The Cadre + 24 March 1998

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The “Dream”--A Vision to Remember

The UPEI Theatre Society’s production of Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Ron Irving, ran from Thursday to Saturday last week and proved to be a fantastic success.

Saturday night brought a packed house of over 250 people and a lengthy standing ovation at the end of it all. With an imaginative set, eclectic costumes, and a cast of 23 students, not to mention all the stressed out backstage artists, the performance was energetic and full of talent.

As far as all the backstage work was concerned, every- thing looked and sounded excellent. The only criticism I can make is that the costumes worked against each other. I was unsure of what decade or century the play was set in, as clothes varied from flannel shirts, to floral night gowns, to knee-high, tight black boots. Each costume looked good; there were just too many different styles.

However, everything was entirely enjoyable. Scene stealing congratulations go tothe Mechanicals: Mickey Acorn, Arden Belfry, Dennis Ellsworth, Peter Forbes, Hugh Grandy, and Todd MacLean. Brandie Kelly, who played Puck, brought a refreshing exuberance to the stage. Congratulations also to Murray Adams and Peter MacDonald, who both had tremen- dous stage presence as Demetrius and Lysander, respectively.

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Brendan Lynch Brendan Lynch (Mercury)

I'm pretty sure this is a debut disc, and as such it’sa little on the dull side, but Lynch has got some promise. The lyrics are above-average (example: “you found yourself a lover swim- ming naked in the Listerine” from the track “Get Over Your- self”), Lynch has a distinctive and powerful voice, while the instrumentation is pretty bland -- mostly guitar and program- ming, which I feel is too prevalent and generally unmemorable. That's not to say there aren’t some high-points: the track “Sugathrilla” isa Shaft-gone-disco type groove, Embryo could/ should bea sleeper hit. All in all, this disc is worth at leasta listen or two, and we should be hearing more from Brendan Lynch.

3/5 RW

Paradise Lost one second (Music for Nations)

Let me set the mood: it’s a grey day, everything's gone wrong, you're depressed and angry. You get home to Blast the misery away, what do you reach for? One second would be an excellent choice. This CD is moody and aggressive (lots of grinding guitars and screeching pes) with songs about empti- ness, obsession and other nasty feelings. Just perfect when you need to wallow in your dark corners. Fans of Sisters of Mercy and Econoline Crush will appreciate this U.K. quintet. High- lights include the title cca “Blood of Another” and “Just Words”. Although the constant depression/darkness of this disc can wear a bit thin halfway through, it is worth the effort.

3.5/5

RW

Kenny Driscoll If You Believe In Me (independent)

I have to be honest: this CD is not one that'll be in my player for long. To my ears, it’s the musical equivalent of tapioca --acollection of bland, radio-friendly , inoffensive songs which threaten sugar-shock (fans of Micheal Bolton and Jon Secada should love it). However, that’s not to say that it’s total microwave-bait. Driscoll, an Island artist, has got a strong voice and does have ample enthusiasm for what he’s doing. As well, he did write all the songs and lyrics on the disc save for one, a Gene Maclellan cover. There is an honest effort and lots of feeling on this disc, the production is cleanly done, and /f You Believe In Me should be enough to get Driscoll some attention outside of the Maritimes. It isn’t my cup of tea, but for fans of this sort of music, I suggest you back the home team and check it out.

3/5 RW