In The Brown And Red Water

On Saturday, our English class went to the Playhouse Theatre to see the showcase of In the Brown and Red Water. I have seen a Broadway production and a few high school productions but I have never been to a play or performance at Penn State. I was unsure of what to expect in a college level production. Was it going to be more similar to high school or more professional like Broadway? The play began with the cast on stage. I did not read a summary of the play prior to seeing it, which was probably a bad idea because I was a little confused. The music and choreography looked very spiritual and African. On the other hand, the language and tone of the characters seemed more American. The story was about a teenage girl, Oyá, living in the projects of Louisiana. Oyá is an exceptional runner and “The Man from State” even offers her a college scholarship – away from the poverty and poor lifestyle. However, due to her mother’s, Mama Moja, illness, Oyá has to turn down this opportunity. This is a huge let down because this is a dream and once in a lifetime chance. When Mama Moja dies early in the play, Oyá’s life seems to spin out of control . As the play goes on, we follow Oyá as she becomes a woman and the choices she makes that impact her life. Oyá deals with normal adolescent experiences, like love and relationships. She is uncertain of whom she is and where life is going to take her. The boys of the projects woo over Oyá – they constantly pursue her. Shango, her first love, leaves her to go off to war. She then settles with a longtime friend, Ole Goo. Oyá knows that Ole Goo is not her soul mate, but she feels like she has no other choice. Every time Shango comes to visit, Oyá falls in love with him all over again. Oyá desperately wants to have a baby, but neither boy is able to get her pregnant. Towards the end of the play, Oyá finds out that Shango impregnated Shun, a girl from the projects. Devastated, Oyá, cuts off her ear and gives it to Shango as a gift to remember her by.

            In the Brown and Red Water was very different than any other play I have seen before because each character narrated their selves. For example if Shango oentered the stage he would announce, “Shango enters the stage.” There was a lot of singing and dancing which was absolutely fantastic. I found out that the girl who played Mama Moja, Aquila Kikora Franklin, also choreographed the entire production. I loved the dancing scenes because it was so exotic. The dancing was very tribal-like and wild. The actors were such good dancers and the music was terrific. On the side stage, you could see the little 3-person band with their instruments.

            I have to admit, however, that the play was extremely confusing and strange. The dialogue was very raunchy talking about oral sex and whatnot. I was sitting next to an elderly woman which was extremely awkward, yet kind of amusing. I have never seen a play before that was so uncensored.

            Overall, my experience at the Playhouse Theatre went well. I enjoy performances of all kinds and this was definitely entertaining. I do believe that In The Brown and Red Water closely resembled a Broadway production, more so than a high school one. Even though the stage set up never changed, the acting was very professional. It was an amazing experience and I will definitely go back to see another play!

Movie Review: Wonder Boys

I am not a huge fan of going to the movie theatres. I love movies, but the idea of sitting upright in a room full of people I do not know does not appeal me. Half way through the film my ADD kicks in and I am squirming till the end. However, last weekend, parents weekend, my dad, my mom, and I sat in boredom contemplating our next activity and I remembered my English class assignment: the Film Festival! My dad really wanted me to see The Graduate, but it was airing at an inconvenient time so we went with the next airing film: Wonder Boys. I had never heard of Wonder Boys before but it starred Michael Douglas so I knew it could not be that bad.

            Wonder Boys is a comedy-drama that came out in 2000 and is based on a 1995 book by Michael Chabon. Curtis Hanson, who is also known for movies such as 8 Mile and In Her Shoes, directs the film. The cast is outstanding – starring Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes, and Robert Downey Jr. After the film aired, it became a hit by the movie world and was nominated for many important awards. In 2001, Wonder Boys was nominated for a Grammy, won a Golden Globe, and won an Academy Award. Many of these awards earned were for the film’s admirable music. The film takes place in Pittsburgh – mainly at Carnegie Mellon University. I have never been to Pittsburgh so the setting of the film did not mean anything to me. However, for those who are from or are familiar with Pittsburgh, the setting will definitely be a lot more meaningful and relatable.

            Wonder Boys tells the story about an English professor and writer, Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), who keeps having bad things happen to his life. I feel that Michael Douglas does an outstanding job with Grady’s character as well as narrating the whole film in first person. He plays him as an old, worn out, pot-smoking man who does not quite have his life figured out yet. After Grady’s wife leaves him at the very beginning, he finds out the girl whom he has been having an affair with, is pregnant with his child. This “girl”, Sarah Gaskell (Frances McDormand), is not only the university chancellor but is also married to the head of the university’s English department. “She was a junkie for the printed word. Lucky for me, I manufactured her drug of choice,” quote said by Grady pertaining to Sarah. Besides romantic relationships, Grady also deals with student relationships. Katie Holmes plays the role of Hannah Green, a cute student of Grady’s who rents out a room in his house. She has a crush on Grady and throughout the movie tries to seduce him but he’s never interested. Then there’s James Leer (Tobey Maguire), another student of Grady’s, who has enough problems of his own and looks to Grady for guidance. In a comical, yet serious way, the movie follows Grady as he is caught in the middle of these sticky situations that only seem to get worse. When the movie ended I was glad that I brought my parents. The film definitely appealed more to the older generation with the adult humor and other aspects. In the end, I was not squirming – I was intrigued. Wonder Boys was a movie about finding the meaning to life and I recommend it…for anyone above the age of twenty! 

Tulips, Sunflowers, and Roses - Oh My!

On Monday, our English class took a field trip to the H.O. Botanical Garden at Penn State. Living in east halls, specifically on Park Ave, I have always noticed the massive field across the street. I was never quite sure what its purpose was to the school and why it was there. Truthfully, I looked up the location of the field trip fifteen minutes prior to class and I was surprised to find it so nearby. When I first entered the Arboretum I jokingly thought to myself, “Is this Narnia?” As I was exploring the garden, I focused on the exuberant colors of the flowers and how pretty they looked together. Flowers are my favorite type of plant because they are so beautiful and colorful. Different shades of green, pink, purple, red, white, and yellow were scattered down two strips of path that led to an arbor with a wooden bench beneath. The scenery was so peaceful; I truly enjoyed myself as I strolled down the graveled path through the serene garden. I could not help to think how pretty it must look in the springtime. The flowers just blossoming, birds chirping, and the overall tranquility. Back home, almost every beautiful Sunday my dad would spend the entire day working in the yard. He would always try to inform me about all different types of flowers and trees and during which season they grew. I have always thought that flowers and plants are lovely and add so much beauty to life. On the other hand, when it came to yard work – that was someone else’s chore. I was told that there was a pond in the Arboretum, and unfortunately I never saw it. In my backyard at home we have two ponds with waterfalls and koi fish. My dad puts in a lot of work to maintain our ponds and fish and I love spending time near them. The Arboretum allows people to get away from the outside world. Once you are in there, it is like you are in your own world. No cars, no bikes – simply nature. I hope that in the spring the garden will expand. I loved the flowers but I felt as if I was walking in a circle quite a lot. There are so many neat landscaping ideas, it would be awesome if they took advantage of that and made the botanical garden even better. Every year right at the beginning of spring we all go down to DC and look at the gorgeous cherry blossoms on the mall. I absolutely love the color of cherry blossoms and it made me wonder if they had cherry blossoms here as well. I definitely would come back to the Arboretum and bring my friends. The location is so convenient, why not? I will probably wait until spring, however, because plants are just about dying right now and it will look ten times more beautiful!

Palmer Museum of Art

On Friday, my English class went to the Palmer Museum of Art to look closely at the wonderful paintings and sculptures and to analyze them in a rhetorical way. It was my first time ever going to this museum, let alone any art museum so I was pretty fascinated. The downstairs of the museum was filled with Italian and Asian paintings and ceramic pots and vases. The Italian paintings were traditional and old and had the same idea. The Japanese paintings were different and smaller. Then upstairs, the art got more interesting – at least for me. Filled with much more modernized paintings by American artists. One artwork that stood out to me was a 1997 painting called Marilyn. The artist was by an American named Faith Ringold who was born in 1930. This painting drew my attention because it was obviously a portray of the famous and beautiful icon, Marilyn Monroe. Ringgold uses gouche, a type of painting, to create this masterpiece. This painting is not the average painting of Marilyn Monroe, because in this case her skin color is brown. After researching, I learned that Faith Ringgold is an African American artist. She was a big contributor and activist in feminist and anti-racist movements.

            Marilyn Monroe is seen as a major sex symbol in the 1950’s to 1960’s. She’s a white, blonde beauty that men drooled over and women aspired to be. I think Ringgold changes Marilyn’s skin color to emphasize that skin color does not affect beauty. I believe that this painting really reflects Ringgold’s strong attitude towards feminism and racism. She is making a claim that, African Americans can be just as beautiful and skin is simply just a color. This painting connects with my emotions because although I would not call myself a Marilyn Monroe fan, I am interested in pop culture. Ringgold creates a pop culture piecework that has a lot of meaning. She chose Marilyn because almost everyone has heard of her and she is primarily known for her looks. I think choosing Marilyn Monroe was a perfect example.

            I really enjoyed my visit to the Palmer Museum of Art. It was a fun way to do this assignment. I am a hands-on learner, and anything that is outside of the classroom, I usually enjoy. I definitely can see myself visiting the museum again in the future!