Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 1999)
' '4 ~f,~' »•>* v «*••' ■ - v 'h» ««S --A •■•*..■ - I Story By Jason Hardy ■ Photos By Sharon Kolbet - - - . ... - -- - In* i;: ••••.r-M . .. ,,j ; . LEFT: DURING A REHEARSAL of the American opera “The Face on the Barroom Floor,” vocal performance mafor Janies Hardin sings while fellow performer Anne Gray looks on. ABOVE: A CAST MEMBER examines music in prepa ; ration ter the weekend performance atCrane River. 'Barroom' opera to be performed at Crane River ^ To a large number of students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, opera proba bly isn’t a major priority. Chances are they’d just rather spend their money on beer. This weekend, they can finally do both. The UNL School of Music is bringing the . panache of opera into die relaxed atmosphere of the Crane River bar and restaurant with a wF_ production of Henry Mollicone’s “The Face on the Barroom Floor.” For director Ariel Bybee, aa artist in resi dence and lecturer for the School of Music, putting the opera on in a bar was never in question - deciding on which bar was die only problem. “This opera is supposed to be done in a bar, exactly as we’re doing it,” Bybee said. “We’re con cerned about sound quality, and we’ve never performed here, but one of the reasons we chose Crane River is because it has high ceilings. “Also, the way the bar was set up is perfect for an audience, and the owners of Crane River have been very excited to have us there. x The opera itself has become one of the most frequently performed American operas and was written to be performed m a bar in Central City, Colo., during the early 1980s. ' , ’ The story begins in present day and flashes back to a 19th century bar scene. As die opera moves forward, the audience hears two stories of love, passion and everything that comes in between, ultimately making an eerie connec tion between the past and present. For members of the cast, the interesting story and the unique setting make this produc tionsomething quite special. “I love it In-your-face operais always fun,” ' said Jennifer Booth, a senior music education major in die production. “It kind of forces you to do your job, because when the audience is way out there, there’s a lot of stuff they can’t see. Up close, you really have to watch what you do.” Not only is this production taking place in a bar, the cast will be using the actual sur roundings instead of a fabricated set. Bybee said it provided the actors with a lot of oppor tunities to be creative with their environment. “Oh, they love it,” she said. “This is very fun. They’re going to crawl over the bar and really use die space there.” Bryce Weber, a junior music education major in the opera, said being immersed in an actual setting allows for a more realistic per formance. “Generally, there is more of a line (between the production and the audience),” Weber said. - “But this is great because you get to use the whole building. There’s nothing left to the imagination.” Bybee said the quality of the production is taken very seriously, but the tone of the piece is a— They’re going to crawl over the bar and really use the space there” Ariel Bybee opera director still pretty playful. “Even though there is a lot of honky tonk bar music, it gets more serious,” she said. “So it’s serious music, but it Is a fun story.” She said that in keeping with the relaxed feel of “The Face on the Barroom Floor,” the $5 cover charge gets each audience member coffee, dessert and entrance to the event, which starts at 10 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Bybee said depending cm how the produc tion goes, she’d love to put it on at different bars around town. “I’d love to do it for the rest of th$ year,” she said. “Or maybe even make it a yearly tradi tion.”