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u n i v e r s i t y d a i l y k a n s a n
entertainment
Friday, January 24, 1997
3A
Want an olive with that?
Lawrence caters to martini lovers
By Ashlee Roll
Kansan staff writer
Everyone knows how James Bond likes his martinis: shaken, not stirred. So the question is, how do you like yours?
Thanks to movies like Swingers and the rediscovery of '50s lounge music, the drink in the cool glass is making a comeback. To accommodate this latest trend, some local bars have started to cater specifically to martini drinkers.
"Martini making is an art, and martini drinking is an art," said Marc Yergovich, Benicia, Calif., senior and bartender at the Bourgeois Pig, 6 E. Ninth St.
Martini drinking and cigar smoking are the main focus at the Bourgeois Pig, a focus that is paving off.
"Martinis are our biggest sellers," Yergovich said. "Because it's popular right now, people want to try it."
Dina Calcara, bartender at Teller's, 746 Massachusetts St., said that in the past two months the restaurant's martini sales had increased considerably.
She said that traditional martinis were either dirty or dry. A dry martini consists of gin or vodka and a splash of dry vermouth. A dirty martini is gin or vodka with a splash of olive juice.
But the martinis found in Lawrence are anything but traditional. With names like Cream Dream and Cactus Coffee, this is not your father's martini.
The Aqua Lounge in the Granada Theater, 1020 Massachusetts St., was revamped a year-and-a-half ago into the quintessential bachelor pad. The lounge now boasts velvet curtains, antique lamps and a 75-gallon fish tank.
Steve Puppe / KANSAN
Al Jacobsen, assistant manager of the Aqua Lounge, said that it was opened in response to the lack of martini bars in the area.
"We wanted to give people quality drinks and a lounge atmosphere," he said. "It gives people
"Cheesy is best," Jacobsen said.
more of an option besides straight liquor."
Although the decor is meant to project a warm, living-room feel, the main goal was to give it the lounge look of the '50s.
And it is that unique atmosphere that attracts many of its regular customers.
Juan Fernandez, Lawrence junior, prepares a martini at the Bourgeois Pig, G 6. Ninth St.
"I've been coming here for about a year," said Jane O'Connell, Lawrence resident. "This place has a sophisticated elegance, but it's laid back, too."
The best-selling martinis at all three bars tend to be nontraditional, sweet-flavored cocktails.
Each establishment used originality to concoct their signature martinis. The Bourgeois Pig flavors its own vodka for cocktails. The Aqua Lounge solicited suggestions from employees and customers for recipe ideas.
Teller's named its martins after both fictional and famous Italians and movies featuring them. But for the cocktail lover, the martini experience goes far beyond just the act of drinking.
But for the cocktail lover, the martini experience goes far beyond just the act of drinking.
"A nice martini is the cheapest luxury I can afford." O'Connell said.
Lounge-lizard music, lifestyle are back
REVIEW
Bv Ashlee Roll
In the past, the term "louge music" would have conjured up the image of Bill Murray in a polyester shirt singing the theme to Star Wars.
Kansan staff writer
Like bell-bottoms and blue eye shadow, lounge music is making a comeback and, once again, flaunts the bachelor lifestyle.
Classic tunes like Baby Elephant Walk are everywhere, in Charmin commercials and the "Dancing Homer" episode of The Simpsons.
This music once boasted members like Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and the chairman of the board — 'oI Blue Eyes himself — FrankSinatra.
Although most of them are gone, their music lives in the lounge music section of any CD store, or on the Space Age Bachelor Pad show, 9 to 11 m. p.m. on KJHK 91.7 FM
For the novice lounge fan, compilations are the answer.
The best, most encompassing collection is the Ultra Lounge series from Capitol Records.
This 12-CD collection is compiled into categories like Saxophobia and Organs in Orbit.
cocktail and a recipe for the all-important martini, inside a alipse-covered case that can bring out the swinger in anyone. The sampler contains classics like the original Mission Impossible by Billy May and Cha Cha Cha d'Amour.
Each volume is worth buying but, for those with little time and money, the Ultra Lounge Sampler contains songs from each volume. It comes with a groovy table coaster for your
Martini Madness is another must-have, two-volumeset.
KU opera sings tune of adulterous count
By Amanda Arbuckle Kansan staff writer
If it's individuality you want, look no further than Esquivel! He coined the phrase "Space-Age Bachelor Pad Music," which is still the only way to describe his music. A good starter album is Other Worlds Other Sounds, which contains his bubbly version of I Get a Kick Out of You.
Then there is Sinatra. He is the embodiment of the swingin' lounge lifestyle. And he can still sit kooky tunes kids will dig.
A philandering husband's plot to sleep with his valet's fiancée, an unhappy wife and a frightened bride-to-be all bring to life a classic story that still entertains contemporary audiences.
The KU Opera is performing The Marriage of Figaro in Swarthout Recital Hall at Murphy Hall. The opera, which opened in Lawrence last week, will be performed for two more nights. The opera is performed in English.
With music composed by Mozart, the opera is based on the trilogy by 18th-century playwright Beaumarchais.
In the opera, the Count, tired of his wife, has taken to chasing the women in his home. Susanna, Figaro's fiancee, is the unhappy object of the Count's desire. The household is determined to stop the Count's scandalous plan and to make him change his ways.
"Mozart's music has made this opera a classic," said John Stephens, stage director of Figaro. "It's based on a witty play that was relatively successful, but Mozart's music was genius. He could make the music match the personalities and the story."
Stephens, professor of voice and opera, wanted the KU Opera to perform a classical period opera. He also wanted a small orchestra to accompany the opera, something that had never been done in Swarthout Hall.
"For the last few years, we've done operetta," Stephens said. "It was time for a change, and we hadn't done Figaro for at least 10 years."
The cast was selected after auditions were held early last semester.
Stephens said he looked at physic al types, vocal quality and, most importantly, vocal stamina.
Stephens said the role of Susanna was the second-largest singing role in opera.
Vanessa Thompson, Clay Center sophomore, plays the role of Susanna.
"It was a lot of memorization," Thompson said. "It took me at least a month to memorize everything. And Susanna was my first big role."
As a first-time director, Stephens said he enjoyed helping students master their roles.
"Students are more open-minded, more willing to take chances. By the time of the performance, I loved just sitting back and watching them make this production their own," he said.
To prepare for their demanding roles, opera students have theatrical training, some have movement or dance training, and all take voice lessons.
"It takes a long time to develop a voice for opera," Stephens said. "Most start in their mid- to late teens. But not until their mid- to late 20s are their voices ready for the professional world."
Brian Mandigo, Lincoln, Neb., junior, who plays the role of Susanna's Uncle Antonio, has been fascinated by opera since he was a child.
"My mother used to perform in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Since I was 8 years old, if any of her shows had a role for a younger kid, I would get to perform that part," he said. "As I grew up, I just got more involved."
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