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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2001)
Playhouse depicts MTV as ‘Running on Empty* Mason West for the Emerald The cast of “Running on Empty” breaks into spontaneous song. Pictured, from left, are Tom Thorson, Darlene Espinoza-Dadras, Katie McClatchey, Nanda Golden, Lindy Anderson, Noah Smith and, in front, Curtis Williams. ■The final Pocket show of the year satirizes the network with a comedic portrayal of an empty reality ‘Runningon Empty’ By Mason West - for the Emerald Anyone who has seen the latest ‘N Sync video, “POP,” knows that the MTV style of visual presentation has sunk to new lows. The video besieges your eyes with bright colors and ludicrous computer effects that are best reserved for a 30-second commer cial. The arrival of this unrelenting video complements the last Pocket Playhouse show of the year, “Running on Empty,” which opens today. University graduate Heather Meyers, who wrote the show, took the MTV style and transformed it into live theater. To bring her show to life, Meyers passed the torch to graduating senior Greg Thorson to direct the show and put her ideas into practice. The goal of this experiment was not to make a pop-play, but to poke fun at the medium for what it has done to society. The play centers around the creation of MTV by music producers Tom and Robert. Tom, played by Tom Thorson, is the man with the vision but not the morals. He likes to cheat on his wife, Brooks a would-be pop star (think Pat Benatar) played by Lindy Anderson. Robert, played by Curtis Williams, is the reluctant one who finds the talent and tries, unsuccessfully, to do the right thing. Just before the birth of the new station, Tom cheats with Lila, another would-be pop star played by Katie McClatchey. He seduces her with the promise of a record ing contract, but then in true Milli Vanilli form, he only uses her voice and puts a pretty face in the video. During this time, Lila is involved with Ben (Noah Smith), a reluctant man who also tries, equally un successfully, to do the right thing. These character parities are not coinci dental — the similarities go so far as to re peat dialogue from earlier segments but by different characters. While this is con fusing at first, it proves to be an effective way to show connections in how the char acters feel. Another confusing aspect of the play are the presences of Gwen and Ellis. Played respectively by Darlene Espinoza Dadras and Nanda Golden (that’s a guy), the two are like archetypal angel/devil characters who try to influence the char acters. The audience will wonder where they came from and what they're really doing, but on a superficial level, they pro vide rare comedic entertainment in the show. The best parts of the play are dialogue montages between the characters. They will be carrying on separate conversations but the portions that are voiced to the au dience flow together. One character picks up where the last left off and the broken fragments fit together to create one con tinuous story. This is when the meaning of the play is best conveyed because the individual trains of thought that make up the larger story are lost. Society has be come so accustomed to dealing with quick changes that keeping up with many is easier than following just one. At the celebration of the birth of MTV, Tom says, “With MTV, everybody wins.” These words justify the play’s title; they are empty. Even though this play leaves audiences confused, that confusion will invite them to think more about the way they process stories and information. The desired effect is to slow people down enough to realize that they have been pushing on blindly without fuel. “Running on Empty” runs in full today, Friday and Saturday at 5 p.m. in the Pock et Playhouse. NBA Playoffs starring Jose Cuervo. The only pizza joint in town with a full-service bar. 7 9 0 East 14th Avenue 3 4 4 - 4 4 7 1 683-8101 • 1 1th & Charnelton • Eugene r :o6uo ipeps fob Sale! •Media Services is taping Commencement in Mac Court on June 16. •Call (541) 346-3048 ito order your own copy! •The cost is $26.50 (includes shipping). •To mail a check/money order, please send to Commencement Video, Knight Library Media Services, 1299 University of Oregon, Eugene Or 97403. Make check payable to KnightXibrary Media Services •For credit card orders and additional information, call the number above. •Orders taken in Mac Court on Commencement Day...Look for our table!
