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[email protected] Technique Entertainment Editor: Patricia Uceda 13 Assistant Entertainment Editor: Friday, Entertainment Zheng Zheng January 28, 2011 WEST SIDE STORY at Fox Theatre West Side Story leaves much to be desired vocally but delivers in execution Image courtesy of BRAVE Public Relations SHOWS for the setting. For those unfamil- Bernstein, so all of it is master- Anita, played by Michelle Arav- The liveliness in the ensem- iar with this particular classic, the fully arranged and beautiful to ena, stood out as a strong singer. ble numbers carries over into West Side Story plot is essentially Romeo and Ju- listen to, even between scenes Fortunately, the success of excellence in dancing talent. PERFORMER: West Side liet, but with gangs in New York and during dance numbers. The many of the musical numbers did The choreography for the show Story City. The Shakespearean origins orchestration was executed with- not depend as much on solo musi- is well-done, which is good for LOCATION: Fox Theatre are more of a starting point than out any glaring flaws, providing cal talent as it did on energy and the audience because there is a formula, as the play diverges a solid musical foundation for all emotion. One of the best num- plenty of it. DATE: Jan. 25 - Jan. 30 2011 in several respects, which is not that happened on the stage. bers in the play was “Gee, Officer Large portions of many songs entirely predictable based solely The singing was less consistent- Krupke” in which some of the are simply dance numbers, but OUR TAKE: ««««« on knowledge of Shakespeare’s ly good. Of the two protagonists, gang members do impressions of these dance numbers are both work. Because the basic struc- Maria, played by Ali Ewoldtm, a policeman, a judge, a psychia- interesting to watch and also By Daniel Fuller ture of the play is not anything sang with strength and accuracy, trist and other public figures to frequently serve to communi- Contributing Writer new, its strengths arise through whereas Tony, played by Kyle ridicule how those figures per- cate the relationships and emo- those attributes unique to musical Harris, frequently struggled with ceive the gang members. The song tions of the story. In particular, The Fox Theatre’s current theatre: singing and dancing. By the upper ranges of his voice. The is very silly, and the antics of the they express the underlying production of West Side Story these two standards, the version fact that the two made a roman- characters on stage make it very themes addressing love and rac- delivers a classic theatre experi- of the show on display at the Fox tic pair meant that Maria clearly fun to watch. This energy exists ism. In dancing segments that ence of blended comedy, drama Theatre is weak in one but strong dominated any duets that the cou- in several other numbers, all of double as gang fights, the tim- and great music. This particular in the other. ple had on stage, slightly weaken- which stand out as more enjoyable ing is especially precise, show- musical has been around since The musical score of West Side ing the effect of the emotion of the than the softer, musically techni- the 50s, which is also the time Story was composed by Leonard songs. Of the rest of the cast, only cal pieces. See West, page 15 Strings does new take on traditional rom-coms FILM No Strings Attached pulls a flip- cal resident played by Natalie No Strings Attached flop on the traditional Hollywood Portman. Both leads are awk- rom-com in a couple of ways. In- ward, affable and attractive as GENRE: Romantic Comedy stead of two people falling in love they ought to be considering that STARRING: Natalie Portman, until they finally hook up, we these are the same sort of roles Ashton Kutcher have two people hooking up until Portman and Kutcher always do. they finally fall in love. Fortunately, the couple has DIRECTOR: Ivan Reitman Instead of a hopelessly roman- a healthy chemistry when they RATING: R tic girl pining for a guy who is could have just as easily sleep- afraid to commit, we have a hope- walked through the film. RELEASE DATE: Jan. 21, 2011 lessly romantic guy chasing after a This is largely thanks to a lively girl who is afraid to commit. script with punchy dialog, blunt OUR TAKE: ««««« Everything else is perfectly humor, odd 90s musical referenc- predictable. There is an awkward es and a cast of supporting charac- By Hank Whitson courtship followed by miscom- ters who alternate between likable Staff Writer munications that result in a tragic and despicable. estrangement and then everything Adam’s dad, played by Kevin I am not a fan of romantic ends happily-ever-after, with a Kline, is a drug abusing, has-been comedies, so I did not expect to wedding no less. TV star who is dating his son’s ex- enjoy a second of No Strings At- Our Romeo is Adam, a happy- girlfriend. Chris Bridges, perhaps tached. Therefore, it is to the go-lucky production assistant for better known as Ludacris, puts movie’s considerable credit that a High School Musical type-show, in a fun performance as Adam’s I left the theater good-humored played by Ashton Kutcher. smart and surprisingly sensitive and glad to have spent the price of The Juliet is Emma, an over- admission. worked emotionally distant medi- See Strings, page 15 Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures 14 • January 28, 2011 • Technique ENTERTAINMENT DC offers players chance to become superheroes GAMES superhero characteristics is phe- When the player enters the DC Universe Online nomenal. Sony also was able to world, they are awoken inside of use famous voice actors such as Braniac’s lair in a futuristic story CONSOLE: PlayStation 3, PC Mark Hamill as the Joker, Kevin line. The player must fight his or GENRE: MMORPG Conroy as Batman and even Wil her way to meet up with Super- Wheaton as Robin. man, Batman or Wonder Woman DEVELOPER: Sony Online Upon starting the game, the depending on who the player’s Entertainment player is walked through the char- mentor is. Once that part which RATING: T acter creation process. The player serves as the tutorial is complet- is allowed to customize the look ed, the player is then taken to a RELEASED: Jan. 11, 2011 and powers of the superhero to present-day story line. The player’s their liking. The player has the op- MMO experience begins here. OUR TAKE: ««««« tion to pick the hero side or the vil- The Player vs. Environment lain side, and a mentor must also (PvE) world is completely open By Andrew Akker be chosen for the new superhero. and free-roam. Players can inter- Contributing Writer The player can choose between act and fight with each other to Superman, Batman and Wonder complete quests and instances. In the world of massively multi Woman if the player chooses to be Events take place in famous loca- player online role-playing games, a hero, or Lex Luthor, The Joker tions such as Gotham City and or MMORPGs, one of the most and Circe if you’re a villain. Metropolis. anticipated games has approached Different powers are also avail- The quests will be different comic fanatics in DC Universe able to choose from such as fire or depending on the player’s alli- Online. This game from Sony On- ice powers. Fighting styles such as ance. Players can also participate line Entertainment allows play- brawling and using guns or swords in “missions” with each other. ers to immerse themselves in the can also be customized to what Teamwork is a must if you want world of DC Comic and live their the player creates. In addition, to get through it with a minimal childhood fantasies of becoming a the player can choose from three amount of deaths and problems. superhero. special moving abilities. One can Another big part of the game is The level of detail in the game harness the power of flight, acro- in reference to the actual comic batics or super speed. See Universe, page 16 Image courtesy of Sony Online Entertainment Know of something (or somebody) interesting on campus? Tell us at [email protected] ENTERTAINMENT Technique • January 28, 2011 • 15 West from page 13 makes a few conversations hard to follow, but the emotions involved ing off the cast’s ability to rhyth- and the important plot points still mically flow across the stage in a come across. This change might CAKECONCERT leave fans satisfied seemingly chaotic manner. detract from the experience for Showroom of Aside from the dancing, not some, but it has the positive effect much else stood out about this of drawing more attention to the Compassion Tour musical. The set was effective in cultural differences that drive the PERFORMER: CAKE its simple design and capacity major conflict of the musical. for quick scene shifts, often dis- Aside from some weaknesses LOCATION: Center Stage appearing temporarily to make in vocal talent, the execution of DATE: Jan. 19, 2011 room for the more elaborate dance dancing, lighting and orchestra- numbers. tion is practically flawless. West OUR TAKE: ««««« The lighting was effective, but Side Story has many wild and only insomuch as it served its pur- silly moments mixed amidst dark, By Tim Nowack pose without drawing attention moving ones. All of the dances are Contributing Writer to itself, subtly underscoring the enjoyable to watch. By embracing emotions of each scene. One inter- the strengths of ensemble song Alternative rock band CAKE esting aspect of this production of and dance above all else, West concluded their three-night At- West Side Story that might confuse Side Story ultimately provides an lanta concert series on Wednesday, those familiar with older versions entertaining show.