ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT THE HERBALBED REVIEW A BEAUTIFUL FILM

By. hannon Lotwcn

Whal if the life you've lived nnd Ilic peoplt.: you've met never exis1ecl'?

ALEXISQUEl>NAUAND WIL WATCHORN

By Nicole Pecenkn

By the time you read this article, th1.:UCFV thealre department's second production of the season will already be over. However, the members of the theatre departmenL deserve to have their hard work acknowledged, and you deserve to know what is happening at your school. So. with that in mind, here is my review of The Herbal Bed.

This play is set in Stratford-upon-Avon in the early 17th cenlury. Susanna Hall (ph1yed by Lisa Lnve), one of the 111aincharacters, is the daughter of William Shakespeare. Jn the course of the production. she is accused of having a romantic meeting with ncighbor and friend Rafc Smith (Michael Bridgeman). being "louse" before her marriage. and - my personal favorite - having the "unmentionable disease:• gonorrhea. Her accuser is .fuck Lane (Wil Watchorn). a young rake and apprentice 10 her husband, John Hui I (Dallas CoaIes), who is a respected physician. I don't know about the gonorrhea part, but apparently thc ensuing trial is based upon historical events.

Susannn, John, and Rafo charge Jack with dcfomaIion and 1rnvcl to the Bishop's court to have their cas1.:h1.:ardby Bishop Parry of Worcester (rlayed by Mark Dailing) nnu his leg.ii advisor, IJarnabus Goche (Jam1.:s Scrvi:,.i). The only real problem is, Susanna and Rafc are not exactly innocent. ln the garden while John was out of town, Susanna and Rufe professed their love for each other, then commenced with a make-out session thot was intcrruptcd by Hester (Al1.:xis Quednnu), The Halls' servan1.

This does not initially come into qucstion, howevef', as Jack fails to appear at the trial. After the bishop signs a suuement excommunicating Jack and exonerating both Susnnna and Rafe, the bishop leaves John, Susanna. Raf1.:, and Hester in thc hands of Barnabus Goeh1.:for an "informal discussion of the mailer." As Goche seems to bt su~picious by nature, he tries w uncover the lies he seems ccrtuin Iii.: under the surface. In a tense moment, he questions Hester. First. he says, "Look al the ceiling, Hcstcr. Thal is GOD watching you." Hester answers one of his questions hon• estly, inadvertently damning the others, and all seems to be lost.

Seeing as you have no hope of seeing lhis production. I have no qualms about giving away the events of the trial. I--lcsterproc.:eeds to tell a story which answer:- all questions, paint~ everyone in o positive light. and had me wondi.:ring ifl missell something. Once

Barnabus uceepts her story and leaves. the other:- !lock around Hester. looking at her in shock .1--ksterthen shares wi1h us this memorable line. "I saw God in the ceiling, and I was glad. Because I knew he wanted me 10 lie!"

Thut line is one of my favorites in this play. Pcwr Whi.:lan, the playwright, did a wonderful job with The Herbal Ued. Everyone who was in some way re~ponsible for this prnuuction deserves congratulations. Also. h1.:aringa doctor tell Jack 1hu1the proper term for· "women's troubles" was "regulur lunar evacuation:-" made me laugh. Thell is going into my "phrase of the day" bank (ii rates up 1here with the likes ot· ''sullana-lallcn comestible" and " egregious collocations of voeables," neither or which have anything to do with the Herbal Bed. bul hnlh of which urt very funny). /\side from this, I am absolutely amazed by the amount of ullention gonorrhea got throughout lhc play. I Inst c.:ount of the number of references made to it. as well as the number of euphernisms used when referring to it.

The cosIumes were well done, the set was amazing, and the actors ddivercd their lines with aplomb. Well done, all! If you are i111eres1cd in finuing out mor1.:about this production, or g1.:11ing so1IIe background inl'ormlllion, you can visit their web silt.: at www.ch i II,or~/t:ss::;/cni;/bcd/bednm io,bUll

I hnvc only one complaint. There were several people in the Ihea1rewho did nol seem to reali,e lhut it is impolite 10 wlk when a show is underwuy. r coulll hear one woman talking from the other end of the theatre, while the performers ignored her out and continued with the show. If people want 10 talk. they should jusl rent a video stay the hel I uwuy from the theatre!

The nexl production by the UCFV thcatre department is schcdu 11.:dfor March. Twelfth Night starts on March 6 1h.f.or more inf"nr111aIion you can g11 to www, u~·fv.hc .ca/themr~

That is the question A Beautiful Mind Stf'ives tll answer. The film 1akes mi indep1h look m the person of" John Nash; n Nobel Prize winning mathematiciun diagnosed with schiwphr1.:nia. The film starls .is Nash begins his doctoral studies ,11 Princcton univcrsiIy nnd follows him us h1.: moves through university lil'c with the hclp of his roommnte. lands a jllb with thl! department of Dcfcnse cnicking codes. and linully uftcr much failure. manages ln fall i11 love. Th1.: movic moves sednIely 1hrough until the sha11ering 111nmen1of lnJth. Your lil'e as you think you've lived i1 is not true: Nash's Ii fe fol ls through the cracks as rcul i• ty is laid bare and both h1.:and his wife ne.irly succumb 10 the madness thrust upon them, 'rhis is the story of n man who hn~ been 10 hell and hack nnd though the ending is bi11crswcer. many of you will walk away wi1h 1he lhf'eud of hope that quietly c1111.:rges us thc story concludes.

Solid acting is eviucnl as the film progresses. Russell Crowe gives a heartbreaking performance of Nash, one 1hat will very likely earn him a nice Osc.:ar10 put on his mantle along with the various other awards including the Golden Globe he has already won. Jennifer Connelly (Alicia Nash) is alsn one to watch, as she has already taken Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes and promises lo do it again UI the 0:-:cars. Expect A Beautiful Mind to also go heud lt) hend with tht.: other box-office fuvoritc, Lord of the Rings: und if the Golllen Globes ore uny indication, A Ueautiful Mind will cnrt uwuy the Best Picture ,1warcl along with a nii.:e shiny gold statue.

In shorl. J\ Beuutiful Mind is a b1.:au1iful film, and is sure lo r1.:upbcuutiful rewards come Ihe Oscars.