Page 8
The Behrend Beacon
xperience
strengthens Little Shop’
preview by Daniel J. Stasiewski
managing editor
Dr. Christine Mangone sums up her experi
enee thus tar with four words. "It's an amazing
Mangone. the production's director and a lec
turer in theater, is current!) working with 13
members of the campus community to bring to
life the musical tale of a young man who uses
an alien plant to get the attention of his dream
girl.
"The show requires such hard work and the
entire east has risen to the occasion." said
Mangone.
The hardworking east features veterans of
community theater companies, choir groups and
high school drama clubs. Most notable are the
show's star-crossed lovers. Seymour and
Audrey, played by Behrend Drama Club presi
dent Steve O'Donnell. HSTBA 06. and Beth
Bohun. COMBA 04, respectively.
O'Donnell said he has been doing musical the
ater since he was 14 years old. but the role of
Seymour, the young mun who finds the plant, is
an important one in his acting history.
"This is by far the biggest role I've had in my
whole life,” said O’Donnell. The number of
songs and the amount of stage time is the most
he's ever taken on.
O'Donnell isn’t unfamiliar with the Studio
Theatre. The thespian has participated in the
One Act Plays and Improv Nights as part of the
Behrend Drama Club, and has acted in Romulus
Linney's two-part play "Sand Mountain" for
previous Studio Theatre director Tony Elliot.
Bohun. who stars opposite O'Donnell as
Seymour's love interest. Audrey, is an experi
enced performer as well. An Erie Playhouse
player. Bohun says her voice is what makes her
a star.
“Apparently I'm a pretty good singer from
feedback I've received." said Bohun.
Apparently both O'Donnell and Bohun are
both pretty good singers. Fellow east mate and
another seasoned performer, Jenna Gregory,
DUS 02. said she was nearly brought to tears
when she first heard O'Donnell and Bohun's
version of the production's most popular song,
"Suddenly Seymour." Gregory plays Patricia
Martin, a role she describes as small.
But the other members of the cast don’t write
off Gregory's role, or any other role for that mat
ter. When it comes to doing a production as
elaborate as “Little Shop of Horrors,” the en
tire cast must work together to make the show a
success
Take "the trio.” for example. Tamarra
McDowell, HD 04: Dennys Franklin. BCBUS
04; and Tana/. Balaporia, DUS 02, play the roles
of Ronette, Crystal and Chiffon, respectively.
The three performers participate in practically
every one of the show 's musical numbers and
have developed a strong friendship because of
that. The trio believes no one would ever guess
they weren't always as close as they are today.
Jet takes retro to new level with ‘Get Born’
by Greg Smith
contributing w'riter
Amid the resurgence of retro-stvled, neo-garage
bands like The Strokes and The Vines there has been
serious doubt as to whether these bands will have
any real lasting impact on the world of music.
Unlike boy bands and other assorted Top 40
music, these grungy rockers play their own
instruments and write their own tunes, but cynics
out there still stand tall and say. "Rock is Dead.”
Are these bands anything more than a passing fad?
If the new Aussie rock band Jet can somehow be
representative of this throwback genre, lets hope it
sticks around for a while.
The four-piece, Melbourne-bred band mixes it up
on its major-label debut "Get Bom,” Jet wields rock
guitar power and vocals that can make your throat
hurt just by listening to half of the album’s tracks.
The other half supplies musical ease that is delivered
quite successfully. The result: a roller coaster of
power and emotion, evoking some of the great rock
bands of years passed.
Like some tried and true British bands from rock
’n’ roll’s glory days (AC/DC and The Kinks, to name
a couple). Jet consists of a set of brothers, Nic (guitar
and vocals) and Chris Cester (drums and vocals).
Backed up by guitarist Cameron Muncey and bassist
Mark Wilson. Jet is the most promising of the retro
bands to emerge so far. Why. you may ask? The
answer lies in the band member’s upbringing, when
they were steeped in rock ’n’ roll music from the
beginning, ignoring popular phases like grunge.
"I couldn’t stand the stuff (grunge),” said Nic, on
the band’s Web site. “To me that was real slit your
wrists music. It didn't relate to this idea of rock ’n’
roll I had in my head. These guys (grunge bands)
were taking music somewhere I didn’t want to go.”
Jet wears its influences openly and proudly on its
collective sleeve, bringing out Rolling Stones and
musica
Despite the trio’s special bond, the entire cast
has developed a relationship all its own.
“We're just play off of each other, giving each
other compliments all the time,” said Francis
Hayes, CMDIS 04, who plays the shop owner
Mr. Mushnick.
Mangone, who doesn’t perform in the produc
tion, sees it from a different, but more enthusi-
astic perspective.
“We have so much work to do but I’m happy
with the work the actors and musicians are do
ing," said Mangone. “They’ve really taken own
ership of it.”
Mangone also said the cast is so great that her
role as music director and director wasn’t as dif
ficult as it could have been. During practices,
some students played the piano in Mangone’s
place and Dr. John Champagne, Associate Pro
fessor of English, took on the role of vocal
coach.
Champagne also plays the sadistic dentist,
Orin Scrivello, D.D.S, a role that was performed
by Steve Martin in the 1986 film version of the
stage musical.
If “Little Shop of Horrors” is a success,
Mangone hopes that she will be able to obtain
funding for a musical director for future pro
ductions.
Right now, however, Mangone is concerned
with telling the story like it was meant to be
told, as a simple relationship between two
people that goes wrong. That, according to
Mangone, is "the soul” of the production.
“Little Shop of Horrors" was performed on
March 26, 27 and 3! and April 1-3 at 8 p.m in
the Studio Theatre. Addtionalperformances will
he on March 28 and April 4 at 2 p.m.
Faces-styled rhythms and riffs on "Get Bom.” The
album opens with a bang in “Last Chance” and is
followed up by the radio-friendly “Are You Gonna
Be My Girl,” which, unless you’ve been hidden
away for the last three months, you’ve probably
heard once or twice (the song gained airplay on a
TV spot for Apple’s iPod). Such a hit certainly came
as a surprise to the band, they wrote the tune “Radio
Song” about the thought that Jet would probably
never get much mainstream recognition. But with
all the airplay and a recent spot on “Saturday Night
Live,” Jet is, dare I say, flying high.
The album’s ninth track, “Cold Hard Bitch,” is
yet another reminder the Aussie boys can rock with
anyone on the scene today. But in sharp contrast to
the loud guitars, Jet showcases a couple of beautiful,
mellow tracks on the album, featuring Nic Cester’s
wonderful easy voice, a surprising alternative to his
otherwise blazing vocal efforts. “Look What You’ve
Done” and “Come Around Again” show the second
dimension of the band, but perhaps the standout
track on the album is “Move On,” which evokes
The Stones’ best melodic efforts, tossing in Keith
Richards-like riffs near the end of the song for a
fantastic climax. Overall, “Get Born” is an
extremely solid effort, and one of my personal
favorite releases of 2003.
The band continues to gain notoriety throughout
the world for its energetic first album,even receiving
an offer from The Rolling Stones to open the
Australian leg of their tour. With “Get Bom,” Jet
proves that they have the potential to be more than
just a passing fad. Maybe rock ain’t deadjust yet.
Greg Smith is a regular contributor to the Behrend
Beacon His music reviews and commentary have
appeared in the arts and entertainment section
since the fall 0f2003. This article appeared in the
Jan. 23 issue.
Friday, April 30, 2004
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