Henderson Bros. Are At It Again

Henderson Bros. Burlesque returns to the Capital City this February for another round of teases, bawdiness, and skin. Last year’s premiere performance saw over 600 patrons at the one-night-only event, and co-creators Chad and Terrance Henderson have crafted another night of naughty fun with new acts, dances, and teases. Henderson Bros. Burlesque will run February 13^th through the 15^th, with show times at 8:00pm every night. There will be a special late night performance at 10:00pm on February 14^th. Reserved seating may be purchased online at www.trustus.org, and standing room tickets may be purchased by calling the Trustus Box Office only: (803) 254-9732. Seated tickets are $30, and standing tickets are $20.

 History of Henderson Bros. Burlesque

 Last year over 600 patrons attended the one-night-only performance of Henderson Bros. Burlesque at 2013’s What’s Love at 701 Whaley. With the success of the first show, Trustus decided to bring the show to the Thigpen Main Stage this February. Since Trustus offers less seating than 701, the show will be performed over the course of three nights – but seating will still be limited.

Henderson Bros. Burlesque co-creators Chad and Terrance Henderson are not actual relatives, but they certainly see a union in their creative approaches to entertainment. The two have collaborated on many shows at Trustus Theatre since 2009, and they’ve been brainstorming a burlesque show for the past two years. “Doing a burlesque show was one of those ideas that come up over a couple of drinks,” said co-creator and director Chad Henderson. “I had been reading a lot about the history of burlesque, and felt like Columbia was way overdue for a big theatrical burlesque show. I went to Terrance because I knew I wanted his choreography involved in the show, and he said he’d been wanting to produce a Burly-Q show as well. We kept brainstorming and sharing ideas because we were planning on producing it ourselves.”

The end result was a rocking evening that had patrons dancing in the aisles and begging for more.

 What’s The Show Like?

 Henderson Bros. Burlesque is one part burlesque teases, one part dance show, and one part rock concert. It’s a variety show that’s a professionally thrown party.

Henderson Bros. Burlesque, boasts over 20 performers. Chad Henderson, the 2012 Jasper Magazine Artist of the Year in Theatre, will be directing the production. Co-creator Terrance Henderson the 2013 Jasper Magazine Artist of the Year in Dance will be singing his heart out as the Emcee Nauti Boogie, as well as choreographing the ensemble pieces in the show. He’ll be backed vocally by Kendrick Marion and Katrina Blanding.

Music Director Jeremy Polley (Alter Ego) will be directing a 7-piece band featuring guitar, drums, bass, piano, trumpet, trombone, and saxophone. The music in the show, hand-picked by the Hendersons, ranges from jazz standards, funk, hip-hop, club music, and rock. Songs from Beyonce, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Christina Aquilera, and more will be reverberating through the Main Stage. Patrons can count on needing their dancing shoes.

Local actor Hunter Boyle will be returning as Vaudeville clown Bumbleclap McGee, the resident funny-man of the Henderson Bros. Burlesque. Bumbleclap will be bringing back jokes from the days of Vaudeville, with a lot of wit, winks, and nudges. Rumor is that he’ll be bringing a live version of “What Does the Fox Say?” to the performance this year.

The burlesque performers in the show range in age, sex, race, build, and character – providing a little something for everyone who attends. Performer Sugar St. Germaine will be teasing with a fan dance, Burgundy Brown will be driving the crowd crazy with her beaded New Orleans inspired act, and Latte Love will be drive the audience wild with her trademark dressing screen act. Other performers will be performing ensemble Crazy-Horse inspired group teases – including a male dancer feature where the only thing they’ll be wearing by the end is a wash cloth. We suggest patrons bring handkerchiefs to wipe the sweat from their brow.

SC Music Goes to SXSW - Guest blog by Greg Slattery

Jasper loves it when SC artists go forth and make our talent known so we asked Stereofly's Greg Slattery to write about their new project. Read on. South Carolina is teeming with fresh, exciting and unique art.  We've seen Main Street, a former district of wasted opportunity, turn into a vibrant street filled with businesses that promote art. First Thursday is one of the greatest events in Columbia, a monthly gathering of art lovers for wine, music and gallery openings.  In many ways the historical under-appreciation of the artists within South Carolina has led to where we are today.  The fight has made us stronger, and I think it will all be worth it.  Perhaps it is arrogance, but I believe we are surrounded with some of the greatest artists that ever lived.  Rather than wallow in the fact that the national view of South Carolina is not that of a progressive community when we can take to the streets and go on the national campaign to tell the world.  With enough people spreading the word about South Carolina's artistic merit, we will start to see the bigger changes Columbia needs that national recognition can help facilitate.

We have the foundation. With publications like Jasper, Free Times, SceneSC and Stereofly, artists have the opportunity for exposure and attention from a variety of viewpoints. We have great venues like Art Bar, New Brookland Tavern, Conundrum Music Hall, Tapp's Art Center, Foxfield and great house shows happening at Queen Punx Palace. Radio stations such as WUSC 90.5FM, The Palm 92.1FM and WXRY 99.3FM are constantly spinning local music. Columbia Arts Academy has two schools now teaching the younger generation guitar, piano, bass, voice and drums. Jam Room Studio is hosting a yearly free music festival on Main Street. With more attention on a national scale, we know that Columbia and the state of South Carolina can start building something more sustainable. More attention leads to more opportunities, and Columbia is ready to grow.

One of the steps we are taking to champion the musicians of South Carolina is featuring them at the Stereofly SXShowcase 2014 on March 11th and 12th in Austin, TX during SXSW at Javelina Bar. Tastemakers and music lovers from around the globe gather in Austin for one week in March to find new artists, and we have 22 bands from South Carolina (14 from Columbia) we're showing off. 

The Restoration - FatRat Da Czar - Rachel Kate - Say Brother - Carnaval - Megan Jean & The KFB - Mason Jar Menagerie - Shallow Palace - Stagbriar - Cole Connor - Grand Royal - Ran Bruce - Ned & The Dirt - Abacus - Sein zum Tode - Zonaea - Cancellieri - Signs of Iris - Slick - We Roll Like Madmen - Dear Blanca - Chadd Downing

We are hosting a Kickstarter to raise money to promote the showcase and make sure our message is heard. The more we raise, the more promotional campaigns we will be able to roll out to reach the 25,000 SXSW patrons.  We have the talent; we need to make sure they're heard.

We have split the two days and two stages into four categories of sound: Rustic, Fluid, Saturated and Aggressive. Pigeonholing artists into genres and subgenres is not what we have in mind, and these adjectives serve as an identifier in the most basic sense, leaving the listener the choice to further connect and identify with the artist.

If you're interested in checking out the complete lineup of artists performing, you can visit HTTP://KICKSTARTER.THESTEREOFLY.COM to read more about each artist and to preview music from each stage. 

Jasper talks with Aquila Theatre Artistic Director Desiree Sanchez about Fahrenheit 451, coming to the Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, February 7th

Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College will host a stage adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic novel Fahrenheit 451, presented by by New York City’s Aquila Theatre Company on Feb. 7, 2014 at 7:30 PM.

Desiree Sanche, Aquila's Artistic Director and the director of this play, filled Jasper in on the company and this production.

Jasper:   Tell us about the roots of Aquila.  Why is touring an integral part of that mission?

Desiree Sanchez:  Aquila Theatre was founded in London in 1991 by Peter Meineck while he was a student at University College London. The company at that time was called The London Small Theater Company and was primarily focused on Greek plays. Meineck formed the company with intention of bringing the greatest classical works to the greatest number and making Greek Drama both relevant and moving to its audience. Touring was a major component to this mission as it brings the work to a much wider audience.

Jasper: "Aquila" is Latin for "eagle" - why that choice for a title?

Sanchez:   We wanted a name that we couldn’t outgrow. It needed to be a name that was informed by the work and not the other way around. The eagle represents strength, leadership and beauty. Its Latin representation is both beautiful in its expression and classical in its origin. In Roman times, each legion had a designated legionary whose job was to carry an emblem of the aquila through battle. This eagle was a symbol of honor to the Romans, and it was the duty of the head legionary to assure that the aquila was never captured. We at Aquila Theatre see ourselves as artistic leaders who are committed to maintaining a high artistic standard, and never forgetting our mission not only to spread classical drama, but to continue to push the canon of what is a classic. We not only perform Greek and Shakespeare plays, but also Heller and Bradbury. I think people now associate Aquila with artistic excellence.

Jasper:   As you say, Aquila has presented classics from classical antiquity (The Iliad, Oedipus, The Birds, etc.) and from Shakespeare as well as adaptations of modern classics (Jekyll and Hyde, 6 Characters In Search of An Author, and now Fahrenheit 451.) What makes something a "classic," and why are these works so important for modern audiences?

Sanchez:    We like to think of a classic as piece of work that has had a lasting impact on the psyche of our culture. Each of these works you mention, which we have performed, has its own unique way of expressing fundamental questions of who we are and how we got to be this way. Classics often have allowing often suppressed questions of society and ourselves to the surface. For whatever reason we are compelled to watch others play these questions out.

Jasper:   This adaptation is by Bradbury himself, correct?  

Sanchez:  Bradbury did write this adaptation in 1979. It has not been produced very often. Though I did not see it, there was a production in the city in 2006, which was well received. Beyond the occasional amateur production, it has not been produced often.

Jasper:   How challenging is taking a show on the road, nationally?  I gather this show is being alternated with Twelfth Night, with both done in some cities, and it's a cast of only seven actors.

Sanchez:    That is correct. We have a cast of 7, and they all play multiple roles in both shows. This means that our actors have to be very versatile, disciplined and hardy.  The road is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of time on the road, and the length of the tour is six months with a month off in December. This is a big country, and a lot can go wrong getting from point A to B, or in our case California to NY, Florida to Canada. For all its difficulty, our actors seem to get a lot from the tour. They definitely form close friendships with each other, and get to see some incredible parts of the country. They also can really hone their acting skills. It’s rare for an actor to have the opportunity to perform in rep for that stretch of time anymore. They always come back with amazing stories and it tends to be a tour they never forget. I always take it as a good sign when we get people who want to keep coming back.

Jasper:  We assume that the set has to be fairly minimal, and obviously easy to put up and take down and pack into the truck.  What are the mechanics?  How do you travel from venue to venue, and what sort of tech support do you have?

Sanchez:  We travel in a large but comfortable passenger van with a small trailer attached to the back. We try and keep our set creatively compact. Design is key. We have a Technical Director, Stage Manager and two assistants to the technical director. Our crew is highly skilled. Each venue is different. The local crews range from union to non-union to even student crews on occasion. This means our crew has to be able to deliver the same show with the standards no matter what the level of experience the local crew has. Our TD is very good at knowing how to adjust our equipment needs in each venue to get a top-notch Aquila show delivered on time.

Jasper: Aquila has a special relationship with Columbia and USC; how did that come about?

Sanchez:   Yes, Peter Meineck was an assistant professor of Classics at USC in 1998. He brought Aquila to South Carolina when it became a joint US/UK Equity company. The actors came from London and New York and stayed in Columbia during the summer and opened their shows at the Koger Center. Aquila worked with the school’s Masters program in design and had an internship program with the MFA acting program. Two actors from USC joined the company and Nate Teraccio, a USC undergraduate in the Honors College and one of Peter’s students also joined the company as a technician and rose through the ranks eventually becoming the company manager. Nate now works as the production manager for Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, Thorne Compton, who was chair of the Theatre and Speech department and Peter Sederberg, Dean of the SC Honors College at that time, were instrumental in hosting Aquila at USC. After two years at USC Peter was offered a professorship ay NYU and Aquila was offered a company in residence position there. Three or four Aquila shows that went on to tour internationally and play long runs in New York were created at the Koger Center.

Jasper:  Burning and banning books comes and goes in America, and seems to have died down in the last few years.  Nevertheless, censorship is a HUGE issue for this country, as is intellectual freedom.  Why will this play/novel and its themes resonate with modern audiences, especially younger theatre-goers who may not be familiar with the work, and may not remember the Red Scare and the McCarthy era?

Sanchez:   I think resonates with our current society as it not only focuses on book burning but the over saturation of media, technology, reality TV and the lack of interest in anything that cannot be captured in a single headline. One of Bradbury’s characters in the play, Faber, has a great quote about the ban on books: “Remember the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord.” This play is probably too close to home for many of us. In our present society, I don’t think its censorship or intellectual freedom that’s the problem, but rather the general lack of interest in knowledge and history. There is definitely an inertia that is present in our culture, which allows for censorship and intolerance to thrive. Real education purely for the sake knowledge is not valued in our culture. We learn to perform for standardized tests, universities are pressured to cut their humanities classes so that they can make way for more “useful” subjects. History lessons are practically extinct in the elementary schools.  It is no wonder we rank 26^th in the world. No new curriculum will ever be able to change this unless it can change the way we think as a society.

.......................

From press material:

Fahrenheit’s protagonist, Guy Montag, is a fireman whose job is to hunt down and burn outlawed books, as well as the houses that contain them. He goes about this occupation undeterred until he considers his enforcer role in the oppressive, dystopian society.   Through Montag, Bradbury questions the impact of information technology on literature and society. The ubiquity of cell phones, laptops and tablets makes Bradbury's work more relevant today.

Katie Fox, Director of Theatre Operations at Harbison Theatre, said “While we may not debate censorship as heavily as we have in the past, the effect of technology on our lifestyle and relationships has never been more prevalent.  When I learned that Aquila Theatre Company, one of the best touring theaters in the country, was producing the stage version by Ray Bradbury, I knew it was perfect for our college and community.”

Published in 1953, Fahrenheit 451 is an early Cold War-era novel written against the backdrop of McCarthyism and the threat of a communist impression on America known as the Red Scare. During the McCarthy era, thousands of Americans were accused of being communists and communist sympathizers and were subjected to invasive investigations. Bradbury was concerned about censorship — and the threat of book burnings.

Harbison Theatre’s 2013-2014 Signature Season features eleven shows; view the entire season here: http://www.harbisontheatre.org/2013-2014-season/. Fahrenheit 451 is presented on Feb. 7, 2014 at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $22 and can be purchased at www.HarbisonTheatre.org. Buyers may also order tickets via phone at 803-407-5011, or in person at the Harbison Theatre Box Office, Monday through Friday, 9 -4. The box office also will open two hours prior to each show during the season.

~ August Krickel

"Clybourne Park" at Trustus Theatre - a review by August Krickel

Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park, currently running on the Thigpen Main Stage at Trustus Theatre, is by definition an important play; any winner of a Tony Award, an Olivier Award (England's Tony) and the Pulitzer Prize for Best Play, automatically commands and deserves attention. The show is also an unofficial (but direct) sequel to Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking A Raisin in the Sun, one of the earliest dramas to realistically address issues facing modern African-American families.  Raisin was nominated for multiple Tonys too, won the NY Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play in 1959, and ran for several years, appealing to both black and white audiences; its plot centered around a black family's plans to buy a house in a white Chicago neighborhood.

Clybourne Park's first act depicts the conflict that was meanwhile taking place in the sellers' living room, and its second act fast forwards to 2009, where the same actors play different characters engaged in similar wranglings over real estate that are really all about race and class. Well-written, well-crafted, and thought-provoking, Norris's script is also funny, disturbing, upsetting, provocative, and frustrating. Top-notch acting and direction ensure that the author's themes and issues are presented with clarity and eloquence, but the ultimate message may be that we have not progressed nearly as much as a society as we like to think.

In 1959, Bryan Bender, Lucas Bender, and  Erica Tobolski portray a wholesome middle-class family who could be Ward and June Cleaver's neighbors. Their banal and affected chatter hides a family tragedy, which makes them eager to sell their home to the first bidder. Neighbors (G. Scott Wild and Rachel Kuhnle) and the local minister (Bobby Bloom) break the news that the buyers are a "colored" family, and drag the housekeeper and her husband (Ericka Wright and Wela Mbusi) into an increasingly volatile argument over integration. 50 years later, the neighborhood is considered traditionally African-American, and at risk of losing much of its cultural heritage to gentrification. Wild and Kuhnle now play high-strung yuppies who imagine  themselves to be liberal and progressive, while Wright and Mbusi, representing the neighborhood association, are a seemingly pleasant, reasonable couple who discover how easily their buttons can be pushed when it comes to race. Norris seems to be saying that while these characters (and by implication, Americans) can co-exist peacefully in certain circumstances, at the same time there's much left unsaid, rather than ever honestly dealt with or resolved.

Norris's script makes good use of contemporary vernacular and modern speech patterns where people talk over one another and cut each other off mid-sentence.  Director Jim O'Connor keeps action and dialogue flowing at light speed, and his cast excels in making every word seem natural. Several actors adopt believable Northern accents, although to my ear some sounded more reminiscent of Minnesota, a la the film Fargo, than the Chicago natives I've known, but there are references to the characters' German and Scandinavian roots, and the effect works either way. Tobolski's suburban Suzie Homemaker in the first act, clad in a lovely dress and a frilly apron, is almost a comic stereotype, but there's a legitimate reason for her demeanor. Bryan Bender is a master of Midwestern reserve in the first act, then switches to broad comedy in the second act as a whimsical and quirky workman.  Kuhnle gets some of the sharpest barbs and meatiest character mannerisms to play with, while Wild's performance is the most believable and nuanced. His character is the only one in the second act to make some effort to address the real issues at hand, although he botches this attempt terribly. Still, his hapless frustration is likely to strike a familiar chord with many in the audience, as his attempts at political correctness reveal biases he never realized.  Christian Thee's set design of a typical 1950's living room seems simple, indeed minimalistic, yet its inventiveness becomes apparent in the second act. Panels and units within the set are quickly replaced during intermission to seamlessly depict a half century of urban decay. Also of note is Baxter Engle's sound design: assorted cell phones, radio broadcasts, and unseen construction equipment sound exactly as they should.

While the script has many genuinely funny moments, it's ultimately a dark and wicked satire of society's attitudes and misconceptions about race, and a number of uncomfortable questions are raised, explored, yet never answered. Forcing an audience to think about, and sometimes laugh at, important topics that are more easily ignored is sufficient reason to admire and embrace Clybourne Park as a work of literature and social commentary. O'Connor and his cast add a necessary and welcome human touch, bringing difficult characters to believable life.

Clybourne Park runs on the Thigpen Main Stage at Trustus Theatre through Saturday, Feb. 8; contact the box office at 803-254-9732 for ticket information, or visit trustus.org/.

~ August Krickel

(This review also ran this week online at the Free Times.)

Movie Review -- The Punk Singer: A Film About Kathleen Hanna

The Nick has always been good about keeping a nice selection of well-curated music documentaries rotating through their programming calendar, and The Punk Singer is no exception. The story of the riot grrl movement of the 1990s is one that still urgently needs to be told again and again, and the career of the explosive and charismatic Kathleen Hanna is a fitting, although not entirely unproblematic, vehicle in which to do that.

The film does an excellent job of distilling not only the essential details of the movement, but also the spirit and sense of excitement that surrounded its emergence as a powerful punk subculture. Rooted in the home bases of the Pacific Northwest and DC area, a collection of female musicians formed bands that explicitly addressed issue of patriarchy, sexual abuse, and rape and sought to empower other women to make music, write zines, and becomes activists. An explicitly revolutionary movement, riot grrls held meetings and organized protests and concerts in the hopes of forging a new kind of third-wave feminism.

In focusing specifically on Kathleen Hanna, documentarian Sini Anderson somewhat oversells how central the Bikini Kill leader was to the creation of the movement at the expense of her many collaborators and kindred spirits, but the film definitely captures what made the singer so essential to the whole thing. Through footage of just a handful of live concerts interspersed and supported by Bikini Kill studio recordings, Hanna’s undeniable stage and vocal presence, as well as her ability to meld punk and DIY ethos with feminism with a commanding poise makes it clear just how electrifying, and impossible to ignore, Bikini Kill was. The first half of the film essentially tries to recreate the atmosphere and sense of empowerment that the riot grrrl movement inspired as it intersperses archival footage of Hanna doing interviews and Bikini Kill performances with interviews on Hanna's influence with, among others, Joan Jett, Kim Gordon (Body/Head, Sonic Youth), and Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney).

The second half of the film moves quickly through Bikini Kill’s breakup, Hanna’s romance with eventual husband Adam Horowitz (Beastie Boys), her move to more electronic, and somewhat more accessible, sonic terrain in Le Tigre, and that band's extended hiatus around 2006 due to Hanna’s mysterious illness, which dominates the final section of the documentary. The fast pace yields mixed returns, as at times it feels like Anderson is ably filling in the gaps of Hanna’s life, and at other times like she’s pushing too fast through the last 15 years or so of her story to reach the end. Having said that, the film’s punchy 80 minute run time is definitely one of its strengths, and it provides ample time for Hanna to shed light on both her condition and the general plight of those with late-stage Lyme disease, which is notoriously difficult to diagnose. Hanna even makes a nice connection between the kind of hurdles lyme disease sufferers face (and, by extension, other people suffering from disabilities) to the ones that feminism more traditionally tackles.

The film ends with Hanna’s triumphant return to music, as 2013’s Run Fast, a full-length album recorded by her resurrected moniker/band The Julie Ruin, can attest. It splits the difference a bit between the electroclash of Le Tigre and the shoutalong punk of Bikini Kill, and is a surprisingly sharp return to form for Hanna given her years away from music-making and songwriting.

Some of the more problematic elements of the film were pointed out by the Girls Rock Columbia organized panel that followed Monday night’s screening. The panel featured five volunteers from last year’s camp, Jennifer “Bingo” Gunter, Meeghan Kane, Katherine McCollough, Ony Ratsimbaharison, and Mollie Williamson, many of whom noted the movement’s white middle-class exclusivity and some of the difficulties of translating the riot grrrl movement across divides of race, class, and nationality even as they praised the profound impact and importance of Hanna. This essay by music journalist Laina Dawes entitled “Why I Was Never a Riot Grrrl” became a valuable touching point for the discussion and should be required reading whether you see the film or not.

On a personal note, as a white male music writer who has written explicitly about the gender of some of the members of the panel in the past, the discussion of how female musicians are portrayed in the press and constantly asked to interrogate the relationship between their gender and their art provided an uncomfortable yet necessary reminder of both my own extraordinary privilege and the ways in which even the best of intentions can often bare traces of the very structural inequalities that feminism seeks to subvert.

The film screens once more at The Nickelodeon on Friday, January 31st, at 11pm.

Bonus Feature from Last Night’s Screening: A short set by members of Hauswerk and Those Lavender Whales (Jessica Bornick – drums, Ony Ratsimbaharison – guitar, and Katherine McCollough – vocals) before the film that ripped through two Bikini Kill songs and two Hauswerk originals that fit the spirit of the evening to a T.

-Kyle Petersen

Trailer:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwrXC5OXqgc]

Ten Reasons to See the Columbia City Ballet's Giselle This Weekend

 

1. Giselle is not for children. This doesn’t mean that children won’t be mesmerized by the costumes, movement, and quasi-fairytale quality of the ballet, and there’s nothing adults-only about the ballet or the story. Giselle, however, is a more mature, sophisticated ballet. No little cutie-pies running across the stage. No magic tricks. No hoopla. Pure art.
2. Dance programming in Columbia tends to respond to ticket sales. We will continue to see mostly narrative, family-friendly (read: little cutie pies running across the stage, magic tricks, and hoopla) if those are the performances that sell the most tickets. And, of course, the converse is true, as well; we will continue to see fewer serious ballets if we, as a dance audience, don’t support a more challenging type of programming—such as Giselle—with butts in seats.
3. It is time for Columbia dance audiences to grow up. It is time to learn more about the art we support; to mature as audiences so that we expect more than fluff from our dance artists, and to be able to recognize and appreciate it when our dance artists give us something meaty, like Giselle, to chew on.
4. Columbia’s dance artists are desperate to give you this kind of programming.  Most of the dancers you’ll see on Friday and Saturday nights have been training most of their lives to perform this kind of ballet. The parts are difficult. They are challenging both mentally and physically. What these dancers want more than anything is to offer this level of performance, do it well, and receive some small bit of validation (read: butts in seats and applause at the end of the night) demonstrating that we know they are capable of dancing at this level. This is what they live for.
5. Giselle is a ballet that appeals to many different types of audiences. There is romance, of course—ballet is a romantic art—but Giselle is not your typical boy-meets-girl type of narrative. There’s not a whole helluva lot of living-happily-ever-after, and the characters of those that do so are profoundly changed by the events that happen in the story line.
6. Giselle is one of the most sophisticated ghost stories you’ll ever see enacted. Who gives a rot about vampires and mummies—these ghosts are beautiful and massively athletic dead women with broken hearts and an unquenchable desire for VENGEANCE, baby.
7. Classical art like this is an important part of an art lover’s cultural literacy (and trivia repertoire. The next time you’re at trivia night at the Whig you’ll be able to answer the question: What is a wili? Answer:  A wili is a supernatural being from Slavic folklore – in the case of the ballet Giselle, a wili is a broken-hearted dead woman who dances men to their deaths!)
8. Craziness. Serious craziness.  Here’s a preview – at the end of the first act of the ballet, Giselle basically goes nuts. I mean, tearing her hair out, wild woman, Uzo Aduba – eyed, post-postal, Mama-say-if-I’ll-be-alright, crazy. Black Swan crazy. Principal ballerina Regina Willoughby will be performing that part. If Regina can pull off crazy as well as she does composed—and I have no doubt that she can—then we are all in for a momentous treat.
9. Jasper dance editor (and this blog writer’s daughter) Bonnie Boiter-Jolley will be performing the role of Myrtha—Queen Bitch of the Wilis—on Saturday night. The beautiful and, I feel certain, equally ireful Claire Richards will be dancing the role on Friday night.  You have not seen mean until you see how mean this Myrtha character can be. Seriously cold. Myrtha has no problem sentencing boys to their rhythmic deaths with a single swoop of her lily white hand. Just don’t look her in the eyes.
10. SAVE On TICKETS by subscribing to What Jasper Said (above right) then  entering the promotional code "jasper" to save $10 off price of $29 & $39 tickets at http://www.capitoltickets.com/   Giselle will be performed by the Columbia City Ballet Friday and Saturday, January 31st and February 1st at the Koger Center for the Arts.

Chris Compton & the Ruby Brunettes, Post-Timey String Band, Dr. Roundhouse, and Pharaohs in Space play at Conundrum for Food Not Bombs - a guest blog by Jeremy Joseph

My name is Jeremy Joseph. I am the organizer of a benefit concert series that brings together local musicians to help raise funds and spread awareness about the work of non-profits and charitable organizations in our city and statewide. I believe that musicians are in a unique position to help mobilize social and political action. We bring people together, we attract media attention, we have microphones thrust in front our faces, and we connect often disparate groups of people in one place and time through our music. That is a unique power that we are privileged to hold, and I believe we can use it for good.

I began this series over four and a half years ago in Washington, DC. Since moving to Columbia in 2011 to attend grad school for philosophy at USC, I have had the pleasure of so far organizing six concerts for great local non-profits including Transitions, Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands, and the SC Progressive Network, in addition to working with many fantastic Columbia and SC bands including Can't Kids, Co., FatRat Da Czar, The Restoration, People Person, Release the Dog, and the Mobros. I have been truly impressed with the work of these organizations and delighted with the outpouring of support from local musicians and local media in helping to support their efforts. There is truly a caring community here in Columbia!

Friday, January 24th, I am very pleased to bring the seventh Columbia concert in this series in support of the local chapter of Food Not Bombs,who do remarkable work to feed people who are economically disadvantaged in our city, and spread a message of peace. The concert will feature performances by four excellent local groups: Chris Compton & the Ruby Brunettes, The Post-Timey String Band, Dr. Roundhouse, and Pharaohs in Space. It is not to be missed! Your entrance fee will go directly to help feed people in need in our city.

Lastly, I want to thank Tom Law for hosting each one of these concerts at Conundrum Music Hall. I cannot speak highly enough about this venue and its staff. It is unquestionably the best music club in the city and deserves your patronage.

Now, I want to turn this blog post over to Food Not Bombs for a few words from their representatives:

Columbia Food Not Bombs has helped feed people at Finlay Park since 2002. Started by USC students, Columbia FNB has evolved to sharing food with an average of 150 people every Sunday at 1 p.m. It's called a "sharing" because everyone involved helps. Some bring food, some serve food, some set up tables, and some clean up afterward.

Columbia FNB has also served the community in a variety of ways. In 2005, members helped feed Katrina survivors temporarily housed in South Carolina. Three years ago, FNB provided meals to the Occupiers at the SC State House. Columbia FNB members also feed people at the Winter Shelter and Transitions long-term shelter, both in downtown Columbia.

Columbia FNB is a community partner with Harvest Hope and receives donations from Food Lion, Rosewood Market, City Roots, and El Burrito. Approximately 35 volunteers prepare and share food each month. Excess food is shared with Hannah House, Sister Care, and the North Main Men's and Women's Shelters. Volunteers are always welcome, as are paper products, gas cards, and monetary donations. For more info call Maris at 803-331-6383.

Exhibition Preview: Photography of the Rural South by Jasper Intern Wesley Young

On January 23^rd 2014, McKissick Museum is showcasing an exhibition that celebrates the history of South Carolina’s rural counties in a casing called Photography of the Rural South.  The exhibit is comprised of photographs taken by USC students from a newly established southern studies course provided by the University of South Carolina. This course gives a chance to students with no prior experience in photography to express themselves visually while providing viewers a glimpse of geographic beauty that is often overlooked. Throughout this course students traveled through various parts of South Carolina gathering footage, meeting residents, and capturing history, and in the process turned a mere elective course into a class to remember.

Originated by Kathleen Robbins, a USC photography professor, this course embodies the pure essence and nature of documentary photography. From establishing a composition to changing the ISO and shutter speed to their preference, these students have been able to take their lens and make it an extension of their sight and mind. After walking through the gallery with Edward Puchner, Curator of Exhibitions, I couldn’t help but pay more attention to subtle beauties that surrounded me, to the things I couldn’t catch in the fast-paced life that our society is so deeply submerged in. I don’t want to use the cliché, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” if only because some of them were worth more. Photographs of dilapidated houses on a scattered street tell a story of towns that use to be festive and active. Now, they’re just a solemn reminder of when things were very different.

While making my way around the exhibit, Puchner explained to me the significance and history that some of these photographs possess. The Orangeburg Massacre, a protest in South Carolina history that will never be forgotten, took place at a bowling alley near SC State University and resulted in the death of three with nine injured. Citizens were protesting the absurdity of South Carolina’s segregation laws. Though half a century has passed since then, a student’s photograph taken of the alley’s worn and tattered sign serves as a reminder of where South Carolina was and how far it has come.

Capturing beauty in its simplest form can be difficult due to how fast society is evolving around us. Everything is just a pocket reach away when the “world” can be accessed in one’s phone.  Rarely does one walk through a park to take in the atmosphere or stroll through a garden to absorb its aesthetics. However, walking around the McKissick Gallery reminded me of subtler times when one could just be their self because it was the only thing that life demanded.

Wesley Young, Jasper Intern

McKissick Museum will be opening Photography of the Rural South on Thursday, January 23, 2014, with a reception from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. The exhibition runs through May 10, 2014.

Village Square Theatre Pours a Cup of Ambiton with "9 to 5: The Musical" - a review by Melissa Swick Ellington

The Lexington County Arts Association presents an enjoyable production of 9 to 5: The Musical, running through this weekend at the Village Square Theatre.  With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick, the musical is based on the 1980 film. The show explores the power of friendship in the struggle against workplace discrimination, as three unlikely allies band together to take revenge on a sexist boss and to revolutionize office life in the process. Audience members will recognize the familiar voice of Dolly Parton as the friendly, down-home guide through 9 to 5: The Musical.

Director Brandi Owensby, musical director John Norris, and producers Leslie Dellinger and Courtney Long are at the helm for this Village Square offering. A capable production team includes choreographers Wes Williams and Kaitlyn Yaworksi, technical director Shepherd Pinner, stage manager Aryel Toup, and costume designers Heidi Willard, Nancy Huffines, Gina Calvert, and Barbara Bise. Highlights of their achievements include the complex and humorous staging of a vengeance fantasy sequence, costumes that evoke character traits effectively, and simple sets that get the job done.

In the role of company veteran Violet, Janice Holbrook blends maternal empathy with a sardonic, no-nonsense demeanor. Her mentorship of the office newcomer Judy (Rachel Rizutti) builds a sincere connection that bolsters the emotional life of the show, while Rizutti’s convincing character development and lovely singing voice invite audiences to invest in Judy’s theatrical journey. As irrepressible “Backwoods Barbie” Doralee, Susie Gibbons overcomes stereotypes to craft a resonant portrayal of a savvy and resourceful woman. Audiences will savor the first glimpse of this trio’s combined strength as their powerful delivery of “I Just Might” revs up the show.  The three women soar in the rallying cry “Shine Like the Sun.”

Andrew Coston plays Joe the accountant with sincerity and sweetness, sharing a particularly appealing vocal approach to “Let Love Grow.” Harrison Ayer commits to the role of sexist boss Franklin Hart, oozing cringe-worthy sleaze that makes skin crawl and stomachs churn. Robin Saviola brings humanity to Roz, the coworker who yearns for the man others condemn as a “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.” A large ensemble of employees generates a credible depiction of bleak misery in the office “bullpen” that transforms to hopeful empowerment in the second act’s workplace metamorphosis.

Uneven sound choices interfere with the performance at times. Cleaner sound design and less cumbersome set changes would benefit the production considerably, but these are minor quibbles in light of the enjoyable theatre experience provided by Village Square. At the matinee I attended, it became very clear that the audience appreciated the performance: Doralee’s threat to Hart (“change you from a rooster to a hen”) prompted an audience member’s spontaneous affirmation, “God bless country girls!”

9 to 5: The Musical uses humor and music to illuminate disturbing problems. While it might be tempting to write off the show’s central conflict as indicative of a different era, the play’s themes resonate today in immediate as well as global ways. While wrestling with uncomfortable social realities, viewers can tap their toes to charming songs and chuckle over unpretentious humor. Tough issues wrapped up in a sassy package? Thank you, Dolly Parton.

Performances will run through Sunday, January 26 (Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.). Ticket prices are $19.00 for adults and $15.00 for children and can be purchased at www.villagesquaretheatre.com or by calling the box office at 803-359-1436. Village Square Theatre is located in Lexington just off highway 378 at 105 Caughman Road. Parental guidance is appropriate for 9 to 5: The Musical because of adult situations and language.

~Melissa Swick Ellington

Trustus brings Pulitzer Prize and Olivier award-winning comedy “Clybourne Park” to Columbia with a talented ensemble cast under the direction of Guest Director Jim O’Connor.

 

Trustus Theatre is bringing Bruce Norris’ Pulitzer Prize, Tony, and Olivier Award-winning comedy Clybourne Park to the Thigpen Main Stage. This show, a response to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, is a provocative and humorous look at racial relations and reactions in America. Clybourne Park is directed by award-winning guest director Jim O’Connor, and opens on the Thigpen Main Stage Friday January 24^th at 8:00pm. The show runs through February 8^th, 2014. Tickets may be purchased at www.trustus.org.

Clybourne Park explodes on to the Main Stage in two outrageous acts set fifty years apart. Act I takes place in 1959, as nervous community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a black family. Act II is set in the same house in the present day, as the now predominantly African-American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification. A wonderfully well-crafted script that received all of the top theatrical honors, Clybourne Park intriguingly explores conflicting aspects of the American experience.

Much of director Jim O’Connor’s theatrical career and life has been spent addressing social issues ranging from Apartheid, sexual equality and harassment, social order and responsibility, and American values. “I was elated when Trustus offered me this script,” said O’Connor. “This script is such a direct, powerful, and humorous chance to direct another piece dealing with the world of prejudice and racial relationships. Clybourne Park furnishes a delightful and meaningful evening in the theatre, but also offers the audience something to think about later as well. It can be used as a guide in our everyday lives.”

O’Connor has assembled a strong ensemble cast for this daring production. Trustus Company members G. Scott Wild (Ragtime), Rachel Kuhnle (Pine), and Venus in Fur’s Bobby Bloom (2013 Jasper Artist of the Year in Theatre Finalist) are returning to the Thigpen Main Stage. Joining them are USC theatre professor Erica Tobolski (Good People) and A Christmas Carol’s Wela Mbusi, who has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the U.K. Making their Trustus debuts and rounding out the cast are Erika Wright, Bryan Bender, and Lucas Bender.

Popular local artist Christian Thee is designing the scenic elements of Clybourne Park, where the house on stage must magically transform and age 50 years over the course of intermission. Thee is bringing his mastery of trompe l'oeil (“fool the eye”) art and design to the set in order to make the illusion of age and transformation come to life for the audience.

“Beyond its well deserved pedigree with a Pulitzer Prize and an Olivier Award, this script demands attention because of its subject matter,” said Director Jim O’Connor. “This script is unique because of the wonderfully creative form and ability to make its point through laugh out loud characters, situations and lines. All one has to do is read a daily newspaper to find the relevance of racial harmony or disharmony in 2014. There continue to be cases in the Supreme Court, battles in Congress and, conflicts in daily life based on when and how different races will ever manage to get together and shed traces of prejudices.”

There will be a talk-back following the show on February 2^nd. The panel will consist of, photographer Vennie Deas Moore who is currently documenting growth in downtown Columbia from 1920 to 1950, Tige Watts who is currently President of the National Council of Neighborhoods, Julia Prater who is deputy director of the Columbia Housing Authority, the cast, and the director Jim O’Connor.

Trustus Theatre’s Clybourne Park opens on the Trustus Main Stage on Friday, January 24th at 8:00pm and runs through February 8^th, 2014. Thigpen Main Stage shows start at 8:00pm Thursdays through Saturdays, Saturday matinees are at 2pm, and Sunday matinees are at 3:00pm. There will not be a matinee performance on January 26.  Tickets are $22.00 for adults, $20.00 for military and seniors, and $15.00 for students. Half-price Student Rush-Tickets are available 15 minutes prior to curtain.

Trustus Theatre is located at 520 Lady Street, behind the Gervais St. Publix. Parking is available on Lady St. and on Pulaski St. The Main Stage entrance is located on the Publix side of the building.

For more information or reservations call the box office Tuesdays through Saturdays 1-6 pm at 803-254-9732. Visit www.trustus.org for all show information and season information.

"9 to 5" opens at Village Square Theatre in Lexington; "Elvis Has Left the Building" opens at Town Theatre

The new year is upon us, and that means theatre is coming alive everywhere.  Love, Loss, and What I Wore continues its sold-out run at Trustus Theatre (but you can read the Jasper review here) while Workshop Theatre continues with Crimes of the Heart (you can read What Jasper Said about it here.)  Town Theatre and the Lexington County Arts Association are opening news shows this weekend - some advance press material is below!

The Lexington County Arts Association  will be pulling back the curtain of the corporate world this January at the Village Square Theatre.  Pushed to the boiling points by their boss, three female co-workers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss.  They conspire to take control of their company and learn there’s nothing they can’t do — even in a man’s world.  Set in the late 1970s, 9 to 5 - The Musical is a hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era. Outrageous, thought-provoking, and even a little romantic, 9 to 5 - The Musical is about teaming up and taking care of business.   The production is brought to the stage by the team of director Brandi Owensby and musical director John Norris. The talented cast features a quirky ensemble, a hodgepodge of comedic supporting characters, and Susie Gibbons as Doralee, Janice Holbrook as Violet (Debb Adams, understudy, shown in the press photo), Harrison Ayer as Franklin Hart, and newcomer Rachel Rizzuti as Judy.  The show is a crowd-pleasing hilarious romp about teaming up, getting credit and getting even with the boss. And who hasn't mused about that?

9 to 5 - The Musical, with music by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick, is based on the 1980 hit movie Nine to Five. The show will be opening at Village Square Theatre beginning on Friday, January 17 and running two weeks through Sunday, January 26. There will be three performances each weekend (Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m.). Parental guidance suggested (adult content, language). Ticket  prices are $19.00 for adults and $15.00 for children and can be purchased at www.villagesquaretheatre.com or by calling the box office at 803-359-1436. Village Square Theatre is located in Lexington just off highway 378 at 105 Caughman Road (behind Bojangle’s and Firestone Auto Care).

Meanwhile, across the river over at Town Theatre,  it’s 1970, and Elvis Presley is missing. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, needs his star for an extremely important live performance. (You see, he owes a certain mobster a bit of money). Oh, and the show is in 24 hours. When the search for the real Elvis proves fruitless, he looks for the next best thing -- an Elvis impersonator, but where can he find one that he can pass off as the real Elvis? What has the real Elvis been up to anyway? The answers to these questions, and much more, will be revealed as Town’s version of this hilarious comedy unfolds.

Andy Nyland (9 to 5) recreates the manipulative Colonel Parker with Therese “Resi” Talbot (Les Miserables) as Trudy, his long-suffering secretary. Charlie Goodrich (The Foreigner) and Chip Collins (Annie) take the parts of Roscoe and Candy. We simply cannot tell you what they do – you’ll just have to see it to believe it! Last but not least is Mary Miles (Miss Saigon), the saucy and fearless news reporter who simply will not take “no” for an answer. The play by mother and son team, Duke Ernsberger and Virginia Cate, is actually based on a true event in the life of Elvis Presley. Aside from that fact, the story you are about to see is totally fictitious (at least as far as we know!). You’ll want to check out our playbill for the background. You will be amazed! So come, laugh and have a good time with this bit of “folklore” surrounding the life of The King of Rock and Roll. This riotously funny story will have you wanting more and keep you guessing until the end. Elvis Has Left the Building runs Jan 17 - Feb 1; curtain Wed.-Sat. is at 8 pm, with Sundays at 3 pm.  Adults - $20; Seniors over 65/active duty military/full-time college - $17; Youth 17 and younger $15.  Box office: 803-799-2510, or visit www.towntheatre.com.

"Crimes of the Heart" - a review of the new show at Workshop Theatre

Tennessee Williams meets Steel Magnolias meets Charmed. That's how Crimes of the Heart might be pitched for a tv miniseries, as the power of three sisters reunited by family crisis enables them to navigate the murky swamp waters of Southern Gothic dysfunction. Beth Henley's dark comedy (or witty drama, depending on your perception) was all the rage in the early '80's, winning both the Pulitzer and the Critics' Circle Award for best play, receiving multiple nominations for Tony awards and Oscars (for its screen incarnation) and running for 535 performances on Broadway.  In ensuing years it has become a staple of regional and community theatre, due to its small cast, simple set, and easily-accessible-themes of love, loss, conflict and reconciliation among family members. These themes, being universal, have been addressed in other works before and since, and as a result, much of the material seems awfully familiar, but director Jocelyn Sanders has chosen a talented cast for her revival currently running at Workshop Theatre, and they ensure a spirited and lively evening of fun on stage.

The Magrath sisters can't get a break.  Their mother notoriously committed suicide when they were children, after their father abandoned them; the grandfather who raised them now clings to life in a hospital. Eldest sister Lenny (Allison Allgood) faces becoming a spinster as she turns 30 in small-town Mississippi in 1974, while free-spirited, scandalous middle sister Meg (Katie Mixon) is recovering from a failed show business career and a stay in a psychiatric hospital. Meg's return coincides with the arrest of youngest sister Babe (Erin Huiett) for the attempted murder of her abusive husband. As the play opens, we learn that even a beloved family horse was struck by lightning.  This all sounds pretty grim, yet most of the show plays like a situation comedy, as if Tennessee Williams had penned a terribly wicked episode of Designing Women. Lenny is a more functional version of The Glass Menagerie's Laura or Summer and Smoke's Alma, with Meg and Babe high-strung variations on Blanche Dubois.  (If in parallel time streams Blanche had either set out for California, or married a rich lawyer, only to give in to her penchant for young boytoys.)  Mixon portrays Meg fairly seriously, allowing the laughs to come naturally with the lines, while Allgood goes for a more comic interpretation, while nevertheless revealing assorted wounds and vulnerabilities.  Huiett faces the biggest challenge. In the notes I took during the performance, I see that at three different times I wrote "This is a woman on the edge."  Huiett employs an array of vocal mannerisms and affectations to convey a person repressing deep emotions, and some work better than others.  There's a detached, upwards lilt to much of her delivery, yet to me, it's indicative of her very tenuous grasp on stability.  Babe chooses each word very carefully, fearful that she may reveal too much about the shooting and what led up to it, and more fearful that recalling certain events may send her off the deep end.  It takes getting used to, but there is great power in her performance, especially in a riveting monologue midway through the show.  Huiett admirably sustains tremendous highs and lows over the course of more than two and a half hours. (There is only one intermission, in between Acts 2 and 3, so be forewarned.)

Denise Pearman, George Dinsmore and Hans Boeschen (alternating in his role with Lee Williams) do good work as supporting characters; all function as plot devices to provide exposition, and to give one or more sisters a challenge or obstacle to overcome, yet each performer has some good bits. Dinsmore, as Meg's ex-boyfriend, becomes frustrated as he falls into familiar patterns of behavior; the actor flails his hand with unspoken emotion and powerlessness, giving a visual echo to the thoughts we know are within.  Pearman is the sisters' nosy neighbor/catty cousin, and perfectly captures the parochialism of a small-town "Ladies' League" member. (Interestingly, her hair is far more beautiful than her nature. Bless her heart.) Boeschen is growing as an actor, and is convincing as a rookie lawyer determined to save Babe from jail, while trying to resist his attraction to her. Although as Huiett observed in a tv interview promoting the show, good luck with that.

Director Jocelyn Sanders has successfully helmed a number of big-cast, big-budget musicals in recent years, but is back in her comfort zone of character-centric drama, with plenty of opportunity to focus on characterization, line readings and mannerisms.  At times the sisters, each histrionic and often hysterical, talk at once in rapid fire, but then Sanders will allow for a long and uncomfortable period of silence, to accentuate a particular emotion or realization. The entire cast does well with body language. Characters find themselves alone on stage, sometimes pacing frantically, or engaging in frenzied stage business, alternating with quiet and meaningful moments of reflection. The action takes place in the kitchen of the Magrath family home, with a finite number of places to locate the actors (a table, some chairs, the counter, a cot placed by a stairwell) yet Sanders keeps her cast moving rapidly yet naturally. She also creates some interesting stage pictures, as when Lenny, ostensibly the eldest and most grounded, rests her head in the lap of her younger - and ostensibly more troubled - sister, looking for comfort and reassurance.

Randy Strange's set is up to his usual level of excellence. A glimpse of a tree outside the kitchen window is well-lit by Barry Sparks's lighting design, which incorporates subtle shades of violet and blue to remind us of the time of day during different scenes. Baxter Engle's sound design incorporates a very believable ring for a busy kitchen telephone that thankfully sounds exactly as if it's ringing (instead of a sound effect coming from a speaker somewhere else.) I might add that on opening night the rings were timed perfectly, since nothing ruins a mood on stage like a phone still ringing after the actor has answered it.  Costumes by Alexis Doktor are.... well, I can't say attractive, so let's just say they are quite authentic for the 1974 setting, and are exactly what these characters would think are attractive.

Literary aficionados will surely catch hints and traces of everyone from Faulkner to Eudora Welty and Carson McCullers, while theatre buffs will spot themes addressed in the plays above. Younger audience members will have seen similar plotlines in a dozen or more made-for-cable movies. Still Henley is working in a tradition, and her work, and in particular this work, has influenced a generation of successors and imitators.  Were this the miniseries I imagined above, there would also be preceding scenes focusing on the Magraths' childhood years, and a conclusion where we learn if Babe prevails in court, if Lenny finds a "fella," and if Meg can ever pull it together. Instead, the play ends in media res, with the assurance that the reunited family unit will somehow find the strength to prevail.  Which is almost disappointing, but I thought about the implications over the weekend, and realized the bigger message. As each parental figure leaves, the Magraths' lives slowly unravel, and each sister grabs at some possible escape. Had they stayed together, Babe might never have ended in a bad marriage, or at least might have found the strength to leave it sooner. Lenny seems quite confident and happy when her sisters are around.  Even Meg, who provides most of the liveliness that keeps the family unit going, might make fewer bad choices if she were secure in the knowledge that her (remaining) family loves her.  Indeed, the implication is that the power of three together is more than the sum of its parts. When the sisters laugh and giggle and gossip together, their problems seem smaller somehow, and easy to overcome.  None of that would succeed, however, without the talent of cast and director working in concert to bring out the nuances and themes within the text.

Whether by design or fortunate coincidence, Workshop is revisiting some of the more important plays of the last few decades this season, each representing a particular genre.  Last summer's Doctor Dolittle was a classic tale for small children, while Beehive was a musical revue featuring girl groups from the 60's. Sleuth was a male-centric, sophisticated comic thriller, and here Crimes of the Heart represents female-centric theatre that addresses....well.... affairs of the heart. Up next is a vintage but decidedly male-centric Neil Simon coming-of-age comedy, Biloxi Blues, and the season concludes with a wacky and broadly comic new musical straight from Broadway, Young Frankenstein. That's a nice and representative tour through the repertoire of modern theatre, and exactly what one expects from Workshop.

Crimes of the Heart runs through Sat. Jan. 25th, with a 3 PM matinee on Sunday the 19th.  Call the box office at 803-799-6551 for more information, or visit http://www.workshoptheatre.com .

~ August Krickel

volumes 2: women bound by art opens at the Curtis R. Harley Art Gallery

 

volumes 2: women bound by art, an altered book exhibition, will be on exhibit at the Curtis R. Harley Art Gallery, University of South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate), at 800 University Way, Spartanburg, SC 29203 from January 17 - February 21, 2014. This show will be exhibited in conjunction with selected works from volumes: women by by art which was created in 2012 and was exhibited at the main branch of the Lexington County Public Library, Lexington, SC and at Portfolio Art Gallery in Columbia, SC.  The women featured in the exhibition will participate in a panel discussion at 4:30 p.m. on January 30, 2014, which will focus on their respective creative processes. A reception will follow the discussion.  All Gallery events are FREE and open to the public.

The art exhibition includes a collection of 17 altered books created by 18 women artists: Eileen Blyth (Columbia, SC), Cynthia Colbert (Columbia, SC), Jessica Cruser (Columbia, SC), Heidi Darr-Hope (Columbia, SC), Janette Grassi (Charlotte, NC), Tonya Gregg (Columbia, SC), Mary How and her young daughter Macy How (Columbia, SC), Doni Jordan (Columbia, SC), Susan Lenz (Columbia, SC), Susan Livingston (Orangeburg, SC), Gina Moore ((Columbia, SC), Yukiko Oka ((Columbia, SC), Kay Reardon (Columbia, SC), Liisa Salosaari Jasinski (Newberry, SC), Virginia Scotchie (Columbia, SC), Kathryn Van Aernum (Columbia, SC) and Katie Walker (Greenville, SC). The group includes art therapists, art professors, potters, fiber artists, graphic designers, illustrators, mixed media artists, painters and photographers.

Conceived and curated by artists Susan Livingston and Doni Jordan, each artist was given a volume of an encyclopedia and complete creative control.  volumes 2:women bound by art is the result of that creativity. The Standard International Encyclopedia,1954, was donated to the artists by Hal McIntosh, thanks to help of artist Cynthia Colbert. Encyclopedias, the forerunners of todays electronic search engines, where first written by an ancient Roman scholar and focused on grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, musical theory, medicine, and architecture.

ABOUT THE CURTIS R. HARLEY ART GALLERY

The Curtis R. Harley Art Gallery is located at 800 University Way, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, SC 29203 and is located on the first floor lobby of the Humanities and Performing Arts Center (HPAC). The gallery showcases nationally and internationally established artists and exhibitions that support the academic mission of USC Upstate. Most recently the University was the recipient of 5 original screenprints by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to enhance the current collection of 150 Polaroid photographs by Andy Warhol. Hours: 9am-5pm /Monday - Friday.

Inside the Coen Brothers -- A Review of Inside Llewyn Davis by Wade Sellers

Inside Llewyn Davis is a really good film. Wonderfully led by Oscar Isaac (Drive), who plays the title character, and surrounded by a deep talent pool of supporting characters. Beautifully shot by first time collaborator Bruno Delbonnel (Delbonnel did serve as cinematographer for the Coen Brothers short segment Tuileries in the anthology film Paris, je t'aime). As usual in all the Coen Brothers’ films, the production design is immaculate. Take for instance one three second shot of Isaac walking on the streets of Long Island. So on and so on and so on. To the point that one begins to wonder how much of the process for the Coen Brothers is new and interesting and how much is just how they do things.

~"Playing Davis, Isaac bleeds artistic idealism."~ 

Llewyn Davis is a struggling folk singer. Living in New York City in 1961, he is part of the Greenwich Village folk scene that is going through a transformation from the fifties beat movement to the later sixties pop-folk music. Playing Davis, Isaac bleeds artistic idealism. He's a jerk with issues, but is blessed with talent, though not magnetic, take-you-straight-to-the-top, talent. He's more of a blue-collar artist, sleeping from couch to couch and paying his way from show to show. (It’s good to see Isaac own a role this deep. His performance in Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, was so memorable that he threatened—save for the fact that he was only in the film for a short time—to upstage Gosling.) Llewyn's immediate circle of friends and acquaintances includes fellow musicians Jim and Jean, played by an understated Justin Timberlake and a shrewd Carey Mulligan. It's a bit of an on-screen reunion as Mulligan played Isaac's wife in Drive. The story follows Davis through the cold New York winter as he struggles to make his living.

At some point during their cinematic resume, it became an event for devotees to go see a Coen Brothers movie. This is a rare thing among film aficionados and can only be said about a handful of living filmmakers. Scorsese, yes, but wavering. Spielberg, not really, anymore. There are others but in general, the idea of the auteur is disappearing. Joel and Ethan Coen offer something new with every film. A new experience. A different way of looking at a story.

~"Ever since their first film Blood Simple, Coen Brothers films have always seemed to have the wry grin of a six-year-old boy who has snuck away while his mother wasn't looking, magnifying glass in hand and looking for the nearest ant hill in the sun."~

Looking at their work from a few steps back, Coen Brothers films exist essentially in two forms; the story and the setting. Prior to adopting existing work, their story lines and settings could be interchangeable. Neither required the other to be successful. Think about two of their films and switch the characters. It works. Their lead characters are usually alone but in control of their lives. They are searching for something, lost or at a moment of change in their own world and searching for the next chapter. But there has always been a sneaky youthful playfulness to their films. Ever since their first film Blood Simple, Coen Brothers films have always seemed to have the wry grin of a six-year-old boy who has snuck away while his mother wasn't looking, magnifying glass in hand and looking for the nearest ant hill in the sun.

Over the course of ninety minutes of Inside Llewyn Davis, we are given an assortment of Coen Brothers’ greatest hits; The symmetrical office shots, the secretary typing away, the peculiarly violent unknown stranger, extended tight hallways, the awkward pauses in conversation, the semantic misunderstandings and the up-to-no-good traveler (again by John Goodman—see Barton Fink, O' Brother Where Art Thou?). Mulligan does a fantastic job with her role, given that it falls in the typical Coen Brother female supporting lead genre; (there were moments where it sounded as if Maude Lebowski were talking). One thing that has shifted in their movies is the allowing of actors to put their own voices in the dialogue. You can still hear the writing, but it has taken many films for the Coens to loosen the reigns this much on how a scene is delivered by the actors.

As the movie closes in on the end, we are given a bit of a plot twist and one idea about the whole reason for the film presents itself—what if the whole story is one big personal existential exercise, by the filmmaking pair, in the mid-life search for value in one's artistic work? And what would their work be without each other?

All of the clues are here for such an effort. We get the walks down Coen Brother Memory Lane, as if they are an old rock band on a reunion tour doing a medley of all the old hits, but acoustic versions. It is as if the brothers themselves are looking back on their work, giving it to us again and questioning its validity. Towards the end of the film, the exclamation point is made when Llewyn stops and stares at a movie poster hanging outside a theater. Is it meant for Davis or are the Brothers letting us in on something about themselves?

With such eclectic work that has received the highest honors, those who create could understand the possibility that the Coen Brothers themselves still have to defend each new idea. This is best reflected in a scene where Llewyn doesn't react so well to being asked to perform at a dinner party. Inside Llewyn Davis is a beautifully subtle film about The Artist and creating. It doesn't make excuses and it doesn't pander to an audience with preconceived notions. It is quite simply the song that the Coen Brothers want to play for us right now. And it is a wonderful song indeed.

  ~~~

Inside Llewellyn Davis plays exclusively at the Nickelodeon Theater through January 23^rd.

-- Wade Sellers

Theatre and passion are always in fashion - the Refashionista reviews "Love, Loss, and What I Wore"

As a lover of fashion, my editor here at Jasper assumed I’d be a great fit to review Love, Loss, and What I Wore at Trustus Theatre.   I was a little worried that this show wouldn’t be for me.  I hate conventional shopping and consumerism (99% of my wardrobe comes from local thrift stores), and I was worried that this show was going to be some sort of Sex and the City knockoff - more style than substance.

Based on the book by Ilene Beckerman, the stage adaptation by Nora and Delia Ephron explores the adventures, loves, friendships, and tragedies of an array of women, and how the fibers of the clothes they’ve worn through the years are forever entwined with their memories and the women they’ve become.  This is something that just about any woman (life-long nudists excluded), can understand.  We all remember what we wore for our first dates and for our first dances.  We remember that really hideous orange leather jacket that seems tres chic in high school, but we wouldn’t be caught dead in now.  Objects have power when tied to memories, and what objects do we share a more personal relationship with than our clothes?  They are expressions of who we are and how we want the world to see us.

The five women of this ensemble cast are Amy Brower, Emily Deck Harrill, Tiffany James, Jodie Cain Smith, and Caroline Weidner.  They each play several different characters, each with their own unique stories.  Some are moving, while others are hysterically funny.  Each actress does a fine job, and with a show like this, where each of the women play off each other in such an intimate way, I would find it inappropriate to point out individuals.   Director Larry Hembree has done a superb job of getting a multitude of compelling characters from his cast.  The renderings of decades of fashions by USC Art student Miranda Fuller give us a visual landscape as we travel through each woman’s life.  That being said, I found a few of the vignettes to be trite and formulaically crafted to elicit an emotional response without any real character development, but overall this show is well-written.

Love, Loss, and What I Wore works well in the intimate Side Door Theatre at Trustus, due to its minimalist requirements.  A cast of five, a few chairs, a bar, and a slightly judgmental guy on guitar (who also happens to be the show’s musical director, Jeremy Polley) are all this production requires…oh yes…and a few drinks to loosen up the memories.

Are you excited about this production?  Do you want to gather your girlfriends and check it out?  Well…I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Love, Loss, and What I Wore is completely sold out (even after adding on an additional Sunday matinee.)  However, perhaps if you pester Larry Hembree (he’s not just the show’s director, he’s also the Managing Director of Trustus Theatre), they’ll bring it back.  This has happened before. (And there's always the option to call the box office to check on any last-minute cancellations, and/or to see if there is any sort of waiting list in case of no-shows.)

~ Jillian Owens

Love, Loss, and What I Wore runs through Saturday, January 18th, 2013.  Shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays start at 8pm. The Sunday matinee on January 12^th will be at 3pm. The doors and box office open thirty minutes prior to curtain, and all Trustus Side Door tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students. Reservations can be made by calling the Trustus Box Office at (803) 254-9732, and tickets may be purchased online at www.trustus.org .     Except that as of now, the rest of the run is SOLD OUT.

The Richard and Debbie Cohn Trustus Side Door Theatre is located at 520 Lady Street, behind the Gervais St. Publix. Parking is available on Lady Street and on Pulaski Street. The Trustus Side Door Theatre entrance is through the glass doors on the Huger St. side of the building.     For more information or reservations call the box office Tuesdays through Saturdays 1-6 pm at 803-254-9732. Visit www.trustus.org for all show information and season info.

SC Philarmonic's World Premiere of "The Passing Sun" by John Fitz Rogers

On January 11, the South Carolina Philharmonic, under the direction of Morihiko Nakahara, will premiere John Fitz Rogers’s newest orchestral work The Passing Sun. Commissioned by the SC Phil, Fitz Rogers composed the work in honor of the SC Philharmonic’s 50^thAnniversary celebration. Inspired by the constancy of the sun and the ephemeral nature of shifting bands of light, the work – admittedly not a rambunctious fanfare – mirrors the growth and development of the SC Phil since its inception: faces have changed, programs and venues have changed, but the entity and mission of the SC Philharmonic remains. A highly coloristic and spirited work still, The Passing Sun promises contemplation, awe, and spiritual joy. The piece is sponsored in memory of the late local arts community stalwart Steve Morrison. Also on the program for the 11^th are works by Brahms and Beethoven. Of Brahms, the first piano concerto, with Alessio Bax as piano soloist; of Beethoven, the iconoclastic and no-introduction-necessary 5^th Symphony.

The concert begins at 7:30 PM at the Koger Center for the Arts, Saturday, January 11, 2014. Tickets are available through both the SC Philharmonic and Koger Center’s websites.

-Tom Dempster

Fall Lines - new Columbia-based literary journal CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Fall Lines

a literary convergence

Fall Lines – a literary convergence is a new literary journal based in Columbia, SC and presented by Jasper Magazine in partnership with Richland Library, the University of South Carolina Press, Muddy Ford Press, and One Columbia.

With a single, annual publication, Fall Lines is distributed in lieu of Jasper Magazine’s regularly scheduled summer issue. While a limited issue of three thousand copies of Fall Lines will be printed, Fall Lines will be available in its entirety in a downloadable e-format via RichlandLibrary.com.

Fall Lines will accept submissions of previously unpublished poetry, essays, short fiction, and flash fiction from January 1 through March 1, 2014. While the editors of Fall Lines hope to attract the work of writers and poets from the Carolinas and the Southeastern US, acceptance of work is not dependent upon residence.

Please limit short fiction to 2000 words or less; flash fiction to 350 – 500 words; essays to 1200 words; and poetry to three pages (Times New Roman 12 pt.) Submit your work via email to Editor@JasperColumbia.com with the words “Fall Lines” in the subject heading along with the category (above) of the item being submitted. While you are invited to enter up to five items, each item should be sent individually as a single submission. Please include with each submission a cover sheet stating your name, age, email address, and USPO address. There is no fee to enter.

Publication in Fall Lines will be determined by a panel of judges and accepted authors will be notified in May 2014, with a publication date in June 2014. Accepted authors will receive two copies of the journal.

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The Columbia Fall Line is a natural junction, along which the Congaree River falls and rapids form,runningparalleltothe east coast of the country between the resilient rocks of the Appalachians andthesofter, more gentle coastal plain.

One of 2013's best events - Jasper went to the 27th Annual Chili Cook-Off in Five Points

As 2013 draws to a close, we recall the many fun times, the huge number of cultural events, and all the seasonal festivals that we enjoyed in the Midlands this past year.  For my money, one of the very best was the 27th Annual Chili Cook-Off in Five Points last month. So before all the fireworks and champagne tomorrow, join me as I reflect on the day that Jasper went and ate some chili!

Photojournalist and Jasper staffer Thomas Hammond has braved the dangers of Lebanon and Syria in the middle of that region's worst conflict in years.  (You can see photos and excerpts from his account in a recent Free Times cover story, as well as here and here.) My only question was:  could he face down the fiery heat of a habanero pepper?

To that end, Thomas and I ventured into the heart of Five Points, to take part in and to document the judging of the chili as part of the 27th Annual Chili Cook-Off.  Founded as a festive fundraiser by the original owner of Group Therapy and situated in the early years in that popular bar's parking lot, the Chili Cook-Off has grown to be an annual event of the Five Points Association, stretching across several blocks along Greene and Pavillion Streets, and raising thousand of dollars for Camp Kemo and the Hope Center.  Scott "Hollywood" Fleming, the current owner of Group, serves as the Festival Chair, while his wife Christina Fleming coordinates the judges.

Arriving at noon, I took a stroll around the newly expanded festival area. The event now encompasses not  just the small block between Group and the Post Office, but also two blocks of Pavillion Street, which runs perpendicular to Greene, along side the park, where the annual Blues Festival was conveniently running simultaneously. It made for much more elbow room, and an easier flow of foot traffic, especially for the youngest and the oldest of attendees. Live bands, plenty of beer, and lot of college students notwithstanding, the Chili Cook-Off is unquestionably a family-friendly event, and there were plenty of grandparents with their grandchildren, and not just at the "Little Peppers" children's play area. Indeed, baby bjorns and buggies were everywhere, and in particular it was a pleasure to see new mom Lindsey Burns, a Group Therapy bartender/manager, out with her newborn baby daughter Augusta.  OK, OK, daughter Annelee Charlotte ... although I still think Augusta would be an awesome name.

There's a prize for "best set-up," i.e. how a contestant's booth/tent is arranged and decorated, and so some teams go all out.  One group was called "Breaking Wind," and wore  haz-mat suits; someone told me they had some type of blue rock candy on hand too, in a nod to the AMC series Breaking Bad.  Another team's members were dressed in Ninja attire, and were working on a "Sweet Ninja" vegetarian chili. A number of teams also had creative names; one of my favorites was a group of co-workers from Providence Hospital, whose chili was called "Holy Ghost Pepper." One of the guys joked that that they hadn't gotten permission from the sisters, but figured that if necessary, they could get forgiveness later. Budweiser had set up a gigantic, two-story mobile bar, the sort of contraption that looked like a Decepticon just waiting to transform into its true nature.

Thomas had not arrived just yet, so I checked out the VIP area, i.e. the front bar of the nearby Pour House.  Or in Columbia-speak, "where the old Frank's Hot Dogs used to be." I'm significantly less than a very important person, but the designation applied to judges and event sponsors, and Five Points Association Director Amy Beth Franks had graciously hooked us up with access-granting wristbands and event T-shirts, so I wandered in.  A friendly volunteer named Gloria welcomed all who passed in with a festive red pepper necklace and a hug. Gloria and I discussed other events where she has volunteered, often through COR, the Columbia Opportunity Resource, including the Crawfish Festival, the World Beer Festival, and St. Patty's Day in Five Points.  Inside, believe it or not, was more food, most donated by local businesses like Jimmy John's, Insomnia Cookies, Chick-Fil-A, Village Idiot,  Zorba's, and many others.  Budweiser had some Shocktop Pumpkin Wheat Beer available, and naturally I had to sample a pint.  It wasn't half bad, even though I'm normally not impressed by Shocktop, and really have to be in the right mood for a wheat beer.  Unless it's roasted dark into a dunkel weiss, a wheat beer often has an odd tang that people usually try to cut with something fruity,  either in the beer, or by way of a lemon or orange slice floating in it. In actuality, something bland works much better, like watermelon (in Skull Coast's wheat beer) peaches (in R. J. Rocker's "Son of a Peach") and now pumpkin. There wasn't any extra nutmeg or cinnamon or coriander like so many of the seasonal pumpkin microbrews, just a vague sweet richness, which along with the amber color was reminiscent of a Yuengling, even though that's a lager and this was an ale.

It was time to meet up with Thomas. The first band, The Other Brothers, were playing a languid acoustic arrangement of the classic Drivin' 'N' Cryin' song "Straight to Hell"  on a stage with its back to Harden St. and the Five Points Fountain. The weather was just as cooperative as one could wish for in mid-November, a balmy Indian Summer afternoon.  People were already sampling plenty of chili, donating a dollar or more for each cup, and the water bottle table, staffed by Kathryn Daughtry and her friend Felicia, was doing brisk business. (Kathryn is not only a popular and proficient Group Therapy bartender, but also Jasper's downstairs neighbor in the Arcade, where she works at the Over the Top Boutique. Also raking in the dollar bills was Emmy, the jello shot girl inside Group, where we headed for the judging.

Christina Fleming  and Gretchen Lambert met us at Group's back bar, where the judging took place.  This is the L-shaped annex off the pool room area, where you can still meet someone "under the moose."  Starting around 1:15, cooks bought in samples of their chilis in uniform styrofoam cups, appearing to contain 16 oz. each. Christina and Gretchen then assigned each a number, and noted if there was anything special, i.e. if it was a vegetarian or extra-hot chili.  A few cooks had extra containers, with garnishes like sour cream or shredded cheese, so that those could be sprinkled on if desired.  I was fascinated by how incredibly organized the process was - after a number of years of experience, Christina has perfected this down to a science.  Tasting was blind - all the judges knew was a number, and if the chili was (intended to be) regular, extra-hot, or veggie.  Therefore, afterwards, when people said "Hey, which did you enjoy?" all I could say was "Umm... number 17, the one that seemed to have some curry in there."

Since the judges were primarily volunteers from the community, event, and supporters of the bar, the Five Points Association, or all of the above - but not professional chili connoisseurs - all we did was give a score, from zero to five, to each chili in turn.  A judge or two in past years has griped that they were given no guidelines to follow, but honestly, chaos would have ensued if we had taken time to follow some official definition or set of parameters for  48 different chilis.  Instead, we simply graded them based solely on personal taste and preferences, and scores were added up at the end. Therefore, if someone was a hard-core traditionalist and felt that chili should contain only meat with no beans, or only beef with no other meat, they could judge and grade accordingly, but everyone followed their own agenda.  Which, realistically, seems to me the best and fairest way to do it.

You read that correctly, however.  48 different chilis!  There were some 12 or possibly 14 judges. 10 were listed in the festival brochure, but that didn't include me or Thomas, and at least one more didn't get his bio back to them in time.  Ten places were set up around the bar, with scoring sheets, but eventually there were four judges at a nearby booth... but I think two people switched from the bar to the booth.  So let's say 12.  Thomas wanted to stay mobile so that he could take advantage of good photo opportunities as they happened, so he stood next to me, but sampled everything as well, while I actually wrote down my/our score on the tally sheet.  I say "our" since we agreed on just about every chili. Although I think he might have been a little more generous than I - I gave mainly twos and threes, very few fours, and not a single five. But no zeros or ones either.

I've been around many photographers over the years, including being photographed by Thomas, but I never really paid attention to how they do it.  Thomas fascinated me - he'd be chatting casually about something, and then suddenly like a puma he’d pounce on specific photo opportunities, sometimes moving quickly and leaning in, shooting 3 or 4 pics in quick succession.    Christina and Gretchen provided an endless supply of plastic spoons.  The rules were simple:  one spoonful of each chili, no double-dipping, mark down your score, and pass the container to the next judge. You discarded your spoon, took another one, and repeated the process.  This made for a completely germ-free experience. (And just to be clear - Scott and Christina are among Five Points' greenest, most environmentally-friendly business owners, so I'm sure those spoons were appropriately destined for recycling.)

Among the judges were Katie Atkinson, Jason Broome, Will Green from The Whig, and my friends William Corbett (a Budweiser employee but long time Group regular) and Moffatt Bradford (who competed in the very first Chili Cook-Off in 1986.)  I wasn't there in 1986, as I was still living in Georgia before moving back to Columbia just a few months later, and I'm pretty sure I missed the next few years due to rehearsals.  I know for a fact I was at the 1995 installment, as I have photos, in which I was wearing the same denim jacket I realized I was now wearing 18 years later.

It was a really fast pace.    Those little plastic teaspoons were generally overflowing, so perhaps they were really closer to a tablespoonful.   By that reckoning, with 48 chilis to try, each of us ate anywhere from one (48 teaspoons) to three (48 tablespoons) 16-oz. cups of chili over the course of perhaps 45 minutes. A number of people later in thee day asked if I had heartburn or a stomach ache, as if I were one of those competitive Coney Island hot dog-eaters, but really it wasn't that much chili to consume, and within a few hours I was in fact noshing on some of those subs and sweets in the VIP area.  Thomas was on my left, and the cups of chili to sample started with him, then passed to me, and so on to each judge's right, then around to the back table.  In other words, were there any question about how hot something might be, Thomas was my go-to for "Hey Mikey" moments.  Moffatt arrived last, and so brought up the rear.  Although as you will see below, even those labeled hottest of the hot were really relatively innocuous.   Most 16 ounce cups were still 1/3 to 1/2 full after being sampled by everyone. Christina and Gretchen made sure everyone had a beer or two to help cleanse our palates, courtesy of Group, and I enjoyed a nice cold Yuengling Bock. Bock is defined variously as "a dark, malty, lightly hopped beer," "a strong lager of German origin, " and "a very strong lager traditionally brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for consumption in the spring."  It's one of my favorites, and if you like regular Yuengling, this is similar, just moreso.  More rich dark malt taste, but also more hops.

But how was the chili, you ask?  Nothing was bad although Moffatt grumbled, only half-jokingly,  that all were bad.  What he meant was that none were remarkably tasty, and none were particularly hot or spicy.  A few had some interesting seasoning, but often were undercooked, or were not technically chili at all.  About halfway through the process, several of the judges began to joke that certain entries were really just spaghetti sauce, or stew, but not chili.  Jason observed that so many chefs essentially "forgot what the hell salt is!"  i.e. all they needed was a little more seasoning to enhance decent selections of meat, chili peppers, and beans.  I suspect one could have improved almost every entry with a pinch to a dash of salt, pepper, chili powder and/or curry powder, cumin, garlic, and a dash of the hot sauce of your choice.

Presentation helped - the addition of cheese and sour cream certainly helped a few.  Feta cheese crumbled on top of one entry looked ridiculous but was an interesting taste - I'd love to be able to savor that dish more some day.  A number were either burned, or the chefs may have poured in way too much Liquid Smoke, or as one judge observed, possibly they burned the chili, then poured in Liquid Smoke to disguise it.  Some included interesting veggies beyond the customary peppers, beans and onions.  One featured bacon, although it wasn't crispy crumbled bacon but rather a strip or two floating in with everything else, and therefore it seemed a little  undercooked, and you could see grease floating to the top.  Another clearly incorporated sausage.  A few boasted venison which you couldn't necessarily distinguish, if for example the venison had been ground up along with the beef.

Several inventively used pulled pork, which is perfect for slow cooking with added spices, and soaks up hot sauce perfectly...but by definition, it's long and stringy and hard to eat with a spoon out of a small cup.  One chili improbably sported marshmallows on top, which added nothing taste-wise, and led to more than a few derisive comments.  One (almost certainly Joe Turkaly's chili, because I tried some at his booth later) featured brisket, which was tasty but, like many of the entries we sampled, could have been cooked longer. (A number of folks noted however that Joe got a late start.) That would be one lesson and recommendation I would pass along to all future contestants:  get started just as early as you can, so as to allow for the heat of the peppers and seasonings to be absorbed into the meat, and for the diverse flavors to meld together better.  One memorable chili towards the end, which turned out to be the Festival's overall winner, Chef Gary Uwanawich's Sizzle, included pulled pork, and was topped with a  bacon-wrapped poblano chili.

At some point during the judging, long-time friend and supporter of Jasper Rob Sprankle showed up. Rob, an accomplished local actor as well as photographer, was looking for a way to get access to the roof. While we suspect that more than a few Group patrons have tried to do that over the years, Rob's interest was legit, as he was taking photos for Camp Kemo, one of the beneficiaries of festival proceeds.

Rob's friend and high school classmate Dan Lowe is a frequent competitor and often wins the People's Choice award, i.e. the most money raised; his wife Fauni is a nurse manager at Children's Hospital, and according to Rob they are "very cool people and really care about the cause. They are such incredible unsung heroes in this community."  In fact, a number of Palmetto Richland staff comprised the cooking team.  Rob has graciously allowed us to use some of his photos here.  Later in the day I ran into his daughter Haley, and I took great delight in introducing her around as "quite possibly Columbia's most gifted teenage babe actress, singer and dancer."  Which is true, but more importantly mortified her, which was the goal.

Once judging was done, Kristina and Gretchen tallied the results, and our judging duties were complete. Thomas took off to document the spirit of the event via more visuals. (Thomas's photos can be seen at the Jasper Facebook Page.) Jason, Moffatt and I chatted with musician/actor/bartender Stanford Gardner inside the VIP area for a while, after which Moffatt and I took a stroll through the festival.  Local brewers Conquest Brewing had a tent, and I enjoyed a nice, rich, coffee-tasting Medusa Stout.  Other bands played, including Bossman, Atlas Road Crew, and Calvin and Friends. When word came down as to the winners, we congratulated Joe Turkaly, and were happy to meet his mother, who who introduced us to Slivovitz, a Croatian schnapps flavored with plum and juniper. The one question we forgot to ask her was if she had ever met Frank Zappa in the 1970's, which could explain much.  Joe has been competing in the Chili Cook-Off (and often winning) since the early 1990's.

This was the official roster of winners (the numbers refer to booth number) :

• Best Overall Set-Up:  Sweet Ninja Chili (#29)

• Best Vegetarian:  Team #45 (Jake’s on Devine)

• Best Bar/Restaurant Chili:   Riunite and Chili Rocks (#48)

• Best Edible Hot:  Nuclear Meltdown (#23)

• Most Money Raised (“The Silver Spoon Award” Winners) : Porky’s Revenge Pulled Pork Chili from Lowecountry Cookin’ (#37)

• Overall 3rd Place:  Texas Heat Carolina Sweet (#43)

• Overall 2nd Place: Killah’s Redemption (#7)

• Overall 1st Place:  Chef Gary’s Sizzle (#46)

The sun was starting to set as the official festivities slowly wound down around 6 PM. Many attendees took the occasion to head over to the adjacent Blues Festival, where    later slide guitar legend Sonny Landreth performed, followed by an all-star tribute to Frank Smoak.  It had been a delightful afternoon.

Why was this one of the most enjoyable events I attended all year? Simple. It was well-planned, and well-attended. Thousands of people were on hand, but there was never a sense of claustrophobia, and you could always move around freely.  There was plenty of food, not just chili; there were plenty of beverages for every taste. Everything went to a good cause. People of all ages and colors (and colors of hair, including assorted shades of Day-Glo) were in attendance.  Same-sex couples milled about holding hands, as did those of opposite genders.  There were plenty of silver-haired grandparents, but many were wearing denim jackets, and enjoyed a beer or two along with their chili. There were plenty of college students, but they enjoyed the vintage roots, rock, funk, and blues music that was being performed.  There were plenty of little children with parents and older siblings, and this was like another State Fair for them.  As far as I could tell, there was not a single "incident" anywhere, and indeed the whole experience was as safe as a school Maypole dance.  The entire day was simultaneously wholesome, and yet still a fun, throwdown party with beer and chili and rock-and-roll.  And that's about as good as it can get.

~ August Krickel

Call for Submissions -- New Zine for Revolutionaries --> GRIEVANCES

Jasper thinks the following is pretty cool & wanted to help spread the word. -- cb

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"Grievances is a zine for revolutionaries ... or cut-ups, sarcasm machines, people that want to make others feel lighter with the tool of commiseration, people that want to make people feel shitty about the idiotic things they do ... In essence, it's a zine for the people.

"Left or right, gay or straight, male, female, animal, vegetable, mineral ... Anyone from any state, country, or cultural background is welcome to share their experiences, opinions, stories, and art, whether it be personal, political, controversial, tame, profane, pure, satirical, or seductive ... The important thing to remember is this is PRINT so keep your word count down (make them count), and please, if you are submitting visual art OR writing, try to have it fit on HALF or full sheet of A3 paper (typical US printing paper - sorry international folks).

"The launch is scheduled  for March 8th -- Grievances will: go live online, be available at the VillaVilleCola arts festival at Conundrum music hall in Columbia, SC, and hopefully I [Lorna Fest] can get volunteers to print copies in their area ... nationally and abroad! I intend to put out a new issue quarterly thereafter. The idea was twofold - with so many talented but unheard of peers, I decided it was time we started something of our own Warhol factory, letting each other stand on each others' shoulders. It's the same idea with the theme "grievances." Sure, it's a funny Festivus tradition from Seinfeld, but I also see talking about what's going on in our lives and our world as an aid in the ability to conspire, bind together, and understand each other ... in essence, your rants put fear to death and make others feel less alone.

"Submissions will be accepted from the general public, with real names, sobriquets, or anonymously. Sadly, depending on how many submissions are received, some folks' grievances may be saved for a later issue. I can only include what space allows. If you submitted to Grievances 2 years ago, when the final product was never released, your work will be included in the first issue, unless you ask me not to. The front and back covers will be full color (I hope).

"Donations are welcome, although I fully intend to fund the project myself. Also, if anyone (graphic designers?) would care to volunteer to help with the collation and printing, I would love the help! If you know any other creative person in any other grievous place, PLEASE forward this email to them, put them in contact with me, or just tell them about it. I also invite you to share information about Grievances on facebook or other social media. All the publicity would be greatly appreciated.

"The deadline for the launch issue is the 31st of JANUARY 2014. Submit your fiction, nonfiction, or 2-D visual art in the form of a word document, pdf, jpeg, or pages right here: airyourgrievances@gmail.com."

Thank you & kind regards,

Lorna

"Tell them what you cannot stand for, then show them what you do stand for.”

Let’s start somewhere. State your grievances…. Air them to the world. Nail them to a wall, or just send them to our inbox. We’re good listeners.

MOVIE REVIEW: Nebraska--A Road Trip through Regret, by Wade Sellers

 

Nebraska is a powerful story of the relationship between fathers and sons.

"This is the power of this film. It captures honest, tender moments between a father and son, when defeat is admitted, the truth is realized. ... Rarely has this been shown so beautifully in a film." - WS 

No matter the personality of our parents, their own personal history is selectively given to us as we grow older. They seem to censor the information, choosing what is appropriate for us to hear and to learn as children, then, as we grow older and life as a family takes over, the stories that are re-told seem to revolve around the more pleasant memories. As children, this is only recognizable to us as we grow older and are able to relate to the experiences of our parents. Nebraska, from Director Alexander Payne, is a simple story of family that approaches those moments when children begin to see a small part of the world through the their parents’ eyes and understand the choices they made years before.

Veteran character actor Bruce Dern (Big Love, Coming Home) plays Woody Grant. Grant has received a letter in the mail claiming that he is the recipient of a million dollars. In the opening scene, Woody is stopped by a police officer while walking on the side of the road in his home of Billings, Montana as he begins his journey to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect his prize. His youngest son David, played by Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte, is called to the local police station to pick up his father. After seeing the letter David attempts to convince his father that it is a scam. Payne gives us a clean, close shot of the letter, communicating to the audience that, without question, Woody is walking toward a disappointing reception. Stubborn and confused, Woody refuses to accept that the letter is fake and makes it known that he will travel to Lincoln to collect his prize.

David Grant, at a crossroads in his own life, sells stereo equipment in Billings. A thankless job that he struggles with. His older brother Ross, played by an understated Bob Odenkirk, is on-air talent at a local television affiliate and is seen as the star of the family. June Squibb has the role of Kate Grant, Woody's shrill voiced, wife, who is as much critical of Woody as she is concerned. After a second attempt to walk his way to Lincoln and collect his prize, Woody asks his son to drive him to Lincoln. “What the hell else do you have to do” Woody crackles at his son, and the two set off through the plains of the Midwest.

Nebraska could be viewed as the third in a trilogy of cathartic road movies from Payne, preceded by About Schmidt (2002) and Sideways (2004). Dern's Grant is an old drunk. Woody is viewed by his sons as a man who cared more about drinking than being a father. A soft-hearted David views this trip as a way of connecting with his father. The similarity between the two men is obvious. Both men are stubborn and weak in the same breath.

The turning point of the film is during a short detour David takes, at the beginning of the trip, to view Mt. Rushmore. Thirty minutes off the Interstate, the father and son stand beside their parked car outside the park entrance. Woody looks curiously at the monument. “What do you think?” David asks. “It doesn't look finished” his father responds. Standing below the patriarchs of our country, the meaning is clear. Payne sets the scene as a wide shot, outside the gates. He lets us see the reality we all eventually witness when we visit an iconic area: entrance gates, waiting in line, the banal efforts that are never seen in promotional posters and history books. On this trip, we will all share Woody Grant's trip through an unfinished life of small regrets.

As father and son continue down the Interstate, Woody leans against the passenger side door, much like a dog seeing a world that is recognizable but completely new. During rest stops, David urges his father to not start drinking again. Dern's drunken entrance into their hotel room ends with a gash on his head that lands him in the hospital for a day. Cautious at traveling any further, David calls his mother and plans are made for Kate to join them and to reunite Woody and his brothers for a meeting in their hometown in Nebraska.

When Woody and David arrive at his brother's home they are greeted by Aunt Martha, played by Mary Louise Wilson. It one of the most wonderfully simple scenes in the film. Having not seen each other in decades, she feels the responsibility to hug and be courteous. They are family, but there is an awkwardness to the hugs that is familiar and unspoken. Payne's humor pops up again when we meet his brother Ray, played by Rance Howard- father to director Ron Howard and grandfather to actress Bryce Dallas Howard. A post-modern theme of the patriarch begins to show itself. Dern was formerly married to actress Diane Ladd and is father to academy award nominated actress Laura Dern. It is a brief tip of the cap to all patriarchs of American cinema. The joy of having two well-oiled, Hollywood character actors share the screen is a pleasant surprise.

David and Woody slump into a local tavern, Woody reunites with his former business partner Ed Pegram, played by an always welcome Stacy Keach. While his son is in the bathroom of the bar, Woody prematurely, lets word out that he has come into money. Word spreads quickly around town that Woody has come into a million dollars and quickly becomes the talk of the town. Old friends and acquaintances begin to seek out Woody and congratulate him on his good fortune.

David takes it upon himself to squash the news of his father's false good fortune. He visits the local newspaper. Word has spread and the paper wants to do a story on Woody's homecoming and recent winnings. There he meets Woody's former high school girlfriend, Peg Nagy, beautifully played by Angela McEwan. Surprised by the news that his father ever dated anyone other than his mother, David listens as Peg describes a father that he never knew. David learns deeper details about his father's service. Woody was a Korean War veteran. A spot on character background by Payne. Known as “The Forgotten War,” Korean veterans have always been shifted aside in history books—sandwiched between the honor of World War II and the conflict of Vietnam. Woody Grant is the embodiment of this.

The story becomes a bit uneven at this point. Woody's wife has joined her husband and son and quickly begins reuniting with the women of the family. Sitting around the kitchen table, the women of the family begin gossiping like school girls, as if they picked up a conversation that paused years before. But soon, as word has spread to all points of the town that Woody is rich, the hard off residents, including immediate family, begin pressuring Woody for money. Ed Pegram traps David in a tavern's bathroom, bringing up decades old loans he lent Woody. At a family reunion, in-laws trap David and Ross, pressuring them to settle up on old debts. David's two cousins, two bumbling caricatures with less than mediocre ambition, set up a half-baked mugging to steal Woody's prize letter.

The whole section seems obvious. Intended to open Woody up as the gentle caring member of the family, it instead paints the entire family in a negative way, destroying the earlier set-ups of family; men watching football, the women cooking and gossiping. They are not at all likable anymore and that taints the honesty of the story.

“Nebraska” also falls onto a bit of a crutch as Woody's wife Kate visits the local cemetery to pay her respects to family members. Filled with a new energy after leaving Montana, Kate finds her youth. But this quickly devolves into her own personal high school tales of teenage boys from the town trying to get more from her than a simple kiss. It is the funniest scene of the movie, but shouldn't be. The brashness overshadows the effect that her words have on Woody. After her third crass tale of teenage lust, Woody slumps away. It is a tender moment of genuine pain, but is easy to lose in the laughter.

Two films quickly come to mind while watching Nebraska- David Lynch's The Straight Story and Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show. The Straight Story for its stubborn lead character played by Richard Farnsworth as he travels on a lawnmower to reunite with his brother and The Last Picture Show for its black and white film palette of a barren Texas town.

Black and white is always a misnomer when speaking of cinematography. The beauty is always in the mid tones. Payne and collaborator, cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, give us a harsh canvas of Midwestern life. Payne demanded for years that this film be shot in black and white. It is a decision that triumphs. From the opening frame of Woody walking on the side of the road to the grey images of David's stereo store set inside a run-down strip mall, there is a specific tone of  honesty that is set early in the film. As the two travel on the barren Interstate, the flat plains, filled with dirty, half melted snow, make us feel harsh winter crosswinds blowing across our faces. And when the camera is set at the end of the bar in any of the multiple taverns the father and son visit, the harsh Midwestern lines on chiseled faces of the men and women planted on their stools, beers gripped stoically in their hands, give us a solid sense of place. We know these characters without having to hear any words at all.

Ultimately, the town finds out that Woody is chasing fools’ gold and begins to mock him. They take advantage of his fragile mind as they took advantage of his generosity years before. David witnesses this first hand. It is a moment between a father and son that is painful to watch. No matter the strength of a father through a son's eyes, it is wrenching to watch him in a true moment of weakness. This is the power of this film. It captures honest, tender moments between a father and son, when defeat is admitted, the truth is realized. After years of poor decisions that have stained a paternal relationship, the reasons for those decisions are realized by a son. In that moment there could not be a stronger bond than family.  Rarely has this been shown so beautifully in a film.

Nebraska is not a lyrical film. It is not an overarching metaphor for the current state of family. Nebraska is the very definition of a small movie. Through its gentle hand-holding it leads us through one singular moment where a son begins to understand his father's life. Dern brings a depth of honesty to his role that only comes with decades of experience. Forte's work holds promise for future roles outside sketch comedy. June Squibb threatens to steal the film as Woody's wife, but Payne's smart direction rides her brashness at just the right level. The film is uneven at times, as Payne seems to grit his teeth, unable to hold back his superb ability to get a smart laugh through a sight gag. But these are small interruptions that do nothing to take away from the pleasure of riding with Woody and David as they begin to listen to what each other is saying, if only through short bursts of words, grunts and shrugged shoulders. This is most evident in their first scene together in a bar when Woody stares directly into his adult son’s eyes and states, “Come on, don't you want to have a beer with your old man?” For any son, it is a moment of comfort that can't be put into words.

 -- Wade Sellers

Nebraska plays at the Nickelodeon Theatre through January 2^nd. Visit www.nickelodeon.org for times and ticket information.