“The Foreigner” intrigues with web of lies

A well-intentioned but socially awkward Brit, an emotionally troubled ex-debutante, an overzealous innkeeper and a couple of covert Klansmen masquerading as a property inspector and a reverend. These are just some of the compelling characters that comprise the quirky cast of Veg S.O.U.P.’s staged reading of “The Foreigner.” Set in a rural lodge in 1980s southern Georgia, the plot follows the escapades of Englishman Charlie Baker, played by senior Haider Murtaza, brought into the United States by his exuberant friend “Froggy” LeSueur, played by senior Michael Kedenburg, in an attempt to assuage Baker’s marital woes.

Naturally introverted and in a state of emotional distress, Baker claims that he would be unable to speak with anyone for the duration of the trip to address the dilemma. LeSueur concocts a scheme in which Baker assumes the persona of a native of an exotic country who doesn’t know the English language, relieving Baker of any and all social obligations.

Though initially opposed to the fabrication, Baker quickly and unexpectedly finds himself privy to a private and emotional conversation between two of the other residents of the lodge and feels he has no other choice but to perpetuate the ruse to save face.

And with Baker’s role as the “Foreigner” firmly cemented within the household, the play truly takes off. The other guests of the lodge quickly become accustomed to freely discussing their thoughts either directly to Baker or in his presence, from the nostalgic musings of Southern belle Catherine Simms, played by senior Erin Girard, to the quiet indignation of Simms’ simple-minded younger brother Ellard, played by junior Brodie Guinan, to the devious plotting of Catherine’s husband David Marshall Lee and his racially insensitive associate Owen Musser, played by freshman Kevin Raleigh and sophomore Jeremy Jackson, respectively.

As Murtaza himself puts it, “It’s all about the secrets.”

As a work of theater, “The Foreigner” is a pretty impressive feat. Considering that the entire cast and crew has had just under three weeks to bring this reading from the drawing board to the stage with spring break thrown directly in the middle of the process, the progression thus far is commendable.

The play’s technical elements are fairly rudimentary but help to emphasize the action onstage, as the focus of attention and the play is very much supported by the strength of its ensemble.

While Murtaza’s role as the Foreigner technically qualifies as the play’s lead, the supporting cast more than holds its own and keeps the action lively and engaging. This characteristic balancing is in fact part of what drew the play’s director, senior Benjamin Bergstrom, to the play in the first place.

“It is such an ensemble piece,” he said. “Everyone is used a lot and everyone is hysterical; [every character] gets a chance to be really, really funny.”

The only noteworthy hindrance of the production – apart from some earnest yet largely inconsistent accents – is the presence of the scripts, which seems to hinder some of the physicality and occasionally instigates bouts of stilted acting. To the cast’s credit, this is in large part due to the nature of staged readings themselves and an unavoidable crutch given the relative time allotted for this piece. The cast’s cumulative energy and ability to play off one another so seamlessly creates a genuinely funny and worthwhile performance.

“The Foreigner” will run for one night only at 7 p.m. on Thursday April 3 in the Robert Sinclair Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $4 and will be available at the door and the Brodie Box Office.

Movie Review: RoboCop

Despite the overwhelming skepticism echoing from fans and critics alike regarding the quality of a RoboCop revamp, director José Padilha truly struck gold with his reinterpretation of this sci-fi classic. Combining bursts of adrenaline-pumping action with a campy B-movie feel, Padilha’s work manages to thoroughly and consistently keep his audience invested while paying homage to the original source material.

Set in the not-too-distant future of 2028, multinational conglomerate OmniCorp lies at the heart of the military’s “robot soldier” technology and is pushing for the sale and distribution of its product on American soil. With its initial pitch met with overwhelming opposition from the public, the company shifts its marketing gears under the impression that some sort of “fusion” of man and machine would be easier for the public to rally behind.

Enter archetypal protagonist and supercop Alex Murphy. Insert “vague motivations to uncover departmental corruption,” throw in a “suspicious near-death experience prior to mechanical transformation,” suspend all beliefs regarding the feasible extent of surgical human reconstruction and voilà: A new RoboCop is born.

If you haven’t picked up on it already, the plot of this movie is not one of its highlights. It is very much a formulaic, “paint-by-number” action flick that does pretty much everything you’d expect it to do.

The ensemble only supports this theme of generality, with characters so extremely one-dimensional, they’re virtually caricatures: a stock action hero with an immovable moral fiber; a loving family complete with attractive housewife and doe-eyed kid; a couple of rogue cops who clearly play for the other side; an earnest, well-intentioned scientist and a slimeball CEO trying to push his product; an exuberant television personality with a clear right-wing agenda; and a handful of other minor characters who more or less fall victim to the same sort of personality extremity.

The remainder of the film’s overall plot could basically be boiled down to RoboCop discovering evil entity, finding quickest route to said entity and systematically annihilating evil entity in the most badass way possible.

Granted, there are a few thought-provoking moments sprinkled in here and there, such as in the beginning of the film, when OmniCorp’s deployment of robotic soldier units in the Middle East are shown to be somewhat “effective” at upholding the safety of the local citizens at the expense of their personal freedom and privacy – though that efficacy is debatable based on the events that follow shortly after.

Another moment is when Murphy’s human flaws – his doubts, fears and emotions – start to clash with his robotic efficiency and cause the overseeing scientist to alter his cognitive chemistry, removing more and more aspects of his humanity and effectively making him less like a man who looks like a machine and more like a machine that looks like a man. But overall, RoboCop asks relatively little of its audience other than to sit back and simply enjoy the ride.

Despite these criticisms, however, RoboCop ultimately succeeds as a cinematic venture because it is completely aware of its type and is proud. Action sequences are often completely nonsensical yet entertaining to watch. Characters left and right throw out punch lines of The Terminator-esque corniness. And RoboCop’s design color is literally changed from the classic silver to black on a whim because the CEO wants something more “tactical.” I’m not kidding.

This film comes off as one that just wants to have fun and fulfills that objective spectacularly, treating its audience to some well-deserved spectacle. Though it throws in a few character developments that never quite resolve and wraps everything up a bit abruptly, RoboCop’s brand of loud, in-your-face action lends itself quite well to the contemporary, sci-fi action genre.

Orlando a cappella group reinvents classic songs with “VoicePlay”

A cappella powerhouse VoicePlay treated students and community members alike to quite the show in its Geneseo debut on Saturday Feb. 1, sponsored by Limelight & Accents. Through a combination of playful humor, vocal finesse and imaginative skits, VoicePlay delivered a remarkably multifaceted performance and managed to fully captivate its audience from start to finish.Based out of Orlando, Fla., VoicePlay started out as a street corner barbershop act founded by Earl Elkins, Jr., Layne Stein and Geoff Castellucci. Along the way, the group picked up Eliezer “Eli” Jacobson and Tony Wakim, and together, the five-man team creates an impressive symphony of sounds. The group experienced a particularly meteoric rise to the forefront with its exposure from season four of NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” in which the group placed fifth overall. The group now refocuses its musical abilities into a full-stage production with surprising diversity. In its performance, VoicePlay set the tone for the evening by delivering a powerful rendition of “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, with members demonstrating beautiful blending skills and impressive octave range. The a cappella artisans then proceeded to deliver a series of strong covers peppered throughout the show, from the slightly obscure “Elvira” by The Oak Ridge Boys to the pop ‘70s hit “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. And though a majority of VoicePlay’s set list seemed targeted toward an older demographic, the group’s inherent creativity and talent was apparent.

Sinead Haelgeland/Staff Photographer

The group’s near limitless utilization of the human voice was astounding as members continually revealed unexpected and interesting routines. In one instance, the group used physical movements and vocalized sound effects to create the illusion of a car ride, while also singing covers that would quickly and abruptly shift to imitate the effect of changing a radio station. To open the second act, the group put together an entire piece exclusively using sounds from water bottles. Toward the end of the performance, vocal percussionist Stein played an imaginary drum set using only his mouth. The quintet also explicitly emphasized audience interaction and campy humor throughout its performance. From “auditioning” a gentleman selected from the audience to encouraging audience members to barrage them with marshmallows, VoicePlay expertly maintained its lively demeanor, continually defying expectations in the process. With its diversity in style, vocal aptitude and zany antics, VoicePlay lived up to its name and provided its own distinctive and memorable brand of musical entertainment.

Winter TV Rewind

Agents of Shield Christian Perfas

Set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” explores the more human side of affairs in a world of superheroes and expertly balances playful and serious themes. Currently in its first season, the show’s mid-season premiere aired in early January. With a healthy dose of action and humor, a handful of appearances by recognizable characters from the Marvel franchise and numerous nods to the source material, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is perfectly suited to fulfill the demands of comic book fans and action aficionados hungry for more content from Marvel Studios. For those who may still be feeling a bit lost: “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” is set in the same “universe” established by recent Marvel superhero movies – with the most relevant being The Avengers, given that the series picks up where that movie left off. The program aims to redirect focus from these super-powered stars to the regular activities of the secretive organization that supervises them. It is essentially a show that comes from a perspective that differs from those in the films, demonstrating how ordinary individuals function in a world filled with such larger-than-life characters, and it does an excellent job expanding the mythos and introducing other interesting but lesser known Marvel characters. While the challenge of a movie-to-television adaptation has stifled many a production team, Marvel Studios thankfully has Joss Whedon behind the reins, who helped to amplify the success of the collaborative Avengers film and has past experience in such adaptations. Whedon’s creative expertise and vision are evident in the writing and character development within the series and help keep the show engaging. With the central, easily recognizable character Phil Coulson acting as the medium between mediums, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” effectively manages to establish a sense of authenticity that so many other adaptations fail to cement in its viewers. Though still in its developmental stage, the show opened strongly after its month-long hiatus. Viewer reception has been mixed from both critics and fans, but the series has potential and plenty of time to convince its more skeptical audiences.u

Girls

Oliver Diaz

The momentum Lena Dunham generated from both critics and worshippers of the first two seasons of HBO’s “Girls” continues in the show’s third season but with a few twists. Hannah, our leading lady, has found solid ground with her highly unique “partner, lover, rent-sharer” Adam. Her stability gives this season new excitement as her professional career is finally headed in the right direction and serves as a new source for Hannah’s hyper-dramatic humor. On the other hand, Charlie’s character is gone because actor Christopher Abbott decided to leave the show, which leaves Hannah’s former roommate Marnie to flail as the season begins. As a viewer and a writer, it’s nice to see Hannah perfect her stroke while Marnie treads water for now, flipping their roles from season two. Shoshanna has decided to balance academia and partying in her senior year at New York University in order to “enjoy both sides” as she becomes a mature adult. She adds lightness to the show with unpredictable and usually unintentional humor as she watches her friends struggle to survive in the real world. Her lifestyle change is juxtaposed with Ray’s “career success” – his new position as manager of a Cafe Grumpy in Brooklyn Heights – but we see him continue to struggle with their break-up in the beginning of the season. Ray and Shosh show no compatibility this season, making me wonder how they ever dated in the first place – I’ll have to go back and watch season two again. Forget all about that though, as the true focus of the season’s opening was the return of Jessa, in the form of a phone call: “Don’t scream, relax … I’m in rehab.” Hannah immediately takes Jessa’s word and agrees to come get her from rehab, which provides the viewers with great humor to Jessa’s rehab experiences, from her pleasuring Danielle Brooks from “Orange is the New Black,” to the road trip on which Hannah, Adam and Shosh embark.

Sherlock

Francesca Panzarello

BBC’s “Sherlock” is the latest British craze to hit American airways. Now early into its third season, “Sherlock” portrays the familiar iconic British detective solving crime in modern day England. Season two ended with one of the most talked-about cliffhangers in recent TV history. Sherlock’s supposed suicide and later-revealed survival of his fall from the roof of St. Barts Hospital had fans of the show coming up with a wide range of theories. Even though the show’s creators, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, have everyone awaiting the solution, the real anticipated moment comes with the reveal of his survival to his mourning friend, John Watson, after two years. While the superficial lure of the show is Sherlock’s speedy deductions and comical detachment from normal social interactions, the real core of the show is the unique friendship between Holmes and Watson. Brilliantly represented by rising stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson, season three finds the famous duo reuniting to fight a new array of criminals. Episode one titled “The Empty Hearse” tackles Sherlock’s re-emergence and the threat of an underground terrorist network in England. This is followed by “The Sign of Three,” in which Sherlock must prevent a murder at Watson’s own wedding while juggling being best man, an even greater task for him. The season finale “His Last Vow” will see Holmes and Watson trying to take down newspaper mogul and professional blackmailer, Charles Augustus Magnussen, who has sensitive information on someone close to them. Currently, the writing and acting of “Sherlock” is unparalleled in television. As a loyal fan of the show, season three doesn’t fail to live up to expectations and is definitely a must-watch for fans old and new. Make sure to appreciate these three 90-minute gems while you can; “Sherlock” is known for its rather lengthy and unbearable wait between seasons. The third episode of season three of “Sherlock” airs Sunday Feb. 2 at 9:58 p.m. on PBS.