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Show August 3, 1993 Signpost lRTAINMENT Up close and personal ump ENTE Behind m 11 c r Boys nes with r By JEFF HANEY Signpost editor in chief "Five minutes until show, three minutes until places." "Where are my shoes?" "I have no voice. I am useless." "What are you writing? You are making me nervous." "Something is not right. . . I don't know what it is, but something is not right. "Hi, honey, how are you?" "Hey, he's writing that down!" "Places, people. Places. . ." Behind the stage of the Utah Musical Theater's production of "Pump Boys and Dinettes," an eclectic group of talented and diverse individuals line the corridors waiting for the start of the show their show. The show, a down-home production, described by cast member Mark Mullino as a"theme-park-type of musical," thus far has had an impressive run, charming audiences while casting a "Fisherman's Prayer," admonishing wayfaring men to "Be Good or Be Gone." and lamenting "The Night That Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine. And tonight is no different. rt . J : CC l And, in turn, each actor is unique, adding a special spe' to the backwoods musical staged at a southern gas station and dinette where "you can eat and get gas. Or you can eat. Or "you can just get gas." Onstage, with the lights and the make-up, it's-hard to realize the characters are just that characters. But in the dressing room, when the stage makeup is washed off and the costume is shed for another night, so is much of the "star" image often placed on performers. For example, Mullino was a music teacher before diving into the theater full time. Philip Mann, who plays Jim, is a student studying philosophy and English, and said he is "debating being a performer or going to law school. Freddy Voss, who hails from Hollywood, bougnt a nsnmg roa anu a pup iem tu .... --- - lighted, mirrored dressing room, decorated with cards and letters from friends and family, he said he hasn t caught a fish yet but is determined to catch one before he leaves. "You can too catch a trout with salmon eggs," Voss argues with Mann. Spirit of xRomeo and Juliet' captured in xWest Utah Musical Theater presents By HILLARY SCHULTZ Signpost copy editor Following closely on the heels of "Peter Pan," "West Side Story" will be the final musical of the season for the Utah Musical Theater.Theater-goers will be pulled from Never-Never Land and thrust into the rough west side of Manhattan. Pixiesand flyingchil-dren will give way to gangs and rivalry. "West Side Story" director and choreographer James Christian describes the plot of the musical as "an updated Romeo and Juliet," where a tenement fire-escape takes the place of Juliet's balcony and knives instead of epees are used to duel. The story revolves around the conflict between youth gangs in the late 1950s. One of the gangs, the Jets, is made up of Caucasian and mixed breed teenagers, while theoppos-ing gang, the Sharks, consists of immigrant Puerto Ricans. The conflict begins when Tony, a member of the Jets, and Maria, sister to a member of the Sharks, meet at a dance and fall in love despite all barriers. August 28 will mark the final performance of UMT's "Pump Boys and Dinettes" which is being' performed in the Monson Theater. Cast members are Philip Mann.Mike Briscoe, Mark Mullino and Freddy Voss, Gwendolyn Jones and Jodi Julian. The musical is under the direction of James Taulli. i-1 .-. I- lUn msr-, rrc rf f Vi3 ract ' - ' ? rnst members look on as Maria, played by Erika Macleod, is escorted "off stage" during a rehearsal for Musical Theater production of the season, which is directed by James Christian, will be presented in the "The show is very intense, very dynamic, very dramatic and extremely topical today," Christian said, referring to thegangactivity around which the story revolves. The principle cast is made up of a nationwide sampling of actors, Christian said, and combines the out-of-staters with a smattering of local talent. Jav Jaski plays the role of Tony to Erika Madeod's characterization of Maria. The character ot final production r .v'jte -.-VAl!b......lg?... Riff, the leaderofthejets, is played byTimTalman, professional guest artist for the show. Talman's onstage rival, Bernardo, is portrayed by Russell Gregory. Local actor Alisa Harris plays Anita, Bernardo's girlfriend. The show is built upon a very strong dance theme, Christian said. The musical score was written by renowned composer Leonard Bernstein with lyrics written l-v Stephen Sondheirn. ot summer season -1 The score ranges from theshri violence of the dance accompani-mentsand the fearful suspenseof "Something's Coming" and "Cool" to the lilting melodies of "Maria," "Tonight" and "I Have a Love." The performance will feature an onstage orchestra under the musical direction of Troy Fisher. Scenic designer for the production is YanTinK. ha m o f Oh i o. Costume desicner Catherine Zubiin 7r Side Story' 1 :-1 A" iiiMI i (ill SIEVE CONLINWf SIGNPCC1 "West Side Story." The final Utah Allred Theater August 13-28. is a Weber State University faculty member,and herco-designer, Rosemary Bengele, hails from Texas. Lighting designer Bryon Winn is a WSU alumnus who now resides in Iowa. The musical will run August 13-28 in the Allred Theater of the Val A. Browning Center. Performances will be held Monday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with one matinee on Saturday, Aug. 21 at 2:00 p.m. |