In the grand spectrum of Beck albums, Guero picks up where Odelay left off and, in true Beck fashion, it is fun to listen to. There is only one problem—Beck doesn’t do anything terribly exciting. Guero gets off to a good start with its first three tracks. The first single, “E-Pro,” is already dominating the radio waves. It’s a bouncy song with an electric-guitar crunch to which you can’t help but dance along. Next is “Que Onda Guero,” which manages to successfully mix hip hop beats with Spanish lyrics. After that comes “Girl,” which is a typical Beck-sounding song that continues the up-beat theme. Sadly, the album goes nowhere after that. The happy feeling that says, “Beck is back!” is undone by the middle sec-tion of the album. The five tracks that follow “Girl” are boring, to say the least. “Missing” is worth missing. The only redeeming quality “Black Tambourine” has is its catchy beat, and “Earthquake Weather” is downright wretched. This stretch of music is quite disheart-ening to listen to. One or two mediocre songs are acceptable. It happens, and listeners are willing to forgive and forget. But to have an entire section of subpar songs on what could be considered a comeback album is not a good sign. The good news, however, is that Beck redeems himself toward the album’s end. “Scarecrow” and “Rental Car” reclaim Guero’s exciting, bouncy groove. The

album concludes with “Emergency Exit,” a song that has the same techno and country twang heard in Beck classics like “Loser.” The most disappointing thing about Guero is the potential it has but does not realize. Audiences have come to love Beck for his off-kilter mixing of genres. His last two albums—Midnite Vultures and Sea Change—were successful in that they deviated, in some respect, from his usual sound. It is good to see that Beck has at last returned to what he’s best at. However, wherever you place it in the grand spectrum of Beck albums, Guero is missing some key elements. It should be greater than it is. Overall, this is not one of those albums that can be listened to from start to finish. Its strong points are the indi-

vidual songs. Guero is a good album to drive to on a warm day with the windows down. Just listen to it when you have a lot of errands to run.

Nothing is ever what it seems in the Fine Arts produc-tion Six Degrees of Separation. However, the play itself—a half-comedic, half-dramat-ic tale about a homosexual, African-American con art-ist named Paul searching for a place to belong—delivers exactly what audiences have come to expect from such pro-ductions: quality theater that elicits laughter while tugging at your heart strings. The play succeeds in part because of incredible acting performances from the entire cast. Junior Kim Hausler and freshman Kevin Feehery shine as Ouisa and Flan Kittredge, an upper-class, married cou-ple who have their life turned upside down after a surprise visit from Paul. Both perform-ers nailed the snobby accents and mannerisms of the rich, grounding the show in reality while cracking up the audi-ence at the same time. As the play went on, the two drifted back toward the serious side of things as their characters began to question their own lives. This

transition was done both effec-tively and believably, showcas-ing the excellent range of the performers. However, senior Justin T. Beazer, who starred as Paul, was the true stand out of this production. The role of a chameleon-like con artist is certainly a tough one to fill, but Beazer managed to pull it off flawlessly. Beazer not only became Paul but also each and every personality that Paul adopted along the way. After watching the opening scene, one would be shocked

to learn about the character’s true intentions, which makes it all the more shocking when the Kittredges find him having sex with a street hustler in his bedroom later that night. The set for this play was ambitious and, more impor-tantly, got the job done right. Consisting of a lower-level fur-nished with two couches and a tray of drinks and an upper-level featuring two small open-ings that were used by actors during dream sequences and telephone calls, the set helped the audience follow the action

rather than distract them. The flow of the action was further aided by the play’s lighting effects. The produc-tion both opened and closed with a single light shining on a two-sided painting owned by the Kittredges, symbolizing one of the shows many themes: there are two sides to every sto-ry. Not only that, but, coupled with the multi-level set, the lighting made it much easier for the audience to distinguish between dreams and reality. This was done by dimming the lights on stage and casting a spotlight on a character stand-ing on the upper-level of the set. This is both a much less ambiguous way of getting this point across and a good way to maintain the audience’s atten-tion through innovation. Overall, Six Degrees of Separation turned out to be an incredible performance high-lighted by an extremely tal-ented group of actors and a highly innovative set design. Rider University’s Department of Fine Arts should be proud of this presentation and, hope-fully, things will only get better from here.

The Alpha Psi Omega dance concert is the show that senior Jaime Parker was born to direct. After starting ballet les-sons at the age of two-and-a-half, Parker became a dance minor at Rider and par-ticipated in the concert each and every year she has been a student. Finally, it was time for her to take the reins. “I feel that, with my dance experi-ence, I was ready to take it on,” said Parker. “Dance concert has always been one of my favorite shows to perform in. So, I was really excited getting the oppor-tunity to direct.” Parker and co-director senior Jennifer Pagano have been busy ever since. The two have been choreographing a succes-sion of dances united by the concert’s common theme, “In Pursuit of.” While several of these numbers are quite serious in nature, the show is more well-known for its comedic aspects. “We’ve [done] a lot of serious shows this semester so it’s fun to do something that’s light hearted,” Parker said. “The entire show’s not light hearted, but you can have a balance between having a dance that’s really fun and goofy and hav-ing a dance that’s really serious.” Each individual dance is unique, but most of them are fun and convey a good

message, according to junior Harmony Liff, one of the show’s performers. “I think that all of the dances are great and really different,” said Liff. “I’m excited about the whole thing all together.” Parker and Pagano aren’t the only ones choreographing dances for the con-cert, however. According to Parker, several numbers are being put together by some of the cast members themselves. “We have a lot of choreographers this year,” she said. “There are some fresh-man choreographers. ‘In Pursuit of the Flag’ is kind of a Halo-themed dance. It’s being choreographed by [juniors] Luke Klein and Matt Cook, our Alpha Psi Halo experts.” Klein is excited to have the chance to design a dance routine for the concert. “It was a lot of fun,” said Klein. “You get to put all of your insight into what happens on stage just knowing that hun-dreds of people are going to see it.” According to Klein, his Halo dance will involve the concert’s full cast. “There will be nine dancers on the red team and nine dancers on the blue team, “ said Klein. “It’s kind of like a capture-the-flag kind of dance.” Whether choreographing or dancing, all the participants in the dance concert have put in great time and effort to ensure that it is a success. “It takes up a good amount of time,

but it’s definitely worth it,” said Liff. According to Parker, one of the most important things for students to know about the concert is that there is a heavy emphasis on acting as well as dancing. This quality helps to set the concert apart from other similar events. “[The Rider Dance Team] puts on a show as well,” Parker said. “It’s a great show, but what makes Alpha Psi different is really the acting aspect. Each dance has

a theme, each dance has a story line, each dance has the acting aspects.” Klein feels that a lot of the dances focus on acting because everything they do has its own emotion and expression. “Our simple walking, mannerisms, pantomimes, [they all] express how we feel and what we’re doing,” said Klein. While the dances may be interpretive, Parker is anything but when describing her hopes for opening night.

“I would love to see the Yvonne Theater packed,” she said. “It’s a great show. I want everyone to see it. I think it would be a great break from finals, and I think our cast deserves to be seen.” The Alpha Psi dance concert will be performed on Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, at 8 p.m. in the Yvonne Theater.

8 9Friday, April 22, 2005

By Maureen Zahn

By Bill Greenwood and Nicole Southern

‘Guero’ barely stays afloat

1. Golden

by Elkland

2. Songs For Silverman

by Ben Folds

3. Extraordinary Machine

by Fiona Apple

4. Lost and Found

by Mudvayne

5. Bleed Like Me

by Garbage

6. The Everglow

by Mae

7. Let It Die

by Feist

8. Pretty In Black

by The Raveonettes

9. Kingwood

by Millencolin

10. Guero

by Beck

Photo copyright Geffen Records

Guero, the new album from Beck, bounced into stores on March 29.

Photo by Al Viciedo

(From left) Senior Jamie Parker, sophomore Ed Egan and junior Harmony Liff practice one of the many dances that make up Alpha Psi’s dance concert. The show will take place on Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7, at 8 p.m. in the Yvonne Theater.

Photos copyright In-Touch Magazine

Alpha Psi pursuesgreatness in dance

By Bill Greenwood

Great acting helps ‘Degrees’ rise

Photo by Karly Hamburg

Kim Hausler performs as Ouisa Kittredge in the Department of Fine Arts’ production Six Degrees of Separation.

Light-hearted, Broadway com-edy is the only way to describe the show Anything Goes, which will be performed at the Westminster Choir College (WCC) Play House next week. Set in the 1930s, the musical pro-duction deals with a series of tangled romances that work themselves out on a hilarious and romantic cruise ship voyage. “It’s the adventure of all these people traveling together and falling in love at sea,” said Bill Fabris, assistant professor of piano and voice, who is directing the show. “Everybody gets married in the end.” Though it will be WCC’s fourth faculty-run Broadway musical, in a way, Anything Goes sets itself apart from the rest, according to sophomore Kaitlin Manca, who will perform as Purity, a dancer and member of the chorus. “It’s the first big, traditional show we’ve done,” she said. “At Westminster, we try to do a lot of unknown shows but this is kind of a gem of American musical theater.” In addition, this is the first WCC show that has featured tap dancing, she said. “All of the musical-theater majors

are taking tap classes this year so we are able to apply what we’re learning in the show,” said Manca. The show has been a challenge for senior Gilberto Gomez, who will portray the male lead, Billy Crocker. “Most of the shows I’m in are operas,” he said. “Spanish is my first language and it’s hard trying to get that accent out. Also, I’ve been taking

a tone too serious for my character. I need to lighten things up a bit.” Though the show does not dapple in any really serious subjects, certain scenes can be found to have double meanings, said Gomez. “It’s all double sided,” he said. “There’s this one scene where one of the characters, Reno, gets on the boat and she’s supposed to be saving souls

but, at the same time, she’s drinking and smoking.” “High energy” are the words that Manca used to describe the cast. “I think, even though the comedy is a specific type of comedy, it’s kind of ridiculous and not real. Everything is big, stylistic comedy.” The cast has done a “great” job so far, according to Gomez, who added that he is confident the show will sell out. “Not only do I think it’s going to get filled up with Westminster students but I also think with [Lawrenceville] students,” he said. “It really is a high level standard that we have for our musical productions. We’re up there along with Broadway stuff.” Since the story features such a uni-versal love plot, Fabris said that many people of all ages will be able to enjoy the show. “It’s all PG,” he said. “I hope the audience will love it. I think they’ll be laughing. It’s a wonderful comedy and they’ll be well-entertained and will recognize a lot of the music.” The show will be performed Monday, April 25, through Wednesday, April 27, at 8 p.m., in the WCC Playhouse. “All of the character interactions are hilarious,” said Gomez. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

By Lacey Korevec

‘Anything Goes’ brings Broadway to N.J.

Photo by Allen Huang

Westminster performers rehearse a scene from their upcoming rendition of the Broadway musical Anything Goes. The show will be performed Monday, April 25, through Wednesday, April 27, at 8 p.m. in the WCC Playhouse.

Anwar Robinson was voted out of Fox’s American Idol on Wednesday, April 20.

‘IDLE’ FROM PAGE 1showed his true character. “The image wasn’t really created for me,” said Robinson. “It was a reflection of who I already was when I got there. I remained true to things that I felt represented me. I really didn’t change at all.” Having the opportunity to do something great was a goal that Robinson has strived for. “I’ve always dreamt about it, but I’ve never thought about how it would come to fruition,” he said. According to Robinson, leaving the show wasn’t sad because he knows that he will see the other contes-tants again during upcoming American Idol events. “I’ll be back in a month or so, for the finale rehearsal and the [American Idol] tour,” he said. Robinson is not so certain about his future, but one thing he does know is that he will make a trip out to the Rider campuses to visit. “Of course I’m going to visit,” said Robinson. “I’m going to get [to Rider] before I go back for the finale.”