Cast members for Hedda Gabler selected

By Gabrielle Wiegand - Feature Writer

Name: Rebecca Naus
Role: The Tesmans’ Housekeeper Berta
Rebecca Naus is a freshman business administration major in the Capital Scholars program. Naus said she is “very excited to be apart of this production,” and only expected to be a backstage tech before urged by director Eric Thibodeaux-Thompson to audition.
Naus is originally from Glen Ellyn and is a graduate of Glenbard West High School. She enjoys yoga, reading and writing, art, music and working out when not spending time with family and friends. Naus has been cast in several productions including “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Girls of the Garden Club.”  Naus said she has also done tech for “The Wiz,” “10 Little Indians,” “Fame” and “Little Shop of Horrors” and co-directed “The Diviners.”
Name: Alicia Artner
Role: Mrs. Elvsted
Favorite Scene: “The final scene of the show.”
Alicia Artner is a freshman studying psychology and secondary education and considering a history minor. Artner said she is “thrilled to be in the show.” Originally Artner desired to be cast as Hedda, but after the first audition she was comfortable just going with the role of Mrs. Elvsted. Artner said the final scene of the show is her favorite because “there are so many things that are happening at once and some of the body language as well, is so graphic.” 
Artner is from Johnsburg, where she attended Johnsburg High School. Artner performed in her high school’s productions of “Our Town” and “Once Upon a Mattress” in her high school productions as well as the “Student-Directed Scenes” and “Oedipus” at UIS. Her favorite hobbies are reading and writing, art and pottery.
Name: Myaa Fallon
Role: Mrs. Julia Tesman
Favorite Scene: “Hedda being potentially unfaithful.”
Favorite Line: “God bless and keep Hedda Tesman. For George’s sake.”
Myaa Fallon is a senior communications major with a busy life. Fallon is a transfer student from Lincoln Land Community College. She is originally from Chicago. Fallon is married to a “military man,” has two children and is a small business owner.
Fallon, who was cast in the fall production of “Oedipus,” desired to return to UIS theatre in a small role this year because of her schedule. She has performed in “Romeo and Juliet” at Truman College, “Mama Don’t Cry” in Norfolk, Va. community theatre and “Student-Directed Scenes” at UIS.
Name: Roger Boyd
Role: George Tesman
Favorite Scene: The ending.
Favorite Line: “Good God”
Roger Boyd is a Springfield community member. Formerly of Marion, Ohio, Boyd plans to apply to UIS for the Fall 2006 semester.
Boyd said he was shooting for the bad guy role and got the male lead instead. He is not new to UIS theatre; he was previously cast in “Oedipus.” Boyd said his character gets to ask a lot of questions and sort of “plays the absent-minded professor.” He said he enjoys the ending most because his character gets to tell his wife she is of no use.
Name: Edward Barnett
Role: Eilert Lovborg
Edward Barnett is originally from Springfield and a first-year graduate student in public administration. Barnett transferred from Lincoln Land Community College to UIS during his undergraduate career and stayed on for graduate school. Barnett said he was “hoping to get in the play because all the characters are very rich, they offer a lot,” so he is very pleased with his role.
Barnett enjoys exercising, reading and watching movies. Barnett’s first UIS production was 2003’s “A Lie of the Mind” and has also been cast in “Hay Fever” and Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Barnett said what he likes most about UIS theatre is that the people are from varied backgrounds and they are able to participate in a sort of oral tradition.
Cast members not available for comment at press time were Aasne Vigesaa as Hedda Tesman and Patrick O’Brien as Judge Brack.

'Running Scared' from the movie theater

By Gabrielle Wiegand - Feature Writer

I do not think anyone in his or her right mind would call “Running Scared” a good movie.  Someone, somewhere might find it mildly entertaining.  But I think everyone who has the misfortune to be in a movie theater showing this lousy excuse for a film can agree that it is incredibly graphic. 
Paul Walker (“The Fast and the Furious”) plays Joey Gazelle, a low-level mobster and New Jersey family man.  The film begins with Joey and his mob buddies engaged in important mob business when they get interrupted by some rather testy individuals, bent on taking the money that was at the heart of their business.  Of course, they fight back and wind up killing most of the interrupters, who turn out to be policemen. 
Joey is charged with getting rid of the “dirty” guns that killed the cops.  Seems simple enough, until a neighborhood kid, Oleg, steals the gun and shoots his abusive stepfather.  Joey has to get the gun back before the cops or his mob bosses (I guess they aren't overly understanding about little slip-ups) find out.  The abusive stepfather is related to the Russian mob, so of course they get involved in the whole affair along with a corrupt policeman, played rather scarily by Chazz Palminteri. 
The entire film is about Joey's 18-hour journey to locate Oleg and his gun for his own safety and that of his family's.  Unfortunately the film does a crappy job setting up why we should care about the main character at all. 
I found many of the film techniques nauseating.  During fight sequences (and there were a lot of them) the film alternated between slow motion and fast-forwarding in what I suppose was an attempt to invoke some sort of emotion. 
While “Running Scared” will not win any awards on its cinematic merit, it may win a world record for the sheer amount of blood and use of the f-word.  There was also a great deal of gratuitous nudity.  I thought with all the killing they wouldn't have time for such blatant nudity; however, mobsters can always find time to stop at a strip club and to go down on their wife while she's doing laundry.  There was also a very disturbing scene about some pedophiles, and a pimp and a couple of prostitutes thrown in for good measure. 
There was some halfway decent acting in “Running Scared,” sadly, not by Paul Walker.  His wife Teresa, played by Vera Farmiga (“The Manchurian Candidate,” “Mind the Gap”), was heartwrenching as the understanding but strong-willed mob wife.  Farmiga had the right amount of intenseness but she was also exceptionally real.  In a horrible movie, Farmiga brought believability to her scenes, as did Cameron Bright, who played Oleg.  Bright (“Birth,” “Thank You for Smoking”) is an obviously gifted young actor.  I only hope he wasn't too screwed up after shooting such a violent (and bad) film. 
“Running Scared” did teach me some very valuable lessons.  Number one, stay in school and don't join the mob.  Secondly, if you are a member of the mob, don't conduct important mob business in the middle of a hockey rink.  When the blood started spilling it makes the ice extra slick, thus preventing a quick get away.  And lastly, bad things happen in New Jersey. 
Grade:  D

Little Saigon offers Vietnamese cuisine

By Gabrielle Wiegand - Feature Writer

While Springfield might not be the most cosmopolitan city around, we do offer a wide selection of cuisine for diners to enjoy.  With the opening of the new restaurant, Little Saigon, restaurantgoers and foodies can enjoy one more type: Vietnamese. 
Located at 1531 Wabash Ave., Little Saigon has an extensive menu, featuring Thai as well as Vietnamese dishes.  Casual and reasonably priced, it offers a full dinner menu as well as a variety of lunch specials for only $5.99. 
Soup is a staple in Vietnamese cuisine and it is well represented at Little Saigon.  They offer four different types of clear noodle soup (Hu Tieu), as well as a wide variety of egg noodle soup (Mi) and beef rice noodle soup (Pho) all for $6.95.
Little Saigon serves four different types of noodle dishes, which are also $6.95.  Each comes with choice of beef, chicken, pork, vegetable and tofu or shrimp (which is $2 more).  Mi Xao Gion is pan fried crispy egg noodles with vegetables and Singapore Vermicelli is stir fried rice noodles with curry.  Lo Mein, egg noodles, is the third type and more well known. 
I ordered crystal noodles with chicken, which is a Korean-style clear noodle.  It was delicious.  The chicken was stir fried with onions and scallions.  The noodles were so light they absorbed and highlighted the other flavors in the dish to perfection. 
Little Saigon has various pork (Heo), beef (bo), chicken (ga) and seafood (do bien) dishes that are served with steamed rice.  My two dining companions ordered chicken dishes and neither were disappointed with her selection.  One ordered Ga Xao Xoai Tuoi, which is chicken stir fried with fresh mango in white sauce ($7.50) and the other order Ga Xao Bong Cai Tay, chicken stir fried with broccoli, carrot and onion in a brown sauce (also $7.50). 
We also enjoyed Saigon dumplings for an appetizer ($3.50).  They were excellent as was the homemade sauce they came with; however, I was not wild about their summer rolls, which are vegetables, rice noodles, shrimp and pork wrapped in rice paper (also $3.50).  Other appetizers they offer include egg rolls, chicken wings and two different types of salad. 
Little Saigon’s Thai menu includes Thai salads (that look so good I might just have to order one next time I go) as well hot and sour soups.  Seven different types of curry dishes are also on the menu, as well as fried rice and noodle dishes. 
Almost as good as the food is the atmosphere at Little Saigon.  The waiters and hostesses are incredibly warm and friendly.  They were more then happy to answer any of our questions about the menu as well as make suggestions.  Each item on the menu has an assigned number, so diners don’t have to worry about correct pronunciation of the dishes.  The inside is clean and neat, decorated in cool melon colors. 
Little Saigon is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. 

Cast members for Hedda Gabler selected

'Runing Scared' from the movie theater

Little Saigon offers Vietnamese cuisine