Page 2
April 18, 2001
Focus
A
S U P P L E M E N T
O
E
Che
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(©bsrruer
Editor in Chief,
Publisher
C harles H. W ashington
Edttor
L arry J . Ja ck so n , Sr.
Business Manager
G ary A n n Taylor
Asst. Publisher
M ichael L eighton
Copy Editor
J o y R am os
Creative Director
Focus
------------------ (The ÿ o rtla n b fflbeeruer
Animals Doing Mime, Dance and Acrobatics
Im ago T h eatre’s signature piece
FRO G Z (form erly Frogs, Lizards,
O rbs and S linkys, returns to P ort­
land for a six w eek engagem ent at
the Im ago T heatre at 17 SE. 8th A v­
enue. Last season this popular fam ­
ily show o f m ask theater and un­
usual creatures capturedN ew Y ork’s
Broadw ay and then sold out in Port­
land for 3!6 m onths. FRO G Z runs
from April 1 9 -M ay 27.
W ith an original score by Katie
G riesar (opening night is the CD re­
lease party) the soundscape uses an
assortm ent o f instruments to create a
vaudevilliancircus-like orchestration
to accom pany the zany, chaotic and
lovable production. FRO GZ which
has toured internationally since 1986
features a giant paper bag which
houses a crazy cat, penguins who
play musical chairs, frogs who have
a di fficult time jum ping, w orm s that
do impossible handstands, cowboys
caught in a cartoon world and other
numerous hard-to-define yet impos­
sible to forget creatures andsurprises.
F or tickets and inform ation, call
Imago’sBoxOfficeat503/231-9581 or
Fastixx a t503/224-8499.
premiere o f FROGZ at the Imago Theatre.
A FR IC A N A M E R IC A N
M E N ’S CLUB, IN C .
R o b ert P ark er
4747 N E M a rtin L u th e r
King, Jr., Blvd.
P ortlan d , O R 97211
503-288-0033
The Portland
Opera Ends its
Season with a
Fax 503-288-0015
Classical Satire
e-mail:
The “M onty Python” o fh is time, O ffenbach
was at the top o fh is form when he w rote “La
Belle Héléne” in 1874. New to the Portland Opera
stage, this wry satire o f the G reek legend o f
Helen - the beautiful w om an whose abduction
ignited the Trojan W ar - m ixes nimble wit with
beguiling melody. The plot centers around the
familiar G reek myth, “the Judgem ent ofParis.”
Paris, a handsome prince disguised as a shep­
herd, has judged a beauty contest and declared
Aphrodite, the goddess o f love, to be the win­
ner. Aphrodite rewards his good taste by giving
him the most beautiful w om an in the world -
Helen ofT ro y .T h ere’sjust one problem: Helen
is already married to grouchy old King Menelaus.
P aris’ seductionofH elen, and her(halfhearted)
attem pts at resistance, set the stage for comedy.
In “La Belle Héléne,” Offenbach slyly pokes fun
not only at classical mythology, but also at the
manners and customs o f his time. Portland
O pera’s production takes the parody into the
21 “ century with mischievous costum e and set
designs. Calchas, the soothsayer, wears a toga
but carries a cell phone, while Achilles could be
a W W F wrestler. A neon sign hangs over neo­
classical Greek columns, and Paris whisks Helen
aw ay on a ship that looks suspiciously like “The
Love Boat.” “La Belle H éléne” will be shown
M ay 12,14,16, and 19 at the Keller Auditorium,
located at 222 S W 3 nl.
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MEETING DANCE
S a t u r d a y , A p r il 2 1 , 2 0 0 1
9 :0 0 p m - 2 :0 0
M u s ic b y :
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V
"Papa" Chuck
I
A
l a
ft.
I
Playing Oldies and Goodies!
Top 4()>s
for
All Occaisions!
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toad ■ food ■ Joed
Billy Webb Lodge
6 North Tillamook
Portland, Oregon
Attire: Dress to Impress!
$7.00 at the Door