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CoiIRTtSY or TOWX * GOWN
▲ Tragic figure Billy
Bigelow restores his
family’s name when he
returns from the dead
In this twisted tale.
“Carousei”
When: Today-Saturday,
8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m.
Where: Athens Community
Theatre off Prince Avenue
Cost: sl2 for students; sl2 for
adults today and Sunday, sls
for adults Friday and Saturday.
Classic
play tells
of love’s
power
By CRISSINDA PONDER
The Rep & Black
For the first time in 30
years, a highly recognized
Rodgers and Hammerstein
musical is making its
return to the Athens
Community Theatre.
Today, the Town &
Gown Players will put on
its production of
“Carousel,” a play that
Time magazine named
“Best Musical of the 20th
Century.”
“The music is one of the
most powerful things in
this play,” said the play’s
director, Drew Doss.
“There are a lot of recog
nizable songs like ‘lf I
Loved You’ and ‘June Is
Bustin’ Out All Over.’”
The Town & Gown
Players put on 10 to 12
shows a year; six of which
are mainstage produc
tions. “Carousel” is one of
them.
First released in 1945,
the musical is set in a
Maine coastal village
toward the end of the 19th
century and tells the tale
of a chance meeting
between a carnival barker,
Billy Bigelow, and a mill
worker, Julie Jordan.
Their encounters inside
the park evolve into some
thing much deeper.
Although Billy is the care
free bachelor, he captivates
and marries Julie.
“All the girls have a
crush on Billy,” said
University senior Jordan
Koffrnan, who is part of
the female chorus in the
musical. “He’s the cute guy
at the park.”
As soon as Billy discov
ers that Julie is expecting,
he loses his job and is
faced with the overwhelm
ing strain of finding a way
to provide for his growing
family.
“The overall play is
about Julie and Billy’s
relationship and their jour
ney,” Doss said.
Being an accomplice to
a robbery and getting
caught in the act, Billy
knows he will be sent to
prison, so he takes his own
life.
Fifteen years later, Billy
returns to earth for one
day to meet his daughter
for the first time, who is
ostracized because of her
father’s negative reputa
tion. During his visit back
to earth, he has the chance
to give his family a sense of
hope and dignity for things
to come.
“The play is saying that
love weathers a lot of
storms, and that it catches
you off guard sometimes,”
Doss said. “You can’t help
who you fall in love with.”
For Amy Coenen, who
plays Julie, “Carousel"
speaks volumes about the
power of love.
“I think it shows how -
destructive love can be,
and also how redemptive it
can be,” Coenen said.
Flicker theater provides
‘cozy’ space for music
By ZACK TAYLOR
The Red and Black
Athens is not a city lacking in music
venues. For those seeking a more inti
mate alternative to the larger arenas,
then Flicker Theatre and Bar is the
perfect place.
Flicker is located near the bottom of
Washington Street and features a cozy
listening environment.
“We don’t have a rowdy atmo
sphere,” said Clint McElroy, owner of
Flicker. “It is very conversational envi
ronment.”
McElroy attributes the calm atmo
sphere to the separation of the stage
and the actual bar area.
“Even if there is a crowd on the bar
side, you can block out the noise and
have the environment you want for
your show,” McElroy said.
According to McElroy, Flicker books
a wide variety of musicians, however,
the venue does lean in a particular
musical direction.
“The staple is pop bands and acous
tic singer songwriters,” McElroy said.
As with any music space, this isn’t
true of every show, and Flicker wel
comes different types of bands.
“We have a policy of being open to
any kind of performance that someone
wanted,” McElroy said. “It’s a very
“Get him to the Greek”
By AURYN BARUCH
The Red and Black
Get a drug addled and easily dis
tracted rock star from London to Los
Angeles in 72 hours? It can be done, but
there might be a few problems along
the way.
Judd Apatow’s latest foray into the
comedy genre, “Get Him to the Greek,”
will pleasantly surprise fans of
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall "
Russell Brand does a great job of
reprising his role as over-the-top rock
star Aldous Snow. He is completely
believable when compared to the ste
reotypes commonly associated with
rock stars.
Jonah Hill plays Aaron Green, a
23-year-old finding his way in the
recording industry. Other characters
created by Jason Segel for “Forgetting
Sarah Marshall” appear in the film, all
with the same roles they were originally
cast in, which makes Hill’s role in the
film confusing. In “Forgetting Sarah
Marshall," Hill plays a waiter named
Matthew who was a fan of Snow’s band
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open, friendly, community bar.”
McElroy emphasized that the venue
was great place for musicians to per
form.
“I have heard a lot of singers and
songwriters say it’s their favorite place
to play,” McElroy said.
For bands such as Little Tybee,
Flicker is definitely a great place for
new and rising bands.
"We have kind of used [Flicker] as
our segue into the Athens music
scene,” said Brock Scott, vocalist for
the band.
Scott also pointed out that the ven
ue’s more intirpate setting and smaller
size are a huge bonus for the type of
music his band is trying to play.
“Generally it’s about the music and
not people being totally wasted," Scott
said. “It’s just a really cool vibe.”
Ryan Donald, bassist for Little
Tybee, said he and Scott have played
at Flicker around fives times in various
bands and have always had a positive
experience.
Donald said he thinks one of the rea
sons for these great experiences is the
level of control the band has during
their shows at Flicker.
“One of the great things is that you
basically have free reign over the
stage,” Donald said. “You just do your
own sound, set up, and have fun.”
now showing
VARIETY
Infant Sorrow, but his characters have
no link between the two films. This is
not apparent at the beginning of the
film, so it is good to know that they are
two completely separate characters
simply played by the same actor.
There are many funny moments, but
there are also necessary dry spells to
further the story line and more deeply
involve the viewer with the characters.
This helps with the implementation of
later jokes though and aren’t an issue.
Hill’s exasperated “what are you
doing?" rants that are a trademark of
his comedic style are present through
out. His improvisational humor is easily
differentiated from the more concrete,
written aspects of the story. Brand’s
character plays in stark contrast to
Hill's performance. Snow’s ridiculous
personality is funny, but his lines are
often not.
Some of the funniest bits of the film
are the songs that come from both
Snow and his ex-girlfriend, Jackie Q,
played by Rose Byrne. They are overtly
sexual, as is the movie itself, and tend
to poke fun at the lives rock stars lead
and the way they represent themselves
to the public.
Hill’s character in the movie is a fan
of Snow's songs, not just a promoter for
the record company. When Snow is
about to perform on the Today show,
Green suggests he sings the song
“Clap," which is, oddly enough, about
getting chlamydia.
Jackie Q’s songs, however, are only
about her and her sexual exploits. They
are used to make her stand out in com
parison to Snow, but are not nearly as
funny.
“Inside of You,” Infant Sorrow’s hit
single from the last film, gives an idea of
the type of songs that are present
throughout the film.
Verdict: “Get Him to the Greek” is
adequate for what it is -a spin-off of
another film, Apatow should be proud
that it greatly surpasses its predecessor.
It fits right in with other Apatow pro
ductions out there and is one of his fun
nier ventures as of late. Those who buy
into his comedy approach will er\joy
this, but those who have been disap
pointed by his in-and-out stints of
greatness lately should wait to see what
he does next.
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▲ A favorite venue for bands such as Little
Tybee, Flicker Theater and Bar has a calmer
atmosphere than some bigger Athens arenas.
Online
Classes
jpr 706-542-3243 Of 800-877-3243
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YOUfi SCHEDULE 1197 Soutt ’ Street • Athens. Georgia 30602-3603
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429 E. Broad St. (706)613-0095
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