“Hold on to your hat and hang on to your soul” as Rice VADA and the Rice Players collaborate to transport their audiences of Little Shop of Horrors to 1960s Skid Row, a place where “depression’s just the status quo.”
[title of show] is a musical about friends who decide to create a musical about creating a musical. Confused? Allow Hanszen and McMurtry College Theatre to clarify with their collaborative production of [title of show], Jeff Bowen's 90-minute musical based on Hunter Bell's book of the same name. Producer Rachel Landsman, a McMurtry sophomore, and associate producer Grant Raun, a McMurtry junior, have helped in fashioning a comedic and entertaining production that excels in poking fun at the artistic process while also touching on serious and relatable themes. Hunter (Hanszen College sophomore Joshua Kee) and Jeff (McMurtry sophomore Cory Gross) have the idea to create a musical to enter into a festival. Kee and Gross show excellent onstage chemistry, playing off each other's humor unreservedly in a way befitting two good friends. They develop a fine harmony both with their voices and their characters. Hunter is a writer who is full of ideas and is charmingly ambitious and optimistic, propelling the show toward Broadway. Gross adeptly portrays the composer Jeff as a sassy, grammar-correcting character, while also showing a keen sensitivity and understanding.Hunter and Jeff enlist the help of actresses Susan (Brown College senior Elizabeth Pogue) and Heidi (McMurtry sophomore Emily Statham) to perform their musical. Heidi is a budding actress forced to choose between securing minor ensemble roles on Broadway and chasing a risky dream with the group, while Susan is sharp-tongued and frenetic. Most of the time, Pogue is able to pull off a challenging role convincingly, while it is easy to empathize with the struggle and career dilemmas of Statham's character. The mysterious Larry (Hanszen sophomore Edward Cordell) enters and exits to accompany on keyboard and is a man of few words, spending more time reading the newspaper than engaging in dialogue. Cordell plays proficiently and delivers his rare lines to good comedic effect. Vocally, Gross and Statham are worthy of special mention. Gross shows off a powerful voice when the script calls for it, particularly in "Part Of It All." Statham's voice is tuneful and melodious, showcased very expressively in "A Way Back To Then." "Die, Vampire, Die!" and "Nine People's Favorite Thing" are among the show's most enjoyable songs.Director Audrey Chao, a Hanszen senior, spares no expense to detail. The song "Monkeys and Playbills" is made particularly amusing by the impressive coordination of art-covered playbills. The set itself is minimalistic, composed in large part by four chairs and Larry's keyboard. Voice recordings and the efforts of the cast ensure smooth scene transitions. With no costume changes, costume designer Daniel Burns, a McMurtry senior, has the actors wearing everyday clothing that reflects individual character personalities, including Jeff's delightful green socks. The production's attention to detail also shows in the lighting choices. Jones College freshman Steven Pappas sets the mood well with a range of both warm and cool lighting, most noticeably with an eerie red glow as the play's intensity peaks. With a small cast and stage, the setting is intimate, and the actors even break the fourth wall on occasion. A potent sound system assembled by McMurtry junior Sean Harger and operated by Baker College freshman Bryce Willey only helps to strengthen this audience connection.With plenty of expletives, the show is not the most family-friendly, and the actors poke fun that the show does not follow the typical Broadway formula. Some of the satirical references are difficult to grasp. As the novelty of the show's self-awareness fades, the cast does an excellent job performing with a liveliness and synergy that provides a high entertainment value throughout. Though the production is laced with comedy and good laughs, there are also serious undertones, and it is easy to identify with many of the obstacles the characters face.
"I have no idea what you are supposed to do. The first thing I would do if I were in that situation would be to Google it." That was one female undergraduate's response when asked about reporting sexual violence at Rice. Recent efforts by students and staff to address issues of sexual violence at Rice have increased awareness somewhat, but the campus still needs to do more to remedy the remaining disconnect between what resources are available and what many students actually know. Most importantly, victims at Rice need more support.Rice is not exempt from sexual violence. In Rice's most recent National College Health Assessment in 2011, 9.3 percent of female undergraduates reported experiencing sexual touching without consent in the past 12 months, while 3.1 percent of female undergraduates reported being the victim of nonconsensual sexual penetration attempts. This is near the national average.Universities across the country are also having conversations about the most effective ways of addressing sexual violence on campus. On Oct. 10, 2013, Emerson College joined many universities in establishing a sexual assault advocate. Rice should join this trend.This highly accessible advocate would support victims of sexual assault. Such a person would help victims know their resources and options throughout the reporting process. This position could be an internal or external hire, but it should be filled by a professional, rather than a student, in order to ensure a high level of expertise, confidentiality and objectivity.Dispelling myths about sexual assault at Rice should be a long-term goal of the advocate, and supporting victims of assault should be an immediate priority. Some universities have survivor networks within their community, and there are also groups like Title IX Network and Know Your IX that encourage a broader support network. A sexual violence advocate could sponsor these anonymous support groups at Rice, helping to preserve participants' privacy and emotional well-being. Updating Rice's sexual assault policy could also increase support for victims. Rice University Women's Resource Center Co-Director Nora Burdis said Rice's sexual assault policy is "vague" and "out-of-date" because it refers to clubs and organizations that no longer exist on campus. Burdis, a McMurtry College senior, said other universities' policies detail the rights of the accuser and accused as well as the process of reporting cases, which increases clarity and transparency."I have heard that a number of survivors don't feel very supported," Burdis said. "Students think these sexual assaults are just drunk girls having sex and then regretting it. There is not a lot of respect for talking about sexual assault." Burdis also said that many students believe sexual assaults are committed by strangers, but that peers - including popular and well-regarded students - can also commit assault. "Students here seem to believe that rapists are creepers wearing trench coats in dark alleys and that they would be able to spot a rapist on sight," Burdis said. "That's not the reality."This misconception, along with many others, has helped to contribute to Rice's lack of support for victims. This absence of understanding sentiment was exemplified in a Nov. 1 anonymous post to the Facebook page "Rice Confess." The post, which already has over 40 likes, states, "If a girl and a guy are both equally drunk at a party, and they both consent to each other drunkenly, and the next day the girl feels like she made a mistake, she can rat a guy out and ruin his life, when he was equally as drunk as her."The prevalence of comments like this contributes to the stigma of reporting assault at Rice and demonstrates an unwillingness to believe in the validity of sexual assault claims.The advocate position would be a concrete step toward addressing this problem, but students still need to be aware of what they can do now. We strongly encourage students to utilize current resources such as the administration, their masters, their resident associates, the Rice University Police Department and the Student Wellbeing Office while reporting sexual assault. The Wellbeing Office website includes an overview of the reporting process and emotional effects of sexual violence, and the office hosts several workshops per semester on this topic. This information can be found at www.wellbeing.rice.edu/sexualassault. Ian Bott is a Wiess College senior, Isabel Scher is a Wiess College sophomore, Caitlin Devereaux is a Sid Rich College senior, Arielle Carrara is a Baker College senior, and Melanie Zook is a Wiess College sophomore
