It begins with the ringing of a telephone.
After that, it all collapses into bedlam, for “Noises Off” is a disaster. It is a break-neck, snowballing three-act romp that hauls the audience mercilessly through the chaotic deterioration of an inanely dysfunctional acting troupe. Lost contact lenses, broken doorknobs, tumbles, crashes, crying, fainting, screaming and sardines abound, with no shortage of love triangles, whiskey, lingerie and slamming doors. To watch “Noises Off” is to witness a train wreck from inside the train. It’s horrific. But who, honestly, doesn’t laugh when someone trips? I sure as hell do.
Written by Michael Frayn, well-known author of “Copenhagen,” the idea for “Noises Off” was born in 1970, 12 years before the farce made its way to the stage in 1982. He conceptualized the play while standing in the wings and watching a performance of “Chinamen,” another farce he had written. According to the playwright, “It was funnier from behind than in front, and I thought that one day I must write a farce from behind.” Since its first performance, the play has been tweaked and rewritten several times, most recently in 2000.
So, in light of the recent election, I have been thinking about the role of music in social change, political or otherwise. It should come as no surprise that music plays a huge part in making things happen: this has been going on for many, many years; from slave songs used as code to change people’s lives via escape routes, to the ‘60s anti-war movement, and even in today’s music scene. Punk music is a great example of how to spark change through song, as the history of the movement shows that this is what it’s all about. Even going back to the Sex Pistols: say what you will about them, but “God Save the Queen” is a great activist song.
I really like music that takes a stand. If bands can reach an audience to talk about more than what they’ve bought or what kind of car they drive, why should anyone care about them? The genre is more or less irrelevant; it’s the message that matters.
Professor of Fine Art’s Susan Calza’s Sculpture I and Advanced Sculpture classes have had their most recent works on display in the Visual Arts Center gallery.
The Sculpture I students had to followed guidelines, the Advanced Sculpture students and independent study students had no restrictions placed upon them. The pieces for the Sculpture I class had to be of wings, not necessarily the archetypical angel wings, but they had to resemble wings none the less. The works had to have been made of wood or other natural material, they couldn’t include hinges, and they had to attach to the body and allow movement in some fashion or another.
Mango Jam, a zydeco ensemble, will play a coffeehouse show at JSC Nov. 13 at 9 p.m. The band started in 1991, born out of another act, Gidget and Gandhi. Gus Ziesing is the accordion and saxophone player. Other members include Josie Ritter, who sings and plays guitar; Alan Bilson, on the drums; Mike Graziadei, on bass; and Mimi Ryan, on saxophone. Dana Lavigne plays the guitar and rub board, a corrugated washboard stroked with spoons. All are from Vermont.
Mango Jam, Ziesing said, plays a mixture of original pieces and covers. “Probably a lot of the songs we cover are these Louisiana - sort of traditional songs that nobody’s ever heard of up here… there’s a whole zydeco tradition, they all play these traditional songs.” Many of the songs can be sung in Cajun French.
The guys in Evenkeel like to play music. They like to have a good time. And, yes, they like to indulge in a drink once in a while. Sometimes, they do all three at once. Their laid-back, personable members – including Johnson State’s own Sam Averbuck and Brian Maple – fit the band’s music extremely well. They perform revamped cover songs, for now anyway, and have been known to throw unexpected treats out for audiences. Songs like “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy,” and their take on Britney Spears coexist with more serious classic rock and ‘90s grunge-era goodies. Evenkeel is one of Johnson’s best bands, undoubtedly one of the most enthusiastic, and very talented.
Averbuck and Maple have both played with other groups, within metal and blues genres, for example. Evenkeel officially began with their first gig on July 4, 2007, when the guys realized, “If we just take a couple band practices and throw in some new material, we could actually make money doing this,” as Averbuck said. He then added, “Plus, it’s just a damn good time.”