- Kevin’s response to the crazy rumor about HIM frontlining Jersey Girl posters is covered on today’s MSNBC entertainment column. Apparently, US Magazine is still sticking by their story, despite Kevin’s flat-out denial.
- Check out this BBC article for a few brief words from Jason Biggs on what it was like working with “Bennifer†on Jersey Girl. They still seem to be a day or two behind on Kevin’s denial (referenced above), though. See, that’s how these rumors get started in the first place!
- We hope that some of you got to catch the live “Clerks†play in Bakersfield, because we hear it’s been shut down due to licensing issues with the material. For the curious, here’s an article on what the show was like:
Vulgar Display of Power
By DANIELLE C. BELTON, Californian staff writer
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
So many swears.
The Empty Space’s production of “Clerks†is not for people who don’t appreciate the Lord’s name being taken in vain or who may enjoy “Happy Scrappy: The Hero Pup†films.
It’s not for the really, really old and incontinent. It’s not for the really, really young and innocent.
It’s not for people who thought “Hook†was a good movie.
But for everyone else, “Clerks†is the most lively, inventive and contagiously funny bit of community theater going around.
Sure, it’s bawdy, vulgar and offensive. But it’s supposed to be.
After all, it’s an adaptation of the cult classic, black-and-white flick by Kevin Smith. His first film, “Clerks†earned Smith an avid fan following and the ire of anyone with respect for the English language.
The flick also spawned Smith’s two most famous characters, Jay and Silent Bob, who were featured in their own film, “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,†in 2001.
The spirit of Jay and Bob were alive and well in the Empty Space’s version of the film, adapted for the stage by Roger Mathey.
Mathey, who has also adapted “The Breakfast Club†and Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs†for the stage, wore two hats during the production, taking on the role of Silent Bob and directing the fast-paced farce.
“Clerks†tells the story of Dante Hicks, a down-and-out convenience store clerk who is forced to come in to work on his day off.
The play covers one horrible day in the life of a clerk where Dante deals with girlfriends (current and ex), hostile costumers, health officials, a man with an egg fetish, drug dealers, prostitutes, a dead guy and his meddling, anti-social friend, Randal Graves, who runs the adjacent video store.
Joel Walton is excellent as Dante Hicks, carrying the play along and moving from varying degrees of annoyance to anger, from lustful intrigue to insanity.
Stephen Taylor, who plays “Clerks†mischievous Puck of a cad, Randal, drives Walton to distraction as a video store jockey who spits water in customers’ faces and watches hermaphroditic porn during business hours.
Taylor is doubly good and both he and Walton have great chemistry together. During a guffaw-inducing sequence of broad, physical comedy the duo chase each other on and off the stage using everything from Formula 409 multipurpose cleanser to a fake Jedi light saber in a slapdash fight.
The revolving-door cast of characters are colorful and lively, and Mathey did an excellent job finding actors to match.
With the numerous customers, friends and enemies showing up to ruin Dante’s day, most of the actors were playing three characters or more. Amazingly, most were able to disappear into each role, causing no confusion to the audience as the play zipped by at a breakneck pace.
Two standouts were Jared Cantrell and Jason Gonzales.
Cantrell, who tackled five different straight-laced characters, was an especially apt chameleon. He went from chewing-gum hustler to huffy customer to health inspector without a hitch. Gonzales, fresh from the Candlelight Dinner Theatre’s “Guys and Dolls†production, sped through six different degrees of junkie, playing drugged up customers and a testosterone-fueled hockey player.
Ariane Sarzotti, Anna Newlin and Jennifer Hatzman were also excellent, managing to go from piously innocent to sundry-corroded caricatures of “sluttiness†in one costume change.
The set was sparse but worked perfectly. It consisted mostly of a revolving counter full of junk food, cigarettes and pornography. Amidst the mess is a broken cash register with a sign asking customers to tell the clerk first if they’re going to shoplift.
Jarrod Ackerley, who played Jay, and Mathey handled all the moving in-between scenes. Although they were working as stagehands they never broke character, muttering and cursing throughout.
Overall, the production was a fun and bawdy time and even the actors seemed to be enjoying themselves. It’s fun to be both offended and laughing out loud at the same time.
“Clerks†is not for those under 17 or people who are easily offended.â€
By DANIELLE C. BELTON, Californian staff writer
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
So many swears.
The Empty Space’s production of “Clerks†is not for people who don’t appreciate the Lord’s name being taken in vain or who may enjoy “Happy Scrappy: The Hero Pup†films.
It’s not for the really, really old and incontinent. It’s not for the really, really young and innocent.
It’s not for people who thought “Hook†was a good movie.
But for everyone else, “Clerks†is the most lively, inventive and contagiously funny bit of community theater going around.
Sure, it’s bawdy, vulgar and offensive. But it’s supposed to be.
After all, it’s an adaptation of the cult classic, black-and-white flick by Kevin Smith. His first film, “Clerks†earned Smith an avid fan following and the ire of anyone with respect for the English language.
The flick also spawned Smith’s two most famous characters, Jay and Silent Bob, who were featured in their own film, “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,†in 2001.
The spirit of Jay and Bob were alive and well in the Empty Space’s version of the film, adapted for the stage by Roger Mathey.
Mathey, who has also adapted “The Breakfast Club†and Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs†for the stage, wore two hats during the production, taking on the role of Silent Bob and directing the fast-paced farce.
“Clerks†tells the story of Dante Hicks, a down-and-out convenience store clerk who is forced to come in to work on his day off.
The play covers one horrible day in the life of a clerk where Dante deals with girlfriends (current and ex), hostile costumers, health officials, a man with an egg fetish, drug dealers, prostitutes, a dead guy and his meddling, anti-social friend, Randal Graves, who runs the adjacent video store.
Joel Walton is excellent as Dante Hicks, carrying the play along and moving from varying degrees of annoyance to anger, from lustful intrigue to insanity.
Stephen Taylor, who plays “Clerks†mischievous Puck of a cad, Randal, drives Walton to distraction as a video store jockey who spits water in customers’ faces and watches hermaphroditic porn during business hours.
Taylor is doubly good and both he and Walton have great chemistry together. During a guffaw-inducing sequence of broad, physical comedy the duo chase each other on and off the stage using everything from Formula 409 multipurpose cleanser to a fake Jedi light saber in a slapdash fight.
The revolving-door cast of characters are colorful and lively, and Mathey did an excellent job finding actors to match.
With the numerous customers, friends and enemies showing up to ruin Dante’s day, most of the actors were playing three characters or more. Amazingly, most were able to disappear into each role, causing no confusion to the audience as the play zipped by at a breakneck pace.
Two standouts were Jared Cantrell and Jason Gonzales.
Cantrell, who tackled five different straight-laced characters, was an especially apt chameleon. He went from chewing-gum hustler to huffy customer to health inspector without a hitch. Gonzales, fresh from the Candlelight Dinner Theatre’s “Guys and Dolls†production, sped through six different degrees of junkie, playing drugged up customers and a testosterone-fueled hockey player.
Ariane Sarzotti, Anna Newlin and Jennifer Hatzman were also excellent, managing to go from piously innocent to sundry-corroded caricatures of “sluttiness†in one costume change.
The set was sparse but worked perfectly. It consisted mostly of a revolving counter full of junk food, cigarettes and pornography. Amidst the mess is a broken cash register with a sign asking customers to tell the clerk first if they’re going to shoplift.
Jarrod Ackerley, who played Jay, and Mathey handled all the moving in-between scenes. Although they were working as stagehands they never broke character, muttering and cursing throughout.
Overall, the production was a fun and bawdy time and even the actors seemed to be enjoying themselves. It’s fun to be both offended and laughing out loud at the same time.
“Clerks†is not for those under 17 or people who are easily offended.â€
- And finally, just because so many of us were enthralled by Kevin’s “Prince†story on the “Evening With…†DVD, this Minneapolis Star Tribune report claims that Mr. Symbol himself is now going door to door during Sunday football games to…Recruit for Jehovah’s Witnesses? Would have seemed outrageous before Kevin’s tale. Now? Who knows. You be the judge.
Got Something To Say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.