Courtesy of Shrek the Musical
The Independent Student Publication of the University at Buffalo WEEKEND EDITION v February 25, 2011 Vol. 60 No. 57 v ubspectrum.com
The world of Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona has graced the Shea’s stage this week.
Check Yourself Before You Shrek Yourself EDWARD BENOITStaff Writer
DROPKICK MURPHYS
Through energetic acting, lively choreography, and beautiful sets, Shrek the Musical took members of the audience at Shea’s Performing Arts Center out of their seats Tuesday night and brought them to a land far, far away.
Punk By the Book
Directed by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, scored by Jeanine Tesori, and written by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsey-Abaire, Shrek the Musical is an adventure of fun. The stage incarnations of Shrek (Eric Peterson) and his friends walk the fine line between adult innuendo and children’s gags as though it were easy, picking up recurring jokes and running with them faster than the Gingerbread Man along the way.
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The story, for the most part, stays faithful to the film on which it was based. For those unfamiliar, both the film and stage versions concern the titular ogre’s quest to get his swamp back from a group of fairytale creatures forced to move there at the behest of one Lord Farquaad (David F.M. Vaughn), the story’s villain. To get his land and precious solitude back, Shrek agrees to go on a princess-fetching errand for Farquaad, a journey on which the misanthropic ogre discovers friendship, love, and self-esteem. Fans of the movie will be delighted to learn that Shrek the Musical keeps everything that was great about the film intact and virtually unchanged in its stage incarnation. Shrek, Donkey (Alan Mingo, Jr.), Fiona (Haven Burton) and company are all the same characters that they were on the big screen, and virtually all of the film’s classic scenes are left unchanged as well. Some scenes, like Farquaad’s “muffin man” exchange with the Gingerbread Man and Shrek’s reverie about the likeness of ogres to onions are greatly improved by the energy and bravado of a live stage performance. Shrek the Musical is hardly just a rehashing of the film on stage, however, and the musical is at its best when it departs from the source material. The backgrounds of most of the major characters are expanded upon greatly, giving an extra dimension of depth to their interactions. Alex McCrossen /// The Spectrum
Fans welcomed Dropkick Murphys and Against Me! into their family Wednesday night.
Drunk on Knowledge Alcoholism seminars on drinking and relationships come to UB
social activity that can have a positive effect on a relationship. On the other hand, drinking can be a source of conflict when one member of the couple drinks much more than the other, or when the two partners drink apart from one another. “Generally, drinking five or more drinks in one evening for men, or four or more for women, is considered to have the potential to create problems,” Leonard said. In addition, excessive drinking can intensify any couple’s conflict.
It is believed that drinking alcohol as a couple is often part of a shared
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Leonard also points out the danger of drinking very large amounts of high-proof beverages. This can also occur with beer or wine, particularly if a lot is consumed over a short period of time. In addition to these behaviors, there are other patterns of alcohol use that can have an adverse impact on relationships and
WEATHER FRI
The opening presentation will be held by Kenneth Leonard, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at the Research Institute on Addictions and vice chair for research in the department of psychiatry at UB. Leonard’s presentation is entitled “The Social Environment and Adult Alcohol Use: How Drinking Shapes and is Shaped by Friends and Family Relationships.”
“The first is drinking and driving,” Leonard said. “Although they often do not recognize it, even relatively moderate amounts of alcohol impair driving ability. Avoiding drinking and driving usually requires some planning beforehand, and students do not always do that planning.”
SAT
UB’s Research Institute on Addictions will be hosting a four-part series on alcohol and alcohol addiction beginning on March 4 and continuing throughout the spring at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
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FLOYD SWEETStaff Writer
According to Leonard, average college students should be aware about the effects of alcohol and alcoholism. The two most serious behaviors that put college students at risk are obvious.
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the scene is acted comically over an upbeat musical number, the sad undercurrent adds another onion layer to Shrek’s character. Fiona and Farquaad are given similar treatment. “I Know It’s Today,” one of Fiona’s solo numbers, shows the frustration and restlessness the fractured fairytale princess feels as she waits years for her rescuer. Farquaad’s own solo number, titled “The Ballad of Farquaad” in the Napoleonic-villain’s typical self aggrandizing fashion, provides glimpses into Farquaad’s own background and motivation. Story elements would be nothing without actors and actresses to carry them, though, and Shrek the Musical delivers in this capacity as well. Eric Petersen plays an endearing Shrek, with Alan Mingo, Jr. providing a sassy foil to him with his role as Donkey. Haven Burton’s pep and energy does Fiona’s character more justice than Cameron Diaz’s flat deliveries in the movie ever did. David F.M. Vaughn certainly doesn’t come up short in the role of Farquaad, either, and takes the vertically challenged villain in an unexpectedly comedic direction. Perhaps no one moment better demonstrates this than the climax of the play’s first act, where Shrek and Donkey arrive at the castle to rescue Fiona. While Shrek searches for the princess, Donkey — and the audience — are soon face-to-face with the dragon guarding the castle, a massive puppet flawlessly operated by a team of four puppeteers and voiced by an offstage Carrie Compere. “Forever,” the ensuing song-and-dance number, channels all facets of the show’s creative energy into a truly magical five minutes. Shrek’s magic won’t be staying at Shea’s Performing Arts Center for long. With only a handful of shows left to catch, get your tickets as soon as you can before Shrek the Musical packs its bags for another kingdom far, far away. g
E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com
The play begins when a young Shrek is kicked out by his parents in order to see the world at age seven. Though
school or work achievement. “While it is common for college students to drink this much on occasion, doing so every weekend is of greater concern,” Leonard said. “Drinking this much during the week when there are classes the next day is of even greater concern.” These patterns of drinking not only increase the likelihood of experiencing adverse events because of intoxication, but the social and physical impact can last even longer, and these patterns can increase the likelihood of developing long-term problems, according to Leonard. The other three seminars will be held on April 1, April 15, and May 20 on the first floor of the Research Institute on Addictions at 1021 Main St. Mark Muraven, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology and area head of the doctoral program at the University at Albany’s department of social-personality psychology, will be hosting the April 1 seminar, titled “Improving Self-Control.” On April 15, J. Scott Tonigan, Ph.D., a research professor in the University of New Mexico’s department of psychology, will hold a lecture called, “The Benefits of Alcoholics Anonymous: What Research Does and Does Not Tell Us.”
Reduced Response to Alcohol and Mechanisms of Person-Environment Vulnerability,” will be presented on May 20 by Marsha E. Bates, Ph.D,, research professor of psychology at Rutgers University’s center of alcohol Studies and director of its cognitive neuroscience laboratory. Each seminar begins at 10 a.m. They are free and open to the public but are especially geared toward researchers, clinicians and policymakers. “College students are certainly welcome to attend,” said Kimberly S. Walitzer, Ph.D., deputy director at the Research Institute on Addictions. “Several of the upcoming topics such as family and friend relationships, self-control, and AA may be of interest to college students.” The Research Institute on Addictions was established in 1970 as a component of the New York State Division of Research of the Department of Mental Hygiene. The purpose and goal is to address all aspects of alcoholism by researching the use and abuse of alcohol, including causes, treatments, and prevention. g
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
University Police have attributed the source of the odor that filled the first floor of Fronczak Hall on Tuesday to the inappropriate disposal of a chemical, not a natural gas smell, as the email alert originally indicated. The Environment, Health and Safety Department, a sector of University Facilities, is working with the staff in Fronczak Hall to ensure that safe disposal procedures are carried out. g
Attention all undergraduates: The Spectrum is looking for its next editor in chief and it could be you. If you’re interested in the position, send Andrew Wiktor an e-mail by Monday Feb. 28, indicating your intent to run. Members of The Spectrum’s editorial board will elect the next EIC the week before Spring Break. For more information on the position, e-mail Andrew Wiktor at ajwiktor@buffalo.edu.
The closing seminar, “Cue Reactivity,
LIFE RECYCLE MANIA PAGE 5
Source of Odor in Fronczak Hall Identified
ARTS YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF THE WEEK PAGE 7