2011
Entertainm ent
19
"Shorts 12" provides entertainment, teaches
important messages, lessons to audience
M ary E arp
______________
Evoking tears, happiness
and providing impacting
performances, this year's
"Shorts 12" plays offered
every component of the
emotional spectrum along
with entertainment for all.
The first play, "Blind,"
written and directed
by Megan Kays, senior,
conveyed a deep message,
though it also featured a
bit of comedy to lighten
the mood. Emily Axelrod,
junior, took over the stage as
a 10-year-old girl. Though it
may seem hard for a junior
to play such a younger role,
Axelrod did well, displaying
the components that make up
pre-teens well and playing
the role effectively.
At first, I was afraid the
play would be too sad, being
about a family going through
separation of parents. As the
play progressed, the jokes
told by Axelrod's character
lessened the blow of the
seriousness of the play.
The only part I found
disappointing about the
play was the abrupt end.
The parents, Sophia Starks-
Madsen, senior, and James
Topping, freshman, seemed
to resolve their troubles too
quickly and too easily. But
overall, I found the play to
be worthwhile and all of the
and Caroline Hitesman,
junior, played two quirky
newscasters whose watchers,
Nolan Butuso and Keslea
Pinkston, juniors, believe
everything they say. Butuso
and Pinkston provided a
highly comedic performance
that, through all of the
jokes about Hot Pockets,
sexually transmitted diseases,
Shorts ended on a serious
note with "The Wrestling
Season," written by Laurie
Brooks and directed by
Michael Johnson, senior. This
play dealt with the pressures
of high school and the
problems that teenagers have
with others being different.
Morgan Winnick, junior,
played a wrestler who was
of being bullied, and played a
highly believable role. Joshua
Daniel, sophomore, was good
as well. This was the first role
in a high school production
for both Daniel and Winnick.
Though the acting in
"The Wrestling Season"
was impressive, I found the
dynamic of the play to be a
bit confusing. Throughout the
entire play, all of the actors
remained on the stage in the
back, sitting in chairs. While a
scene was about one of them,
they would step up to the
front of the stage and talk.
It was hard to distinguish
where they were, and some of
the lines were a bit confusing.
Also on the stage was a
referee. During the entire
play, he would make calls
based on the conversations
the other actors were having.
The referee made the play
more confusing, and he
seemed like an unnecessary
distraction.
Overall, the play had a
strong message and mature
themes. The entire production
provided great entertainment
for the audience, and I
was left satisfied. With the
melancholy yet comical
"Blind," the hilariously
entertaining "Six at Six"
tyrannical partners and m ore,
questioning his sexuality. In
and the highly emotional
rang true about our society
today.
this heartwrenching play,
Winnick faced the difficulties
"Wresting Season," Shorts 12
did not disappoint.
Photo courtesy of Lisa Wang
M ich a e l S k o czy las an d T h o m a s O lso n , ju n io rs, b u lly M o rg a n W in n ick , ju n io r, an d Jo sh u a D an iel,
so p h o m o re, in th e p lay "T h e W restlin g S easo n ." T h is y e a r’s "S h o rts 12" p lay s p ro v id ed e n tertain m en t,
co m e d y an d traged y.
actors played their parts well.
After this melancholy
play, "Six at Six," written
by Samantha Forsey, senior,
provided effective and
hilarious comic relief. I was
wary at first when I heard
about the play based around
a news show called the "Six
at Six," but within the first
minute I was cracking up,
along with the other audience
members.
Trevor Benya, senior,
"Water for Elephants" proves to be most spectacular show on earth
C arolyn C ruze _________ _
From the extravagant
decade costumes to the
fantastic performances,
"Water for Elephants"
presented on the big screen
proved to be more stunning
than I ever imagined.
Directed by Francis
Lawrence and adapted by
Richard LaGravenese, I
expected the production
of Sara Gruen's beloved
novel to be disappointing
in comparison. But to my
surprise, the film created
the perfect balance between
the dreamy allusions of
life within the circus while
still highlighting the harsh
realities of 1931.
After failing to
complete his final exams,
the story follows Jacob
Jankowski (played by
Robert Pattinson) as he
jumps aboard the Benzini
Brothers,"most spectacular
show on Earth." While in
the circus, he discovers
the realities of allusion,
money and love through
his experiences with an
elephant named Rosie.
Played by Tai, the
performing elephant in this
movie literally stole the
show, with extraordinary
tricks including tackling
brutally abusive moments.
He won the hearts of
the audience members.
When the menacing
ringleader August (played
by Christoph Waltz)
attempts to force Rosie into
compliance beating the bull
hook into the poor animal,
the expression on Tai's face
has unforgettable. Although
this scene did not literally
show the beating, the visual
fear in Rosie's eyes not
only solidified the theme of
abuse and animal cruelty,
but increased the empathy
the audience shared with
the characters.
Besides highlighting
Tai's abilities, the film
provided the perfect role
for Christoph Waltz in
his portrayal of August.
An antagonist to the
core, Waltz brought a
threatening complexity
into his work during the
numerous hard-to-watch
scenes. Unlike the novel, the
director wisely combined
the Uncle A1 character
with August, narrowing
and pinpointing the field
of evil to one person.
Although Waltz could have
portrayed greater remorse,
he mastered the obsessive
attitude August has toward
his wife, the brutality he
shows toward animals
and his uncontrollable
anger which often leads to
chucking employees off a
moving train. There is no
fear in a movie without a
wonderfully threatening
actor and with Waltz the
audience was speechless.
But it wasn't Waltz who
I was worried about going
into the theater; it was the
monotonous work of one
Twilight vampire who I
thought would ruin the
show. Surprisingly enough,
I thought wrong. While
playing Jacob Jankowski,
Pattinson proved that he
can handle serious and
developed characters.
Although his chemistry
with Reese Witherspoon,
who played Marlena, was
lacking, Pattinson brought
a unique vitality and
originality to his character.
The chemistry issue
between Witherspoon and
Pattinson may in part have
been because Witherspoon
seemed a little too mature
for her part. I always
thought that Marlena was
a strong character, and I
appreciate the mothering
quality of Reese's
performance, but I felt that
she could have played up
the romance a little bit more.
As an abused character,
I felt that if Witherspoon
was more vulnerable to
masculinity, her strength
and fear of falling in love
breaths. I would give this
with Robert would be more
movie ★ ★ ★ ★ T and
justified and less lacking.
recommend it to young
The romantic aspect of the
adults who appreciate
novel was very important
quality art.
in the development of
The film is rated PG-13
the plot and should have
for scenes of violence and
sexual content.
played more
prominent in
the film.
Overall,
the film stuck
very close
to the novel
with the
exception of a
few combined
characters.
The structure
of the film
mirrored the
framework
of the novel
which was
very satisfying
for people
who had read
the novel.
The artsy
costumes
and surreal
mood set the
stage for a
phenomenal
performance
Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Studios
which left
Jacob Jankoski (Robert Pattinson) and Marlena (Reese
audience
Witherspoon) share a not-so-romantic moment in the
members
new movie Water for Elephants directed by Francis
crying,
Lawrence. The film opened on April 22, dazzling
laughing and audiences with its quality design and amazing elephant
holding their performance.