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SEPTEMBER 7, 2008

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SUNDAY NEWS

Entertainment

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THEATER

TUNES

‘Desire’ at EPAC

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BY KRISTY BULLER

Sunday News Correspondent

The engine of Bill Milbrodt’s 1982 Honda Accord had long lost its hum, but with 200,000 miles behind it and a junkyard retirement looming, the car still held a tune.

“Nobody was going to buy it,” Milbrodt said. “It got to the point where I could junk it, or I could junk it.”

But even when the car was leaking oil, blowing smoke and had springs poking through its upholstered seats, Milbrodt couldn’t part with it. Beneath its aging exterior, he saw potential.

“I always had a leaning toward music made from found objects,” said Milbrodt, the creative force behind the Car Music Project ensemble. “I liked John Cage, Frank Zappa and people that did things with nonmusical objects.”

Milbrodt said he struggled to find musicians with similar enthusiasm who could help him transform his car into an orchestra. Cue Ray Faunce III. “I called different instrument makers, and they just thought I was nuts,” Milbrodt said. “Then I found Ray. He wasn’t a music guy; he was a talented metal fabricator and artist.”

With Milbrodt’s nudging, Faunce came aboard. The duo experimented with parts to develop a combination of string, brass, wind and “percarsion” instruments. Today, the same instruments are at the cen-

Brass player James Spotto plays the “exhaustaphone.”

Deb Grove/LANCASTER NEWSPAPERS

Blanche DuBois (Kristie Ohlinger) and Stanley Kowalski (Timothy Reilly) square off in the Ephrata Performing Arts Center production of “A Streetcar Named Desire.”

Tennessee Williams classic is a study in human behavior

BY JAMES BUESCHER

Sunday News Correspondent

Some people like the scene in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” in which Blanche DuBois is finally confronted with the truth about her past; others love it when Stanley Kowalski yells “Stella!”

Actor Timothy Reilly, who plays Stanley in the upcoming production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” at Ephrata Performing Arts Center, prefers the second scene of Act 3, when the storm clouds are gathering for the play’s shocking conclusion.

“You’ve got Blanche, who is just beginning to unravel, and then Stanley, who is so happy he’s finally getting his house back. And then there’s poor Mitch, who is just finding out what’s really going on,” Reilly said in a recent interview.

“There’s been a two-hour buildup just to get to that scene, and it’s the moment where everything starts coming to a head,” he said. “As an audience member, that’s the scene I think that’s the most interesting to watch.”

Known for having launched the careers of Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy (and, in a 1992 revival, a young James Gandolfini), Williams’ 1947 masterpiece about madness, Southern decadence and tainted love opens Thursday, Sept.

11, at EPAC. Along with Reilly, the production stars Kristie Ohlinger as Blanche, Liz Frank as Stella, and Kevin Ditzler as Mitch.

Car Music Project composer and bandleader Bill Milbrodt plays the “air guitar,” made in part from an automobile air cleaner. ter of the Car Music Project, which will perform Saturday, Sept. 13, in Binns Park as part of Lancaster’s Wheels Weekend event.

“It’s a different challenge than playing regular music,” Milbrodt said. “It has to be written to instruments made imperfectly. If things get out

of whack, it still has to be fun to listen to.”

Milbrodt formed the ensemble, which includes brass player James Spotto, bassist Wilbo Wright, percussionist William Trigg and wind player Eric Haltmeier, in 2005. Before that, he used the approximately 55 instruments crafted by Faunce in more ad-hoc performances.

Modeled after their traditional counterparts, the instruments produce unique, unpolished and sometimes unpredictable sounds. They include the “air guitar,” made from an air cleaner and a windshield support; the “tank bass,” made from a gas tank; and the “strutbone,” made from MacPherson struts.

“We’re really looked at as avant-garde because we don’t fit into any other category,” Milbrodt said. “But we’re capable of laughing at ourselves.

The reality of it is that we play

Trip to the dark side Set just after World War II in a hot, crowded New Orleans apartment, “Streetcar” focuses on the almost co-dependent relationship of Stella and Stanley, and what happens when Stella’s sister — Blanche — comes from Mississippi to live Please see ‘DESIRE,’ page H2

‘Oklahoma!’ is very appealing territory

Please see CAR MUSIC, page H3

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BY MARTY CRISP

Sunday News Correspondent

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BY MICHAEL SCHWARTZ Sunday News Staff Writer mschwartz@lnpnews.com

If you believe what Doug Martsch says about himself and his music, he’s a mediocre guitar player and an even worse singer. He tries to write meaningful songs, but rarely succeeds, and he’s grateful — if not surprised — that people like his band.

The creative force behind Built to Spill speaks in a soft, almost innocent voice and denies greatness with utter sincerity.

“I’m kind of amazed I get to do this for a living,” Martsch said in a recent telephone interview from his home in Boise, Idaho.

Critics and fans alike have dubbed Martsch a guitar hero, and since its 1992 inception, Built to Spill has helped to define and perpetually redefine indie rock.

Martsch demurs.

Doug Martsch

“It’s important always, I think, to try to connect with the audience by just doing what comes naturally and hoping it reaches people.

“Otherwise, I might never leave the house,” he said with a chuckle.

“No, that’s not true. I might still try it. I’m not a great guitar player or anything, but if you play in front of five people and there’s a connection, that’s enough.”

And that’s as close to embracing the rock-star label as Martsch will go.

As for connecting with the audience, Martsch and the rest of Built to Spill will get their chance when the band comes to the Chameleon Club Tuesday, Sept. 16.

The Lancaster date is the first on

“Peeeeeeeenn-sylvania where the coal mines tunnel underground, And an Amish horse, from Intercourse, Carries apple butter by the pound.”

Oh, forget it. By the time we get to the spelling part at the end of the song, Pennsylvania won’t fit. So let’s stick to the real thing, “Oklahoma,” which opens Fulton Theatre’s 200809 season.

The Fulton production of this Rodgers & Hammerstein classic proves that Fulton artistic director Michael Mitchell, who directs the show, is like a fine wine: He’s getting better with age as he marks his 10th season with Our Lady of Prince Street.

I seldom mention choreography, but this production boasts the finest I’ve ever seen on a local stage. It’s the work of Tyce Diorio, brought in from California, and he’s worth the expense.

I’ve seen “Oklahoma,” a longtime favorite of school and community productions, many times onstage (and on video). This production ranks at the top, including the dream ballet — something I usually like to fast-forward past. The Fulton stages it as a turning point in the story. With the principal actors doing their own dancing (hooray!) and doing it well, this Act 1 ender is not to be missed.

Based on the 1931 play “Green Grow the Lilacs” by Lynn Riggs, the musical is set in 1906 in the Oklahoma Territory, where farmers are putting up fences and cowboys don’t want to be fenced in. A rich slice of Americana that stirs the juices of patriotism the way campaign rheto-

Please see MARTSCH, page H5

Please see ‘OKLAHOMA!’ page H5

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FROM PAGE H1/BROADCAST MEDIA

SUNDAY NEWS, LANCASTER, PA.

SEPTEMBER 7, 2008

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car parts. So I like to say we’re avant-garde with a wink — because it’s also silly.�

The Car Music Project has performed at Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors festival and was featured in a European television commercial for the Ford Focus. For the commercial, Faunce and the band re-created many of their original instruments using Ford parts.

In 2007, the ensemble released its first album, “No Hot Wax.� Milbrodt said people respond to their music for a variety of reasons. “Some people come just because it’s weird,� he said. “And then we get people who love crafts: knitting, model making, fixing things, working on their own cars. They like to see how [the instruments] are made.�

The Car Music Project will perform at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, in Binns Park in downtown Lancaster as part of the city’s Wheels Weekend celebration, which includes the 11th annual car and cycle show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, along North Queen Street. For more information, visit www.lancastercityevents. com.

on’t panic.

The test will last 60 seconds, and when it’s over, your life will go back to normal, at least for 90 days.

At 6:25 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17, Pennsylvania television stations will conduct a test of consumer and cable-operator readiness to receive digital broadcast signals.

This is only a test.

During this trial run, stations will either cease analog transmission, leaving unprepared viewers with a snowy screen, or broadcast an analog message saying something like, “If you are watching this message, you or your pay provider are not ready for Feb. 17, 2009.�

The February date is when all television stations, by law, must broadcast solely in a digital format. Currently, TV stations broadcast a mix of digital and analog signals.

The test will last one minute, which should give people enough time to turn on all of their TV sets before the test ends to see which sets are ready for the transition.

It’s also a test for the cable, satellite and telephone providers who deliver the signals.

This will ensure they are out-

Stark Ravings putting a digital signal to their subscribers and help them work out any kinks.

For viewers, this should be exciting. The test will be a first taste of post-analog TV life.

As John Baldwin, creative services director at WGAL-TV, said, the test is very unique. “Literally every station in the state will be performing it at about the same time,� he said. “What a great chance for all

our viewers who are unsure if they are really ready for the transition to prove to themselves if they are or aren’t.�

Viewers who receive their TV signals from pay providers (cable, satellite or telephone) and over-the-air viewers with digital receivers or converter boxes should experience no interruption in programming.

If your TV set fails the test (if you see snow or a message), call 888-DTV-2009 or visit www.dtv.gov online for help in acquiring a digital converter box. Discount coupons worth $40 each are available.

If you have cable or satellite service and fail the test, call your provider. A representative should be able to tell you when the company will be ready for the digital transition.

Richard Wyckoff, president of the Pennsylvania Associa-

tion of Broadcasters, said 43 stations are participating in the test. In Pennsylvania, 93 percent of television audiences get their signal from cable, satellite or telephone.

The test will be held at 6:25 p.m. to correspond with the evening news.

The main discovery, Wyckoff said, might come from people who have cable on one TV and use rabbit ears on secondary units, perhaps in a kitchen, porch or den. Cable covers the main TV, but not ones with rabbit ears. If you notice a disturbance with these TVs, you’ll have three months to correct it.

Staff writer Eric Stark discusses trends and tidbits in broadcast media each week in the Sunday News. He can be reached at estark@lnpnews. com.

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Road, will hold auditions at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, for children’s roles in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.�

Those auditioning for the role of Tiny Tim should be between the ages of 8 and 10, stand no more than 4 feet tall and be able to sing and act.

Young Scrooge should be 10 to 12 and must sing, act and dance.

Rehearsals begin Oct. 23 and run through Nov. 5. Performances run Nov. 6 to Dec. 23. All children will be doublecast or rotated and will need to do at least five performances per week.

Children should be prepared to sing a classic Christmas song and should wear comfortable clothing and dance shoes or sneakers. For an audition time, call Lauren Sobon at 898-1900.!

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Music by

Pictured: Nathaniel Shaw and Stephanie Youell.

Photo by Craig Leaper.

Richard Rodgers

Book & Lyrics by

Oscar Hammerstein Based on the Play “Green Grow the Lilacs� by

Lynn Riggs

Original Dances by

Agnes de Mille Directed by

Michael D. Mitchell Choreographed by

Tyce Diorio

Sept. 4 – 28 Season Co-Sponsors

Production Co-Sponsors

TICKETS: (717)397-7425

.

OR WWW.THEFULTON ORG

12 NORTH PRINCE STREET, DOWNTOWN LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA

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