Arts Entertainment
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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.