This document contains summaries of two events: a concert celebrating Korn's 20th anniversary album and a film screening of the faith-based movie "War Room". For the Korn concert, opening bands Islander and Suicide Silence warmed up the packed crowd at Irving Plaza. Korn then performed to an enthusiastic audience, playing songs from their debut album. Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch reflected on the album's enduring energy and his focus now on connecting with fans. For the "War Room" screening, the film follows a woman who learns to pray daily for her marriage from an older neighbor. Through prayer, small miracles occur to improve her relationship with her neglectful husband. The movie

1. Rokia Traore, left,Tina Benk and backup vocalists. (PHOTO BY PHINN SRIPLOYRUNG)
New interpretation of
“Othello”CHARLES MCNULTY
CONTACT REPORTER
From the merest suggestion
in Shakespeare’s “Othello” that
Desdemona may have had an
African maid as a girl, Toni Morri-
son imagines hidden dimensions
in the mind and heart of the Sen-
ator’s daughter who shocked
Venice by marrying a Moor.
In “Desdemona,” which
opened Thursday at UCLA’s Freud
Playhouse and continues its run
through Sunday, Morrison fills in
the character’s story both before
her meeting with Othello and af-
ter she is murdered by him. This
isn’t so much a play as a theatri-
cal séance, a meditation on the
meaning of her life through mod-
ern considerations of gender and
race scarcely thinkable in Shake-
speare’s time.
Music holds equal weight with
Morrison’s words. The incantatory
singing of Malian singer-songwrit-
er Rokia Traoré responds to the
text in the spirit of contrapuntal
jazz.
Themes derived from Shake-
speare having to do with love,
death and the natural world are
lyrically extended in songs that
are performed in Traoré’s na-
tive Bambara. (English supertitles
are projected onto the stage,
the words of the songs becom-
ing part of the spare scenery.)
Perched on a stool with her gui-
tar, Traoré is accompanied by
two female backup singers and
two musicians playing ancient Af-
rican instruments.
Discreetly occupying the shift-
ing center of the production is
Tina Benko, who plays Desdemo-
na along with other characters
from “Othello.” Benko’s beauty is
porcelain-like, but there’s an ath-
letic sturdiness to her that would
seem hard to break. This Desde-
mona isn’t looking for revenge or
apologies. She wants to under-
stand what led to her tragic cir-
cumstances. More urgently, she
wants to clarify that her actions,
however shortsighted or blinded
by privilege, emanated from love.
“I exist in between, now: be-
tween being killed and being un-
dead; between life on Earth and
life beyond it; between all time,
which has no beginning and no
end, and all space which is both
a seedling as well as the sun it
yearns for,” she says, establishing
the otherworldly nature of the
piece.
The production, hypnotically
staged by Peter Sellars, resem-
bles a holy ritual. Single light bulbs
dangle midair, lending the effect
of candles on the altar of a bou-
tique hotel. Microphones are ar-
rayed in sculptural configurations
too abstract to be technological-
ly imposing. Glass objects litter the
floor, Laura’s menagerie recast
with perfume bottles, jars and ir-
regular lamps.
The company is outfitted in
white, the women in dresses with
straps, the men in suits. Purity, as
vulnerable as ephemeral nature,
is on parade. Perversion, evil and
catastrophe lurk in the shadows.
Sellars is wise to treat
“Desdemona” more as an artful
concert album with literary riffs
than a postmodern drama.
Morrison’s writing is a crucial
element of the production,
establishing the world in which
the music and scenography
can vibrate in response. But the
scenes aren’t ordered in a way
that maximizes their effect. They
Please see Othello, page C3
Metal concerts bring many well-
known artists together
BY DIANCA POTTS
VILLAGE VOICE
In 1994 Korn released their de-
but album. Last night, the Left
Coast five-piece celebrated their
self-titled LP’s 20th anniversary
alongside avid fans with a much
anticipated performance at Ir-
ving Plaza.
The venue was packed with
lifelong listeners , most who bore
the headliner’s name across the
front or backs of their t-shirts.
Generations of Korn fans wait-
ed patiently as Victory Records’
Islander kicked things off with
fittingly heavy riffs reminiscent
of post-hardcore’s heydays. It
was clear during their set that
their time on stage was in a way
somehow sacred, that they too
harbored the same anticipation
as their audience for Korn’s immi-
nent performance.
The silence that followed the
impassioned applause brought
on by their departure was quickly
filled by classic nu metal anthems
like Slipknot’s “Sic,” which incited
an impromptu sing-along. Soon
after, Suicide Silence took the
stage.
Within an instant, the death-
core outfit got the crowd mov-
ing, causing a small yet energet-
ic mosh pit to form in the middle
of the main floor. As if it were
still ‘94, fans thrashed, kicked,
and crashed into each other,
many doing so with smiles plas-
tered across their faces as Sui-
cide Silence headbanged and
punched the air. By the end of
their set, Suicide Silence had
successfully prepped the crowd
for Korn, leaving their audience
breathless from enjoyably brutal
cuts like “F--- Everything” from
2011’s Black Crown.
Before exiting the stage, lead
singer Hernan “Eddie” Hermi-
da sincerely thanked the more
than grateful crowd as applause
erupted in waves.
As show-goers waited for the
much anticipated headliner of
the night, Korn’s Brian “Head”
Welch and his band mates
prepped for their set backstage.
While making a pre-performance
sandwich, the co-founding
member and guitarist of Korn re-
flected on the band’s debut. “The
energy of the songs [and] playing
them live hasn’t really changed
for me,” he tells the Voice. “I love
the energy of how they make me
feel. I love the breakdowns; I love
the dynamics; like getting real
soft and then —” He screams.
“That stuff hasn’t changed. I think
that when I listen to the record I
feel a little bit dark, a little bit of a
depression, but playing live is dif-
ferent.”
Welch’s connection to the al-
bum has remained a constant
over the decades, although his
connection to his fans has in
many ways evolved due to his
conversion to Christianity. “My
main focus now is the people...I
realize that everyone is at a dif-
ferent path, so I can’t make them
want to start a relationship with
Jesus, but it’s not about me,” he
reflects. “Before it was like, ‘Oh, I
want to make money, I want to
be on TV, I want to be on the ra-
dio.’ And now it’s about sharing
life.”
Whether “sharing life” through
his music or one-on-one with fans,
it is clear that Welch, much like his
bandmates, is still at his prime.
As Korn’s set began, Irving
Plaza seemed to shake with the
reverberations of cheers and
screams, with many members of
the audience proclaiming, “This is
epic!” Performing before a back-
drop reminiscent of their music
video for “Freak On A Leash,” the
band’s mere presence sparked
subsequent minutes of joyous ap-
plause.
Beginning with “Blind,” Korn’s
performance felt timeless, each
song rounding out with a visceral
weight and audible precision,
proving to any skeptics that nu
metal is an art form in its own right.
As “Blind” led to later tracks like
“Need To” and the undeniably
Please see Korn, page C3
infectious “Clown,” the energy
brewing between frontman
Jonathan Davis and his fellow
bandmates was tangible.
The crowd seemed to hang
on every movement of the set,
their shouts and cheers rising in
volume as Davis played the in-
tro to “Divine” on bagpipes and
rising again during the chorus of
JOE LEYDON
@JOELEYDON
VARIETY
Yet another faith-based indie
that upended the expectations
of box office prognosticators
by scoring a bountiful open-
ing-weekend gross, “War Room”
is by far the most slickly produced
and insistently evangelical movie
yet from the sibling team of Alex
and Stephen Kendrick.
Unlike their previous “Fire-
proof” (2008) and “Courageous”
(2011), which wove uplifting
messages of contrition, redemp-
tion and transformative Chris-
tianity into tales about morally
challenged first responders —
firefighters in one, police officers
in the other — their new drama
is pretty much undiluted prayer
rally from beginning to end.
The emphatic proselytizing
doubtless will resound with
ticketbuyers who feel a drama
focused on the possibility of spiri-
tual salvation can be every bit as
compelling as a spectacle that
pivots on the question of wheth-
er Loki can pull one over on the
Avengers. But it remains to be
seen if there’s crossover potential
for a wide release so bereft of al-
luring plot hooks for mainstream
audiences.
Elizabeth Jordan (Priscilla
Shirer), an attractive wife, mom
and real estate agent, has grown
weary of constantly quarreling
with her inattentive husband,
Tony (T.C. Stallings), a hard-
charging, frequently traveling
pharmaceutical company rep
who may have cheating on his
mind. But before she can con-
sider a visit to a divorce lawyer,
she has the good fortune — or,
perhaps more accurately, the
miraculous fortune — to cross
paths with Miss Clara (Karen
Abercrombie), a feisty old lady
whose Bible-thumping zealous-
ness is so pronounced that even
Tyler Perry’s perpetually extrovert-
ed Madea might find her to be,
well, a bit much. (All the major
characters in “War Room” are
black, which may be another
reason why some underestimat-
ed the movie’s ability to draw
flocks to megaplexes.)
Miss Clara is unashamedly
and indefatigably curious, if not
downright nosey, and quick-
ly divines that all is not right in
Elizabeth’s life. So she advises
the younger woman to pray,
pray and then pray some more,
preferably in the seclusion of a
closet converted into a spiritu-
al “war room” where she can
paste Bible verses, wish lists and
other inspirational material on
the wall for easy reference. As
Miss Clara sees it — and Elizabeth
soon comes to agree — Eliza-
beth should not spend her time
dwelling on Tony’s many failings
as a husband, or his neglectful-
ness as a father to their daugh-
ter, Danielle (Alena Pitts). Rather,
she should be fighting alongside,
not against, her errant husband,
forging an alliance to battle the
one responsible for their unhappi-
ness: Satan.
In the world according to
the Kendrick brothers, miracles
start to happen just as soon as
someone starts praying. Indeed,
sometimes all it takes is a few
entreaties to the Lord for a losing
high-school football team to
begin a victory lap. (Check out
2006’s “Facing the Giants.”) In
“War Room,” manifestations of
divine intervention are rather
more prosaic, but every bit as
helpful: When Tony dines out with
a cutie during a business trip,
Please see Prayer, page C2
Korn onstage at Irving Plaza, October 5, 2015
(PHOTOS BY SACHYN MITAL)
Korn onstage at Irving Plaza, October 5, 2015
(PHOTOS BY SACHYN MITAL)
HARLEM, Ga. -- “Now Chan-
nel 12, is that in color? I won-
der if they’re in high definition.
Hi definition? Oh, hi definition,”
Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel
impersonators joked.
It’s a festival honoring two
iconic names of comedy who
began in the silent film era, but
it’s not all fun and games.
“We draw people from all
over and it seems to get bigger
and bigger each year,” said
Harlem City Manager Jason
Rizner.
That means big money for
little Harlem, Ga.
On a normal day, the pop-
ulation of this town is around
2,700 people, but for one day
a year, that number swells ten-
fold.
“We estimate the crowd to
be anywhere from 30 to 40,000
every year. For a little ole town
like Harlem, that’s a real big
benefit,” said Festival Commit-
tee Chairman and City Coun-
cilman John Thigpen.
The festival is all to honor
Hardy and Laurel.
Harlem is the birthplace of
Hardy and home to the only
museum in the United States.
“It draws a lot of people
here that wouldn’t normally
come to Harlem, and we think
we have something special
here. It’s a good chance to
show the town off,” Rizner said.
There are a few familiar fac-
es, however, like the two guys
who travel from Canton, Ohio,
to walk the festival streets of
Harlem dressed up like Hardy
and Oliver.
It’s their 19th year playing
the duo. Dale E. Walter Sr. plays
Hardy and Dennis Moriarty
plays Laurel.
“We can drive down here,
but to go to the other muse-
ums we have to swim a lot,”
they said.
Another couple traveled
1,100 miles from Canada to be
Please see Impersonator,
page C3
Impersonators
pay tribute to
Oliver Laurel
and Stan Hardy
“War Room” shows that miracles
happen when you pray
Top two best tours to see great foliage this fall
-C2
Art gallery honors autumn beauty
-C5
C1