SPOTLIGHT: Quadramics gives its side of 'The Wall'

The Quadramics spring musical The Wall will open next Thursday at the Harold Prince Theatre, giving a few new twists to the Pink Floyd movie and album. According to College senior Marc Zachary, director of the The Wall, the play will be a "rock opera" based on the work of Pink Floyd's Roger Waters. He said it will be put in political and historical context. "It is an indictment of all the inhumanity in the world, like racism and intolerance," said Zachary. "It shows how easily we can be led to commit crimes against humanity." The story is told through the life of a rock singer named Pink, who will be played by College senior Brett Keyser. Zachary, who adapted the story for the stage from Waters' music and film, said there will be a slide projection during the play that will help the audience follow the story. He also stressed that there is no lip synching in the production -- Quadramics put together a rock band specifically for the play. College senior Laura Diamond and College junior Lisa Wachtell choreographed the show's many dance numbers. Diamond said the dancing is a combination of jazz and modern dance and the style varies for each piece, some being more lyrical than others. She also added that there is a lot of movement/dance involved in the play and all 19 members of the cast will be dancing at some point during the play. "The play is a marriage of dancing, singing and acting," said Diamond. College junior Jay Levin, the music director in charge of vocals for the show, said all the arrangements are entirely original. Levin, along with College senior Jonathan Coopersmith, wrote the entire musical score for the play. Vocal arrangements were written for between two and seven parts for each song. In some cases, extra parts were included for more harmony, like in the song Mother, where two people will be singing instead of one, according to Levin. Although many members of the cast do not have any prior experience in theater, most have worked with rock bands. Levin said a few ideas have been borrowed from the film, but the play portrays the characters very differently. Jaci Israel, a College sophomore, who plays the narrator and Pink's alter ego, describes her character as the bond between Pink and the rest of the play. Israel, who said she likes to sing rock, said this was "musically the most incredible role" she has ever performed. Israel also said her role is harder than it seems since she is just a presence and does not actually interact with the other characters. The Wall will be performed April 4 to 6 and 11 to 13 at 8 p.m. at the Harold Prince Theatre in the Annenberg Center. Tickets will be available on Locust Walk for $5.

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