A&E

 

  
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

by Kim

unset Boulevard is gilded,
S glitzy, glamourous fun. All

the performances were
wonderful, but the set was by far
the most breathtaking part of the
performance. The rich, elaborate
mansion instantly set the time
frame and the mood for the
performance. When the
33 000 Ib. gilded creation by John
Napier appeared, gasps could be
heard from the otherwise silent
crowd. In order to accommodate
other sets that came forth from
behind, from under the stage, or
from either side of the stage, the
whole mansion set was raised and
lowered by the magic of hydrau-
lics. Black and White footage from
the original 1950s movie was
projected on a scrim for the car
chase scene. The actors, in their
cars behind this screen, added to
the action.

Diahann Carroll plays “Norma Desmond” and Rex Smith as “Joe Gillis” in Andrew Lloyd Webber s
SUNSET BOULEVARD at the Ford Centre for the Performing arts.

There was even a replica of
Paramount Studio’s wrought iron
gate, and a fiberglass replica of a
1932 Isotta Franschini, just like the
one that appears in the film.

Diahann Carroll plays Norma
Desmond, a silent film star in dire
need of a comeback, or ‘return,’ as
she would insist. Ms. Desmond
was originally portrayed by Gloria
Swanson in the film. (The movie
gained “landmark” status from the
National Film registry of the

Library of Congress in 1989).

Diahann’s voice was powerful
and alluring. Her performance was
wonderful, but her final mental
demise would have been more be-
lievable if Norma’s breakdown
was a bit further developed.
Throughout the performance
Norma had only appeared to be a
bit wacko and in the final scene
she was ‘way off.’ The connection
between the two Normas was a bit

Sunset Boulevard pays up
until March @ the Ford Centre for the Performing Arts.

 

Catherine Ashmore photo

shaky, and not as gradual as in the
film. With exception of this,
Diahann’s performance was dazz-
ling.

Rex Smith plays Joe Gillis, the
young writer in need of work who
is eventually employed by Ms.
Desmond. Smith is a genuine card.
His voice is amazing and his
comical nature provided a sprinkle
of humour to keep the audience
smiling.

The entire cast of Sunset was
fabulous. Musically, their voices
layered so well it really was a treat.
to listen to.

The combination of the set, and
the individual and group perform-
ances, definitely added up to the
highlight of my holidays. The
tickets are fairly expensive (start-
ing around $64), but it’s a small
price to pay for what could quite
possibly be the apex of your entire
year.

 

 

 
  
  
   
    
   
  
   
  
  
  

by Sapphire

erry McGuire is the new film
with Tom Cruise that has
been getting too much
ttention from the media. Comedy
a good genre for Cruise, but
tic roles are much more
eserving of his time.

The little boy in this movie
teals the show. The scene in
hich he answers Jerry’s cellular
as, judging by the audience’s
aughter, a humourous highlight in
e movie. If it weren’t for this

The story of Jerry McGuire is
e, but nothing special. The only
ajor problem I found with the
ovie is the romantic involvement
etween Cruise and his female co-

Jerry McGuire
As good as everybody says it is?

star (whose
name escapes
me). The
intensity of
their relation-
ship develops
way too fast.
The main
story and the
sub-plot of Jerry’s relationship
would normally have taken
different amounts of time to
develop in real life, but since the
movie has a time restriction, these
plots were forced to overlap and
develop within the same time
frame. Big mistake.

Jerry McGuire is an enjoyable,
entertaining film, but if there’s
something else you’re dying to
see, don’t change your plans for
Jerry. ‘

 

Wake up & Dream
Qkumba Zoo
BMG

This South African trio blends
native music with their own
unique voices and energy to create
a sound I can best describe with
the visual image of a scarf floating
in the wind. You may have seen
them on TV, their first single ‘the
Child Inside’ has appeared on
MuchMusic.

The entire CD is full of beautiful
wails from the voices of lead
singers, Owl and Levanah. Their
music mixes African instruments
and rythmns with contemporary
dance grooves to create a unique
style that’s entirely Qkumba Zoo.

by Kim

Seasoned Veteran
Richie Rich
Def Jam

Bad boyz looking for some
tracks for ya tunes? Guess who’s
back? Richie Rich with his latest
CD, Seasoned Veteran.

When they said “Parental
Advisory Explicit Content” on the
CD, I thought that it was just an
exaggeration. They weren’t
kidding. There isn’t just a simple
comment in here. Most, if not all,
of the tracks include profanities or
obscenities.

TuPac makes a special appear-
ance in ‘Niggas Done Changed’
with his classic style of rapping.
Richie Rich brings in some
additional help, like DeWayne
Wiggins and Rame Royal in
‘Pillow,’ and The Luniz in ‘Ques-
tions.’ Of course, it wouldn’t be
the same if you didn’t include T-
Boz of TLC, in ‘Touch Myself
(Remix).’

Phoenix Pix:

It was very easy to choose the
best track on this. It is a slow
track that has a hidden meaning,
called ‘Do G’s Get To Go To
Heaven?’ The track is self-
explanatory, so I won’t explain it.
I would also comment that this
track was played as the intro song
on New York Undercover. And
who could not love the Richie
Rich and T-Boz combo in “Touch
Myself.” It mixes classic TLC
outspoken style with Richie Rich’s
rap style.

by Max Phoenix

At the speed of life
Xibit
BMG

Look beyond the fake flash and
glitz of show business hip-hop
today and try to find some skills—
the glamourous glare of pretty boy
poser rappers is blinding. That’s
where Xibit slides in with his
banging debut album.

There are no big names in music
to be found on this CD. This is
exactly what Xibit wants though.
He doesn’t want any Mainstream
“G-Funk” samples or anything
else. He aimed to bring something
new to the table and this is exactly
what he has done.

With his hard-core rhymes, he
complains about how hip-hop has
gone Hollywood. He wants to give
his view on the hood and bring the
industry back to the way it was
back in the days when Run DMC
and Boogie Down Productions
were just starting out.

by JC smooth

 

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