ENTERTAINMENT
Saturday, April 4, 2015
BRIEFLY
‘Evil Dead’ brings cult
classics to life
WALLA WALLA — Five
college students go to an
abandoned cabin in the woods
and accidentally unleash an
evil force that turns them into
demons.
%lood Àies, limbs dismember,
demons tell bad joke — all set
to music during “Evil Dead:
The Musical.” The hilarious
stage musical that combines
elements from the cult classic
¿lms “Evil Dead,” “Evil Dead
2” and “Army of Darkness” will
be staged at the Power House
Theatre.
The event is Saturday, April
11 at 6 p.m. or 9:15 p.m. at 111
N. Sixth Ave., Walla Walla.
Tickets are $34 in the splatter
zone and $29 in the non-splatter
zone.
Purchase tickets at www.
EvilDeadNW.com. For more
information, visit www.phtww.
com.
Page 3C
THEATER: Spent two hours of rehearsal on a single song
Continued from 1C
wide dance in the middle of
the show.
The ¿rst time through
was an absolute mess.
The second time wasn’t
any better.
By the ¿fth time, how-
ever, the dancers were start-
ing to ¿nd their rhythm.
And on the ninth time ev-
erything clicked into place.
“See, all you needed
was practice,” Mercer told
the students before they re-
peated the process with the
second half of the routine.
Bobby Crane, who sings
the song, repeated his own
routine outside the circle
of townsfolk, eventually
getting so bored he threw
in some breakdance moves
when no one was looking.
But spending two hours
on a single song was worth
it, Mercer said, for the mo-
ment the last note of the
¿rst Àawless rendition rang
out and the students broke
into cheers.
“That’s it,” she said.
“That’s when they bought
into the show.”
Parsons and Wyse
agreed, noting that as tough
as the repetition had been,
the rehearsal had been a
breakthrough.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Choir director Josh Rist, left, works with cast members on the opening number
“Rock Island” while rehearsing “The Music Man” on Tuesday in Hermiston.
“Once you know the
stuff and you’re in the
groove, it’s just really sat-
isfying,” Parsons said.
Fiddlers perform 50th
anniversary concert
RICKREALL — State and
national ¿ddling champions are
featured in the Oregon Oldtime
Fiddlers’ Association 50th Year
Anniversary Concert.
The event is one of the
highlights of the organization’s
state convention. The concert is
Friday, April 10 from 7-10 p.m.
at the Polk County Fairgrounds,
520 S. Paci¿c Highway,
Rickreall. Tickets are $5 for
adults and $3 for students.
The convention runs from
April -11 and includes ¿ddle
workshops, non-stop jamming
and opportunities to meet ¿ddle
players.
For more information, visit
http:oregonoldtime¿ddling.org.
East Oregonian
9 days until
opening night
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Beckie Wyse, right, performs the duet "Goodnight
My Someone" with Ben Parsons on Tuesday in
Hermiston.
The ¿rst dress rehearsal
was supposed to happen
a week and a half before
opening night, giving ac-
tors a chance to adjust their
performances around long
skirts, slippery props and
bulky set pieces.
The rented costumes are
still in the mail, however,
and the set isn’t done.
Despite that, the show
is coming together. There
are a few rough spots to
be worked out (Nicolas
Carter, playing Tommy
Djilas, got slapped in the
face by Wyse six or seven
times before Mercer was
satis¿ed with the timing),
but the actors also shine in
their share of endearing,
humorous moments.
Whatever happens in
the next week, the show
must go on.
———
Contact Jade McDow-
ell at jmcdowell@eastore-
gonian.com or 541-564-
4536.
Don Rickles replica brings tribute show to Pendleton
I
Sufjan Stevens’ latest
album worth the time
(AP) — Sufjan Stevens,
“Carrie & Lowell” (Asthmatic
Kitty)
Plucked strings and pulsing
keyboards dominate the dis-
tinctive arrangements on Sufjan
Stevens’ latest album, and in the
absence of a rhythm section, they
serve to keep time.
But time’s not for keeping,
and that’s the message.
“We’re all going to die,” Ste-
vens sings, putting perhaps too
¿ne a point on the matter.
“Carrie & Lowell” is named
for Stevens’ mother and stepfa-
ther, and Carrie’s death in 2012
inspired the intimate 11-song
cycle. Along with mortality,
Stevens contemplates love and
longing, ghosts and grieving, re-
membrance and regret, forgive-
ness and faith and even fossils.
“What’s the use of singing
songs?” he asks, and the album
answers with music that ¿nds
beauty in sadness. His wispy
vocals are an ideal match for the
delicate melodies, and there’s a
dreamy ache to simple arrange-
ments that turn otherworldly, as
if alternating between the here
and hereafter.
It’s not so funny how time
slips away. But amid the tick-
tock rhythms of “Carrie & Low-
ell,” there’s comfort to be found.
n 2007, John Landis produced
the HBO documentary “Mr
Warmth: The Don Rickles
Project.” This loving and reverent
portrait of America’s preeminent
insult comic featured interviews
with a parade
of comics (from
Chris Rock to
Ed McMahon)
praising Rickles’
insulting yet
good-natured
style of comedy as
well as his genial
personality.
J.D.
When veteran
Kindle
Olympia,
Entertainment
Washington-
based comic
Mike Wally Walter watched the
documentary he couldn’t help but
feel inspired by the man himself. A
light bulb went on in his head. He
had always been told by friends
that he looked like Don Rickles
(as well as Johnathan Winters)
due to his waning hair and had
always admired Rickles’ rapid-¿re
delivery, which was not unlike his
own. With that he decided to start
performing a Don Rickles tribute
act.
It’s not that he copies Don
Rickles’ jokes verbatim, but
rather emulates his style of joke
delivery (i.e. singling out audience
members to insult but in the most
loving way possible). Couple
that with a Vegas act dress code
(tuxedo and bow tie) and Walter
makes for a passable replica of
Rickles.
Although Walter’s website
bears an explicit disclaimer that
his tribute act is not sanctioned by
Don Rickles or his management,
he claims that Don and his
Photo contributed by Mike Wally Walter
Mike Wally Walter will bring his Don Rickles tribute show to the
Pendleton Elks Lodge on April 10th.
management like what he is doing.
He spent a year at Harrah’s in
Laughlin, Nevada, performing
his Rickles tribute as part of the
Showgirls. Now he is bringing that
act to the Pendleton Elks Lodge.
Walter made his start in comedy
35 years ago by entering a local
comedy competition in Seattle.
He came in second place and the
emcee encouraged him to continue
developing his craft. Steadily
Walter made his way through the
open mic scene before landing
a few paid gigs. Up to that point
he had been working at Georgia-
Paci¿c but an on-the-job injury
forced him into early retirement.
Since he had no other job skills,
Walter took up performing
stand up full time. When asked
about how becoming a full-time
professional comic changed his
life, Walter says, “Talk about
travel I have ¿ve ex-wives, at the
time (I became a comic) I only had
two!”
Although Walter claims Las
Vegas as his favorite place to
perform (“They get me there.
I’m a Vegas-style act.”), his most
memorable performances took
place in the Middle East in the
midst of the Iraq War.
“I went overseas to Iraq, and
Bahrain in 2006 to entertain
the troops,” say Walter of his
time there. “It was kinda like a
USO show. I went there for 20
days. Five days in Kuwait, 15
days in Iraq. There were three
comedians and we stayed at
Saddam (Hussein)’s palace. They
would pick us up from Saddam’s
in a helicopter and Ày us to three
different bases in one day.”
When asked if he was caught
up in any hairy situations in Iraq,
Walter recounts, “One day our
C130 was caught in a dust storm
and we had to land. We ended up
getting shelled by Iraqis.”
Walter’s Pendleton appearance
also marks a reunion of sorts
with him and Pendleton Elks
Club manager Billy Turner. Says
Walter, “We used to have shows in
Pendleton. They had a club here.
Billy was the emcee.”
Turner recalls an evening when
a man wandered in to the Red
Lion selling rafÀe tickets for a TV.
The proceeds were to bene¿t the
man’s son who had cerebral palsy
and was in need of a surgery that
would cost over $30,000. Turner
decided that a charity comedy
show would be a more effective
means of fundraising. The said
charity comedy show featured
Walter as the headliner and quickly
oversold with the ¿re marshal
kicking people out of the building.
All in all, the event raised over
$13,000.
Walter’s reappearance in
Pendleton also has a similarly
charitable bent. According to
Turner, “The net proceeds from the
evening will bene¿t Meadowood
Springs Speech and Hearing
Camp, a longtime cause for the
Pendleton Elks.” Just like Mr.
Warmth himself, there’s a soft side
to Mr. Walter beneath that brusque
exterior.
Mike Wally Walter performs
at the Pendleton Elks Lodge on
Friday, April 10. Dinner at 6 p.m.,
entertainment at 8 p.m.
Ŷ
James Dean Kindle is a singer-
songwriter and musician and part-
time Pendleton resident. You can
contact him at jamesdeankindle@
gmail.com.
WHAT TO DO
Festivals
Pendleton Home & Outdoor
Show
•Friday, April 10, noon-6 p.m.
•Saturday, April 11, 9 a.m.-5
p.m.
•Sunday, April 12, 10 a.m.-4
p.m.
•Pendleton Convention Center,
1601 Westgate
www.facebook.com/pdthome-
andoutdoorshow
Free admission. Includes door
prizes and giveaways.
State of Change- BMCC Arts
& Culture Festival
•April 13-15, Pendleton campus
•April 15-16, Hermiston cam-
pus
www.bluecc.edu
Most activities free of charge.
Art
First Saturday Spin-In
•Saturday, April 4, noon-4 p.m.
•Pendleton Center for the Arts,
214 N. Main St.
Fiber-obsessed folks can drop
in and bring a project to work on.
Coffee, tea and work space pro-
vided.
BMCC Student Art Show
•Monday-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-2
p.m
•Betty Feves Memorial Gallery,
BMCC, 2411 N.W. Carden Ave.,
Pendleton.
Free. Gallery hours by appoint-
ment by calling 541-278-5952.
Visitors may vote for the people’s
choice award. The exhibit runs
through April 22.
Ramp It Up: Skateboard
Culture in Native America
•Monday - Saturdays, 9 a.m. to
5 p.m.
•Tamástslikt Cultural Institute,
near Wildhorse Resort & Casino.
www.tamastslikt.org
Regular admission is $10/
adults, $9/senior citizens, $6/
youths, free/5 and under or $25/
family of four. Smithsonian Institu-
tion Traveling Exhibition Service
celebrate the vibrancy, creativity
and history of the American Indian
skateboarding culture.
Open Regional call for
entries
•Tuesday-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4
p.m.; Saturdays, noon-4 p.m.
•Pendleton Center for the Arts,
214 N. Main St.
www.pendletonarts.org
Entry fee $10/adults, $5/teens.
Artists may enter up to two works
of art in any medium except pho-
tography. Cash prizes, show runs
April 9-May 29 Deadline to enter is
April 4.
Music
Decade X
•Saturday, April 4, 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar at Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off High-
way 331, Mission.
John MacBeth & Nick Berg
•Saturday, April 4; 9 p.m.-mid-
night. No cover
•Hamley Saloon, 8 S.E. Court
Ave., Pendleton
Funk Factory
•Friday, April 10; Saturday, April
11, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar at Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off High-
way 331, Mission.
Celebrate Oregon Tour
•Saturday, April 11; 7 p.m.
•Vert Auditorium, 480 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton
www.pdxgmc.org
$15/adults, $10/seniors, $5/
students. The Portland Gay Men’s
Chorus performs “I Am Harvey
Milk” and “A Brighter Day.” Tickets
available at Armchair Books or
at the door; no one will be turned
away due to lack of funds.
Miss Lonely Hearts
•Wednesday, April. 15, 7 p.m.
All ages. No cover.
*UHDW 3DFL¿F :LQH &RIIHH
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
Peter Krebs Trio & The
Delines
•Friday, April. 17, 7 p.m. All
ages. No cover.
*UHDW 3DFL¿F :LQH &RIIHH
Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton
24/7
•Friday, April 17; Saturday, April
18, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar at Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off High-
way 331, Mission.
Martin Gerschwitz
•Saturday, April 18; 6 p.m.
•Sno Road Winery, 111 W. Main
St., Echo
Single/$20, couple/$30. Key-
boards and vocals with Iron Butter-
À\IRUPHUO\ZLWK(ULF%XUGRQ7KH
Animals, Meat Loaf and others.
Call 541-376-0421.
Queen Anne’s Revenge
•Friday, April 24; Saturday, April
25, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. No cover
•Wildhorse Sports Bar at Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off High-
way 331, Mission.
Night life
Martini Night
•Wednesday, April 15, 5:30-
7:30 p.m.
•Plateau, Wildhorse Resort &
Casino, off Highway 331, Mission.
$18. Plateau Manager Jeff
Hammond offers tableside service
showcasing three inspired cre-
ations. Reservations recommend-
ed (541-966-1610).
Thursday Night Comedy
•Thursdays, 8 p.m.
•Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild-
horse Resort & Casino, off High-
way 331, Mission.
Digital Karaoke
•Thursdays and Saturdays, 8
p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
Mac’s Trivia Night
•Thursdays, 8 p.m. No cover
•Mac’s Bar & Grill, 1400 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton
21 and older. Teams of 2-8
compete in trivia contest with other
teams. Live host and prizes.
Don Rickles Tribute & dinner
•Friday, April 10; 6 p.m.
•Pendleton Elks Lodge, 14 S.E.
Third St.
$25/single, $45/couple. Mike
Wally Walter performs a tribute to
actor/comedian Don Rickles (8
p.m.; preceded by a dinner featur-
ing steak and pan-fried oysters (6
p.m.)
Wine tasting
•Fridays, 4-8 p.m.
•Sno Road Winery, 111 W. Main
St., Echo.
Open Mic
•First/third Friday each month,
8 p.m.-midnight
•The Packard Tavern, 118 S.E.
Court Ave., Pendleton
www.facebook.com/groups/
pendletonopenmic
Karaoke
on)
•Fridays 8 p.m. (9 p.m. if game
•Riverside Sports Bar, 1501
Sixth St., Umatilla
DJ and dancing
•Fridays, 8 p.m.
•The Pheasant, 149 E. Main
St., Hermiston
Theater, stage, film
“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
•April 4; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.
•Elgin Opera House, 104 N.
Eighth St.
www.elginoperahouse.com
Reserved $17/$8. Take a mu-
sical adventure with an out-of-this-
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and sails the seas.
“Our Town”
•Thursday, April 16; 7 p.m.
•Bob Clapp Theatre, BMCC,
2411 N.W. Carden Ave., Pendle-
ton
Reader’s theater presentation
by the College Community Theatre.
Hot tickets
•Garth Brooks. April 12-13,
Moda Center, Portland. Reserved
seats ($74.89) via www.ticketmas-
ter.com.
•Umatilla County Fair con-
certs: Dustin Lynch (Aug. 11),
John Michael Montgomery (Aug.
12), Latino Night (Aug. 13), Hinder
(Aug. 14) and Warrant (Aug. 15).
Reserved seats ($12) via 541-
567-6121 or 515 W. Orchard Ave.,
Hermiston www.umatillacounty.net/
fair
•Sasquatch Music Festival.
Memorial Day weekend, Gorge
Amphitheater, George, Wash.
Reserved seats ($325 and up for
4-day pass) via www.livenation.
com.
•Gentlemen of the Road Stop-
over featuring Mumford & Sons,
Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips and
other national, regional and local
bands. Aug. 13-15, Walla Walla.
Reserved seats ($199) via www.
mumfordandsons.com.
———
Want to get your event listed in
our calendar? Send information to
tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com, or
c/o Tammy Malgesini, 333 E. Main
Street, Hermiston, OR, 97838.