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Entertainment
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Written by Eric Best
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 Urinetown? Urinetown is a lie!” This may be one of the signature lines of Urinetown: The Musical, the new fall musical here at White Bear Lake High School, but if you’re anything like the White Bear Lake High School students who have seen Urinetown posters for the past month, it vocalizes what everyone is thinking: “What is Urinetown?” This musical, written by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis won Tony awards for Best Director (John Rando), Best Original Score (Holman and Kotis), and Best Book of a Musical (Kotis). In a 1920-esque style, the musical opens in a dirty, disgusting shanty village. Officer Lockstock, played by Dan Marta, grade 12, and Little Sally, played by Hannah Birckelbaw, grade 10, talk directly to the audience about just how bad Urintetown: The Musical is. The country has been transformed to a desolate place by a drought that has been going on for 20 years, and there is no water left to use as sanitation water. People do not have their own private bathrooms, and must pay to use public bathrooms that are controlled by the hated, yet cleverly named, Urine Good Company or UGC . People who do not urinate in these bathrooms are sent to a feared place called Urinetown, a place that no one has returned from. The musical centers on the filthiest, dirtiest public bathroom, Public Amenity #9, which is run by Penelope Pennywise, the heartless assistant to the tyrannical businessmen of UGC, played by Stephanie Solomon, grade 11. Bobby Strong, played by Alec Frasier, grade 12, is the main protagonist of the musical, who won’t stand for the rule of UGC and its owner, Caldwell B. Cladwell, played by Zach Winkler, grade 11 is a stereotypical fat cat millionaire and politician who only cares about himself, his money, and hurting the everyday working people, some of which include a brigade of the pregnant, diseased, clinically insane, and angry (including Hot Blades Harry, Soupy Sue and Robby the Stockfish, etc.). Hope, the beautiful daughter of Cladwell, played by Abby Anderson, grade 11, is caught up in a forbidden love affair with Bobby and a urine-based revolution against Cladwell that is very quickly spiraling out of control. Based on my personal experience with the White Bear Lake Theatre program I fully expect Urinetown to be a great show. Our theatre program is one of the best in the state of Minnesota because we have a group of very dedicated young men and women that are working to create art on our stage. Urinetown is under the direction of Wendy Suoja, a choir teacher from North Campus and Sunrise Park Middle School, and Rob Sutherland, who is directing on our stage for the first time. Urinetown debuts at the North Campus Theatre, at 5040 Bald Eagle Avenue, on November 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21 at 7:00pm, with a 2pm matinee performance that is free for senior citizens on November 14. Tickets are $7 for students and seniors and $9 for adults. You can get your tickets ahead of time at The Nest in downtown White Bear Lake, near the library, or by having you’re high school student buy them at lunch during MEA week. For White Bear Lake High School students looking to help out with the production of Urinetown there is a crew meeting coming up soon. Crew positions include less involved jobs like ushering and concessions, to the more involved backstage crew and light and sound positions. And don’t forget to continue your White Bear Lake Theatre patronage this winter for White Bear’s production of 12 Angry Jurors (12 Angry Men)! |
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Written by AJ Norman
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When I hear the word “sting,” it instantly activates traumatic childhood memories of angering bees and coping with the repercussions. Thankfully David Ward’s film The Sting, directed by George Roy Hill, is much more comfortable to endure. Johnny Hooker (played by Robert Redford) is an established con artist who cons his way to a surprisingly large chunk of dirty money. After scoring such a big grip of scrill and living the good life, it’s only natural that Hooker would be thirsty for more cabbage. He teams up with his old friend Henry Gondorff (played by Paul Newman) to attempt one of the loftiest cons of all time: a deceptive ploy involving horse races, gambling, crooked cops and late-night diners. Hooker and Gondorff try to cheat major Chicago crime boss Doyle Lonnegan (played by Robert Shaw) out of $500,000.
What strikes one as odd while watching The Sting is the extreme likeability of the main character, Johnny Hooker. Robert Redford does an outstanding job maintaining cool, calm, and controlled suave mannerisms. Even though the actions of his character are entirely illegal, we want to see him succeed with more cons because they are so thrilling and exciting to witness. When Hooker hooks up with Gondorff to pull off the giant con that spans the majority of the movie, I knew I was in for an Ocean’s 11-esque treat: a masterpiece of a crime flawlessly executed. And that’s exactly what I got! Good guys turn into bad guys, bad guys turn into good guys; they keep you guessing about the success of the crime until the very end of the film when it all comes together.
Robert Shaw also does a fantastic job illustrating Irish crime boss Doyle Lonnegan. His power is evident upon our first encounter with the character, where we see him directing the success of his Chicago-based business while practicing his short game at a golf course in Ireland. Shaw has an uncanny ability to sustain very serious, sinister gestures, especially noticeable in the poker playing scene on the train.
The camera-work and sound editing in this film are prime. Shot in 1973, it is made to look like a 30’s crime film crossed with a story book. George Roy Hill uses many vintage transitions between scenes, such as the wipe and the fade, to indulge us in the setting. He also sections off the major portions of the film with storybook-like title pages, which literally turn the page to the next chapter as the movie advances. The soundtrack has some very memorable tracks along with some atmospheric tunes. When Hooker is being chased down the street by the larger-than-average detective, a happy saloon-like number is playing, giving us an indication that this private eye is no threat to Hooker (at least on foot). Most of the other music in the film fits the mood so well that you hardly even notice any music playing at all.
In conclusion, The Sting has everything a crime film needs to be a winner and puts all those elements together beautifully. Every character is brilliantly portrayed with enough power and emotion to make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. You may want to try being a con artist yourself after watching Paul Newman and Robert Redford do it with such ease (not recommended)! A much more pleasant experience than any bee sting, The Sting will leave you beyond satisfied. |
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Entertainment
