Can a 28 year-old-play about societal values still pack a punch? Unfortunately, yes — which means we haven't fixed it yet. If 'Top Girls' isn't the shocker it was when Caryl Churchill's play first appeared on a London stage in 1982, it's only because we've seen enough to recognize the problems.  

Under Professor Sandra Forman's zesty direction, the student actors turn the first hour of this 2002 script by Theresa Rebeck and Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros into rattling good spit-and-spirit theater. It's just post-9/11, and seven glitterati (some lampooning real world celebs) gather over gourmet grub prepared by domestic diva Suzie, played by Katie Kershaw.   

Some students at Northern Kentucky University are upset by turmoil in the school's Office of African American Student Affairs, including the firings of top personnel. Combined with NKU's low rate for retaining black students, they question the institution's commitment to diversity.  

It's no secret that the rise of Internet advertising has corresponded with a shrinking advertiser base for newspapers. There were 689 cities with at least two daily newspapers a century ago, according to Dr. Sam Schulhofer-Wohl of Princeton University. Now it's more like a dozen. Whether this is a death knell or a wake up call, however, is a matter of opinion.  

When George Wolfe's 'The Colored Museum' was new, back in 1986, it drove some New York critics to spasms of praise for its liberating satire. Now onstage at Northern Kentucky University, there's considerably more sizzle than satire — or substance — to the show, which has been frazzle-dazzled into vaudeville that insists on upstaging itself.  

Yes, the ship sinks. Happily, the musical does not. 'Titanic,' that is, now onstage with a cast of 37 at Northern Kentucky University. Composer-lyricist Maury Yeston and author Peter Stone have created a show with close to continuous music, solos for more than 20 people, huge choral numbers and frequent shifts of scene from bow to stern. The cast members are nicely matched to their music and to each other.   

Siam Orchid is tiny but inviting and in a great location. Neighbors in Bellevue like to get out and support their local eateries, so I hope this restaurant polishes its rough edges and earns their patronage.  

NKU's student paper was wrong to cancel ads for Resistance Records because the advertiser's racism offends the editor. And Editor Tim Owens was wrong to publish an apology for carrying the ads. If he were going to apologize, it should have been for invoking his beliefs to justify silencing an advertiser.  

College is a time of decisions: Where are you going to go to school? What are you going to major in? What organizations are you going to join? While considering these long-term scenarios, another eminent decision to make is whether or not to live on or off campus.   

Watching new scripts in their initial productions can be a double-edged sword: While it's exciting to be among the first audiences to see a brand-new play, there are often rough edges. Within 'Love and Communication' is a heartfelt, painful story about two parents dealing with the difficulties of raising an autistic child. But the new script, one of three plays produced during the biennial Y.E.S. Festival at Northern Kentucky University, tries to do too many things and dilutes its impact.