apartments

2C -The Daily Iowan - Iowa City, Iowa - Thursday, February 5.1998
. PICKS
"The album
Rock Spec"­
c/eby Bare
Naked Ladies.
It's the best
live CD I
own."
Lon Riley
VI junior
Rock Spectacle Is available at local record
stores.
Scott Lester
UI Senior
"Thursday
Night
Thunder." It's
two hours of
action packed
excitement and
Hulk Hogan
can kick Jerry
Seinfeld's
ass."
"Thurday Night Thunder" airs Thursdays
atl p.m. on TBS.
"Don't Be a
Menace._." is
the funniest
movie ever
made and it's
the truth."
Mike Salmon
UI sophmore
'Don t be a Menace ... n Is aval/able at local
video stof8S.
~ ':: .~ ' VOX POPULI ~:---
tr • - .~, ....
Results to last week's question:
Will Pearl Jam go the
way of '80s hair
bands?
1oo%-No
O%-Yes
This week's question:
What film will finally
knock "Titanic" from
the top spot at the box
office?
E-mail your answer to the Dally Iowan
at dilly-Iowln@ulowa.edu. .
80 HoursMixed Media
POPULARITY/American tradition CATS/Opens Friday
Conllnued from 1 C
these pretentious people say 'Oh,
I've seen 'Cats.' I want to be one of
those pretentious people too."
However, to see a performance of
"Cats" is not just a symbol of
sophistication these days, it has
become an American tradition.
"Cats" is now a household word,
said Wallace Chappell, director of
Hancher Auditorium.
"People still want to see it,"
Chappell said. "They want to take
their kids to see it. It is a very
imaginative show."
The story of "Cats" is set in a
mystical London junkyard where
the cats, one by one, recount the
trials of their nine lives, each trying
to justify why they should be
the cat who is chosen to to go on to
the afterlife. The show is playing at
Hancher for its fifth time in 11
years.
VI associate professor of theatre
Art Barreca owns four cats himself
and said the popularity of the
musical has to do with the novel
idea of humans dressing up like
cats.
"We like to think that animals
have human characteristics," Barreca
said. "There is a spectacle in
seeing humans as cats. It's children's
theater for adults."
Before "Cats," Andrew Lloyd
Webber created hits like "Jesus
Christ Superstar" and "Evita," but
it wasn't until the '80s that his
work took on broadway-style tunes,
Barreca said.
"His works in the '70s were rock
based musicals," Borreca said.
"'Cats' was one of the first to use
tuneful broadway-type music. The
music has popular appeal that cuts
across ages and is memorable.
There is an old saying that a musical
should have the audience exiting
while humming the music."
The true secret to "Cats'" success
story, according to Chappell, is the
book of poetry "Old Possum's Book
of Practical Cats" by T.S. Eliot,
which was the inspiration for the
musical.
..... .'
~.
Conllnued from 1 C
"There are so many that each
cat could have their own show.
They are telling their stories
because some cat will be chosen to
go to the Heavy Side Layer -a
heaven for cats."
The cats have a humanistic intimacy
in their pack, as they gather
together for this yearly celebration
called the Jellical Ball.
"They all know each other," he
said. "They even know how many
kitty cats each one has been with
in their lifetime."
With "Cats" being the longestrunning
musical in history, both
on Broadway and touring, Karl
said the combination of the poetry,
music and theatrical power are
what make it a classic.
"Theatre does this the best way,"
he said. "It's not like a TV show
where they say this is what's going
to happen this week. You have to
really think.
.
'\:~. '!~"\.: --~
":~~. " . .
',~~.
EccENTRIcrrIES/UI
alumnus' preferr d i ion
Continued from 1 C
most important playwrights,
after the success of such works
as "The Glass Menagerie" and "A
Streetcar Named Desire."
"Summer and Smoke" followed
"A Streetcar Named Desire," and
again touched on the is u that
were becoming central to
Williams' work - the connict
between puritanism and sensuality,
cultured refinement and
animal desire .
However, Williams was disappointed
with the Broadway production
of "Summer and Smoke,"
and he decided to re-write the
play for the London premier . To
Williams' dismay, "Eccentricitie •
was not finished in time for the
premiere, and it never became a
popular as "Summer and moke."
In his foreword to the published
script, Williams wroto, "I
think 'The Eccentricitie of a
Nightingale' i a substantially
different play ftom 'Summer and
Smoke,' and [ prefer it. It is les8
conventional and melodramatic."
Williams eltpressed the hope
that "Eccentricities" would ome
dllY be produced on Broadway
and gain acceptance as a superior
script but this hope was left
unfulfi~led .
In fact, "Eccentricities"
was not produced at all
until 1964 and has been produced
only rarely since.
Bringing "Eccentricities"
back to life
When Cameron arrived at the
VI last fall after teaching for the
last decade at the University of
New York at Stony Brook, he
expected todirect "Summer and
Smoke n for its 50th anniver ary.
However, he was plea antly surprised
when designer Dan
Nemteanu handed him a copy of
ATTY
NATION
Opening Band:
"Eccentriciti •.-
"It'a really a lubstanllally dif.
ferent play