A
16 • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ARTS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2002
Review
'Rent'deserves ovation
By Kristi Henderson
khenderson@kansan.com
Jayplay editor
To get the young demographic in the theater, musicals need to change.
Rent, which was performed at the Lied Center Monday and Tuesday, has done just that. Where normally there would be a pit orchestra, there was a rock band on stage with an electric guitar and drums. And where the plot would usually follow
innocent, well-to-do characters, Rent features realistic characters with AIDS drug addictions and barely enough money to get by.
Based on Puccini's opera La Bohemé, Rent follows the lives of a group of friends struggling to make it in New York. Along the way, they deal with love, money and death.
The songs balance between poignant and funny. "Without You," one of the most well-known, is a love ballad that brought
tears to faces in the audience. Voice mails sung by Mark's (Ashton Holmes) mother offset the seriousness, ensuring the audience did not become depressed.
The singing was strong for the majority of the performance.
Angel (Justin Rodriguez) hit the notes perfectly from low to high registers, using his entire body to vividly reflect the emotion of the lyrics. Mimi (Krystal L. Washington) belted out the low register in her solos.
But, she had difficulty achieving the same intensity as she climbed the scales. The ensemble songs made up for any subpar solo because the company smoothly blended its harmonies.
The acting was not as consistently strong as the singing because the actors sometimes tried too hard. This probably came from the limited experience of the traveling cast's members, who may have thought their point wouldn't get across unless they overstated it.
Maureen's (Cassie Levy) first appearance, which comes at nearly the end of act one, is well worth the wait. It is a hilarious, overly dramatic performance piece that ends with the audience mooing with Maureen.
The performers overcame their few flaws and, by the curtain call, the cast had turned in a performance worthy of its standing ovation.
Weekly Specials
Tear this out and pin it up all week so you'll never miss a special!
RANCH
PIZZA SHUTTLE DELIVERY
842-1212
TONIGHT
$1 Bud/
Bud Lt. Bottles
Booty Bumpin'
FRIDAY
$2 Jager shots
T&A In Your Face:
Priceless
SATURDAY
$2 Jager shots
T&A In Your Face:
Priceless
SUNDAY
$1.00 Bud/Bud Lt.
Bottles
T&A and plenty of it
MONDAY
$1 Kamikaze
$1 Rum Runners
Booty Bumpin'
TUESDAY
$1.00 Bud/Bud Lt.
Bottles
T&A and plenty of it
WEDNESDAY
$1 Bud and Bud Lt.
Bottles
Booty Bumpin'
BADA BING
BAMBINO'S
$2 Red Bull & Vodka
$3 jumbo (32 oz)
margaritas
$3 jumbo (32 oz)
Margaritas
$2.50 Bloody Mary's
$2 micros and imports
$2 Killian’s Red
and Bud Lite
Schooners
Boulevard Night!
$1 Pale Ale pints
CHARLIE’S
EAST SIDE
$3.75 Pitchers,
Homemade Burritos $1.50,
Lunch Specials $3.75
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
24 oz. Draws $2
$4.75 All-You-Can-Eat-
Tacos - Homemade
Burritos $1.50
16 oz. Draws $1
Homemade
Burritos $1.50
$3.75 Pitchers
Homemade Burritos
$1.50
12 cz. Draws 50¢
1/2 price appetizers
Homemade Burritos $1.50
Lunch Specials $3.75
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Schooners $2.50
Homemade Burritos $1.50
Lunch Specials $3.75
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Schooners $2.50
Homemade Burritos $1.50
Lunch Specials $3.75
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
$3.75 pitchers, 24oz draws-$2
16oz draws-$1
JACK
FLANIGANS
The Original $1.50
U-Call-it, Ladies Night
Seafood Night,
21 and over
$3 Stoli Drinks
Sat. Night Dance Party
w/The Lazer
$2.75 Long Island
Iced Tea Free Pool
$2 Coors Lt. Bottles,
50¢ Tacos, Win $500 Guess
Correct Score of Game
1/2 price Big
Burgers,
$2 Boulevard Pints
Family Night After 10 pm
25¢ Wings,
$2 Big Beers
LA FAMILIA
CAFE
Michelob & Michelob
Lt. Bottles $1.50
Soft Tacos $1.50
Bud & Bud Lt.
Bottles $1.50
Tacos 75¢
Bacardi Silver
Bottles $2.50
Burritos $2.50
Bud & Bud Lt.
Bottles $1.50
1/2 Price Appetizer
STONE
CANYON
Blue Moon or
Regular Margaritas,
Corona, Amstal
Light, Dos Equis $3
Sangrias $3
Sangrias $3
Bloody Mary’s &
Sangrias $3
Fat Tire, Mich Light,
Bud Light &
Boulevard Wheat $2,
Bass & Guinness $3.
Domestic Bottle
Beers $1.75
Canyon Berry Delight
$5, Canyon Breeze
Cherry Limeades $
THE RANCH
$1.50 Big Beers
$1.50 Double Wells
$2.00 Wells
$3.00 Pitchers
$1.50 Anything
Closed
Closed
$2.00 Anything
$1.00 Any Liquor
$1.50 All Bottles
Check out Kansan.com for more drink, food and entertainment specials with
profiles of Lawrence’s bars and restaurants.
Register to win a free dinner at Chipotle on Kansan.com.