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Show Thursday, January 12, 199$ twitch ' Lord started out as part of the Ant Farm, a group of artists. Their claim to fame came when a Texas fat cat rancher, Stanley Marsh 3, decided to bestow his patronage upon the group. So Lord, along with his partners-in-a- Chip s clops y 7 tal to. rt a Doug Michaels and Hudson Marquez, immediately went out and ten classic Cadillacs in an ode to the evolution of die Cadillac tailfin. Today, the Cadillac Ranch is listed in most tourist maps of Texas. And the 20 year anniversary of the event attracted mqdia attention from all over the world. Of course Lord has his own say on the anniversary party, and you can see his video essay of the event tomorrow night at the Utah Film and Video Center. Cadillac Ranch is a lot of fun to watch, but it isn't nearly as impressive a work as The Aroma of Enchantment, a short documentary made by Lord when he was living in Japan. Aroma explores the Japanese way of looking at America, particularly the America of the 1950s, when smiling men with pipes and women with poodle skirts sat around drinking Coke, drying Cadillacs and seducing the world. Everybody was so dean and perfect, and the Japanese ate up the media images half-buri- ed Cadillac Ranch to. The Aroma of Enchantment Two video essays by Chip Lord Chip Lord is a video artist who probably baffles most high If your idea of art runs from high opera to Mozart, then don't even bother reading on. But if you're open minded, and particularly, if you're interested in American cultural images and icons and how they affect the world, then Chip Lord is certainly an artist you should meet' brow art-goer- s. 0Mmi fl Jllif i ravenously. Lord intertwines army footage of General MacArthur during the Japanese reconstruction period, magazine images from the 1950s and contemporary footage of the Japanese people in his attempt to understand their fixation on all things American. In the process, Lord attempts to understand his own upbringing, when he as a young boy also believed the media hype about America being the greatest country in the world. The Aroma of Enchantment has a nostalgic sense to it in so his youth. But much as Lord uses his stay in Japan to 0 Perfect casting, smooth stage action help make PTC's Shadowlands a genuine success BY JAKE JARRARD Memorial Theater's of Pioneer the life of C.S.. Lewis Nicholson's stage Shadowlands is nearly flawless play and a genuine success. All aspects of the play are meticulous and the production runs smoothly, allowing the audience to on compositions in the percussion genre. The ensemble has even commissioned compositions to use in its two CD's (which are selling well), its tours and television performances, and even its performances here at the U. It all sounded pretty esoteric to me, but the ensemble has achieved an appeal that crosses Every at the small Gardener Hall auditorium has been standing-rooonly, packaudience more 400 or ing members into a room built for about 250. These concerts are a huge recruiting tool, part of the cycle m Q 6 0 U mov- Jack Lewis receives a fan letter from Joy Davidman Gresham, a women intrigued by Lewis's stories and religious sermons which he has ensemble. The group also per- continued from pg. 2 performance The storyline is simple yet ing. It begins in the 1950's where C.S. (Jack) Lewis and his brother Wamie live content bachelor lives in Oxford, England. forms at area high schools, attracting fresh talent from marching and symphonic bands. "A concert really hooked me," member Michael ensemble Cottam said. Auditions are held at the beginning of each quarter, depending on if there is a slot to be filled. Members of the other percussion ensemble, Percussion Ensemble II, usually move up to Ensemble I after a year or two's preparation. ' 3jXTiWH StnXEGHEJi j&Tfrfcl- - - emshon as Major what I would have imag- ined him to be like in real life. Fredi Olster is cast well as Joy Gresham, but sometimes she overacts a bit, talking very loud and "technically" married, the pair directing much of the attention of the audience exclusively on her. Joy Gresham's character is very outspoken, but Olster's portrayal may have been a little too non-roman- tic marriage. Joy suddenly breaks a hip and is diagnosed with advanced bone cancer. As Joy nears death, Jack comes to a startling realization which changes the outcome of the story. PTC's performance is a bit unexpected. If you have seen the movie, .much of the dialogue and the story is the same. However, the play is loaded with good comedy and the amusing moments seem to soothe the seriousness of the story. Expect to see a true story with real people who collectively have a good sense of humor. ("I 1 obnoxious. Continuity throughout the drama is smooth and keeps the attention of the audience. The art direction is simple, yet very fitFreidi Olster as Joy Gresham and Jack and done. well Davidson as C.S. Lewis in Shadowlands ting There are many themes and thoughts in Shadowlands that wants us to grow up. "The boy chooses safety. The man are rarely exposed only in dialogue. chooses suffering.'' Nearly every line and every last senIf you are romantic, intellectual, of has value, provtence something constructis the searching for answers, or enjoy probrilliantly play ing found and simple truth, catch a as "Love" ed. But remember, lit-Shadowlands before it is over. The of is the theme in relatively play of tie use to the underlying depth play is well worth the time and the story. money. The acting is superb. Jack Davidson's interpretation of C.S. Lewis is nearly perfect. He catches the emotion and the mind of C.S. Lewis very convincingly. From the very first scene in which Jack addresses the audience as if they are listening to a sermon in church, I was pleased with Davidson's ability to effectively portray the author. Another noteworthy performance is that of Edwin J. McDonough. He "We live in the Shadowlands...Wtz Life has yet to begin." "The pain then is all part of the That's the deal. "Cod makes us suffer because he happiness now. m& i O i3terKTj Perhaps Stanley Marsh 3 put it best when he was asked to elaborate on the artistic theme of the Cadillac Ranch, and by extrapolation, on Lord's work in general. "Did you like itf" he asked, "Well then, there you go." Cadillac Ranch and The Aroma of Enchantment will be screened at the Utah Film and Video Center this Friday, January 13 at 8:00 p.m. For additional information, call 534-1- 1 58. is flawless 0 G no exception. Warnie Lewis and exactly $81-639- 8. 9 Lord can always be counted on to provide some wonderful images in his works, and his videos generally raise some pretty good ideas about the very nature of art These two works are Joy Gresham, now an American converted Christian divorced from her husband meets the Lewis brothers on a trip to England and becomes Jack's close friend. Eventually she proposes marriage to him, but only to obtain residency in England. Just To audition for either ensemble, or for the Utah Drum Line, also conducted by Wolf, call him at About half the percussionists are percusiion majors, so all lovers of the percussion arts may try out. J BuW only knew." also published. A Jewish communist, remain close friends, living in a show. to attract a larger pool of talent to increase the excellence of the Ensemble the lines of expertise. enjoy nearly every moment of the it is also saturated with a sense of sadness. Lord seems to be shaking his head at the people who stop to film him only because he is an American. He seems to be thinking; "If they 11 Shadowlands runs Monday through Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on the Lees Main Stage of the Pioneer Memorial Theater until January 21. rtg 6 f fiwswffi? |
