Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Oct. 28, 1996, edition 1 / Page 5
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Bath} Jar Uppl 4 Becket’ slow but powerful ■ Two strong lead actors make the Lab! play a sucessful probe of ambition. The Lab! Theatre’s second produc tion, Jean Anouilh’s “Becket,” deals with strong issues of love and duty. However, three hours is more than enough time for ; the plot to be mired in historical detail. Despite the length of the play, the production is . distinguished by the strength 1 of its two lead ing men. The 'intense friend- SCOTT WHITTIER | Theater Review Lab! Theatre Graham Memorial - ship between Becket and King Henry II -.,and the eventual destruction it causes are Lthe themes of “Becket.” £j Tally Sessions gives an amazing per formance as Becket, the Archbishop of ; Sessions’ dramatic strength gis a welcome surprise. His hyperactive 'comedic roles in “Kiss Me Kate” and -*“As You Like It” were no indication of . nhe reality he creates in this serious and role. Classical guitarist gives masterful, diverse performance <J In desperate onside kick situations in .football, the defense often inserts what is *;known as their “hands team,” comprised -of wide receivers and defensive backs jwith nimble •'hands and -quick reflexes. Were he 20 •or so years ;younger and perhaps a little BRENT SIMON Concert Review Christopher Parkening Memorial Hall, UNC ■heavier, Christopher Parkening could 'well be on the football field instead of the concert stage; his performance Saturday .evening confirmed his status as one of the world’s pre-eminent classical guitarists. advertisement [University of North Carolina| STUDENT REP NIKE will be here next week to find the next UNC NIKE student rep. It could be you ... if you love sports and have unlimited energy and creativity. Interested? Send something to that sets you apart. Classes for December Exams Begin Soon! LSAT Oct. 28 GMAT Nov. 26 [MIL? ®0®B) HI begins November 3rd! Space is limited! For More Information Call 493-5000 or 1-800-KAP-TEST KAPLAN ; 'llf' ~ Hw 4* . -. i£ iZffltmjßm . _ DTH/MARGO HASSELMAN Tally Sessions, as Becket in the Lab! Theatre's performance of 'Becket' prays to God for guidance to fight off the temptation to become a martyr. 'Becket' runs in the basement of Graham Memorial through Tuesday. Mac Rogers brings incredible energy to the character of Henry, although at times the king’s sudden mood swings are difficult to convey. It is refreshing to see Rogers play something other than the brooding intellectual, a role that has be come familiar to him in plays like “Intifada” and “The Shadow Box.” Rogers hasn’t displayed this level of in tensity since his first role as a freshman in “Holy Ghost.” The large ensemble cast fails to sup Joined by the all-female Colorado Quartet, the 48-year-old Parkening dis played his enormous musical skills in a two-hour concert, the first performance in the 1996-97 Carolina Union Perform ing Arts Series. Physically appearing like a cross between Bill Pullman and Jimmy Johnson, Parkening exhibited a wide timbral range, careMy and deliberately coaxing sound after amazing sound from his instrument. Whether on solos or with the strong cello accompaniment of Diane Chaplin, Parkening held the audience’s attention with his rapidly moving fingers, carrying them through a playlist that often called port the two leads. Aside from a few good performances, the horde of extras is marked by overacting. There are 18 people in this show and plenty is going on; there is no need to mug and smile and indicate every thought just because your character doesn’t have any lines. Jack Dillon, the director of “Becket,” deserves both criticism and praise. There are justtoo many people in this cast. The extras are disjointed, the play is long and there is a slow-motion climax that fails to for alternating slow and fast rhythms. At absolutely no point in the evening did anyone bellow, “Play some Skynyrd!” The performance was also a musical journey of sorts, spanning music written in the late 1500s, to Antonio Vivaldi’s three-movement “Concerto in D Ma jor,” to a modem-day composition writ ten by Andrew York especially for Parkening. While Parkening’s mastery was clearly the focal point of the evening, members of the Quartet also had the chance to flex their solo talents on Alberto Ginastera’s compact, discordantly Hitchcockian “Quartet Number 2." Using a beautiful Josd Ramirez guitar, Parkening returned from the interims Your most complete source jr . for quality laboratory glassware \ si ARTS be climactic. However, the casting of Sessions and Rogers in roles that are so different from their theatrical tendencies is a stroke of genius. Both actors have stretched their talents, resulting in excep tional performances. If you love English history, have three hours to kill or want to see Mac and Tally do something really different and good, go see “Becket.” There are three more shows, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. today and at 5 p.m. Tuesday. sion with several consecutive strong pieces. He played two highly emotive, Spanish blues-flavored numbers by Bra zilian composer Heitor Villa Lobos and laid into the fast-paced Middle Eastern rhythms of Carlo Domeniconi’s “Koyunbaba” with a passion that clearly reflected his love of the music. There’s a base thrill in watching Chris topher Parkening play it’s fabulous to see someone who is quite obviously the best in his field. But it’s also interesting to view the music through his body lan guage, to watch as he elucidates meaning and emotion from each composition. And his boyish charm and finely sculptured hair don’t hurt either. Olympic flame brightens fall Clef Hangers concert ■ The all-male a cappella group delivered laughs and harmonies Friday night. As Dean Smith carried a replica of the Olympic torch into Memorial Hall on Friday night, the crowd knew they were in for a special event. The UNC basket ball god was welcomed by roars, cheers and a standing ovation as he announced, “Let the games begin.” What was Smith doing out of the Dean Dome? He was introduc ing the Clef Hangers, who celebrated their 20th An- |kellybrewington| Concert Review UNC Clef Hangers Memorial Hall nual Fall Concert with the spirit of the Olympics. The Clefs released their boyish humor and playful theatrics in the skits they performed between songs, poking fun at the 1996 summer Olympic announcers, various Olympic events and mocking the always-sappy success stories featured in Olympic commentary. While these skits bordered on silly, they were well-done little asides that the audience undeniably enjoyed. But what the Clefs did best was sing. The group went through a diverse list of 21 songs ranging from oldies to contem porary and popular tunes to funny im provisations. Each song was performed with powerful expressive voices in a va riety of ranges: tenors, basses and bari tones. For the first half the Clefs sang dressed in their traditional outfits of bow ties and vests adorned with buttons. Af ter intermission they dressed in tailed tuxedos. One of the most powerful moments wasthegroup’smemorialtoformermem ber Bradley Ross King, who died in a car accident this summer. The group sang “Go Rest on That High Mountain,” lead by J.B. Baker. They gave an emotional rendition and powerful performance that received a standing ovation. The Clefs opened with the ’Bos tune “Africa,” a solid beginning to an enter taining evening. They were humorous and witty in nearly all of their songs. In “Happy Birthday,” they put a clever spin on an everyday tune. In “Barbara Ann” UNC-Chapel Hill Monday, October 28,1996 the Clefs added their own rendition of the Spanish dance craze, the Macarena, welcomed by roars of laughter from the audience. When the Clefs did their improvised dance and amusing asides they put a twist on their clean cut, boy next door images and showed their individual charming personalities. In “Gangsters Paradise,” the group changed the song into an hysterical, play ful number that mocked Duke and N.C. State University and called it “Tar Heel Paradise.” While I can’t say that the Clefs should quit a cappella and switch to rapping anytime in the near future (I’m sure Coolio would agree with me), they defi nitely made an entertaining and clever try. Still, the audience was filled with Clef groupies who adored their upbeat, play ful songs such as “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Fresh," and they cheered in appreciation after every song. The audience also loved their slow and more serious tunes, and I was im pressed by the range of their voices on different selections. I especially liked Greg Poarch’s deep, projecting voice on “Faithfully.” Songs such as “Someone Else’s Star,” featuring junior Jerod Kirby, and “Ave Maria” demonstrated the group’s depth and ver satility. For the finale, the Clefs recognized the 50 Clef alumni in the audience and invited them on stage to perform, singing “In Close Harmony,” which was written by Tristan Bishop and arranged by Brannon Wiles, both 1991 UNC gradu ates. The group sang the alma mater, joined by the audience, and ended with “A Parting Blessing,” and received yet an other standing ovation. The unity of the Clef Hangers on stage was a touching way to end a great performance. Before I had seen firsthand the fervor of the audience, I was not aware that the Clef Hangers were such a phenomenon. I had never attended one of their con certs, nor was I familiar with their his tory. However, at the end of their sold-out performance I understood their appeal and was truly taken with their humor—. and of course with their wonderful voices. 5
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Oct. 28, 1996, edition 1
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