Entertainment

ENTERTAINMENTpage 9 Technique • Friday, May 30, 2003 • 9 Find out who’s playing ACC Champs! The ratio is certainly better off-campus; Tech baseball plays 28 innings in one ENTERTAINMENT prove it to yourself by checking out day to capture ACC tournament crown concerts Atlanta has to offer over the for only the fifth time in school history. Technique • Friday, May 30, 2003 next few weeks. Page 11 Page 15 Rudd, Mol, Weisz star in LaBute’s The Shape of Things By Kimberly Rieck ny and Phil’s world. Sports Editor For the play’s original 2001 production in London, LaBute cast Paul When Neil LaBute was promot- Rudd for the role of Adam, the un- ing his 1997 film In the Company of dergraduate student who falls for Men, he was constantly being asked Evelyn’s manipulations. Rudd had by female journalists if he thought previously been in LaBute’s play women could be as bad as the men Bash, where he portrayed a nice guy in his film. “I answered that, cer- who became a psychotic killer. He’s tainly, I thought women were capa- best known for his starring roles in ble of being as deceitful or doing Clueless, Object of My Affection and such underhanded things to some- most recently his recurring role on one,” says LaBute. “But I imagined the hit series Friends. it would always be a more solitary While LaBute always had Rudd effort, rather than the communal in mind for the role of Adam, he boys-club feeling that In the Com- didn’t have much of a challenge pany of Men filling the rest of had.” the cast. Rachel While in En- Weisz, the Brit- gland a few years “I answered that, ish star of The later, LaBute re- Mummy and membered his certainly, I thought About a Boy, was conversations women were capable cast as Evelyn. with the female She even creat- journalists and of being as ed an American decided to twist deceitful...” accent for the a typical roman- role. LaBute tic story. The Neil Labute rounded out the Shape of Things Director/Writer cast with thus took form. Gretchen Mol LaBute has con- and Fred Weller. Courtesy of Focus Features tinually gone Mol has been in Rachel Weisz’s character looks on as Paul Rudd’s character slowly morphs into exactly what she wants him to from writing and directing a film to a variety of films from Rounders to be in the twisted plot of LaBute’s new movie, “The Shape of Things.” LaBute also wrote the dark, disturbing doing a play right after. Since 1998, The Thirteenth Floor. Weller has plot of “In the Company of Men.” he has made the films Your Friends made his mark on the Broadway and Neighbors, Nurse Betty and Pos- theatre scene in the past few years, talk amongst themselves and gather would come to the audience and was for the cast and crew, there were session. even winning the prestigious Dra- their thoughts. We didn’t allow them she would single out audience mem- a few reasons why LaBute wanted The trademark of any LaBute ma Desk award. to do that, we just pulverized them bers and ask them questions,” said to adapt the play. One of the dilem- story is a close group of friends af- The play’s original production with music. It also covered any scene LaBute. mas on the stage was that it was fected by an interloper. LaBute said shocked critics with its blaring changes when these guys were chang- Rudd enjoyed unnerving audi- difficult to view Rudd as a fat, unat- he’s very interested in exploring how Smashing Pumpkins soundtrack and ing costumes and the set being turned ence members by sitting next to tractive man because of his natural relationships change when new peo- the actors’ interaction with the au- around,” said LaBute. them for the dramatic event. “The good looks. In the film, Rudd was ple, generally volatile characters, are dience. “We really like the Smash- During Evelyn’s speech, a criti- people that would sit next to me able to wear a fat suit, makeup and a introduced into the mix. The Shape ing Pumpkins and we like them cal point in the play and film, the could seldom ever look at me. It’s prosthetic nose. of Things follows the formula with really loud. The audience is at a rest of the cast would find places to an interesting thing to go from ob- LaBute also wanted to have a the introduction of the free-spirit- place where they are naturally at sit in the audience to watch her server to participant,” said Rudd. ed chaotic Evelyn into Adam, Jen- rest between scenes and they can speech. “Paul, Gretchen and Fred As great as the stage experience See Shape, page 11 Sheryl Crow, others rock 10th annual Music Midtown By VivianVakili on their feet and sent them out of fore Bob Dylan made his appear- Entertainment Editor the venue. ance, or did he? Many in the crowd With so many reasons to com- were dismayed and downright con- Good thing the ticket said “rain plain, few people besides myself did. fused because they could not see or shine,” because not only would Admittedly, Crow put on an enter- him. Shrouded in his signature black concertgoers have missed Sheryl taining performance. She began with cloak, Bob had opted to stand at his Crow, but Bob Dylan as well. Very songs that were familiar, and ended keyboard, shielded by one of the early on in Crow’s performance, with such hits as “Every Day is a gigantic amplifiers. The crowd chant- thunder was heard and torrential Winding Road,” and the classic ed, “Bob, where are you? We can’t rain followed. A man came on stage masterpiece “Picture.” If you have see you!” and asked people to calmly leave, Bob, being the seasoned and time- promising that notice would be given honored rock star that he is, paid no as soon as the rain cleared and the heed and it was not until the third concert was to resume. “Very early on in Ms. or fourth song that he changed po- Raining heavily by this time, Crow’s performance, sitions. However, those who had many concertgoers were soaked seen him at Music Midtown a cou- through as they ran down the slight thunder was heard ple of years ago might note that Mr. hill that the 96 Rock stage was set and torrential rain Dylan was much more enthusiastic on to get to their respective shelters. this year than he’d been two years The only casualties were not water- followed.” ago. induced however. When the con- While Dylan played on the 96 cert resumed, an added bonus was a Rock Stage, Live put on perhaps mudslide, situated where the grassy one of the most entertaining per- knoll had been. This made for quite not yet had the great joy of hearing formances of the entire concert on a precarious situation, and many “Picture,” you must quickly do so. the 99X Stage. Lead singer Ed Kow- people were seen falling onto the “Picture” is the result of Sheryl’s alcyk knew exactly how to pump up wet earth. collaboration with Kid Rock. She his audience, playing such crowd- Unlike Woodstock however, introduced the song as, “a little song energizing, recognizable hits as “I there was not enough room for ev- I did with a guy named Bob Ritch- Alone” and “Lightning Crashes.” eryone to frolick freely and so it was ie. You may know him as Kid Rock.” He played them with such gusto just annoying. Even more annoy- So the crowd was thus serenaded that one would think that it was his ing were the people who somehow with her portion of the song. Too first time belting them out. By Scott Meuleners / STUDENT PUBLICATIONS thought it would be a good idea to bad Kid was not there to supple- Other noteworthy performanc- Sheryl Crow proves that rockers can rock, rain or shine, by entertaining crowd surf; they were promptly re- ment. es were the ones given by Def Lep- soaked concertgoers at Music Midtown 2003. Among her set was lieved of their idiotic fun however After Sheryl exited the stage, there the song “Picture,” the product of her collaboration with Kid Rock. when concert security placed them was about an hour intermission be- See Midtown, page 11 10 • Friday, May 30, 2003 • Technique ENTERTAINMENT being from all Smashing Pumpkins Shape from page 9 songs to all Elvis Costello songs. Midtown from page 9 Live List record of his play to keep. “So often “Smashing Pumpkins can barely get pard and Everclear. Def Leppard’s you do something in the theatre up to speed in thirty seconds and performance was amazing, proving and it’s gone,” said LaBute. Anoth- we needed someone who was the that 40 year old men can still instill er plus was the salary increase. “To- antithesis of them, who had sharp awe and the will to expose breasts in Echo Lounge (551 Flat Shoals Rd.) Masquerade (695 North Ave.) tally paid more. You do theatre poppy instantly recognizable tunes. women under age 20. (404) 681-3600 (404) 577-2007 absolutely because you love it or His are so eclectic and there’s so During the power ballads, “Pho- www.echostatic.com/echolounge www.masq.com 5/29 Heaven/Alkaline Trio you can’t get another job. Outside much to choose from. [Costello] tograph” and “Pour Some Sugar on 5/30 Longwave of Andrew Lloyd Webber, it’s not writes such great songs about rela- Me,” the crowd could hardly con- 5/31 Kingsized 5/29 Pretty Girls Make Graves the most money making venture,” tionships,” said LaBute.

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