or the line itself.
Eric Braem/Kansan
The Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St., features a pair of bars, live music, pinball machines and interesting colors from graffiti and red lights wrapped around outdoor patio heaters.
Once inside, the atmosphere was tense but definitely alive. Admittedly, I'm an outsider to this crowd — in any other circumstance I would have smirked or busted out laughing at the concept of besmirching what I saw as the golden playground of the Greeks. But I found people relaxing and having a good time.
The music was loud, thumping and driving, which moved people to shout at each other while they passed drinks around. While I was there, the dance floor was empty but everywhere else people were bustling. From time to time a waitress would bring around a plastic tray of pink and blue test tube shots, blinding the patrons, in a weird way, by science.
The bar offers a fine variety of drinks, including a fully stocked martini bar. Divided in two parts, the northern half contains the dance floor, and the southern half offers the martini bar and carved wood booths. Countless black scrawls fill the walls on this side, and the booths provide more of an oasis for conversation.
The service for drinks appeared quick and the staff seemed friendly. The lighting was dim, but serviceable. Overall, though, I was most struck by the bar's energy. The people were there in droves and they seemed to be enjoying it, hooked into the electricity in the air. So, if you dig the crowds, the Top-40 tunes and want to experience a bar that is definitely a Lawrence hot spot, then, by all means, hawk on.
Patrick Cady
Last Calls:
"A little slice of collegiate heaven, complete with overdrinking, overcrowding and overbearing preppiness." — Kim Elsham
"If you're in search of an untainted 18 year-old to corrupt, you'll be in luck at the Hawk." — Ashley Arnold
Replay the past
As I entered Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St., I felt the eyes of what seemed like a million people stare. They were looking me up and down and whispering as if I had just entered the crowd naked. I was the sorority girl who was out of place. Replay Lounge is home to older Lawrence residents and fewer college students than what you'll find at several other Massachusetts Street bars.
One brave soul, David Simmons, Lawrence resident, grinned and beared it for the rest of the patrons and approached me, asking me what I was doing. He was dressed in jeans and a silver studded, black leather jacket and his hair was slicked back. He told me a little about the bar because I obviously had no clue. Simmons says that everyone at Replay is a regular and that a set group of them are there almost every day.
People like Simmons weren't an unusual sight at Replay. Several of the bargeers were gothic, flannel or plaid wearing, longhaired guys who couldn't care less about fashion. Others were girls along for the ride or guys who had come in off
the streets, had a few too many drinks and passed out on one of the barstools.
The music was calm and soothing as two bands, Mono and Entrance, prepared their sets. People were sitting in small social groups, although everyone seemed to know everyone else. They were quietly drinking and a large portion of the crowd was smoking; they were chilling and going with the flow of the music and the night.
Inside, the perimeter of the room is lined with six pinball machines. The walls are masked in graffiti art. The bar was blazing red, both inside and outside on the patio. Red tube lights and the glow from the night sky are the only lights outside.
Cover at Replay Lounge was only $2 which included the price of two bands playing. So if you are looking for an inexpensive place to hear good music, check this place out. But be sure to bring some friends because if you're not a regular, you won't fit in.
Ashley Arnold
Last Calls:
"It's the only place in Lawrence where the average age of the T-Shirts are older than average age of the customers." Patrick Cady
"It may be hipster heaven, but you can't argue with a heated outdoor patio and cheap, crappy beer." — Kim Elsham
-Ashley Arnold, Kim Elsham and Patrick Cady, Jayplay writers, can be reached at jayplay@kansan.com.
THEATER REVIEW: Cabaret
With the University Theatre's production of Cabaret, director John Staniunas is out to prove that less is more. The production, with a pared down cast and simplified set, captures the essence of the musical without taking a side seat to spectacle.
Cabaret is the story of Clifford Bradshaw, a young novelist who goes to pre-World War I Berlin in search of inspiration for his next novel. Bradshaw is quickly introduced to the seamier side of Berlin, falling in with the singer Sally Bowles. Bowles is a singer at the Kit Kat Klub, which caters to the sexually adventurous.
The production is the first University Theatre production to be staged in the new Stage Too! setting. If Cabaret is any indication, the new 300-seat staging area
not only allows for an intimate production, but also for more dynamic methods of presentation. With Cabaret,the stage is transformed into the infamous Kit Kat Klub. Some audience members are even seated at tables as if they were patrons in the club.
The arena staging of Cabaret calls for simplified scenes and sets, due to the lack of a backstage for complicated set pieces. The minimalized staging does not lessen the impact of the show. Instead it allows for the production to move faster, with cast members rearranging the set elements and lighting changing to reflect the mood. However, there were moments during the first act when the action seemed to be stalled. The pace did pick up after a while and was maintained for the rest of the show.
For the pared down production, Staniunas, associate professor of theater and film, had his cast double up on roles. Many of the supporting actors play multiple parts, each portraying anywhere from two to four characters. The only exceptions are the leads.
The character of Sally Bowles is the center of the show. Allison Gabbard, Topeka senior, is spectacular as the sexually aggressive cabaret singer. Gabbard not only conveys Sally's raw sensuality but also her emotional vulnerability when confronted with her impossible love of Clifford.
The male leads are also outstanding in their respective roles. Matt Simon, Overland Park senior, gives a lively, mad-
cap interpretation of the ambiguous, everpresent emcee. As the sexually tormented Clifford Bradshaw, Christopher Wheatley, Lawrence senior, displays a deep emotional sensitivity, which is especially evident during his performance of "Don't Go."
University Theatre's production of Cabaret may be pared down and simplified, but all of the elements of good musical theatre are still present. A little really does go a long way.
—Donovan Atkinson GRADE: A
thursday, november 20. 2003
Cabaret, book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb will be performed Nov. 20, 21 at 7:30 p.m., Nov. 22 at 5 and 9 p.m., and Nov. 23 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. All performances are in the Stage Tool Theatre.
jayplay
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