Uncovered, Bela & Edgar, and Angels in America

by Ted Holteen

Thank God for Fort Lewis. Or, thank the deity or sprite or nymph or Joel Jones or whomever you would normally credit when something good happens around here. Without the college, the following week would be so devoid of notable happenings that even I might’ve been left with no option but to go outside and play, as it were. Things were so bad that I was prepared to finally roll out my “Restaurant Rap-Up,” my own personal guide to area dining that has been in the bullpen waiting for the next really slow week. To alleviate fears and prevent future boycotts against the paper, I will say that it’s not actually a rap, but I’m a sucker for alliteration and didn’t know what else to call it. And thanks to some eggheads up on campus thinking ahead, which I guess is their job, you’ll just have to cook for yourself for the next week or two until the big rollout. Be thankful for the little things. Fast approaching is that unbridgeable lull between Halloween and Thanksgiving, so keep those appetites whetted – a month jam-packed with locals’ specials is coming soon.

Before detailing a week of music, theatre and sport on campus, allow me a quick detour to inform you of another of those “must see” type of films. Many of you may remember the flick shown at the Abbey on 9/11 which shed some serious doubts on the government’s story regarding the events of that day. Well, Scott Rahilly, the local insurgent who brought you that anger reel, is back to once again rouse the rabble and perhaps finally get his name on one of those groovy no-fly lists. This time, the film is called “Uncovered: The War on Iraq,” by noted inflammatory documentary guru Robert Greenwald (“OutFOXed;” “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices”). If you still believe that the neo-cons running this nation don’t deserve anything as harsh as impeachment, you must see this movie. At its heart is evidence proving that the whole WMD “mistake” was a calculated move by the administration to purposefully deceive the public into believing that Saddam somehow posed a threat to the residents of Boise and Phoenix from his sandbox 8,000 miles away. (Without giving away too much of the plot, he wasn’t.) The movie is free, last time there was free pizza from Home Slice (I don’t know that there will be again, but press is pressure), and the bar will be open (but not free).

“Uncovered” will show one time only, Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., so don’t be late. And you can’t use football as an excuse, as Cuckoo’s has all the games on right next door. Hell, if I can miss a football game, so can you.

Speaking of football, or more accurately, futbol, the FLC men’s soccer team won the RMAC conference title again, so they get to host the tournament to decide the winner of the conference title. Don’t be confused – that’s just the way these things are done. The tourney gets under way Saturday at noon, with the Skyhawks playing in the second semifinal game at 2:30 p.m. The semi winners will then play in the final on Sunday afternoon, so unless you live and die with Mesa State sports, come on out and cheer on the hometown heroes. They’ll be glad to have you.

Not to be outdone by the dumb jocks, the FLC Concert Hall went and scheduled not one, but two first-class acts this week. On Saturday night, Loudon Wainwright III, who is not nearly as pompous as his name might imply, takes the stage

Edgar Meyer and Bela Fleck

with fellow singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop at 7. If you’re a Jayhawks fan, you might recognize Bishop’s tune “Save it for a Rainy Day” or maybe his hit from the ’70s, “On and On.” Maybe not. He also wrote a song that Phil Collins recorded, but I won’t say which one. See if you can figure it out when you’re there. More importantly, Phil Collins won’t be there. Wainwright will open the evening, and he’s fun. Geeks will remember, I mean serious geeks, that Loudon once had a bit but memorable appearance on M*A*S*H. Yes, intrigue abounds, but the music should be good, too. Check it out.

Then, stretching the limits of Telegraph readers’ attention spans, the next big show comes on Wednesday night, Nov. 9. Bela Fleck’s status in the Four Corners has reached the point where he could probably trash hotel rooms and punch women with full immunity, just ’cuz the folks love him so darn much. Now, one reason they love him is because he likely wouldn’t perform such Axl-ish deeds, but perform he will nonetheless. He’ll be joined by Edgar Meyer, who is not in fact the pastier brother of Johnny Meyer, but rather an accomplished bassist who just completed the CD “Music for Two” with Bela. The set list will cover everything from bluegrass to classical, and it’ll just be the two of them – Bela on banjo and whatever else he can make noise with, accompanied by the sanity of Meyer’s bass. That show starts at 7 p.m. as well.

Finally, the FLC Theatre Department presents its first offering of the year, the Pulitzer and Tony award winning play “Angels in America, Part I: Millennium Approaches.” Set during the Reagan years when AIDS first started to make headlines, Tony Kushner’s play explores how the disease affected and continues to affect even Americans who don’t vacation at Provincetown and Fire Island. Included in Kushner’s cross-section is a Mormon husband whose homosexuality destroys his marriage (13 wives and all the guy wants is a good man?), and a Philadelphia-like look at a dying lawyer. Most intriguing for this writer is the story of Roy Cohn, the most disgraceful public servant American politics had seen until this latest bunch came along. This guy makes Karl Rove look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Actually, Karl Rove does look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy and would’ve anyway, but Cohn was not a nice person. It was he who orchestrated the case that sent the Rosenbergs, even Ethel, to the chair back in the early ’50s and to boot, he was a lackey for J. Edgar Hoover, legislating morality for years before succumbing to the virus he contracted through his own lifestyle. If that sounds hypocritical, remember that Cohn also hated Jews. Sometimes irony is a wonderful thing. “Angels in America, Part I” runs Thursday through Saturday this week at 7:30 p.m. in the Theater building on campus, with the same schedule next week. And if you were wondering, Part II comes next spring. Hey, they’re students, not actors in a sitcom. These things take time.

I’m hungry – what’s good? egholteen@hotmail.com. Am I the only one who finds the idea of a gay Mormon hilarious? •