REVIEW: UST offers glimpes into humanity with ‘Vanities’
Utah State University’s production of “Vanities”, a play by Jack Heifner, combines great acting, scenery and costumes.
The show will run Friday and Saturday and March 5 through 9.
Lynda Linford, director, definitely seemed to know what she was doing.
I do have one thing that must be said before going on. They do use the F-word three times and there is talk of sleeping around. It could be considered offensive. Consider yourself warned.
But with that said, I can move on to the finer points of the play. As far as quality goes, this is definitely the best play USU has seen this year.
The whole point of the show (as you can guess from the title) is about the excessive pride the girls have, and the emptiness and want of real value in their lives.
Joanne, played by Kristen Leigh Clement, just wants to get married and have kids. She focuses so much on this that she is incredibly ditzy. Her favorite line seems to be “I’d just die …” You will recognize her right away because her costume always incorporates the color green.
Then we have Kathy, played by Amanda Rockne. Kathy is the head cheerleader, queen of the dance and incredibly organized. Everything has a theme and a big centerpiece stuffed with colored Kleenex. Kathy’s color is pink.
Mary, played by Jillena Shaver, is the wild one. She just wants to get away and she is (heaven forbid) sleeping with her boyfriend. She flaunts orange.
The other three members of the cast are Justin Berry, Phillip R. Lowe, and Dustin Siler. They dance behind a lace screen and represent the different men who are involved in the girls’ lives. Although they don’t talk, they are as integral as the vanities the girls sit at.
Scene one is set in high school. The year is 1963. The girls, all members of the cheerleading squad, are preparing for the pep rally, football game and football dance.
Let me paint the picture: They don’t even realize that the President of the United States is assassinated. They are too wrapped up in themselves. Wow.
Scene two takes place in a sorority house just a few short months before graduation. Kathy and Joanne are appalled by the flower children coming in behind them in the sorority, and they all wish the protesting would stop. They don’t even realize what it’s all about.
Joanne is getting married to her high school boyfriend, Ted. Mary is heading off to Europe and Amanda isn’t sure what she will do with her physical education degree since she was just dumped by her boyfriend.
Scene three is set in a garden apartment, which is not owned by Kathy – she just resides there.
This is where the costumes, which are so great through the whole show, come to a peak. They represent the time period so well. My favorite is Mary’s costume, inspired by Marilyn Monroe.
Another amazing thing is that the girls only leave the stage for a few moments, one at a time to change their costume. Other than that, they are the show. Period. And they do a great job.
The girls find they have grown apart and changed drastically. Joanne wishes they still had something in common. And Kathy says they do.
During the play, watch for the foreshadowing. If you are paying attention, you might discover the horrible truth. This final sharing may be the ultimate disaster for them all.
I should say, however, that although the quality of the play (the set, acting, costumes, blocking etc.) is great, I am hung up a bit on the content, hence the lower grade.
GRADE: B+
Mary (Jullena Shaver), Joanne (Kristen Clement) and Kathy (Amanda Rockne) share their life experiences as three friends growing up. The play ´Vanities´ explores the forces that drive the girls´ lives. (Zak Larsen )