Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2007)
Arts Entertainment - Wednesday, June 6, 2007 __________ Clackamas Print 7 Audacious actors applauded Lydia Bashaw The Clackamas Print Obnoxious children, first meet ings, giving blood, death by a moun tain climber’s axe and feminists: Nothing is left unsoiled by Clackamas performers. Student-directed one-act plays shared the stage with the CCC Comedy Improv Troupe and the stand-up comedy class to entertain audiences June 6 and 7, at noon. The two student-led plays per formed were Sure Thing, written by David Ives' and directed by Colton Ruscheinsky, and Variations on the Death of Trotshy, also by Ives, direct ed by Matt Morrison. Sure Thing was a fast-paced look at time and missing connections - confusing, yet smooth, with seam less transitions and great dialogue. Relying solely on timing and having amazing onstage chemistry, James Sharinghousen and Jess Sheppard showed how right words usually only come once in awhile. Sheppard played a young woman in a café reading a book, while Sharinghousen took on the role of the man trying to win her affection. Both switched personalities multiple times to react differently at different stages^ Sure Thing is a play that must be seen to be understood. In the end, Sheppard and Sharinghousen pulled it off, bringing laughter and the cur tains to a close. Variations on the Death of Trotsky was about a man named Leon, played by Michael Mitchell, who was trying to figure out why there was a moun tain climber’s axe in his head. With his wife, played by Sarah Wilson, and the communist Spanish gardener Ramone, played by Morrison, Leon struggled to figure out why and when he was going to die. The play is most ly lighthearted and amusing, with quick dialogue. Wilson and Mitchell were wickedly interesting, pulling the play together for a philosophical and touching ending with a beautiful message;. The stand-up class then took center-stage with bright and original comedy. Instructor Chris Whitten led the lineup and introduced each stu dent with his own stand-up act. The first was a third-time student of stand-up, Nick Komafel, who used strange humor to tell the horrors of giving blood to the American Red Cross. Komafel lacked a little in stage presence, but made up for it with humor. Once warmed-up, the next comedian, Kassy Havens, a first-timer, went into a long tirade against feminists. Though some could say that Havens watches too much Desperate Housewives, her very original piece was a suc cess. Jake Whitten, a second- term student, seemed com fortable in the spotlight, relat ing common college experi ences in an animated way. The final spot was reserved for newbie Glen Hoover. Hoover was recruit Photo by’Jennesa Palmer Clackamas Print ed from the Niemeyer lobby Sarah Wilson and Matt Morrison over the body of Michael Mitchell while telling a joke to friends. in Variations on the Death of Trotsky. Opening his piece with a bit of arrogance, he automatically engaged the audience. Using his guitar and music skills to spot. ‘Tunny how they bring the rookie create a completely new comedy Hoover concluded the stand-up up here to close the night, eh?” said experience, he captured the entire with a little class, leaving the stage Hoover. “Those were some hard acts audience’s attention. One minute to applause. to follow.” ragging on his music major, and Having a good mix of humor, It was easy to see why he was at then doing impressions of Johnny theme and talent, the one-acts were the tail-end when he began his set. Cash’s singing style, he hit the a success. Teng and Youngs regale audiences with their musical splendor Adam J. Manley I The Clackamas Print Musicians can be notoriously inaccessible, no matter which rang on the ladder of success they are at The stereotypical musician treats a concert like ja show -whichit. is, but it’s more thanJlMa&WeiL,.. 1 Uuacqui L. Artists like Vienna Teng and Jenny Owen Youngs, who performed at Portland’s Mississippi Studios on May 13, tune into what a concert really is: not just a show, but a frill- blown experience for musician and audience alike. Teng’s majestic sound-a beautiful voice combined with mind-shattering manipulation of the piano keys - first amazed me when she opened for famous folk singer Joan Baez years ago in the Aladdin Theater. Since that time, she’s been back to Portland a number of times, each time building an even better rapport with her audi ence. This time, she drew such a crowd tox tfte: humble Mississippi Studios that, with the originally scheduled concert having sold out in advance, she decided to perform an additional show earlier in die day. If she was feeling any fatigue dur ing the second of two consecutive shows in a single night, she wasn’t showing it. Teng beautifully per formed a selection of songs primarily from her third and most recent album, Dreaming Through the Noise, as if she had only just discovered the joy of music. This is all the more amazing considering that she and the other musicians accompa nying her had been spending their days off volunteering for Habitat For Humanity-just one ofthe aspects of her environmentally and socially proactive “Green Caravan Tour.” There are no words that can do justice to Teng’s darkly hypnotic music and lyrics, especially when it’s being played live inside of a cozy environment with moody lighting. There isn’t even, a proper genre to describe her unique style: rock, pop, folk ... somehow, every attempt at categorizing her sound falls short. Every attempt is proven wrong by the next amazing song. And while Teng (who has only improved since that night at the Aladdin Theater) was extraordinary, Youngs was the surprise of the night I can count on one hand the num ber of opening acts that my musi cal ear has fallen head-over-heels for. Teng was one of them, opening for Baez. And now, Youngs joins those ranks through Teng. Youngs performed alone; just herself and a guitar. The result was instantaneously entrancing, and I firmly believe that anyone who has the chance to hear her like this should snatch the opportunity without hesita tion. Youngs even managed to achieve what I had previously believed impos sible - she made me like the normally unbearable song “Hot in Herre.” Her cover of Nelly’s overplayed annoy-_ ance is sheer majesty. Oswego. Teng will perform as part Youngs was a good choice for an of the Moonlight & Music Concert opening act; she fit in perfectly with Series - the show is free, save for a Teng’s penchant for good music and can of food for the food bank friendly, often-humorous dialogue Youngs will be performing tonight with the audience. Introducing the at 9 pan. in Portland’s Doug Fir song ‘Tuck Was I,” she demanded Lounge. Tickets, if they are still avail that we - the audience - close our able, are $16. eyes as she weaved an image that included ‘80s clothes, hoop earrings and mohawks (“because it’s Portland and, seriously, you guys have weird hair”). The winding, comical nar rative eventually led to turning around and beholding, instead of the song, Patrick Swaze waiting to sweep us off our feet in clas sic, ‘80s-movie fashion. Youngs then told us to keep picturing the image she had weaved, and focus on that rather than on the fact that she was bashing us over the head with the word “fuck” That’s the extra appeal Teng and Youngs both have, apart from their amazing music: the chemistry they have with the audience. They each have this innate ability to break down the invisible wall separating the stage from the audience, and it’s a beautiful thing to behold. Teng’s next appearance ABOVE: Teng at the keyboard. in Oregon is on August 5, at Left: Youngs on her guitar. Millennium Plaza Park in Lake Photos by Adam J. Manley Clackamas Print ‘100 People’ lead to controversy, praise, good times I Andrea Simpson i The Clackamas Print 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken Is #37) — he title throws you for a loop. At first, it sounds like one amongst the masses of books that complain that our government is horrible, down with Bush, etc, but once you see lib eral Al Franken’s name, you wonder, ‘Could this be an actual unbiased list?” For the most part, yes. The book is written by Bernard Goldberg, the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Bias. It is a list that pinpoints the types of peo ple who, in Goldberg’s opinion, are screwing up America. The list runs the gamut from Al Sharpton to Rick and Kathy Hilton, who proudly hold the 100th spot From Dan Rather to Courtney Love, it is based on people who violate the laws of common sense. One of my favorites is number 98, Sheila Jackson Lee. Ms. Lee is a black democratic congresswoman from Texas (all of which sound like an oxy-moron). She has decided that one of the biggest problems facing America is that there aren’t any hur ricanes named after black people. Now, I’m no Afro-American stud ies major, but aren’t there black people named Bany, Rebecca and Michael (all names of recent storms)? No, the congresswoman refers to names like Keisha, Jamal and LeToya, all names she suggested the weather officials take into consideration. “What could she have been think ing?” La Shawn Barber (a black woman) asks on America’s Voices, a conservative Web site. “That black children watching Hurricane Denzel wreak havoc in their neighborhoods would gain higher self esteem? That seeing a family member lost in a flood brought on by Tropical Storm Tanisha would fill them with racial pride?” Good point. Another juicy morsel is num ber 82, Laurie David. The wife of Seinfeld creator Larry David, Laurie is a well known “environmentalist ’ and has been known to yell at people who drive SUVs. She proudly flaunts the fact that she drives a hybrid, but she hides the fact that she has a dirty, little secret of her own. You see, while she may yell at people who drive gas guzzling Hummers, she doesn’t think they’re good enough to sit by on a plane. Laurie David’frequently flies in private jets. As Gregg Easterbrook pointed out in the New Republic Online, the mid sized Gulfstream G200 model would bum about 1,200 to 1,500 gallons of gas flying from New York to LA, depending on passengers and wind speed. AHummer driven 15 thousand miles, the average put on a car per year, would bum about 1,250 gallons of gasoline. So, one flight cross-coun try made by Mrs. David would use the same amount of gas as driving a Hummer for a year. Huh. The book also talks about political figures and entertainment executives, among others. I was pleasantly sur prised at tiie unbiased nature of the book Politically, it points out that most Democrats (who are supposed to be liberal) are now as close-minded as they accuse Republicans ofbeing. And Republicans act out of fear, instead of rational, and see anyone different as a threat. It also criticizes news cor respondents for reporting fluff, rather than relevant news stories. It is definitely worth the read, even if simply for the purpose of getting ideas for interesting, if not controver sial, dinner conversation.
