Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 17

Monday, March 23, 1992 Mattoon (111.) Journal Gazette C5 'Pirates' gets down to business with stage business Entertainment Oh, happy fate! EIU's Dvorak Hall was taken over by "The Pirates of Penzance" for two performances this past weekend. It was in 1879 that Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates" had its premiere. It was a hit then, and it's been one ever since. And no wonder. There are Sullivan's glorious melodies, which in turn are lilting, parodistic and thun Carl Lebovitz" A Lebovitz is reviewer-at- VOW" large for the Vf Journal Gazette anrdTimes- 4 curier- JO 7 Book recalls America's most fearsome tornado CARBONDALE (AP) A new book tells the story of the nation's worst tornado through the memories of survivors, almost 70 years after it killed hundreds of people and wiped out entire towns.

"The Tri-State Tornado" by Peter S. Felknor, published by Iowa State University Press, was released Wednesday, the 67th anniversary of the tornado that devastated parts of Southern Illinois, Missouri and Indiana. "Poor Wandering One." Jason T. Morris looked dashing and could be understood much of the time as the Pirate King, but needed more business to be a swashbuckler on the order of Errol Flynn or Kevin KUne. G.

William Zorn had the derous. Gilbert lyrics still dazzle with their verbal pyrotechnics and sly wit. The libretto is a delightful blend of the comic, satirical and sentimental. This is the one about a youth (Frederic) who was accidentally indentured as a baby to pirates. He leaves the pirate band when he turns 21 and falls in love with a major-general's daughter.

He is about to lead the police against his former mates when he learns that he is still indentured because the deed runs to his 21st birthday, not his 21st year, and since he was born on a February 29th, he won't have his 21st birthday till 1940. Eastern's production, presented by the music department, was directed by Jerry L. Daniels. He zipped through the operetta in two hours, including intermission. With sloppy dictation prevailing, as usual, the lyrics often got lost.

But "words, words, words" who listens to words these days? It's action, it's business that counts, and there was plenty in this production slapstick, pratfalls, corn, camp, kitsch. There was a synopsis in the program notes to help you figure out what was going on, and the capacity audience loved every minute of it. As Frederic, the unwilling apprentice pirate and the evening's straight man, Brian G. Downen made an earnest, likable "slave of du-tym" singing and acting well and enunciating clearly. Barbara Graves was pretty as his lady love Mabel and got a hand for her colorature in Jason Morris is king of the hill, and of 'The Pirates of Penzance' "It was one huge swath of destruction," Felknor said on a swing through Southern Illinois to promote the book.

The twister killed 689 people (some experts say 695) over its 219-mile path, injured more than 2,000 and obliterated towns. The tornado's wind speed has been estimated as at least 261 mph, twice that of an average tornado. Most tornadoes last about 15 minutes; the Tri-State Tornado lasted 312 hours. Felknor, who is studying meteorology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, grew up in suburban St. Louis.

His family, who lived Book report proper bearing and stiff upper lip as Major-General Stanley, but his patter song, "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General," was largely unintelligible. Adam Kozlowski had fun and was fun to watch as the Pirate King's lieutenant Samuel Ruth, the "piratical maid-of-all-work," was played by Jana Tobey, and the Sergeant of Police by Paul Wiemerslage. The maidens were fetching in their pastel gowns and had a cute bit of business with one shoe off. A few twirling parasols would have been welcome. Conductor Donald C.

Tracy and his pit orchestra were in fine form maintaining a brisk pace and never drowning out the singers. The set was by Tom Hawk, the make-up by Linda Spencer, the costumes by Marilyn Simmons, Pam Grohmann and Stacey Brooks, and the lighting by Zorn. It's been a while since the last Gilbert and Sullivan production at Eastern, and I can't help feeling that there's a whole new audience out there waiting to discover just how good they are. How about starting a tradition and doing a different operetta every year around this time? $49 Room Rate 'Cheers' renewed BURBANK, Calif. (AP) The gang at "Cheers' will be back for another round this fall.

NBC renewed an 11th season for the Emmy-winning barroom comedy. "Cheers" is NBC's highest-rated series and the No. 4-rated series on television this season, trailing CBS' "60 Minutes," ABC's "Roseanne" and CBS' "Murphy Brown." Only "Bonanza" ranked as high in its 10th season. in Southern Illinois and Missouri, often told tales of the storm. The stories he heard and a passion for storms kindled his interest in the Tri-State Tornado.

While researching the twister, he could find no single book on it. In 1978, he decided to write his own account. "It became something I had to do all of a sudden," he said. The tornado began in southeast Missouri, then roared through Murphysboro, West Frankfort and other Southern Illinois towns before sweeping into Indiana. The 15 surviving victims he interviewed remembered the fires caused by coal stoves toppled by the twister and ragged lumber were often all that was left.

The survivors remembered "coming out after the tornado, especially as a child, to a place that was utterly desolated, buildings on fire, and the utter horror of having all of your childhood landmarks destroyed and obliterated," he said. One survivor, 78-year-old Ted Mclntire of Griffin, Ind. said the tornado struck the school bus he was riding in. The storm had just crossed the Wabash River and was filled with mud and dirt. It sandblasted a little girl on the bus, embedding her skin with mud.

When her parents came to pick her up, they didn't recognize her. Many men where working deep in the coal mines when the twister hit. When the power failed, they climbed out to find their hometowns looked more like towns they had seen destroyed in World War I. Murphysboro was hit the hardest. Like many Southern Illinois towns in the 1920s, Murphysboro was prospering with mining and other manufacturing.

In addition to 234 deaths and 623 injuries, the tornado also cost the town shops, a shoe factory and a silica plant. The storm caused $16.5 million in damage, about $182.6 billion in current dollars, Felknor said. "The tornado was a catastrophic effect on the economy of the region.1 The cost of rebuilding was staggering," Felknor said. Paralyzed man blames 'Boyz Nthe Hood' MARTINEZ, Calif. (AP) A man paralyzed in a shooting outside a theater showing "Boyz the Hood" filed a lawsuit claiming ads for the movie lured gang members to theaters.

Alejandro Phillips' lawsuit against Columbia Pictures said ads downplayed the anti-violence message of the movie, which depicts life in a gang-plagued Los Angeles neighborhood, his attorney, Tim Swift, said Thursday. Phillips filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Contfa Costa Superior Court. It seeks unspecified damages for medical expenses and lost earnings. Phillips, a supermarket clerk, was paralyzed from the waist down in a July 12 shooting outside a theater in Pinole, about 25 miles northeast of San Francisco. The opening of the film was marred by shootings in several cities.

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Such predictions have no reliable basis in scientific fact. If your birthday is today: Don't overlook any opportunities in the year ahead to add to your bank of knowledge. The more you know and the greater expertise you possess, the better your chances are for a profitable cycle. ARIES (March 21 -April 1 9) You're good at conceptualizing today, but you rriight assign the implementation of your plans to those who aren't qualified to carry them out. Your good ideas could count for nothing.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Your probabilities for putting a profitable business arrangement together today are rather iffy, because you may delegate important elements to chance. GEMINI (May 21 -June 20) Try not to put yourself in a position today that allows another to make decisions for you that you should be making for yourself. This individual's judgment is not as good as yours. CANCER (June 21 -July 22) Do not discuss important career matters with associates prematurely today. There's a chance someone you talk to might use your ideas and take credit for them along the way.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Resist the inclination today to jump into speculative involvements you haven't thoroughly explored. They could be comprised of sizzle rather than substance. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept.

22) Keep your personal objectives in focus at all times today and, above all, don't rely on individuals who have proven to be ineffective allies in the past. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) It's very important that you are able to distinguish between legitimate optimism and wishful expectation today. Hanging your hopes on the latter could lead to disappointment.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) If you are anticipating some gains today, expect them to come through a logical sequence of development. Don't look for the tooth fairy to accelerate the process. SAGITTARIUS (Nov.

23-Dec. 21 How you handle yourself in public will be closely scrutinized by your peers today. Focus on social amities and, above all, don't be a braggart. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.

19) Charity should begin at home today. This doesn't mean you should be indifferent to the needs of others but that you should keep your priorities in order and take care of those who depend on you first. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) If you have commercial dealings with a friend today, be sure what is expected of each party is clearly spelled out in advance.

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