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Show Generations of International conflict converge in The Perisan Quarter 5 BY NADIA ASHTAW PHOTO COURTESY OF SALT LAKE ACTING COMPANY W omen are often pushed to the margins of big political issues or presented as innocent victims of them, but the average woman living with these conflicts is pretty passionate about these problems in the country they hail from. Kathleen Cahill, a Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAG) writer-in-residence, wants to bring such female voices into focus in The Persian Quarter. "I really try to write roles for women," Cahill said. "This play sort of united with my wish to write strong roles, complicated interesting roles — not just the standard ones." The Persian Quarter, which premiers at SLAG on Feb. 2 and runs through Feb. 27, examines the relationship between two countries from the perspectives of American and Iranian women. The play takes place during two time periods, 1980 and 2009. It begins on the last day of the Iranian hostage crisis with Shirin, a female Iranian captor, and Anne, one of 52 American hostages taken captive by student revolutionaries. 30 years later, the daughters of these two women meet in a classroom at Colombia University during a lecture made be Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinijad. The two stories are bridged through the poetic narrator Rumi. Cahill explains that poetry plays a major role in the everyday lives of Iranians — Moreso that it does in America. Supermarkets named after poets, memos written as poems and the capacities of most people there to recite poetry word for word give the society a more artistic picture. Furthermore, Rumi shares his name with one of Iran's most notable poets. "The play has a character named Rumi who is also popular in the United States," Cahill said. "He speaks of another level that is beyond politics and history where all people are the same." The United States' relationship with Iran has been tense for the last thirty years, but The Persian Quarter, along with a panel discussion related to themes in the play on Feb. 13, try to bring to light what both the U.S. parts are in this always simmering conflict. CONTINUED ON PG 11 Slippery Kitten BurlesQue Show: Leave the kids with a sitter BY GARVIN SMITH I PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVE YOUNG W arning: If you are an old lady, Queen Victoria, a kitten, a puppy, a baby, a person who has calendars of kittens, puppies, or babies in their office don't read this article. There are some nice articles about child abuse and LARPing on the other pages. Go read those. Last Saturday night, Bar Deluxe (666 S. State Street in Salt Lake) hosted a fundraiser called the Slippery Kitten Burlesque Show. Most of you are probably thinking, "Isn't a burlesque show just a churched up way of saying strip routine?" To which we shrug and respond, "kinda." To explain: The term "burlesque" derives from the Latin word "burra," meaning "trifle." A burlesque — style show is usually a humorous bit of theatrical entertainment, characterized by parody and bizarre, sometimes grotesque exaggeration. Translation: girls wearing funny hats, sexy boots and some strategically placed pasties. The Suicycles, a Salt Lake-area band who have a vibe akin to but more dangerous than The Smiths, warmed up the crowd. This could be a deadly-scenario: when you have the promise of scantily-clad women as the main event, an opening musical act could have easily been booed and harassed by a maddened throng just wanting you to get to the naughty bits already. However, while the Suicycle's set wasn't exactly wailing horns and thumping drums traditionally associated with taking off one's clothes on stage, they kicked off the event in the most appropriate style possible — dolled up in make-up and pretty, pretty dresses. Except for the female keyboard player. She was just dressed. After the band packed up their gear and vacated the stage, the real show began. This is the part where you salivating dogs out there in readersville start to get excited — either because you have a yen for vicarious debauchery, or because you're the kind of person who loves to have your Victorian sensibilities offended. But to the uninitiated, "burlesque" is not nearly as bawdy as it sounds. While there was plenty of stripping, there was no nudity by the Kittens, and only a smidge of accidental nudity by one of the amateurs. However, the absence of nudity does not a PG-13 experience make. There were plenty of provocative dance moves and a plethora of costumes, from lady bears complete with ears and little round tails to fig leaves straight out of the Book of Genesis. In a somewhat ironic twist, the proceeds that they were raising were going to purchase more costumes. While it may seem backwards to raise money for a show in which costumes aren't worn for a long time, it makes sense — the girls do need something to start out with to eventually remove. Are you interested in checking it out next time? Are you so shocked and appalled that you need to know where this iniquity is happening just so you can go picket it? Either way, any attention is good attention, and a person who will take off most of their clothes in public is as starved for a crowd of people as a grizzly bear is for Timothy Treadwell. The shows are held one Saturday a month at Bar Deluxe, located at 666 S. State St., SLC. Doors open at 10 p.m. and admission is $10. |
