morelAnd fills his brother`s cleAts

moreland fills his brother’s cleats
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SPORTS, page B3
music
reviews
local
CNU is the home
for three a capella
groups: Newport
Pearls, Expansion, and
University Sounds.
“My Name is Bruce”
parodies B-movie
legend Bruce
Campbell and his
legions of fans.
The Virginia Living
Museum holds a
laser light show every
second Saturday of
the month.
A R T S A N D E N T E R T A I N M E N T | w ednesda y, A P R I L 2 2 , 2 0 0 9
soundss
Aa silence full
fu l l of sound
TheaterCnu | The deaf and hearing cultures clash
as students delve into the world of TheaterCNU’s
production of “Children of a Lesser God.”
by sarah hayes
sa r ah hay es.0 8 @ cnu.edu
The sound of silence. It’s as powerful and complex as it is mysterious and
frightening. Can we ever truly know
what silence sounds like? Not what
silence is, but what it sounds like? Can
we step inside the world of silence and
begin to understand it as we never
have before? In Mark Medoff’s powerful and gripping play, “Children of a
Lesser God,” the students of TheaterCNU grapple with this difficult and
seemingly unanswerable question.
Following the story of James Leeds,
a speech therapist, and his fiery and
whirlwind romance with his student,
Sarah Norman, “Children of a Lesser
God” brings the clash between the
hearing and deaf world into new
light. As we see inside James’ mind,
and watch the memories that flow in
and out of his mind, we watch him
in an intense struggle to understand
the complexity and beauty of Sarah’s
mind, to understand her silence filled
with sound.
Senior Michelle Polera takes on
the monumental task of portraying
Sarah Norman, a fiery, passionate
and unbending young woman deaf
from birth. Like the rest of the cast,
Polera knew no sign language prior
to being cast in the role, but she had
the tremendous task of signing every
single one of her lines. However, it was
not the signing that was the hardest
part for Polera.
“The most difficult part of the show
for me so far has been listening,”
Polera said. “Being a character who
is deaf, I need to focus on not listening when people are not talking to
me.” Both in and out of rehearsal
Polera used earplugs to gain a better
understanding of what is going on
inside Sarah’s head when people are
not signing.
To intensify Sarah’s separation and
character, Director Steven Breese
never allowed Polera to speak while
in rehearsal. “Initially, I was very
nervous about not being able to speak
in rehearsals,” said Polera, “but as
rehearsals continued I realized that
it has helped speed up my process in
ways that I could not imagine. I was
quickly able to connect with Sarah on
a deeper level. It became that I didn’t
want to speak in rehearsals because it
ruined the main purpose of the play.”
“This show will change
the way you look at love,
communication, and the
deaf and hearing impaired
culture.”
jamie monahan, senior
The isolation and anguish Sarah
feels throughout the play is evident
in Polera’s body language and facial
expression. Her desire to be understood, for someone to enter her silence
is breathtakingly beautiful and
emotionally gripping.
Playing opposite Polera as James
Leeds is Senior Chris Blake. Often
present on TheaterCNU’s main stage,
Blake had a challenge similar to
Polera’s, but in some ways greater, as
he had to speak and sign nearly every
word he said. Together Blake and
Polera bring to life a passionate and
heart-wrenching romance as the two
visibly struggle and hurt in order to
understand each other.
To assist Blake, Polera and the rest
of the cast in learning sign language,
Director Breese brought in a deaf
consultant by the name of Melanie
Paul. Paul has been deaf since age
12 and spent two weeks of
intense study with the cast,
translating each line into the
most conceivable signs a deaf
person would use.
Two other roles that
required a great deal of extra
research were Orin Dennis
(Junior Jeff Gallo) and Lydia
(Senior Jamie Monahan), two
hearing impaired students
that Leeds instructs throughout the show. Monahan’s portrayal of Lydia was a delight
to watch, as she bounced
around the stage. Her bubbly
personality provided a stark
contrast to others around her
like Sarah Norman and Orin
Dennis.
Gallo did an excellent job
portraying Orin, the hearing
impaired student who seeks to
lead a revolution against the
hearing world for deaf rights.
Tension is high as the plot
unfolds and Orin seeks to use
Sarah, a “pure deaf” person to
help him reach his goal. His
adam baker/the captain’s log
frustration was evident as he
Jeff Gallo, junior, plays deaf rights revolutionary
fought for what he wanted and
Orin Dennis in “Children of a Lesser God.”
had to deal with Sarah’s stubbornness and demands.
signs very little in the show, but that
Because both Gallo and Monahan’s
did not make the process any easier.
characters had the ability to hear
“Mrs. Norman is an unbelievably coma little, they had to work especially
plicated woman,” said Buisset. “The
hard to develop speech impediments
hard part is reaching deep beneath the
accurate to that of a hearing impaired
surface of her and finding the reasons
person. Monahan recounted that
developing her speech impediment was why she is the way she is, and then
showing that to the audience. If there
one of the more difficult parts of the
is no flesh to the character, no heart,
show, largely due to the difficulty in
then the audience will only see a mean
finding information about it.
woman instead of a woman who has
“The speech impediment was the
been in pain and suffering for years.”
hardest thing for me to research
Director Breese certainly did a
because most people who have speech
phenomenal job instructing his cast
impediments do not like to talk
and assisting them in finding ways to
because they are embarrassed,” said
authentically and realistically develop
Monahan. In addition, Monahan
their characters. “Children of a Lesser
and Gallo both had to work to find
God” has always been an attractive
a balance between having a speech
show to him because it opens new
impediment and still keeping their
universes and cultures and is a huge
speech comprehensible for the hearing
challenge for the students. “The play
audience.
is essentially a love story,” said Breese.
For additional research about the
“And the best love stories are of forbidlanguage and the deaf community, the
entire cast took a field trip to Gallaudet den love.”
As a whole the cast spectacularly
University in Washington, D.C. Since
brought to life this story of impossible
every class was in sign, the cast had
love moving the audience to tears and
the tables turned on them and, like
to their feet in every performance.
many deaf people, experienced what
“This show will change the way you
it’s like to be in the minority and in a
look at love, communication, and the
position where you can’t communicate
deaf and hearing impaired culture,”
easily with every person you see walksaid Monahan. “Everyone will be
ing on the street.
amazed at the ‘dancing fingers’ in this
Though every character in the show
show and how much of the sign lansigns, not all sign to the extent that
guage you will be able to understand
Polera and Blake do. Mr. Franklin
by the end of the play. Be prepared to
(Senior Andrew Bentley), Mrs.
Norman and Edna Klein (Senior Kasey laugh, cry, and hope. This play is not
one you want to miss.”
Arnold) are all hearing people who, in
Catch the final performances of
one way or another, are involved with
“Children of a Lesser God” this weekthe deaf community throughout the
end in the Ferguson’s Studio Theatre
course of the show. Though Bentley’s
Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April
character signs fluently, a great deal of
25 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 26 at
his communication is with characters
2:00 p.m. Admission is free for CNU
like Orin and James Leeds who speak,
students with an ID.
so Bentley did not have to learn quite
A special understudy performance
as much sign as cast mates like Blake
will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesand Gallo.
day, April 22. n
Buisset’s character of Mrs. Norman
the list
campus
April 24
Beethoven Violin Concerto, 8 p.m.,
Ferguson Center for the Arts
Concert Hall
“Children of a Lesser God,” 8 p.m.,
Studio Theater
CNU Baseball vs. Salisbury
University, 3:30p.m., Fielda
Captains Baseball Stadium
Comedian Jasper Redd, 8 p.m., DSU
Ballroom
“Gran Torino,” 10 p.m., Anderson
Auditorium
April 25
“Children of a Lesser God,” 8 p.m.,
Studio Theater
CNU Men’s Lacrosse vs. St. Mary’s
College, 1 p.m., Turf Field
“Gran Torino,” TBA, Anderson
Auditorium
April 26
“Children of a Lesser God,” 2 p.m.,
Studio Theater
local
April 24
Historic Garden Week in
Downtown Suffolk, 10 a.m.,
Downtown Suffolk’s Historic
Riverview Neighborhood
April 25
The 3rd Annual Art Show at
Governor’s Pointe, 10 a.m., The
Shoppes on the Village Green
Cagefest Xtreme: All In, 7 p.m., Ted
Constant Convocation Center
April 26
The 3rd Annual Art Show at
Governor’s Pointe, 10 a.m., The
Shoppes on the Village Green
Cagefest Xtreme: All In, 7 p.m., Ted
Constant Convocation Center
402nd Anniversary
Commemoration of the First
Landing, 3 p.m., First Landing
State Park
“Letter to Warsaw,” an opera for
Holocaust Rememberance Day,
3 p.m., Chandler Recital Hall in
the Diehn Center for Fine and
Performing Arts
concerts
April 22
The Duhks, 8 p.m., The Jewish
Mother
O.A.R., 8 p.m., The National
April 23
The AP Tour, 6:30 p.m., The National
Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, 7
p.m., The NorVa
April 24
Alan Jackson, 7:30 p.m., Ted
Constant Convocation Center
fun. (feat. lead singer of The
Format), Manchester Orchestra,
7:30 p.m., The National
Josh Kelly and Ryan Cabrera, 8
p.m., The NorVa
Liza Minnelli, 8 p.m., Chrysler Hall
April 25
Badfish, 8 p.m., The NorVa
April 26
Killswitch Engage, 6:30 p.m., The
National
Kronos Quartet, 7 p.m., The NorVa
April 27
Kings of Leon, 7:30 p.m., Ted
Constant Convocation Center
April 28
Amon Amarth, 6:30 p.m., The
NorVa
Ravi Shankar with Anoushka
Shankar, 7:30 p.m., Chrysler Hall
movie releases
“Disney’s Earth” Rated G.
“Fighting” Rated PG-13.
“Obsessed” Rated PG-13.
“The Soloist” Rated PG-13.
cd releases
“Art Brut vs. Satan” - Art Brut
“Sounds of the Universe” Depeche Mode
“A Cabinet of Curiosities” - Jane’s Addiction
“Yes” - Pet Shop Boys
“Dark Days/Light Years” - Super
Furry Animals
dvd releases
adam baker/the captain’s log
Sarah Norman Leeds, played by senior Michelle Polera, confesses her nervousness
to her husband, James Leeds, played by senior Chris Blake, before entertaining
guests. Each of the actors had to learn American Sign Language for the play.
adam baker/the captain’s log
Leeds, played by Blake (right), argues over a deaf discrimination lawsuit that Dennis,
played by Gallo (left), filed against the school for deaf children.
“Frost/Nixon”
“Notorious”
“The Wrestler”
w edne S D A Y, A P R I L 2 2 , 2 0 0 9
PAGE B2 | T H E C A P T A I N ’ S L O G
CNU a capella groups showcase for students
by joe fitzpatrick
joseph.fitzpat r ick.0 6 @ cnu.edu
Ever since 2005, the all-female
a cappella group known as the
Newport Pearls have been the only
organization of its kind on campus.
Founded by Nicole Endres, the
group was something never seen
before at CNU. With the group
size ranging from 14-16 girls, the
Newport Pearls have become very
well-known on campus and sing
at all types of events, including
memorial services, events sponsored
by CAB and various other organizations and concerts of their own as
well. In addition to their impressive
résumé and countless amount of
performances both home and away,
the Pearls have been continuously
growing.
In addition to the Pearls, two other
a cappella groups are also quickly
gaining popularity on campus—Expansion, which formed spring 2008
and University Sounds, who gained
official recognition this semester.
To celebrate the formation of this
growing a cappella community,
the Pearls hosted the first-ever a
cappella showcase to provide each
of the three groups the chance to
demonstrate their skills to their
friends and families.
Beginning the show was Expansion led by Sophomore Alan Davis,
the all-male group’s president.
Joining him in jeans and colored
collared shirts were Freshmen
joe fitzpatrick/the captain’s log
The Newport Pearls, CNU’s all-female a cappella group, will release their first
CD at a performance on April 26 at 2 p.m. in the DSU Ballroom.
Kevin Truitt and Noah Zalewski,
Sophomores David Speaks, Patrick
Trant, Tim Powitz and Matt McCubbin, Juniors Peter Disalvo and
Michael Champion, and Senior Josh
Cross.
“We started with 18 guys,” said
Davis. “Now we have 11, but we are
always looking for more.”
The group, which may be considered opposites to the Pearls—both
in gender and singing style—
complement each other rather than
clashing. Also, Expansion uses beat
boxing techniques, which is one of
the main things that the Pearls are
known for.
The group opened with the fun,
quirky song “Since You’ve Been
Gone,” which Davis led as the guys
showed off their sense of humor.
They then showed off their romantic
side by singing “Kiss from a Rose”
by Seal, “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz
and “If I Ever Fall In Love” by Shai.
Following Expansion were the
lovely men and women of University
Sounds, the first co-ed a cappella
group at CNU. They came onto the
stage in all black with each person
also wearing very colorful accessories such as green beads, purple
gloves and yellow sunglasses.
Forming two rows on stage, the
men in the back were Junior John
Mark Walker, Freshmen Tommy
Higgins, Paul Allen Burgess, Robert
Helmick, Todd Thongtai and Josh
Clary, Senior Andrew Lundsten, and
Champion, who was also in Expansion and quickly changed into his
outfit to perform with University
Sounds. In the front row were the
women of the group, including
B-movie spoofs Campbell
and his cult following
redbox reviews | Redbox kiosks allow customers to rent recent
movies for one night for $1 per movie. We rent one and ask the
obvious question: Is this movie worth your hard-earned dollar?
by harrison crews
ha r r ison.cr ews.0 8 @ cnu.edu
It took all of one second after seeing this
on the Redbox's display to know what movie
needed to be reviewed: "My Name is Bruce,"
a B-movie for B-movies starring the legendary Bruce Campbell.
The movie's premise is simple: an ancient
war spirit is disturbed and begins to kill the
mining town of Goldlick. A Bruce Campbell
fanatic decides that only his favorite actor is
man enough to take down Guan Di, the god
of war and bean curd, which brings a sleazy,
rude and quite honestly disgusting Bruce to
the scene.
The entire film is mocking Bruce Campbell and pretty much every single movie he's
ever been in. The star is legendary among
cult fans for poorly made but fun movies like
the "Evil Dead/Army of Darkness" series.
"My Name is Bruce" not only recognizes this,
but tears at it, mocking superfans who are
displayed as slobbering idiots and the actors
of such movies, especially Bruce himself, by
showing them as not just human, but pretty
bad humans at that. Campbell is constantly
rude, drunk, surly or chauvinist, alienating
every single person in the movie by the end
except for the two main supporting cast
members.
The style is mocked just as openly, with
Bruce's reversal from slob to hero being
instantaneous and with almost no apparent reason. He even manages to forget why,
caught up in the heroics themselves. The
romantic interest is blunt to the point of
it being almost painful, stereotypically
played as the haughty, takes-no-crap, single
mother not hurting for looks. Her son, the
first character shown in the movie and the
man responsible for Bruce's arrival in a
genuine supernatural encounter, which he
has no real knowledge or preparation for,
is the standard-issue outcast teen with an
obsession, alienated from a community that
photo illustration by cole hogan
doesn't understand him. The slimy agent
(played by an actual Raimi, Bruce's colleague in movie production and direction),
the cold-hearted ex-wife, the angry foreigner,
the mystical Asian man, and the hick mayor:
it's all there shamelessly portrayed as a
mockery of all they represent.
The movie even breaks the fourth wall
intermittently to show the audience the
actual actors, directors and producers
having fun with making the film, knowing
that it's pure garbage mocking pure garbage,
and loving it. It's the source of the movie's
charm for B-movie fans, especially those
fond of Bruce.
However, these same aspects are what
will make non-fans despise every second of
watching it. All the jokes are winks and nods
towards fans specifically. Like most satires,
it's just bad and overblown unless the audience knows the source. For a movie mocking
the bad and overblown, it's even worse.
While you might get a kick out of this if
you're not a fan, it's unlikely. Personally, I
loved it. Bruce Campbell fans, B-movie junkies, should rejoice.
But, as the movie says: "If you don't like
Bruce, you walk." n
Junior Becca Morton, Freshmen
Tiffany Cook, Tara Wilson, Amy
Harrison, Lynsey Foley and Mary
Marcenelle, and Sophomores Krista
Van Liew and Caitlin Boyd.
This was not the first performance
for University Sounds. In addition to
the showcase, which was their first a
cappella invitational, they have also
performed at Relay for Life and a few
other on campus events.
They began their set with the
enigmatic song “Because” by The
Beatles, which instantly enthralled
and engaged the audience. The flowing melodies and harmonies were
so well done that it set the tone for
their performance to follow which
included “Such Great Heights” by
The Postal Service and “Seasons of
Love” from the musical Rent.
The highlight of their set, however, was their remix of “Stand By
Me” by Ben E. King and “Beautiful
Girls” by Sean Kingston, which was
led by soloists Cook and Walker.
The duo combined the doo-wop feel
of “Stand By Me” to the pop-infused
R&B of “Beautiful Girls” for an
a cappella mash-up that worked
wonders.
Finally, the Pearls took to the
stage in typical fashion of matching
custom t-shirts and pearl necklaces
because like their catchphrase goes,
“Pearls make everything classy.”
The Newport Pearls performing
consisted of Freshmen Jenny Hager,
Renee Okuda, Pria Chang and Brett
Oberschmidt, Sophomores Katie
Ackman, Leslie Spaulding and
Christina D’Anza, Juniors President
Anita Bailey, Stephanie Hellwig and
Natalie Taylor, Seniors Whitney
McKinney, Joanna Vadala and
Nicole Gilmore and graduate student
Lena Betts. McKinney, Vadala,
Gilmore and Betts are the last four
remaining original members of The
Pearls.
During their performance, the
Pearls were “taking it old school,”
said McKinney, performing some
older songs, including “Umbrella”
by Rihanna, “Turn the Beat
Around” by Gloria Estefan, “The
Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson,
and “Say All I Need” be One Republic.
“The Newport Pearls are beyond
excited that two more a cappella
groups have formed on campus. It
will hopefully begin the explosion of
a cappella on campus much like the
kind you see at other universities
and colleges,” said Bailey.
In addition to their excitement
about the new a cappella community
formed with Expansion and University Sounds, the Pearls are also
anxious to promote the release of
their first professionally produced
CD, which they recorded in Virginia
Beach at T-Muzic Group.
The album will have 12 tracks,
featuring two covers and 8 new
songs, which will also be performed
at their CD release show April 26
at 2 p.m. in the DSU Ballroom.
Expansion will be opening for them.
Admission will be $3 for students
and $5 for general admission. In
addition, they will have their CD on
sale for $10 for students.
For information about the Pearls,
contact them at newportpearls@
gmail.com. Contact Expansion at
[email protected]. n
VLM laser show dazzles
with surreal experience
by amber wixtrom
amber.wi xt rom.0 6 @ cnu.edu
By day, the Virginia Living Museum
attracts families and tourists with its educational exhibits and diverse array of wild
animals (including a fox, an otter, and several
birds of prey), but at night, the museum’s
monthly Laser Light Nights lure a different
crowd. Entering the parking lot of the Virginia Living Museum for the 10 p.m. “Laseropolis” show, my boyfriend and I were surprised
by the lack of cars in the usually bustling
parking lot. Walking towards the main
building, however, a security guard directed
us towards the back, where we joined a group
of several other couples, following a trail
of neon lights into the Abbitt Planetarium.
After buying tickets, we lingered outside the
auditorium while the previous show, “Laser
Beatles,” finished, perusing the wall exhibits
as the last beats of “A Day in the Life” filtered
from the room.
Minutes later, museum volunteers opened
the auditorium. Entering through a dark
walkway, almost all the guests looked up in
awe at the 30-foot planetarium dome, where a
sequence of announcements advertising the
Museum’s astronomy “Star Parties” flowed
across the screen. Settling into our seats, my
boyfriend and I found ourselves tilted almost
horizontally, facing the top of the screen, as
the sides of the dome stretched down around
us, creating a feeling of falling into the
expanse of stars. As the show began, a spiral
of light spun out from the center of the dome,
encompassing the theatre.
After a deceptively subdued song by Alanis
Morrisette, the show erupted into a surreal
blend of light and rock that was to characterize the rest of the evening. Surging from
the speakers, “Rock Lobster” by The B-52s
zoomed onto the screen from a laser-made
UFO, quirky lyrics blasting as the spacecraft
unloaded a small monolith.
As the song continued, the monolith
unfolded to reveal a laser lobster, clacking
its claws at the audience as the planetarium
vibrated with dizzying lines of rainbow light.
Another song, “Under the Milky Way” by
The Church, featured a laser-drawn man in a
floating café, musing on life as the audience
was drawn out the window with his thoughts,
floating with the singer into a sea of multicolored stars and soaring guitar. Throughout
the show, the music and laser lights exuded a
sense of surreal harmony as the audience reveled in this planetarium-turned-dream-world.
The Virginia Living Museum’s Laser Light
Nights take place on the second Saturday of
every month. Next month’s features include
“Laser Retro,” “Laser Zeppelin,” and the
planetarium’s monthly Pink Floyd feature,
“Dark Side of the Moon.” n
photo courtesy of virginia living museum