Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 1997)
Emerald Wmmm Your entertainment, dining and arts guide to the UO community June 6,1997 Volume 98, Issue 166 ‘Return to Avalon, ’ a multimedia show, combines dance, music, video, visual art and spoken word “[‘Return to Avalon’] is about the search for Avalon in everyday life. It’s just a metaphor, basically, for that perfect world. ” Nicholas Hall Producer By Nikki Okimoto Entertainment Reporter / / yt's about art for the sake of art.” • * I This is how Nicholas Hall, pro I ducer of Return to Avalon, de JL scribes the motivation behind the creation of the new multimedia show. For the dancers, musicians, story tellers, videographer and others involved with putting the show together, the work has really been a labor of love. Return to Avalon is a three-part show composed of 28 different but connected vignettes. Elements of contemporary dance, music, video, visual art, perfor mance and spoken word combine in the two-hour live multimedia performance. The name Return to Avalon is a refer ence to the Arthurian legend of Avalon, the mythical island where King Arthur was taken after being mortally wounded in his final battle. Hall, who has visited the site in England where Avalon is thought to have been located, sees the show as a way of picking up where the legend left off. “It’s kind of about the search for Aval on in everyday life,” Hall said of the artistic work in the show. “It’s just a m metaphor, basically, for that per fect world. “We can still start new things — that’s an Avalon,” Hall added. Hall, a Florence-based producer, composer and musician, wrote much of the original score for the production. Celtic harpist David Helfland and other musicians col laborated to produce the final score for Return to Avalon. Most of the music is played live during each per formance, with some recorded back up. Live instruments include keyboards, percussion, Celtic harp, acoustic guitar, bagpipes and mando cello. Return to Avalon includes dance by members of the Eugene-based, critically acclaimed Briggs Dance Company. Visual arts director Fritz Babel put together the visual art collages and compositions, computer-generated video and enhanced video that appears in the show. Seven “sto rytellers,” who present short verses and poetry, round out Turn to DANCE, Page 8A •RETURN TO AVALON' UPCOMING PERFORMANCES ■ JUNE 6-7: Newport Perform ing Arts Center, Newport; 7:30 p.m., $11 tickets Call the F.E.C. Box Office at 265-9231 ■ JUNE 13-14: Hult Center, Soreng Theatre; 7:30 p.m., $12 tickets Call the Hult Center Box Office at 682-5000 ■ JUNE 21: Historic Elsinore Theater, Salem; 7:30 p.m., $12 tickets Call the Mid Valley ] Arts Council at (503)370-7469 ‘Return to Avalon' information line: (541)997-5781 Graduate student Oarrel Kau and senior Heather Meyer rehearse dance for Return to Avalon. i. WENDY FULLER/Emerald J Rock cn’ Rodeo to rock with laughter on weekends By Nikki Okimoto Entertainment Reporter You can still wear your cowboy boots and Wranglers if you want to. Instead of line dancing and coun try music on the weekends, Rock ‘n’ Rodeo now offers live comedy shows every Friday and Saturday night at the downtown restaurant and nightclub. Charley’s on Willamette, the club’s new comedy format, features a different stand-up comedian every weekend. Each comedian appears on both Friday and Saturday night at 9. The club, which began its new format in April, is located on the corner of 7th Avenue and Willamette Street in downtown Eugene. There is a $5 charge for the come dy show if you don’t eat dinner at the restaurant beforehand. If you come early and eat dinner before the show, the admission price is only $3 per person, in addition to the price of the meal. Dinners range from steak, chicken and fish entrees to half-pound burg ers made to order. Dinner prices are $7.95 to $18.95 per meal. Most of the dinners include salad and a baked potato or fries. According to Heidi Andersen, the club’s assistant manager, reserva tions are recommended. Reserva tions can be made for dinner before the show, but not for the show alone. Each comedy show lasts for approximately an hour and a half. After the comedy show ends, the club stays open until 2 a.m. with rock and roll music and dancing. The comedians are booked through Seattle’s Crocker Produc tions, and many of the acts are Northwest-based comedians. On June 6 and 7, Portland come dian Auggie Smith is scheduled to perform at Charley’s. The wild music and comedy of Kenny C will be featured at the club, along with Lisa Todhunter on June 13 and 14. Seattle Laff-Off finalist David Goldman will appear, along with Mike Capp on June 20 and 21. Art Krug, who has appeared on Show time, MTV and Comedy Central, is also scheduled to perform at Charley’s. Dinner reservations for Charley’s on Willamette can be made by call ing 683-5236. Santana Tickets are on sale today for the September 7 Santana perfor mance at the Cuthbert Amphitheater. Rusted Root f will open the show, which will j begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $29.50 and are ! available at all Fred Meyer FASTIXX loca tions, the Hult Center,Music Millenium or by j phone at (800)221-0288. I Phoenix Dance Company Eugene's Phoenix Dance I Company will perform'une 12 at WOW Hall at ] 8:30 p.m. Admis sion is $5. Doors I will open at 8 p.m. Ron Osborne Comedian Ron j Osborne will per form stand-up comedy at Scan- j dal’s June 7 at 9 p.m. Cover is $6. Osborne has been performing I stand-up for more than nine j years in both the United States and Canada and f has opened for such artists as Sam Kinison and j rock musican Joan Jett. “Be There” is a weekly column highlighting the week's top local entertainment events.
