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Theater
Gangster Love:
LCC's West Side Story flawed but fun.
Morsels
Split Peas Please: Mini-reviews
of area dining spots.
Books
Hippie Memoir: Counter-culture Taos.
Gangster
Love
LCC's
West Side Story flawed but fun.
BY
SHARLEEN NELSON
Following a 19-year hiatus,
Lane Community College has revived
its Summer Musical Theatre series with that tour de force —West
Side Story.
A contemporary treatment of Shakespeare's Romeo
and Juliet, West Side Story is the result of a collaboration
between author Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein,
who in 1949 sought to compose an insightful musical that captured
a social point of view. The original version was titled East Side
Story and tackled the topic of forbidden love between a Jewish
girl and a Catholic boy on New York's east side. That project was
shelved, however, and Robbins and Bernstein didn't revisit the idea
again until six years later, following the huge migration of Puerto
Ricans to New York's West side. Hostility between native New Yorkers
and the immigrants had grown to epic proportions. The heart-wrenching
story of two idealistic lovers caught between rival street gangs became
West Side Story.
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WEST
SIDE STORY CONTINUES AT LCC THIS WEEKEND.
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For Lane's interpretation of the classic production,
director Michael Fisher aims for a "kinder, gentler" West Side
Story by focusing on the humanity of the characters rather than
the abject wrath and violence associated with the gangs. In addition,
rather than taking time to change sets, the stage is set up to accommodate
quick scene changes, and the music — flowing seamlessly from
one act to the next — not only advances the plot, but allows
the play to unfold with uninterrupted ease.
As ill-fated Tony and Maria, Cole Blume and Elizabeth
Ragozzino inject into their respective roles a reasonable balance
of drama and emotion. Blume's strong vocals and impressive range capture
the essence of the head-over-heels-in-love Tony. Ragozzino, though
lacking some of the poignancy and depth of her counterpart, still
delivers a strong performance coupled with a convincing Puerto Rican
intonation that encapsulates the demure Maria.
Scene-stealing Amy Joyce Mills is perfectly cast as
the saucy Puerto Rican bombshell Anita. From the puckish "America"
to her impassioned solo rendition of "Somewhere," Mills' vibrant voice
and infectious charm sizzle on stage. Other standouts include Nick
Poublon as the amusing yet awkward Jet's cohort, Baby John, and Kenny
Landmon as Bernardo, the snappy, self-assured leader of the Sharks.
At times the play seemed a tad uneven, a possible
result of the rapid pacing of the production. And while mostly well-executed
and certainly lively, several of the choreographed dance numbers appeared
slightly out of sync. Also hindering the overall impact of the show
were technical flaws involving malfunctioning microphones. Likewise,
even when the microphones were functioning properly, it was often
difficult to hear the actors' dialogue over and above the orchestra.
Still, in spite of a few flaws, with the visually
stunning sets, appealing costume design, and the superb full orchestral
performance of Stephen Sondheim's timeless music under the direction
of Ron Bertucci, this production of West Side Story is pleasurable
summertime fare. It continues through this weekend.
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Split
Peas Please
Mini-reviews
of local dining spots.
Mona
Lizza Ristorante & Bar
830
Olive St. 345-8489
We found Mona Lizza on a hot and dusty downtown construction-filled
evening. It was a sheer physical relief to funnel through the dark
narrow entryway, past a faux fireplace lit with red light, up to the
extravagant and colorful dessert counter (cannolis with fresh orange
slices, cheesecake in Technicolor, a heap of chocolate cake with flowers
and white chocolate leaves for decoration … ). Mona Lisa's face
reproduced by local artists adorns the walls, along with baskets and
brick-a-brack. Gourmet chic meets family dining meets sports bar.
The pizzas are the best deal. A 12-inch pizza runs
around $13, feeds two nicely, and is served on a nifty metal stand
for family style dining. Our kind waiter explained that the menu changes
every three to four weeks, so specials are included. It read like
a pantry list, each dish with its major ingredients listed: Fennel
encrusted swordfish with roasted and steamed veggies, a salad of tomato,
cucumber, garbanzo beans, capers and orzo. Reading the menu is not
an easy browse, but something to take your time with and relish.
Lizza's another West Brothers project, and as such,
it's a good place to find a deal: Eat free on your birthday, come
Tuesday nights for wine sampling (three of their selections for $7,
normally $8), and it has a great kid's menu with lots of variety around
$3.
11:30 am-closing daily. $-$$$. — MT
Golden
Avatar
2757
Friendly 683-2079
It's raining balls of goodness at
the Golden Avatar — balls of Kafta and Borro that is. The newly
opened cafeteria-style eatery is inside the Friendly Street Market
and they're all about balls and scoops. You build your own plate from
the hot bar and next to each item is the price per scoop.
I was all muddled up with so many choices and prices
of scoops, so the cook suggested I start with a vegan entrée,
Sak Sabji, which is fresh Spinach with tofu and light soy cream gravy,
then a scoop of rice. From the "savories and relishes" group I had
Pakora, a vegetable fritter and Kofta and Borro, grated vegetable
and ground split-pea balls. It all added up to $4 and made for a delightfully
curious meal.
The Kofta and Borro were crunchy and warmly spiced
with sweet chutney on the side. The food is all so rich tasting, but
leaves you feeling light and healthy. I even had room for the halvah,
which came in a perfectly round little ball of sweetness. Try the
yogurt rice salad or a Lassi, a yogurt drink made with organic sugar.
The Golden Avatar is snuggled right in a flowery neighborhood
and the dining area is bright and airy with a few chairs outside.
It's usually pretty quiet and sometimes empty — not too many
people have discovered them yet. But I'd definitely go back and try
a few more scoops of Indian cuisine.
8 am-7:30 pm M-F, 8 am-1 pm SA, 9 am-2 pm SU. $-$$.
— Nicole Hill
Caspian's
Mediterranean Cafe
863
E. 13th Ave. 683-7800
Yellow curry sauce comes oozing down the palm
of my hand from the inner depths of a warmly wrapped pita sandwich,
dripping onto the table — through the little metal holes and
onto my toes ... oops!
Roasted eggplant is tangled in sweet browned onion
and I have to get a fork the thing is so messy and packed with good
stuff — potatoes, garlic and onion go just right with the curried
eggplant.
Caspian's Mediterranean Cafe sits in the midst of
campus area hubbub with outdoor seating, which is ideal for people-watching
while pretending to read the newspaper. And if you're lucky (or maybe
not) you can catch wind of Frog's mocking repertoire of sales pitches
as he runs his comic gig from a newspaper box out front.
Lunchtime at Caspian's is busy and brimming with activity
and the food is just as lively. The eggplant curry sandwich is served
with tangy tzatziki that comes with option of fries for a dollar more.
They also have Mediterranean Burritos, (veggie and vegan), Persian
soups and salads, Gyros, Kabobs and Falafels. The breakfast specials
are a great deal — $1.95 for a pita stuffed with scrambled eggs
and jack and cheddar cheese, which is sold through the lunch hour.
The food isn't very spicy, but you can ask them to
fire it up if you want. I almost forgot the Baklava — the flaky,
melt in your mouth, delightfully sweet and nutty treat is made fresh
daily and is another marvelous reason to drop by for a meal.
7 am-9 pm M-SU. $-$$. — Nicole Hill
Morsels is a revolving
feature that tries to capture the atmosphere as well as the cuisine
of some of our favorite places to eat in and around Eugene, along with
food news. Suggestions? Call Ben or Marina at 484-0519 or e-mail cal@eugeneweekly.com
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Hippie
Memoir
Counter-culture
Taos.
BY
SONJA SNYDER
SCRAPBOOK
OF A TAOS HIPPIE:
Tribal Tales from the Heart of the Cultural Revolution
by Iris
Keltz. Cinco Puntos Press, 2000. Paperback, $20.95.
Iris Keltz's memoir of her hippie years in
Taos is a collection of personal recollections, essays and oral histories
— some hilarious, some painful, all evocative of a short-lived
era of idealism and inspired deviance we now call the '60s. Interspersed
through out the book are photographs, newspaper clippings and other
memorabilia of the times.
In the late 1960s and early '70s, Taos was a vortex
of counter-culture life; home to a dozen or more communes; the center
of a flourishing arts community; and a hotbed of cultural tensions.
This book focuses mainly on the communes, offering
up a juicy slice of hippie life: A legendary fire that destroyed the
kitchen but left the beans perfectly cooked; a new infant being weighed
in the produce scale at Safeway; a breech birth at home; a solstice
party tragedy; a peyote ceremony; stomping mud to make adobe bricks;
an FBI raid; a side-splitting toboggan ride on acid; and best of all,
the intimate camaraderie of everyday life.
In the introduction, Ed Sanders sets the political
and social context that spawned the communes of the 1960s, and he
cites some legacies of the era: free medical clinics, the underground
press, alternative schools and community switchboards, to name a few.
Novelist and long-time Taos resident John Nichols
adds historical perspective in a 1971 essay on the cultural tensions
between the hippies and locals. A few years later Nichols would write
The Milagro Beanfield War, a novel based on Taos during these
tumultuous times.
Not all communes are created equal, and the book reminds
us of their infinite variety, from the anarchistic crash pad, inherently
doomed to failure, to the highly structured spiritual center, which
still exists today. Nevertheless, a common theme emerges: These experiences
changed people's lives in lasting ways.
One account by three members of a silversmiths' co-op
is especially heartening. Rooted in family and dedicated to their
craft, these young people produced stunning jewelry and made lasting
connections with one another, even though their collective eventually
dissolved. "I would love to live that way again," Lorelei Brown said.
"When communal living works, it's like a village. I think that's how
the human race is happiest. We treasure those times."
The book does not fail to address the disappointments
of communal life: the strains on family life; the problems of leaderless
organizations; the excesses of drugs and alcohol; freeloaders; and
sometimes violence. Particularly sobering is a 12-year-old kid's view
of his alternative school.
Missing from this wonderful collection is a look at
the many hippies who lived in more "ordinary" family units, extended
families and communities. If anything, this omission gives a slightly
skewed view of hippie life.
More storyteller than journalist, Keltz grants herself
license to fictionalize where memory fails, or to change a name in
deference to a subject's privacy. "If anyone … remembers these
incidents another way, both versions are probably true," she disclaims
in the forward.
Keltz dedicates her book to her two grown children
whose questions about her hippie days prompted her to write her stories.
I couldn't find this book locally, but Tsunami will
special-order.
Sonja Snyder
is the former publisher of Eugene
Weekly.
BOOK
NOTES: (July 25 — Aug. 29):
Journalist Ron Lovell taught at OSU for 24 years; now he's
writing fiction. Lovell reads from Murder at Yaquina Head at
8 pm on July 28 at the Overleaf Lodge in Yachats. ...Diana Haskins
(Parent as Coach) talks about how parents help kids build a
life of confidence, courage and compassion at 7 pm Aug. 1 at Barnes
& Noble. ...Lydia L. Garrett (Job Description: Angel,
Professional Development for the In-Home Care Giver) holds a book
warming at 1 pm Aug. 2 at 272 W. 11th Ave. ...Two visiting writers
speak, show slides and lead a discussion at 7 pm Aug. 6 at Mother
Kali's Books. Chinosole is the author of African Diaspora,
essays on the work of such writers as fugitive slave narrator Harriet
Jacobs and lesbian poet Audre Lorde. Folklorist Alma Jean Billingslea-Brown's
Crossing Borders examines the work of Toni Morrison, Paule
Marshall and others whose work refutes such once-popular images as
Aunt Jemima. ...Spoken word artist Samantha Barrow will perform
her poetry at 8 pm Aug. 7 at Foolscap Books. $2. Barrow is traveling
across the country this summer on her motorcycle and performing her
poetry.... Warren Jacobs reads from his book of tall tales,
Tree Stories, under the open skies at 7 pm Aug. 7 in the EMU
Free Speech Amphitheater, UO campus. ...Bruce Holland Rogers
talks about his book Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer
at 7 pm Aug. 8 at Barnes & Noble. ...Poet Sharon Olds and
Memoirist Jennifer Lauck (Blackbird, Still Waters) read
at 7 pm Aug 17 at the Studio Theatre of the Performing Arts Center
at 777 West Olive, Newport, $8. Olds will lead a panel discussion
on poetry, with poet panelists Dorianne Laux, Joseph Millar,
Michael and Matthew Dickman. The Dickman twins are Olds'
nephews; they played the male Pre-Cogs in Minority Report and
gave a copy of Laux's collection, What We Carry, to the movie's
star, Tom Cruise. Way to go!...
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