The Voice

Arts and Entertainment

Thursday, November 8, 2012
voicearts@huskies.bloomu.edu
BY VANESSA VALERIE GIEDOSH
Staff Writer
What you missed!
Gossip Girl
Portrait of a Lady Alexander
aired 11/5
BY RAE MEADE
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Tweet of the
week:
The Dark Lord @Lord_Voldemort7
Elections would be more fun if people were
chosen to run a country by the sorting hat.
#ElectionDay2012
5
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Gamer Girl:
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The verdict is in on Twelve Angry Jurors
What exactly can be deemed as reason-
able doubt?
That seems to be the lingering question
during BU Players latest production,
Twelve Angry Jurors, directed by David
Miller, assistant professor of theater at
Bloomsburg University. While the BU
Players shows usually consist of a smaller
cast, this production stars 13 students as
12 jurors and one guard, with all 12 jurors
onstage at the same time for the entire
length of the show.
The stage is set up minimally with a
long, practically bare table with the ex-
ception of a few books, and 12 chairs in
front of an undecorated wall. Before the
show begins, feel-good songs such as Ray
Charles Whatd I Say and Elviss
Hard-Headed Woman seem to set the
mood for a lighthearted play. Once the
show starts, however, and the 12 jurors file
into the room and begin to converse, its
clear that their task will be anything but
breezy.
The nameless jurors are gathered to dis-
cuss a murder case in which a 19-year-old
male is accused of killing his father.
Within the first five minutes, its estab-
lished amongst 11 of 12 jurors that this
boy is indeed guilty on all accounts. Juror
8 (Casey Gerhart) stands firm in her be-
lief that there is something not quite right
with the evidence and that the accused
may be innocent. From that point on,
chaos ensues.
Juror 8 begins to sway the others with
her arguments, sending quite a few in a
tizzy of anger, until eventually, everyone
begins to question their final decision.
The simple set up of the stage and plain
backdrop suit the show perfectly; the char-
acters themselves are so
lively, and sometimes wild,
that nothing further is
needed. Their per-
sonalities, from the timidity
of Juror 2 (Kayla Sabol) to
the ferocity of Juror 10 (Jaryn
Wilcox), spark on stage, par-
ticularly because they are so
much more multidimen-
sional than they appear on
the surface. They all have
their own psychological
complexities that are revealed directly,
such as in the case of Juror 3 (Lauren
Shover), an exposed sadist. The charac-
ters indirect complexities are also re-
vealed through how they interact with
each other and how viewers interpret
them, such as in the case of Juror 7 (Court-
ney Costello) who seems like a woman
who cant be moved, but makes a surpris-
ing decision in the end.
Individually, the BU players adapt to
their diverse roles easily and convincingly.
What is truly the most impressive, how-
ever, is how they work together as a cast.
Collectively, the cast conveys the incred-
ible tension and occasional awkwardness
between the characters as they sort
through the details of the murder.
The cast conveys the stark differences
between the characters by using their body
language. Shover conveys Juror 3s harsh
and intimidating attitude by the way she
slouches in her chair, her elbows on the
table and her legs parted the way a man
typically would sit. Gerhart, who plays her
rival as Juror 8, sits with her back straight
against her chair, her legs together and her
hands clasped, emphasizing her grace and
ability to maintain her dignity
while fighting for what she
believes in.
The costumes, designed by
Sydney Hare and Karen
Anselm, also play a huge role
in the production. Because
there arent many props and
dramatic movement is limited
due to the jurors mostly sitting
or standing around the table
conversing, the costumes
stand out, emphasizing their
personalities. Juror 2s large
glasses perfectly depict her
mousiness as she adjusts them nervously.
Juror 3 is the only woman who gets to
wear pants, which highlights her rebel-
lious nature, as well as her lack of femi-
nine grace. Also, her pants are a bright red,
along with her hair, which add to her fiery
disposition. Juror 8 wears a very demure,
knee length dress, stressing how opposite
she is from Juror 3.
While all of the BU players are a pleas-
ure to watch, Shover and Gerhart are a
perfect pair. Shover seems to be gifted in
playing the malevolent or snotty roles,
such as the role of Evelyn in The Shape
of Things, and the unnamed woman in
Dead Mans Cell Phone. Shes particu-
larly vicious in this production, and her
demonic laughter while stabbing Juror 8
in a reenactment of the crime scene is al-
most too convincing. She embodies her
frightening character entirely.
Gerhart also dives into her character,
who is poised and is able to maintain con-
trol of herself, no matter how passionate
she is about her argument. She conveys
Juror 8 as a woman who can keep her dig-
nity, all while Juror 3 practically loses her
mind the minute someone disagrees with
her. Shover and Gerhart have an incredible
chemistry as rivals. In the final scene of
the play, they are the only two left stand-
ing in the room, and their brief dialogue is
chilling.
The BU players presented the first
showing of Twelve Angry Jurors last
night, but they will also be performing it
tonight through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and
Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Alvina Krause
Theatre on Center Street downtown.
CMA awards entertain the
nations country fans
Millions of country fans
tuned in to ABC this past
Thursday, Nov. 1, for the
biggest night in country music
television. The 46th annual
CMA Awards provided an
evening of entertainment, sur-
prise, and emotion. This years
Country Music Awards were
held at the Bridgestone Arena
in Nashville, TN. where hosts
Brad Paisley and Carrie Un-
derwood kept the audience
laughing with their opening
act. The duo danced to
YouTube sensation Gangnam
Style, and poked fun at the
stars, such as Taylor Swift.
Jason Aldean, Eric Church,
and Luke Bryan opened for the
CMAs with a performance of
Aldeans new single The Only
Way I Know. The day after
his performance, Aldean woke
up to find his stadium shows
were sold out, according to
KWTX.com. Eric Church won
Album of the Year for Chief
later that evening.
Lisa Marie Presley, well-
known not only for being the
daughter of The King Elvis
Presley, but also for her own
musical talents, was the first
presenter of the night. She pre-
sented Single of the Year,
which went to Little Big
Towns Pontoon.
The night was filled with
outstanding performances by
Tim McGraw, Miranda Lam-
bert, Taylor Swift,
Little Big Town,
Keith Urban, and
Faith Hill, as well as
other country artists.
While the evening
was full of laughs and
entertainment, there
were serious mo-
ments as well, Hosts
Brad Paisley and Car-
rie Underwood took
time off from the
comedy to send their
wishes to all those af-
fected by Hurricane
Sandy and encourage
audience members to
donate to the Red
Cross. Another emo-
tional moment oc-
curred when couple
Miranda Lambert and
Blake Shelton ac-
cepted their award
for their duet Over
You. Blake shared
his story of his
brothers death in a car acci-
dent when he was 14. After
Shelton became a country
singer, his father told him he
should write a song about his
brother, so he did. Shelton lost
his father in January and stated
that even after hes gone, hes
still right. Shelton then turned
to his wife Miranda and said I
just needed the right person to
write this song with and the
right person to sing it. I love
you so much baby. The couple
made history by winning Fe-
male and Male Vocalist of the
Year for the third year in a row.
Other award recipients in-
cluded Hunter Hayes for New
Artist of the Year, Thompson
Square for Vocal Duo of the
Year, and Music Video of the
Year went to Toby Keith for
Red Solo Cup. While there
were many awards given out,
some stars, like Taylor Swift,
went home empty handed.
Swift performed her new sin-
gle Begin Again for the first
time that evening.
A special tribute was made
to Country Music Hall of Fame
member Willie Nelson. Nelson
was also surprised by Paisley
with the first ever CMA Life-
time Achievement Award,
which will be renamed the
Willie Nelson Lifetime
Achievement award.
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood host the CMAs this year for the fifth
year in a row.
IMAGE FROM CMAWORLD.COM
Above, the 12 jurors debate over the verdict. Top right, Juror 3 (Shover) reenacts the murder with
Juror 8 (Gerhart). Bottom left, Juror 2 (Sabol) begins to feel persuaded by Juror 8s claims.
IMAGE FROM CWTV.COM
PHOTOS: THE VOICE/KATRINA GARTHE