Celebrating a world of art in our community

by Vivian Hansen

Welcome to The Oxford Universe, an online collection of art news happening in the Oxford, Mississippi community. Celebrating the world of art in our city, this site includes reviews of art shows, theater productions, music scenes, movies, and more! It's easy to feel isolated in a small city like Oxford, so we want to show you many of the opportunities to appreciate art happening right here. Take a look around, find some inspiration, then go explore all the art that Oxford has to offer!

Theatre Review - Showstoppers

by Jennifer Lam

I had heard that the play Showstoppers presented by the Ole Miss Theatre consisted of segments from several Broadway shows. Little did I expect the play to be so action-packed with a whopping twenty segments of combinations of dance and song. I was amazed that even though the set was kept to a bare minimal with no props, the show was still thoroughly entertaining. The choreography was impeccable and the costume designs were fabulous.

This year's show was the 27^th anniversary of Showstoppers. Since its founding in 1981, Showstoppers has become the traditional anticipated season closer. It success is supported by the large audience it receives annually.

Originally, Showstoppers was meant to be a showcase for the dance classes that the Department of Theatre Arts had just begun offering at that time. It somehow evolved into an extravaganza of entertainment expressed through both movement and vocals.

Showstoppers had something that appealed to everyone. With its creative dances and dazzling singing, it left the audience never bored and always in awe of what to expect next. The fast paced transitions between numbers allowed the audience’s attention to never waver.

The opening segment “Comedy Tonight” laid out exactly what happened that night, a comedy. Not only was there humor, but romance, wit, and excitement were also incorporated. No emotions were left unsatisfied. The show kept in mind its audience age range. “America” by West Side Story depicted the struggles of young Puerto Rican teenagers struggling to fit in in America. “Telephone Hour” by Bye Bye Birdie displayed sociable teens relentlessly chatting on the phone about high school events such as prom. “Along Came Bially” by The Producers was a hilarious segment about elderly ladies not getting enough sex. Showstoppers also included religion in the mix. The segment “The Wedding Dance” by Fiddler on the Roof was a Jewish wedding where at the time it unheard of for a woman to dance with a man. When the Jewish girl disobeys her mother to dance with a boy, the audience feels a sense of defiance. Judging by the audiences reactions and facial expressions, the most unexpected and strangest number they did was “The Frogs” by Susan Stroman. The actors dressed up in frog suits and moved to an almost ominous soundtrack. Leaving the theater, I felt like I had attended twenty different shows and paid for only one.

Showstoppers did a brilliant job of incorporating the works of Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, Gower Champion, Michael Bennet, Michael Kidd, and Tommy Tune, and adding their own twist to each. Like watching a trailer for a movie, after watching these entertaining segments I wanted to see more. Perhaps I will have the joy of viewing the entire Broadway shows thanks to the inspiration of Showstoppers.

Restaurant - Maharaja Indian Cuisine

by Amy Chu

Living in such a small town like Oxford offers very few varieties of food choices. What little this town offers should be taken to the greatest advantage. While running errands, I came across Maharaja: Indian Cuisine. It is family owned and operated, specializing in authentic Indian foods and is one of the few restaurants to offer catering. Maharaja has been open for approximately one year and is run by Madhu S. Ankisetty.

From the outside, it is nothing more than a hole-in-the-wall restaurant located in a shopping complex next to Wal-Mart. I did not expect this place to be spectacular in the slightest. However, my experience at Maharaja is one to remember. In fact, before even approaching the door, the fragrance of curry and other spices filled my sinuses. My mouth began to water immediately.

Upon entry, my first impression was that the building was small but the limited space gave a homely feel to the environment. Indian artwork lined the walls and floras in large vases were placed atop the buffet table. The lighting was soft and exerted calm energies. The painted orange walls stimulated the appetite.

I was immediately directed into a booth by a smiling server. Had I come two hours beforehand, there would have been a generous medley from the buffet table. The lunch selection offers many appetizers, a salad bar, chicken dishes, five assortments of curries, two types of rice, and a variety of desserts. Since I was just in time for the start of dinner, it was surprising to see that the menu contained so many items. The drink choices were varied from Masala tea to a yogurt-made mango Lassi. The appetizers were plentiful and there was even a section dedicated to vegetable-only entrees. The meat dishes included chicken, shrimp, and lamb. Note that beef is strictly forbidden. Diners have the choice to have their meals seasoned mild, medium, or spicy.

I ordered the fan favorite mango Lassi and chicken curry with Basmati rice while sitting down with owner Ankisetty to discuss details of the restaurant. Madhu brought his business to Oxford in hopes of relieving travelers’ stress of having to go to Memphis to eat Indian food. He stated that Maharaja is the second Indian restaurant located in Mississippi.

While I was waiting for my order to be prepared and served, I got to relax in the booth and let my surroundings take over the senses. Since Maharaja isn’t a widely known chain business, the diner usually never serves over four tables at a time. This quiet atmosphere is perfect for any romantic occasion. The aroma of chicken and sauces filled the air. The front of the restaurant housed a large flat screen television playing Bollywood styled films containing dance, romance, and comedy. Entertainment from the TV held me off just long enough for the food to be cooked. The usual wait time for a meal is between 15-20 minutes.

Overall, the service is quick, and the staff is very efficient. Maharaja proves for a superb place of dining and serves quality curry. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to try real food besides the usual burger and fries joint. Lunch is served from 11 to 2:30 p.m. and dinner runs from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Maharaja is open everyday. My experience proves this statement true: “never judge a book by its cover”.

Fine Art Exhibit - Bring That Beat Back

by Jeremy Barr

The Southside Gallery on the Oxford Square always has different exhibits by great artists week after week. One of the artists exhibiting there right now is Vitus Shell, an Ole Miss graduate art student and great artist whose works will be there for about 2 weeks. The name of his collection is “Bring That Beat Back: the Sound of the Heart, the Streets, and the Drums.” The first thing about these paintings that caught my eye was that these were all black people and I wasn’t aware that Vitus was black. The second eye-catcher was that the works were very well painted - they were glossy and looked oil painted. The subject matter was basically about black youth; in one piece, the subject matter seemed to be gang related, and the people in them were being very unique and throwing up different signs. The paintings are trying to tell a story about how he lives, and perhaps what Shell grew up around. He may have been raised around a lot of gangs, but at the same time, he just wants to express himself.

The bright colors really made me want to look more into the picture. Something about the warm colors really made me feel home-like and safe, like everything is all good. Some of the pictures really show a kind of freedom, especially in the ones in which he included some white, because I believe that white expresses freedom; in fact, I think the most interesting part about these paintings is the presence of white in the paintings, as it really stands out. The main images of all the pictures are in the middle of the painting and are very detailed. Being centered makes images bolder because it puts them as the first image you see. I really like all of these paintings because it is really kind of telling his life story - maybe he went through some things and painting is the way he can express them. The images are really something that I can relate to because it reminds me of some people I know.

This is a great collection of pictures because it shows a lot of diversity, from gang signs being thrown up to a nice-looking young lady. This exhibit should appeal to the whole community. Even those with different tastes in art could still consider Shell’s work as really intriguing because it makes you want to look. I am very interested in this artist and I would love to see more of his work. Come and check out Vitus Shell’s exhibit – it will be going on until Thursday, April 31, 2008.

Music - The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

by Jennifer Lam

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band played a gig at the Double Decker Festival on Saturday April 26, 2008. If you were at the festival that evening and looking to jam out to some awesome music, then the North Lamar stage was the place to be. The atmosphere of the event was already full of energy and hype itself. The Dirty Dozen brought even more to the table. Once the band started up it was as if dancing became infectious and nobody could help but to sway their bodies to the music. Keeping the audience on its feet, the Dirty Dozen featured solo performances from its members. They also varied the sound intensity and tempo to keep the show interesting. There were times when the music became increasingly louder, building up the crowd’s excitement to the brim. Then it would become steadily softer, creating anticipation. The performance was so amazing that at the end, the audience chanted for an encore. The Dirty Dozen gave us what we asked for and continued the party of feel good music and dance.

The genre of the Dirty Dozen could be classified as jazz, jam band, and funk. A New Orleans based band, the Dirty Dozen presents a unique blend of traditional New Orleans and jazz music. The members of the band include: Roger Lewis on baritone sax, Kevin Harris on tenor sax, Efrem Towns and Gregory Davis teaming up on trumpet, Revert Andrews working the trombone, Julius Mckee on the sousaphone, Jake Eckert rocking it out on the guitar, and Terence Higgins on drums. The Dirty Dozen has collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, a renowned trumpeter, and Elvis Costello, an English musician.

The band’s latest album entitled “What’s Going On” was inspired by Marvin Gaye. It looked to express and perhaps even answer the agonizing questions of an uncertain world through music. Their songs are also strongly influenced by each member’s experiences with Hurricane Katrina. In fact, the album’s release marked the one-year anniversary of the storm. The album reached in even deeper than Katrina and looked to address other world issues such as the war in Iraq, poverty, and the recent tsunamis.

Harris, Dirty Dozen‘s tenor sax player says, “What the hell is going on? Its been freaky out there. Bad enough when human beings are snapping at each other left and right, but when nature is drowning thousands of people with tsunamis and hurricanes and scourges? Things are changing, getting strange.”

Documentary - The Untold Story of Emmitt Louis Till

by Amy Chu

The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till portrays the gruesome details from the 1955 murder case of a 14-year-old African American boy named Emmett Till and the sham trial that accompanied the tragedy. The images and media from the death of Till sparked fire for the interest of Civil Rights cases. The case was reopened in 2004 so an official autopsy could be performed on the body. Books, movies, and references of the Emmett Till story are still prevalent in current times.

In 1955, Emmett Till left his home in Chicago to visit family in Money, Mississippi. After purchasing goods with his cousin and the neighborhood kids at Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market, Emmett wolf-whistled at shopkeeper Carolyn Bryant. The owner abruptly rushed out of the store and the boys fled, fearing she would return with a pistol. After returning from a road trip, husband Roy Bryant heard of the news and decided to retaliate.

Roy and his half-brother, J.W. Milam kidnapped Emmett from his great-uncle’s house during the night of August 28. The boy was driven to a neighborhood county where he was beaten to death and then shot in the head. Emmett Till’s mutilated body was recovered days later. Because of the gunshot wound, the face features were distorted. The identification was made from a ring the boy wore. The kidnappers were arrested and put on trial. After only an hour of deliberation, an all white and all male jury acquitted both defendants Bryant and Milam.

The funeral for Emmett Till was held in his hometown of Chicago. After seeing her son, Mamie insisted on leaving an open casket during the funeral to allow photographs. She wanted the world to see how badly her son’s body was disfigured. Emmett Till was buried on September 6 in Alsip, Illinois.

The director of the film, Keith Beauchamp investigated the murder fifty years after Till’s death. After contacting living witnesses and doing extensive research, he compiled the documentary. The film took nine years to complete after earning the trust of witnesses. Beauchamp had a similar incident to that of Till. After being seen dancing with a white girl, he was beaten up outside of a nightclub and in a police station afterwards located in Louisiana.

This documentary can be picked up from any Blockbuster and I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in civil rights or ones interested in learning a bit of history. It is truly heartbreaking to watch and hear Mamie recall the events of the past. She held herself together while explaining the grisly details of what happened to her son’s body. The scenes are a bit slow in transition, but seeing details of events and portraits of this tragedy is well worth the wait.

Cover Art - Kanye West and Led Zeppelin

by Jeremy Barr

Music CD cover art is a great way for artists to be creative about their CD’s and to express different talents in art. They have to use their imagination to successfully express music with visual art. A couple of examples of this creativity and diversity are Kanye West with his album Graduation and Led Zeppelin with his album Mothership. These styles are very different, so let’s see if the covers will have anything to do with what is going on in the songs on the CD!

Kanye West’s music covers many different genres such as rock/pop, R&B, urban soundtrack, rap and def jam. Kanye is a very famous man who has won Grammys and topped the charts with some of his songs, such as “Gold Digger” and “Jesus Walks.” He is quite talented because he uses these different genres of music to create a very unique style. Kanye’s most recent CD, Graduation, has cover art that features animals lifting into the air and throwing their caps, symbolising a graduation from school. They seem very excited because that is the atmosphere of graduation – excitement about the freedom to fly away from home, as the bear is doing in the picture. In this CD, the music relates to graduation in many varying ways, such as the song named “Good Life”; when you graduate, your simple life is supposed to become the good life! Other songs feature different aspects of graduation, such as “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Drunk and Hot Girls.” When you graduate, you feel that no one can tell you what to do, and a whole new social (partying) life awaits in college. The colors on this cover are really bright, and they go great together because they are loud and attention-grabbing. The cover perfectly relates to the subject of the CD because it signifies the excited atmosphere and bright future after graduation.

Led Zeppelin’s music is really just focused on Rock/Pop, and Rock only. This is a very famous group which has won numerous awards, often being referred to as “legends of rock.” Led Zeppelin topped the charts with the song “Stairway to Heaven,” which featured on their CD Mothership. The front of the CD has a speakerbox shaped like a house, with a big blimp hovering over it in a “mothership”-like fashion. The blimp, therefore, is the symbol for the mothership, which is landing in the house of music, meaning that Led Zeppelin is the origin of great rock and that they are there to take over the home of rock music. The colors on the cover are red and black, a stark contrast that alludes to a mothership coming from outer space. Some of the songs, such as “Stairway to Heaven,” are directly related to the subject of the CD because the mothership is like a way to get to heaven, where they are hailed as being the gods of rock music.

These two groups have very unique styles and some differences when it comes to music subjects, but they both have reasons for their covers within their songs. CD covers really reveal what the subject of the songs will be, which can be the reason it is appealing to a potential buyer. Both Kanye’s and Zeppelin’s CDs are available at local music stores, and are a great way to enjoy nationally recognized artists in your own town.

Oxford - There's a Whole Universe of Art Out There!

by Vivian Hansen, Ed.

Coming from a small community on the coast, Oxford is something like a big city to me. I'm an art lover and can appreciate everything that this town has to offer. Double Decker Weekend was one of the greatest art experiences I've had, and I enjoyed visiting all of the 115+ vendors!
It was crowded and crazy, but that atmosphere was great - the entire city of Oxford came out to celebrate the abundance of local art. My personal favorite booth was called Opulent Metals, featuring handmade jewelry made of many kinds of metals and natural stones.But Double Decker isn't your one chance to catch some really awesome shows, exhibits, or other arts - it's right here, always happening, always great. It's easy to take for granted all that's available in this town, so I hope that these art reviews can put a fresh image of everything to see and do here, and inspire you to take advantage of all the awesome art that Oxford has to offer!


Photo References:
Emmett Louis Till Documentary: http://www.dvdconfidential.com/uploaded_images/emmett-dvd-742825.jpg
E.L.Till photo: http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/Emmett-Till-Defender10sep55b.jpg
Dirty Dozen Brass Band photo: http://www.bigeasybuffalo.com/graphics/dirty_dozen.jpg
DDB Band CD photo: http://images.jambase.com/merch/GoingOn.jpg
Kanye West CD:http://thephoenix.com/onthedownload/content/binary/kanye-graduation.jpg

Led Zeppelin photo:http://www.musicdirect.com/shared/images/products/large/zeppelin.jpg