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Show 4 Arts & Entertainment THE SIGNPOST MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2012 Big band swings with new director By Lyndee McKay correspondent I The Signpost GRAPHIC BY AARON FISHER I THE SIGNPOST On Saturday, March 17, the Shepherd Union Building Ballrooms echoed with sounds from the 1930s and '40s, courtesy of the Junction City Big Band. Although the band plays songs from the past, it is currently looking into its future. The Junction City Big Band has been performing at Weber State University since 1987 and has experienced a significant change this school year. With the passing of Earl Ericksen, founder and director of the band, Steve Ericksen has stepped in as director. "I told him, 'I will be glad to carry this through at least one more year, and then we will see where it goes from there,"' Steve said. Steve is the son of Earl Ericksen, former professor of music at WSU. Steve said that just before his father passed away last July, they had a discussion about the See Big Band page 8 Community theater:Joseph Jazz Combo plays at PHOTO BY AMANDA LEWARK I THE SIGNPOST A cast member greets the audience after a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Terrace Plaza Playhouse. Biblical musical and local favorite runs at Terrace Plaza Playhouse By Briana Drandakis a&e reporter I The Signpost An Old Testament story took new musical twist as Beverly's Terrace Plaza Playhouse presented Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, the show has a popular history, which is why the Terrace Plaza brings it back every few years to meet a popular audience demand. While it's been running, the show has been at least at 75 percent capacity every night in a theater that can seat up to 300 people. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat takes the Old Testament story of Joseph and turns it into a multimusical that involves a children's chorus, dance numbers ranging from country to tango to '50s blues, and a breaking of the fourth wall (interaction with the audience) that is necessary for the story progression. "We wanted to have the children woven through the story to kind of look back in time and to see the story of Joseph as it was told back then, but kind of keep it still in a child's eyes," said Ryan Paskins, who co-directed the show with his wife, Sally. "So it can still be the fun, light, campy music that Andrew Lloyd Webber created." In the story, Joseph is the 12th son of Jacob, and the favored child out of his 11 brothers. This comes in the form of a multicolored coat gifted to only him by his father and various dreams that he insists predict his brothers bowing down to his future greatness. His brothers become jealous and decide to sell him into slavery, afterwards dipping his beautiful coat in sheep's blood and proclaiming to their father that he died tragically after being attacked by a wild beast. Joseph is shipped off to Egypt, where he must go through various trials until he can learn to reach his full potential. "This can tell a different story to any person that comes to see it," Paskins said. "It's a tale to touch the heart of each person who wants that story to be whatever they want it to be. We have a whole list of the cast members sharing what they think the story of Joseph's about. What we wanted to do is bring those feelings, those words, out into the performance out here so that when the audience would see that, they would interpret it for them." In the show, there is an actual character named the Narrator who interacts with Joseph and the children as she spins the tale through the different musical scenes and sings the story of Joseph in a narrative style. Ashlee Mikami, a current Weber State University student, played the role by herself in high See Joseph page 8 Ogden's Union Station PHOTO BY BLAKE NIFILIS I THE SIGNPOST Members of the WSU Jazz Combo warm up before a performance. Don Keipp (in front) directs the WSU Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo. Five-man student combo featured during monthly Jazz at the Station ries of concerts, happening on the second Wednesday of every month at the Union Station in Ogden, in which university music students or specially invited local musicians come to perform. Performances are free and open to all ages, with the majority of the performers coming from By Janet Tarango the Ogden area. correspondent I The Signpost During Wednesday's perforTheWeber State University Jazz mance, the Combo was joined on Combo had its turn at the spot- stage by Donald Keipp, who leads light during Wednesday night's both the Jazz Combo and the Jazz at the Station performance. Jazz Ensemble at WSU. Although The Jazz Combo is made up Keipp does not join in on perforfive students, with Lex Meldrum mances often, he said he likes to on sax, Gordon Greenwood on play with them from time to time guitar, Casey Wood on piano and and mostly to fill out the sound. vocals, Spencer Howe on bass, Keipp played the vibraphone, a and Bobby Gilgert on drums. xylophone-like instrument that WSU's Jazz at the Station is a se- See Combo page 8 |