cannot have children. Her sisters con
vince Lenny to make up with Charlie and
she does. Also, Barnette Lloyd, a new
lawyer in town with a personal vendetta
against Zackery Botrelle, becomes
Babe’s defense attorney. Barnette Lloyd
is played by Michael Edwards. Unfortu
nately for Babe, Zackery’s sister hired a
private investigator to follow Babe weeks
before Babe shot Zackery. The private
investigator has taken photos of Babe
having an affair with Willie Jay, a fifteen
year-old boy. This ruins the lawyer’s case
and causes much shame for Babe.
However, the play does end on a good
note as the sisters celebrate Lenny’s
birthday and smear each other’s faces
with icing. There are many funny and
memorable moments in the play such as
when Lenny repeatedly lights a candle
on a cookie and sings “Happy Birthday”
to herself, or when Babe makes lemon
ade with lemons, water, and Coca Cola.
If you have not seen the play you cer
tainly should or at least rent the video
adaptation of the play also called “Crime
of the Hearts,” starring Diane Keaton
(Lenny), Jessica Lange (Meg), and
Sissy Spacek (Babe).
Clayton Mercer
Cnice40@collegeclub.com
Arts & Entertainment Editor
After taking over the hip-hop scene
with his classic The Blueprint, Jay-Z
returned and did the only thing he could
do: a live album. The MTV Unplugged 2.0
series came calling on HOVA and, in
return, made one of the best 13-track live
albums ever recorded in hip-hop.
With The Roots band hitting all the
right notes, the album opens up with a
great rendition of the hit Izzo (HOVA). Jay-
Z then goes into ‘the battle’ as he turns
up the heat for a sly rendition of Takeover,
a song in which he talks about hip-hop
artists Nas and Prodigy of Mobb Deep.
The Roots band includes a sample of
songs by Nas and Mobb Deep and it
blends perfectly with Jay-Z’s rhymes.
Jigga then takes us back to such
hits as Can’t Knock The Hustle (with a
surprise appearance by Mary J. Blige),
Hard Knock Life, and a crowd-pleasing
rendition of I Just Wanna Love You, which
included a special appearence by Tire'*
Neptune’s super-producer Pharrell and '
Roc-A-Fella CEO Damon Dash. '
r* 4'^
The gem on this album is the '
beautiful renditions of songs Cry and
Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love). Soul
t ' O *
singer Jaguar Wright enhances The ‘
Roots’ beats with her silky, smooth voJc^
to the point where Jay-Z is momentarily*
overshadowed. Jay-Z’s rhymes, Wright'‘s
voice, and The Roots seem to blend ' '
together perfectly on this album.
This is the next best thing to actu- '
ally being there live. It is a wonderful''
rendition of a classic album. The inclu-'^'
sion of a live rendition of Jigga That ‘ ‘
N**** and the bonus track People Talktrv^,
makes this live album stand out. As We'"
“1
prepare for the Jay-Z/ R. Kelly album Bitt
of Both Worlds and the release of Blue'- ‘
print 2 scheduled for November, this
album only heightens the anticipation of_
the future.
C-Nice’s Rating: ^ ^ vj^ ^/2
j" I
1 .-V,
Jay-Z.
-photo courtesy ofwww.jay7fanz.com
The Cast of Crimes of The Heart
(Michael Edwards, Quincina Uzzell, Julia Goodman-Todd, Rebecca Goehring, Krystle Lee, and Christopher Figgs.
-photo by Inger Parker ' tC;
USHER’S 8710
Clayton Mercer
Cnice40@collegeclub.com
Arts & Entertainment Editor
After having great success in music
and in Hollywood, Usher has returned
with his third official album 870L After
being put on hold because of the major
demand for the album (some songs were
illegally ‘leaked’ to the public before the
official release date). Usher went back
into the studio and added some songs to
make 8701 even better. While the future
looks bright for the young star, this album
shows maturity and a better appreciation
for the vocal skills of Usher.
The album is full of potential
singles, such as the hit U Remind Me,
which was co-produced by Jimmy Jam
and Terry Lewis for Flyte Time Produc
tions. Usher easily lends his vocals to
this laid-back track that includes a
catchy chorus, which seems to be a
necessary characteristic if an artist
wants a hit today. On U Got It Bad,
Usher’s vocals, though not excepUonal,
shine through. The story told through the
song is easily identifiable and includes
another laid-back beat, produced by So
So Def producer Jermaine Dupri.
Usher picks up the tempo with the
hit single U Don’t Have to Call, produced
by the super-producers The Neptunes.
The track uses The Neptunes’ trademark
sound and Usher effortlessly lends his
vocals. The Neptunes also show up on I
Don’t Know, which also features Sean “P.
Diddy” Combs.
Other songs, including the slow jam
Twork It Out and Separated, help make this
release Usher’s best to date. Critics of his
vocal talent have to be impressed with
his latest offering. Consistently good
tracks and great production make 8701
an impressive album.
C-Nice’s Rating:
Hot V-Tracks
.%»C‘
1. Jay-Z & R. Kelly Honey .. -j
2. State Property Roc the Mic
3. Camron Oh Boy
4. Fat Joe What’s Luv?
.IV-
5. Tweet Oops, Oh My! ' ‘
I*
6. Busta Rhymes Pass the Courvoisier '
7. RoyceDa5’9 Rock City ‘ '‘‘■
8. Mary J. Blige Rainy Dayz '
9. Jahiem Anything 'iZ'
10. Usher U Don't Have to Call ,'i
Check out C-Nice and The Saturday NLght
Jamboree every Saturday at 9pm! Only on ''
WRVS-FM 89.9! ■