Arts & Entertainment

Luke Simcoe
aeditor@ gmail.com

 

 

Douglas presentation of Aristophanes’
“Lysistrata” has that special something

By James Bullaoit

M. James Bullaoit is a senior at
Frank Hurt Secondary School in Surrey.
His class recently saw the theatre
department's production of Lysistrata,
and he thought he’d pen a few words
of wisdom about it for us here at the
Other Press. Because we here at the OP
believe in supporting the next generation
of student journalists—and because we
never got around to reviewing Lysistrata
ourselves—we_ thought we'd share
James’ article with you, the faithful
paper-reading audience.

Already saw Lysistrata once before? Well,
this performance has some new twists
on a play that’s been kicking around for
2419 years, and you won’t want to miss
this production of it. Director Thrasso
Petras and the wonderful cast play up the
story of Lysistrata in a way that is sure to
cause some laughs.

For those of you who haven’t
seen it yet, here’s a little summary:
Lysistrata (Nicola Elbro) waits for the
women of Sparta, Thebes and other areas

of Greece to discuss a plan to end the
Peloponnesian War. The plan is to ask the
women to refuse sex with their husbands
until a peace treaty has been signed. But
problems arise when the women refuse
to believe that the men will be persuaded
by this oath to sign such a treaty. The
story isn’t told just like it was written
many years ago though. This production
of Lysistrata has an interesting beginning
to it; it starts out as a group of people
thinking of something to do and deciding
to act out the story of Lysistrata. And
throughout the play, slight changes to
the writing add that little something and
make the play unique, even if you’ve
seen it before.

This comedy is _ certainly
a comedy. The humour starts in the
introduction with witty remarks such
as, “Despite the nature of the play, no
in and outs please.” This gets you ready
for the laughter to come while watching
the play. Mostly women act in this
production—there’s only one man in
the cast—but they are great at playing
the roles of the men. And the one man

sl Jol

Naked students walk the halls of campus promoting Lysistrata.

there (Peter Simone), plays the women’s
parts too. He does an amazing job of
using this opportunity to be funny, really
embodying the parts of the women. The
actors also get the audience to be part of
the play, by talking directly to them and
even asking them to participate. I found
it to be very interactive.

The stage created by the
second-year Stagecraft students is great;

  

pee

 

it is like nothing I’ve seen before. They
use the backdrop/building they have as a
screen, playing images relating to what
is happening at that time.

If you are looking for a laugh,
then check out this production of
Lysistrata. Although it might not be
appropriate for younger viewers, being
“all about sex and war... and peace,” the
older crowds will be sure to enjoy it.

 

Nada Surf ts still kinda popular

Nada Surf at The Commodore Ballroom, March 29, 2008

Luke
Simcoe

arts & entertainment editor

   
 

Marte I’m revealing my age, but
Nada Surf’s “Popular,” the official slacker
anthem of 1996, is a total nostalgia piece
for me. Like any good one hit wonder,
the song takes me right back to a specific
time and place in my life—in this case
my sophomore year of high school in
Burnaby. Matthew Caws’ angsty spoken
word verses—which were culled directly
from a 1964 book entitled Penny’s Guide
to Teen-Age Charm & Popularity—and
the infamous chorus, drenched in equal
parts irony and distortion, reminds me of
Grade 9 math and MuchMusic’s heyday.

But that was 12 years ago, and
since then, the pressures of adulthood
have taken their toll on both Nada Surf and
myself. But while I rose to prominence
at a student newspaper, Nada Surf kind
of faded into obscurity. Or so I thought.
It would seem that the New York trio
re-emerged in 2000, released a string of
sub-par albums on Barsuk Records, and
have done their best to ignore hecklers’
calls for “Popular” while touring the
world.

FZ

Anyway, the first thing I
noticed when I walked into the half-full
Commodore Ballroom was that Nada
Surf’s merchandise was all possessed of
a fairly strong 90s aesthetic. It was the
first sign that the band’s bid for indie
legitimacy might not be so successful.
The second sign was the opening
band, Sea Wolf. They were so
derivative of the Arcade Fire and
Wolf Parade that Nada Surf’s
choice to slot them in as openers
came across like a last ditch stab
for credibility by association.

Nevertheless, I’ve got
to give credit where credit is
due. As a live unit, Nada Surf
was surprisingly formidable—
—assuming you can forgive
bassist Daniel Lorca’s ridiculous
dreadlocks. Caws’ vocals were
great, and drummer Ira Elliot
made good on his reputation as
the most talented member of the
bad. Nada Surf still embodies
the earnestness that was the
best part of 90s alt-rock, and
Caws was adept at interacting
with his small, but incredibly
devoted, audience. He quipped
back and forth with the folks in the front
row, politely said yes or no to various
requests, and was genuinely charming
enough to make the chorus of “Blankest
Year,” which consists of “Aww... Fuck
it! I’m gonna have a party,” catchy

instead of corny.

Still, all the talent and charm
in the world couldn’t save a band whose
post-fame catalogue is still fairly hit
or miss. Despite their association with
Barsuk, a label whose roster boasts
bands like Menomena, Rilo Kiley and
Mates of State, Nada Surf walks too

 

fine a line between indie rock and adult
contemporary. To make a bad pun out
of the title of their first record, High/
Low, Nada Surf’s set had some high
points, and some low points; for every
introspective indie jam like “Killian’s

Red,” or “Fruit Fly,” there was the bland,
easy listening fare of “Inside of Love,”
or “The Blizzard of ’77,” both of which
could sneak their way onto a QM/FM
playlist.

The most telling moment came
shortly after the crowd brought the band
out for a second encore. While Caws
and company were setting
up, you could hear the odd
shout for “Popular,” and after
a brief consultation, the band
re-hashed their way through
their one brief flirtation with
the mainstream. The song felt
rushed and uninspired, and it
was tragic to see how much
the spectre of the past haunts
the group. I can only imagine
what it feels like to be called
back to the stage for a rare
third set and then be cajoled
into performing a song that
you probably hate. Maybe
they played it to silence the
hecklers, or maybe they
played it out of appreciation
for a faithful crowd; only the
members of Nada Surf know
for sure. But one thing was
painfully clear; if Nada Surf ever expects
their audience to get over “Popular,”
they’re going to have to get over it first.