March 20, 2014

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All of the Above All-women production opens this weekend

MARCH 20, 2014

Grounded at Manbites Dog Duke alums present company’s latest production, page 3

The Grand Budapest Hotel Recess reviews new Wes Anderson, page 6 SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

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editor’s note ss recess r

R recess editors

why I got grounded...

In case you haven’t noticed by now, making playlists is my thing. Since the inception of my Spotify Premium subscription, constructing playlists has been my joy, my therapy, my processing and my relief. Now, as I rapidly approach the end of my Duke career, these playlists are becoming my closure. I don’t mean this as an “I never want to graduate” type of statement. Instead, I feel a bittersweet mix of fearing the time when my closest friends may be states or continents away and accepting that I have reached the immovable conclusion of my time here. So, for my final editor’s note, I present to you one last playlist.

I know that, if I choose to use only my own words to communicate how I feel right now and what I wish to share with you, I would fall far short of my intent. Instead, I’ll use my own amateurish art of curating music to convey what I would like to say with significantly more beauty.

1. ‘Promesses’ by Dimmi feat. B. Lacoste This track from French DJ Dimmi samples President Obama’s speech from the 2012 election night while combining an absolutely killer saxophone and steady dance beat. “I believe we can keep the promise of our founding, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love.” While this is an idealistic dream that lies far from fruition, President Obama’s

Lauren Feilich [editor]......................................................................... love money party Eliza Strong [managing]..................................................................................... square MC Bousquette.[music]............................................................... midday skinnydipping Megan Rise [film].................................................................................... slipped on ice Kathy Zhou [arts]..................................................................................................... ;-) Prashanth Kamalakanthan [online]............................................................ naughty boi Eliza Bray.[photo].................................................................................. all of the above

The Chronicle

words still reflect the vision that so many in the United States hold for our future. No matter our party affiliation, these words should ring true. Oh, and who doesn’t need something inspiring to dance to?

2. ‘Stay Alive’ by Jose Gonzalez “There’s a rhythm in rush these days/ Leaves you empty with nothing but dreams/In a world gone shallow/In a world gone lean.”

We’ve grown up in tumultuous times, from 9/11 to war to recession. And on Wednesday, a New York Times front-page headline identified the emergence of another Cold War. Yet, ‘Stay Alive’ drags me out of my cynicism quietly but firmly, reminding that “There is a truth and it’s on our side/Dawn is coming open your eyes/Look into the sun as the new days rise.”

3. ‘The Wind’ by Cat Steven This short one’s for all of us staring into the horizon, toes curled over the edge of the cliff, asking ourselves whether we can actually fly once we make the leap. The simplicity of “I listen to the wind/To the wind of my soul/ Where I’ll end up, well I think/Only God really knows” captures our transience and envelops us in Cat Stevens’s calm voice and fingerpicking.

4. ‘No Surrender’ by Bruce Springsteen If I didn’t include some Bruce, I would be lying to the world about who I am. And really, what could be more fitting for a graduating senior than charging into the world with, “No retreat, and baby, no surrender.” (Though I don’t really think it rings true of Duke that “We learned more from a three minute record, baby/Than we ever learned in school.”)

5. ‘Young and Able’ by Current Swell This was one of my spring break oceanside staples due to its incredibly relaxed vibe and peaceful lyrics. There’s a particular line that stands out to me amidst the melodic vocals and soothing acoustic strumming: “Your home is where you make it/You make it where you live.” The knowledge that we can create

another home beyond Duke is comforting, especially in tandem with the rest of the song’s message about finding someone to love who will be the foundation of that sense of home.

6. ‘Wait’ by M83 “No time, no time, no time.” I have had far too little time with so many of those to whom I have grown so close. My heavy heart stems from the deep gratitude it holds. To my Duke friends both here and gone: whether you knew me for all four years, through my roughest and most ungrateful iterations, or whether you have known me for half a year, loving and motivating me to transform my character and live in vulnerable honesty, thank you. You have become a family to me unlike any I could imagine. I am who I am because of you. I hope you all know that I am here for you now and in the years to come, even as we find ourselves in opposite corners of the Earth.

7. ‘Beth/Rest’ by Bon Iver This ‘80s-inspired track concludes one of my favorite albums, Bon Iver’s self-titled effort.

It is one of the best albums to listen to on vinyl, achieving a strikingly eerie and beautiful depth that electronic formatting can’t seem to emulate. ‘Beth/Rest’ reaches me the way it does because it describes a relationship in all of its ups and downs, a sensation well-known to those who have maintained a close relationship of any kind over these four years.

8. ‘The Parting Glass’ by Wailin’ Jennys I will end with a centuries-old song which my ancestors in Scotland almost certainly knew—if not sang—to wish close friends goodbye. I recommend The Wailin’ Jennys’ gorgeous rendition, but warn that tears may accompany. In my mind, I listen and picture a group of friends (who were probably just as reliant on plaid then as I am now) reminiscing, laughing, forgiving and basking in the too-rapidly disappearing glow of intimate friendship.

But that’s just me; let it mean to you whatever you need it to be.

-MC Bousquette

DUKE PERFORMANCES IN DURHAM, AT DUKE, THE WORLD, JUST OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR.

THIS SATURDAY!!!

BOUNDARY-BREAKING QUARTET

KRONOS QUARTET

LAURIE ANDERSON, BRYCE DESSNER PHILIP GLASS, DAVID LANG, MISSY MAZZOLI SATURDAY, MARCH 22 • 8 PM BALDWIN AUDITORIUM CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL + INDIE ROCK

YMUSIC

DUKE PH.D. COMPOSERS

TUESDAY, MARCH 25 • 8 PM MOTORCO MUSIC HALL ICONIC INDIAN MUSICIAN

ZAKIR HUSSAIN & THE MASTERS OF PERCUSSION

THURSDAY, MARCH 27 • 8 PM DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

Archibald Motley Jazz Age Modernist On view through May 11, 2014

Master colorist and radical interpreter of urban culture

BLAZING JAZZ COMBO

GERALD CLAYTON TRIO

nasher.duke.edu/motley

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, MARCH 28 & 29 • 9 PM MOTORCO MUSIC HALL

UKE

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EVERY SHOW. ALL SEASON. TAKE ADVANTAGE.

GET TICKETS: DUKEPERFORMANCES.ORG | 919-684-4444

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Archibald J. Motley, Jr., Hot Rhythm (detail), 1961. Oil on canvas, 40 x 48.375 inches (101.6 x 122.9 cm). Collection of Mara Motley, MD, and Valerie Gerrard Browne. Image courtesy of the Chicago History Museum. © Valerie Gerrard Browne.

This exhibition is made possible by the Terra Foundation for American Art; the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor; and the Henry Luce Foundation. Major support is provided by the Wyeth Foundation for American Art; Drs. Victor and Lenore Behar; the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources; and Deborah DeMott. This project is made possible in part by funding from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this bookmark do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Chronicle

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One-woman award-winning play opens tonight at Manbites

by Stephanie Wu The Chronicle

Technology and its ensuing impersonalization of our lives is making waves onto the stage at Manbites Dog Theater.

“Grounded,” a one-woman show by playwright George Brant, will open tonight in the downtown Durham theater space. The production is brought to life by actor Madeleine Lambert (T’08) and director Talya Klein (T’02), both Duke graduates who subsequently attended Brown University/Trinity Repertory MFA program.

While Brant’s previous plays never saw the national spotlight, “Grounded” has erupted globally as a phenomenon in theater. After winning the 2012 Smith Prize, which honors new plays on American politics and receiving a Fringe First Award at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, “Grounded” has elevated Brant’s prominence as a playwright to new heights.

Audiences everywhere have been held captive by the play, a monologue about the life of an F-16 pilot whose unexpected pregnancy results in her reassignment to controlling drone strikes.

“What’s really captivating about [‘Grounded’] is that it looks at modern technology in relationship to war. Throughout the play, the audience understands the psychological ramifications and repercussions of drone warfare and the effect it has on [the pilot],” Lambert said.

While technology may seem to have created an increasingly impersonal war—marked by the notion that the push of a button can decimate targets millions of miles removed— “Grounded” turns this idea on its head. It’s often easy for audience members to simply sit back and observe the show rather than personally invest in the narrative. But in not specifying the race or name of the pilot, Brant

doesn’t allow for such disengagement; he forces every audience member into the pilot’s shoes.

“What’s most amazing about her is that she doesn’t have to be a woman. George is allowing this woman to be every character…and that a woman’s voice can legitimately be the voice of every drone pilot…is revolutionary,” Klein said.

“We always look for excuses to say, ‘That’s not me, that could never be me, her choices

are not my choices,’” Klein continued.

But at the end of the day, the play compels audiences to identify with the pilot. In Lambert’s words, “You’re on a ride with her. You’re on a journey with her.”

While “Grounded” is a political play, it lacks a political agenda and motives. Instead, it raises a great deal of questions on technology, warfare and morality, brought to the fore by a character that is extremely ingrained in the military system.

“I think people with any sort of political interest will come to the play and find themselves shaken up by it,” Klein said. But at its heart, “Grounded” simply focuses on the pilot and the honesty of her story, which Klein described as “refreshing” and “very real.”

“The play is political, it’s personal, it’s scary, it’s moving and it’s…surprisingly funny.

She’s got moxie, she’s got guts and she’s also a See manbites, page 8

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

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The Chronicle

All of the Above showcases diversity o

by Katie Fernelius The Chronicle

“Where is your voice in the dialogue surrounding sexuality, academics, joy, effortless perfection, friendship, race, family, privilege, hardship and whatever else impacts your life? Where is your voice to describe the complex humanity behind the female Duke student, staff or faculty member?”

This Friday through Sunday, All of the Above will ask this question of Duke audiences in its 11th annual production.

All of the Above, an all-female-written, -acted and -directed show, stemmed from the 2003 Women’s Initiative steered by past president Nan Keohane. Of the many projects born out of the initiative, All of the Above was specifically created to showcase the variety of women’s experiences on campus and to provide a platform for women’s stories.

The production brings together women through many different creative capacities in order to create a forum for their stories. Duke women write and submit the monologues anonymously, which are then read and selected by the production team. Other women can audition to perform these monologues as part of the annual spring production.

“We tried really hard this year to have a much more diverse selection of pieces and pieces that could speak to different people on campus,” said junior Cesi Bosch, former actor and current assistant director.

She further stated that the production has been criticized in the past for portraying a narrow set of women’s experiences, especially that of white, heterosexual women.

“In the past, a lot of our monologues have revolved around women’s relationships with men. That’s not who we are as Duke women—of course, men are an aspect of our lives, but definitely not the only one in my experiences!” said

senior Anna Koelsch, past actor and current director of the production. “Yes, we think about sex and men, but we also think about academics, and our families, and our identities, and race, and socioeconomic status and any interaction between all of these things! I want this production to challenge the monolithic idea of Duke women.”

The production team is mindful in their process of monologue selection to choose diverse and well-written monologues, as well as to retain the anonymity of the original writer. Furthermore, the entire production team engages in conversations about creative and ethical decisions regarding authentic representation of identities and experiences.

“We talk a lot about the sensitivity of the stories we are telling. These are not monologues that we can cut and paste at will. This is someone’s story that they shared and made themselves vulnerable in sharing,” Koelsch said. “We ultimately try to make sure that the entire production team and the cast members are comfortable with how each monologue is being performed.”

Bosch also spoke about the mindfulness that went into the creative process.

“The policy is that you do not perform a piece that was written by someone you know,” Bosch said. “The stories are so important and the words are a template for the actors. A lot of the meaning comes from how the actor chooses to interpret and translate those words into their performance.”

All of the Above is often compared to Me Too Monologues due to their similar formats and the fact that both concern questions of identity on Duke’s campus.

“People call it the female or the feminist Me Too Monologues,” Bosch said.

“I think anything labeled as feminist tends to be stigmatized, so there’s this tendency to neglect this production and not give it a fair chance.”

Shanen Ganapathee/ THE CHRONICLE

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of women’s experiences for 11th year

Shanen Ganapathee/ THE CHRONICLE

Both productions are strong shows that are notable in sparking campus dialogue, but to label All of the Above as the “female” Me Too Monologues obscures the fact that it precludes Me Too by six years. Although All of the Above provides a platform for women specifically, the production also emphasizes that these stories are meaningful for all identities; as such, individuals of all identities are welcome to attend the show.

“I think that some men are deterred

by the idea of a production all about women—that idea can be kind of scary,” Koelsch said. “But, almost every man who has ever gone to All of the Above and has talked to me about it has said how meaningful it was for them and how it raised perspectives and questions that they have never thought about or heard about before. We sometimes think it is more useful for men to attend the show, because while a lot of women will be exposed to a diversity of experience, we hope that they probably are already

Shanen Ganapathee/ THE CHRONICLE

thinking about these things.”

“Women’s issues are not just women’s issues. They are gender issues,” Bosch said. “Both men and women have to face these issues, even if it is from a different perspective.”

The aim of the production, then, is to create a platform for anyone to better understand the diversity in the experiences of Duke women.

“Overwhelmingly, the narrative that a lot of people hear about the ‘Duke woman’ is very singular and one that does not

apply to everybody,” Koelsch said. “We portray that Duke women can be ‘all of the above’—we can suffer from mental illness, we can hook-up, be virgins, be attracted to someone of any gender. We want to provide a space for women to tell their story, whatever that is.”

All of the Above runs March 21 through March 23 in East Duke 209. Friday and Saturday evenings the show will run at 7 p.m. and Sunday evening the show will run at both 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Admission is free.

ChelsEA Pieroni/THE CHRONICLE

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

FILM The Grand Budapest Hotel Scott Rudin Productions Directed By Wes Anderson

by Kathy Zhou ThE ChRONICLE

“The Grand Budapest hotel” is a delight. As in most Wes Anderson films, the deliberate, storybook cinematography—each moment of the film could stand alone as a still—are a joy to experience. This film stood out in particular from Anderson’s other films, boasting a flair for grandiose storytelling with likable characters amid the director’s same polarizing nostalgia.

The film is a narrative within a narrative, starting with a teenager reading a book titled “The Grand Budapest hotel.” The book, authored

by The Author, is a memoir and takes us back to 1932, when the young writer (Jude Law) stays at the solitary, glitzy hotel in the now-nonexistent Republic of Zubrowka. he meets the lonely hotel owner, Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), who emotionally recounts his time as a lobby boy back when the hotel thrived under the illustrious, poetry-reciting concierge, Monsieur Gustave, brilliantly played by Ralph Fiennes. Despite the

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recently immigrated Zero’s “zero experience, zero education and zero family,” M. Gustave takes him on as a protégé when Zero explains, “Who wouldn’t want to be a lobby boy at the Grand Budapest hotel? It’s an institution.”

Caught in the rise of fascism and bequeathed with a priceless painting titled “Boy with Apple,” M. Gustave finds himself thrown into a highsecurity prison and Zero must break him out. Mixed into the great escape are many pastel-colored pastries, liberally applied cologne, a brass-knuckled assassin (Willem Dafoe), the Society of the Crossed Keys and, above all, exceptional manners and service.

Once again, we meet a variety of characters, all memorable in physical appearance and silly quirks. Most importantly, the primary characters only grow more endearing. Anderson’s stories often feel circular and his characters tend to grow annoying, usually due to a staunch refusal to change their ways or minds: I started rolling my eyes in “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Moonrise Kingdom” was a bit too twee and kitschy and I wanted just a bit more self-awareness from “Rushmore.” here, we are endeared to M. Gustave as he charms his way out of most situations and we appreciate Zero’s penciled-in moustache and deadpan devotion to M. Gustave and the hotel.

Typical of most Wes Anderson films, “The Grand Budapest hotel” doesn’t appeal so much to our emotions as it does to our senses of childlike fascination and wonder. Anderson relays a story, harking to what The Author says about writing books: when you’re a writer, the stories—

The Fannie Mitchell

the characters—will come to you. here is a story with three chapters, each distinguished by a different aspect ratio, about Anderson’s most meticulously crafted and inventive world, which involves an old-fashioned handmade model of the Grand Budapest.

This is a well-rounded film set in the dazzle of the quintessential

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

FILM The Wind rises

“Who wouldn’t want to be a lobby boy at the Grand Budapest Hotel?

It’s an institution.”

Studio Ghibli Directed By Hayao Miyazaki

by Kathy Zhou ThE ChRONICLE

The place where I watched hayao Miyazaki’s swan song, “The Wind Rises,” was perfect. It was a Monday night showing in a theater fitted with dark gold curtains and velvet chairs, an audience of about a dozen regulars and an excited introduction by one of the theater’s employees. The whole place had a sort of anachronistic charm, eliciting a muted, dusty sense of nostalgia and earnestness.

That’s precisely where we find the bittersweet “The Wind Rises.” It’s different from Miyazaki’s other criticallyacclaimed films. The style is the same, with watercolor clouds, strikingly detailed facial expressions and painstakingly hand-drawn animations. Individual scenes and dialogue still move at a reallife pace, and the story is still carried not only by the characters that we meet, but also by the pulsing sensation of something more. But there are no spirits or demons, no curses or spells. We don’t get much of an ending or a moral to this fable, which was loosely based on Tatsuo hori’s 1937 story. Rather, we get a reallife glimpse into some affecting truth as

Wes Anderson universe and caught somewhere between an elegant frenzy and a dark whimsy. The story is not lost in the impeccable scene composition. The vibrantly manicured styles captivate us visually, but we’re kept on the edge of our seats by an orchestrated caper (high-speed chases, a gunfight, a very elaborate prison break), clever dialogue delivered by an excellent ensemble cast and outrageous situations. More prominent than in Anderson’s other films, though, is a lonesome melancholy, as both M. Gustave and Zero watch their worlds fade. This is Anderson at his most sophisticated and charming as he spins another magical tale.

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we meet Jiro horikoshi, a good soul who wears circle-framed glasses, dreams of designing beautiful airplanes as a child and becomes an esteemed aeronautical engineer in the time of World War II. The surreal or fantastical parts of the film are reserved for Jiro’s dreams, where his hero, the Italian engineer Caproni, guides him. We watch as Jiro grows up to help reinvent Mitsubishi’s warplanes; Japan is decades behind at this time, stuck with wood and canvas aircraft, a stark contrast to Germany’s enormous, all-metal bombers. Jiro immerses himself in his work, hoping to one day, after the war, design a beautiful plane to carry people.

The film is long and rich. There’s a young Jiro with his sister, squinting up at the stars from their rooftop. We see Jiro through friendship, travel, failure and romance. Throughout, we, like Jiro, are reminded of something more. Japan is in turmoil, struggling through an earthquake, a war, a failing economy. A German man who Jiro meets at a summer resort whispers his criticisms of hitler and then abruptly flees arrest. More than once, characters remark on the war and Japan’s part in it, always coming to the same eerie, haunting conclusion: “Japan will burn.” And finally is the epigraph

Several threads weave throughout: the horrors and morals of battle, Japan’s place in history and the world, the pain of needing to create.

and overarching theme of the film by poet Paul Valéry: Le vent se lève!...Il faut tenter de vivre! or, The wind is rising. We must attempt to live.

This is a tale of longing and hope with commentary inextricably tied to Miyazaki himself. Several threads weave throughout: the horrors and morals of battle, Japan’s place in history and the world, the pain of needing to create. Jiro has to balance his duty to his work and to those he loves. he struggles as he dreams of bird-like planes flying through lush skies, so different from those that will almost certainly crash and burn as relics of war’s destruction. Miyazaki dazzles us, but even more, he grips us with characters who are painfully relatable, a soundtrack that simultaneously soars and deeply saddens, a bitter truth. I can’t help but be reminded of another excerpt from the same Valéry poem: In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished—a word that for them has no sense—but abandoned; and this abandonment, whether to the flames or to the public (and which is the result of weariness or an obligation to deliver) is a kind of an accident to them, like the breaking off of a reflection, which fatigue, irritation, or something similar has made worthless.

This is a film that at once confronts our unstoppable corruption of beauty and follows the long, desperate efforts of those who try to restore, or to rediscover, that beauty. Yet—and maybe he just couldn’t bring himself to do otherwise—Miyazaki still gives us some hope to clutch onto at the end, a feeling that, maybe, Jiro will finally get to create the planes he’d always dreamed of.

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FILM Mr. Peabody and sherman Dreamworks Directed By Rob Minkoff

by Megan Rise ThE ChRONICLE

In “Mr. Peabody and Sherman,” Mr. Peabody (Ty Burrell) is a genius dog, a college graduate with a penchant for bad puns. Sherman (Max Charles) is a boy, adopted by Mr. Peabody and raised to appreciate knowledge.

They wear matching glasses. Only one of them wears a bow tie (hint: it’s the dog). My parents grew up watching Mr. Peabody and Sherman, the subjects of a series of shorts called “Peabody’s Improbable history” from “Rocky and his Friends” and “The Bullwinkle Show.” My mom is such a fan of the original show that our dog is named Mr. Peabody. I’m sure if I had come second, I would have been named Sherman, just for consistency.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman have stayed much the same in terms of their personalities, but their originally perplexing personal relationship is fleshed out in more detail in the film. Mr. Peabody, a know-it-all who refused to conform to society’s standards of how a dog should act, was never adopted. Because of his past, he decides to adopt a boy and save him from that fate. The crux of the film (and the television show) is that Mr. Peabody designed a “wayback machine” that allows him to witness important moments in history. The plot is kicked into gear when Sherman uses the wayback machine to prove a point to his brainy nemesis from school, Penny (Ariel Winter), against Mr. Peabody’s orders. The three then travel through time on an adventure to fix the past and the future.

Mr. Peabody’s vanity and self-confidence are intended to amuse, and Burrell pulls off

the role impeccably. Not only does the dog think he is superior to the members of his own species, but he is also certain he’s better than all humans as well. “how hard could raising a child be?” he asks the judge who grants him approval, as a dog, to adopt. his plentiful puns—a throwback to the 1960s program—are intended to be silly jokes to himself that no one will understand, but they become painfully obvious in the over-the-top way he delivers them, if not to Sherman then to the audience. he wants everyone to know just how intelligent he is, and he never fails to share his knowledge. The character walks the line between grating and endearing with near perfection. however, one detriment to the film is its length. While not a long movie at 82 minutes, the change in format from a series of cartoons under 15 minutes to a feature-length film is strained. The film changes venues frequently using the wayback machine like a series of episodes loosely strung together. If the film had a stronger central theme or lesson, it might have worked, but the characters just seem to shift aimlessly from historical period to historical period, leaving a mess in their wake. I would have much rather seen a new batch of shorts featuring the beloved characters.

The new animated film tries to revamp the wry, witty show to fit a more modern style. In doing so, the animation added another dimension (ha), breaking away from the easily doodle-able original character depictions to a now-familiar style reminiscent of “The Incredibles.” There’s nothing spectacular or revolutionary about the animation, but it’s not bad.

The story feels forced into being “aww”-worthy and the places and times they travel to are uninspired. In reinventing a classic, the new “Mr. Peabody and Sherman” takes away some of what made the series so original. Instead of a “history of the World: Part I” or “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” for kids, the movie is just another average animated film that panders to parents’ nostalgia.

Duke University Chapel

Organ Recitals 2014 Jostens Ring Days Distinctive. Classic. Lasting.

Tuesday, March 18 - Thursday, March 20 10am - 4pm The University Store, Bryan Center, West Campus

Sponsored by Duke University Stores®

OPERATION: University Store PUBLICATION: Chronicle

Robert Parkins Sunday, March 23, 2014 5:00 p.m.

Robert Parkins is the University Organist and a Professor of the Practice of Music at Duke. His recordings have appeared on the Calcante, Gothic, Musical Heritage Society, and Naxos labels, and his performances described as “fresh and spontaneous, transforming the music from museum artifacts to living works of beauty” (The Diapason). This season’s program, “Magnificat,” will include music by early Iberian and French composers, plus works of Bach and Rheinberger on the Brombaugh and Flentrop organs. He will be assisted

by Kristen Blackman, cantor, and members of the Duke Vespers Ensemble, directed by Brian Schmidt.

MANBITES

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from page 3

mother. That’s a big part of the play too, how she plays the role of the pilot and how she plays the role of a mother and a wife,” Lambert said.

To bring such a complex play to life is no small feat.

Both Lambert and Klein are well-seasoned in all aspects of theater, having previously acted and directed, respectively, at both Manbites Dog and Duke.

“Duke is such a renaissance study of theatre. When I was at Duke, I directed, I acted, I produced, and that… has made me a complete artist,” Lambert said.

While Duke and Manbites are not officially affiliated, Jeff Storer, Duke faculty and director at Manbites, has encouraged student participation in the theater company’s productions.

“Jeff really pushes cutting-edge plays that really ask questions, plays that make you uncomfortable, plays that push boundaries, and that’s such a great gift to the Durham and Duke community. I love that Duke is involved with Manbites,” Lambert said.

Klein added, “ManBites Dog is a rare gem. It’s a magic space.”

This magical space is precisely where audience members can enter into the world of the pilot in “Grounded,” whose story will be told by nothing more than a “folding chair, a Pepsi bottle and Madeleine,” as Klein put it.

“Grounded” will be on show at Manbites Dog Theater beginning Thurs., March 20 through Sat., April 5. For showtimes, ticketing and more information, visit the theater’s website.

MUSIC

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Lost in a Dream The War on Drugs Secretly Canadian

by Drew Haskins ThE ChRONICLE

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Our Commitment and Responsibility

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in any aspect of educational programs and activities at Duke University. Activities include admissions, housing, access to academic offerings, athletics, financial assistance, as well as all aspects of employment. Sexual harassment and sexual misconduct are forms of discrimination under Title IX and are prohibited by our policies.

If you have any questions about discrimination or harassment based upon your sex, it is important that you get help.

Undergraduate students can contact: The Office of Student Conduct (919-684-6938) or Duke Police (919-684-2444).

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It is impossible to talk about The War on Drugs’ third album “Lost in the Dream” without highlighting ‘Red Eyes.’ Simply put, the first single is one of the best songs from the past decade. Over the course of five minutes, lead singer Adam Granduciel paints a picture of the exhaustion he feels from being in a relationship with a woman who seems incapable of settling into adult life. Lyrically, ‘Red Eyes’ is a welcome change of pace from The War on Drugs’ former stunted-adult musings. It’s refreshingly mature for the band, yet the whole song is elevated to true greatness by the magnificent orchestration behind Granduciel’s words. The stunningly gorgeous song combines lush strings with complex guitar work and urgent drums to create music that is the aural equivalent of soaring. Rock is full of songs that equate grandiosity with emotion without actually providing substance. The War on Drugs perfects this ratio.

The War on Drugs have hit upon a rather innovative sound for the new record. “Lost in the Dream” traffics in ‘80s rock filtered through a jam band perspective.

Eight of the album’s 10 tracks surpass the five-minute mark, and nearly all except ‘Red Eyes’ sound like a collaboration between Bruce Springsteen and Phish.

It’s a weird but mostly pleasant juxtaposition of killer riffs and experimental sections that traverse themes of alienation and Americana. The War on Drugs have a very keen pop sensibility that’s evident in all of their songs; at least two minutes in all of the tracks have parts that will be stuck in your head for days.

What makes “Lost in the Dream” merely good instead of great is the album’s construction. It’s a weird criticism, but for a band that traffics in atmospherics and emotion like The War on Drugs, the album feels lopsided and aimless at times. After the excellent onetwo punch of ‘Under the Pressure’ and ‘Red Eyes,’ the album settles into a hazy groove for the remaining eight tracks. At times, this isn’t an issue, as many of the hooks (and Granduciel’s knack for imbuing the lyrics with a sense of drama) are enough to give each song merit. There’s nothing wrong with a long song done right—as long as there is substance. Too much of “Lost in the Dream” is unnecessary experimental noodling that makes the longer tracks disjointed. The album also suffers for putting ‘Red Eyes’ as its second song. As the clear emotional climax of “Lost in the Dream,” one cannot listen to the rest of the album without feeling like it peaked too soon. This disjointedness prevents the album from living up to the masterpiece of ‘Red Eyes.’

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