OCR Text |
Show --------------------~••=1~01$0•~··~-------------------THE THUNDERB1RD•SOUTHERNUTAHUNIVERSITY·MONDAY, MAY 2, 1994 · PAGE 9 'Me, My Girl' a festival of fun Singing, dancing and ghosts are but a few charms of this play THEATRE REVIEW BY BEN WEST Thunderbird Staff Correspondent From the first note of the first song it is obvious that the SUU theatre and dance department's production of Me and M)' Girl is an ambitious undertaking. Yet after attending the production, one rests secure in the belief that it is a task to which the cast and crew are well matched. This musical's humor is buoyant and rambunctious, the actors' performances are hype r-kinetic and equal to the demands of a scri pt which revels in its fast-paced fun. Singing and dancing, cascades of balloons, and several ghosts (who both sing and dance, but don't pass out balloons), are but a few of the charms of this production.Alone, each of these things would be difficult to manage, but in Me and M)' Girl they fo llow one another with machine-gun rapidity, and are pulled off with more than a little success. On opening night, there were the few technical d ifficulties which a re to be expected: minor adjustments, at first, to the sound system, a lamppost which obstructed the closing of a curtain, and a wig that nearly abandoned Lady Jacqueline midway through the song "You Would If You Cou ld." Thinking on her feet, however, Marilyn Alldredge, who plays Lady)., managed to simply incorporate this mishap into her smutty seduction attempt. Each cast member, from Brian Vaughn as Bill Snibson, to Tiffany South as Sally Smith, displays a sense of comfon with their lines (and bodies, during the dances) that makes this production a truly enjoyable experience. Me and M)' Girl, however, is not any one actor's vehicle, everyone involved contributes to the festival-like atmosphere, and all are able to find a place from which to shine. And let us not forget those behind the scenes: Director Fred Adams, Choreographer Roy Fitzell, Music and Vocal Director Brian Baker, all provided the guidance which was the means to this play's successful end. Particularly notable were Sandra Stiglinski' s costuming, which gives the Hareford maids and butlers exactly the right amount of rigidity, and transforms Tiffany South from her regular self into an almost unrecognizable entity perfectly suited to her role. Soutl1, as Sally Smith, has tl1e difficult task of providing an emotional balance to tl1e play, yet, during such songs as "Once You Lose Your Hean," Soutl1 is able to inject exactly the right amount understated sadness with which tl1e audience can sympatl1ize. Me and M)' Girl was first staged in 1937 and was considered much too "English" for American audiences. With book and lyrics by L Artl1ur Rose and Douglas Furber, and music by Noel Gay, it was regarded as a bit old fashioned. Any doubts one may have, fo r whatever reason, about attending this last production of the 1993-94 season should be dropped fonhwith, and tickets should be purchased for tl1e remaining May 5, 6, o r 7 performances, for missing "The Lambeth Walk," would be unacceptably regrettable. Chris Ma)'se as Sir John Tremayne and Cynthia Gee as Maria, the dutchess of Dene, perform a scene from the SUU production of 'Me and My Girl. ' The musical comedy plays Thursday through Sawrday in the Randall L ]ones Theatre. Festival celebrates art Sounds of heaven Thalia Anderson, a St. George resident, plays the harp during Saturday's music concert in the Thorley Recital Hall. The concert featured the SUU S)'mphon)' Orchestra, the Cedar Ciry Suzuki Strings Orchestra and the Young Artist Chamber Pla)'ers, a touring group from Salt Lake. Ceda r City will celebrate the arts Thursday with the city's fortl1 annual Mayfest Anwalk, a visual and performing arts extravaganza stretching from the Cedar City Middle School Annex to an opening reception at the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery on the SUU campus. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. and continue through 8 p.m., according to Arts Council President Carrie Pensis. The annual event is being sponsored by the Cedar C ity Arts Council. "The arts are important to our community, and tl1is event allows us the opponunity to see all that Cedar City and its surrounding areas have to offer," Pensis said "We invite everyone to join in the celebration, whether they take part as a dancer, singer, artist, musician, food or craft vendor, or simply as a spectator out to enjoy dinner and the talents of their friends and neighbors." Depending on which way participants choose to begin, the anwalk will either begin-or end-at the Cedar Middle School Annex with an art display, food, crafts, and performers. The route continues across Center Street to the SUU Auditorium, and the Adams Shakespearean Theatre, and then on to the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery for a 5 p.m. opening of the annual SUU Student An Exhibit and a Senior Portfolio of works by Debbie Drake. Anwalk patrons will be directed along the Mayfest route by colorful balloons that will be used to signal performance, display, and food areas. Performing at the festival are Orchesis, the Sojourners, and tl1e SUU C hildren's Dance Company, to name a few. Visual arts offerings will include works by local artists, as well as a multitude of drawings by area school cl1ildren. "Kids an" will be displayed again this year in shop windows along Main and Center streets for a week prior to the Anwalk. Mayfest '94 is being made possible through the generous support of Utah Power, many local merchants, and tl1e Cedar City Police Departtnent. |