I try to not sweat the small stuff. If I flunk a quiz, I resolve to study harder for the next one. If the wait for food is long, I never fume at the workers. Nonetheless, some of the decisions that I weigh heavily others might regard as trivial. Take my desktop background as an example. Over the last week, I agonized over whether or not Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” would offend anyone sitting behind me. After all, Venus stands sans clothes, clearly portrayed as an attractive goddess of love and beauty. I certainly would harshly consider someone sitting in front of me revealed a desktop of a shirtless Talylor Lauten. On that note, I started wondering where that fine line between the artistic value of the human form and cheap desire lies.
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Archive for the ‘The Play’s the Thing’ Category
SEX and SENSUALITY! That grabbed your attention, right?
Thursday, November 18th, 2010 | Davis SargeantWhy you Should Fight Tooth and Nail for Diwali Tickets
Thursday, November 11th, 2010 | Davis SargeantDiwali, Ashoka’s cultural show dedicated to celebrating the Festival of Lights, is at Edison Theatre this weekend. Friday and Saturday evening shows are sold out, but there are a little over a hundred tickets remaining for Saturday at noon. Why anyone needs persuasion to attend is beyond me, but here are the Top Seven Reasons for seeing Diwali.
7. You’ve got nothing better to do.
Really? You can think of something better to do this weekend than attend Diwali? The “Harry Potter” premiere is next weekend, and it’s not like a few hours less of studying will harm you significantly. Diwali is the best way to relax this weekend.
6. You can brag to the folks at home about how cultured you are.
College has many residual effects; one of them is certainly a higher sensitivity to cultural diversity. Diwali probably gives you a better exposure to South Asian culture than the Indian station in Bear’s Den or watching “Slumdog Millionaire” again (though admittedly it’s still an amazing movie).
5. You’ll fill your quota of lame jokes for the year.
Diwali also features a filler skit between each dance. Last year, the funniest joke consisted of Dopey the Dwarf’s t-shirt reading “Saint Louis University.” Otherwise, the jokes tend to hit the audience like a flat note. Afterward, when discussing the show with your friends, you’ll realize that the puns have a “so-bad-they’re-good” quality, and probably turn one or two of them into an inside joke.
4. Ashoka does a good job giving back to the community.
Diwali is a huge fundraiser for Ashoka, which contributes a lot to St. Louis. Not only do they raise South Asian awareness on campus and the surrounding community through events like Diwali and Holi, they serve Saint Louis through events like Gandhi Day of Service. Your money definitely goes to a good cause.
3. The costumes are amazing.
Before I get flak for being “an insensitive imperialist,” let me specify that a costume is anything intended to be worn on stage. And, yes, these costumes are indeed amazing. As they dance, the colors mesh into a mesmerizing kaleidoscope. Even if you don’t understand dance, like me, you can marvel at the craftsmanship of the traditional South Asian clothing.
2. You know at least 3 performers.
You may be related to Kevin Spacey in six degrees, but it’s a mathematical certainty that one measly degree separates you from someone in Diwali. Come see your friends pull off dance moves you never knew they had. After they amaze you, you’ll never look at them the same way again.
1. It’s fun; I guarantee it.
‘Nuff said.
“On the Verge” Review
Friday, February 26th, 2010 | Student Life Staffby Davis Sargeant, Cadenza Reporter
4.5 out of 5 stars
Theater often presents difficult questions. “On the Verge” is no exception, and it asks several, ranging from how best to accept the future, to “What is life without a luffa?” The production, now in its second and final weekend at the Hotchner Studio Theater, deserves your time, money and consideration. The play follows the expedition of three Victorian women into Terra Incognita, the last frontier of their world. During the first act, they realize their adventure moves forward in time from 1888 onwards. The play’s main appeal is its examination of how these reasonable women perceive and interpret the future as it gradually reveals itself.
The plot always entertains. Three protagonists, Alex, Fanny and Mary (Renae Adams, Catherine Morton, and Ginny Page, respectively) describe themselves as “politopians,” travelers to places unusual, adventuring to collect impressions, record emotions and amass artifacts. After landing in Terra Incognita, “a strange new world,” they discover items like an “I Like Ike” button, a newspaper clipping from 1972 and cream cheese. Simultaneously, they absorb the future’s vocabulary, a mental sensation they dub osmosis. While new words like “Burma Shave” and “Mr. Coffee” delight them, the trio also encounters concepts like “mustard gas.” Along their way, they meet eccentric characters from the future, all played by Matt Rosenthal, whose performance creates some of the most memorable scenes. Eventually, the trio reaches 1955, “the apotheosis of the future,” and must determine the extent of the future they desire to experience.
The soul of “On the Verge” is its outstanding look at language. The three travelers speak in a comedic Victorian manner and respond to new ideas with Victorian reason; an egg beater must be a “marsupial’s unicycle.” The playwright, Eric Overmyer clearly loves the twists and turns language can take, inserting zany phrases like “Jacuzzi J’accuse,” and “Taft, you daft duo!” While the production’s plot and drama will keep you interested, you should attend this play to listen. Overmyer packs the dialogue with puns and allusions in the most unlikely places, such as a greaser who references “Kubla Khan.”
When my parents ask me to define words of today like “tweet,” “holla,” or “The Situation,” I usually cringe. Languages change rapidly; slang often identifies a generation.
While the heroines enjoy some innovations like Cool Whip and resort hotels, new words like “ground zero” and “third world“ rankle their optimism. The three must also reconsider their values, as advances in perceptions, morals and meaning accompany language change. When the trio left 1888, the United Kingdom ruled half the world. English was “the language of Empire.” By 1955, Britain was dismantling its empire to give its former subjects the right to self-determination. As another example, “mustard gas” would sound silly before 1914; the play implicitly asks which of today’s seemingly harmless words will acquire grimmer meanings in the future. The play depicts three women’s struggle to adapt to such rapid transformation.
To properly enjoy “On the Verge,” one must pay rapt attention. The play’s significance lies in its subtleties. The audience sits around the stage, and no angle provides a particular advantage. Be sure to arrive on time. The doors close shortly before the show begins, and you should not miss the first act. “On the Verge” provides an enjoyable two hours that will challenge your relationship to language and its change over time.