Review by
BILL WALLIS
English Department
If the Omaha Studio
Theater's recent production of
Strindberg's Dance of Death is
a sign of things to come, area
viewers may expect not only
highly experimental produc
tions, but traditional in
terpretations of past masters
which subscribe to methods
and techniques indicative of
dramatic art at its best:
presenting the joys and terrors
of life-conflicts in presentations
which are the result of a
balanced state of technical and
aesthetic dramatic elements.
The dramatic art of Strindberg
is an excellent test for any
director. Much of it is
universal meaning through his
imaginative efforts. The Dance
f Death is such a play.
The theme of the play is
vampirism. Edgar and Alice,
both in late, middle-age, draw
life from those about them
Kurt, Alice's eousin and a
family "friend," and their own
daughter Judith and her young
lover, Allan, Kurt's son. The
vampirism may involve purely
emotional matter, or, as is the
case with Alice and Kurt,
physical love; or, it may be
limited to business affairs, as
Edgar usurps Kurt's worldly
possessions.
Edgar and Alice's characters
may be interpreted as
Strindberg's metaphors for
human existence studded with
the violent confrontations in
volved in forming bonds with
other human beings, and with
the great fear of being alone in
a hostile universe. The result is
a bitter struggle of individuals
for what they hold precious.
Edgar is an aging officer,
mzA
Iff?
! ! FREE ! !
Delivery
to campus area
MENU
Small
Mouartlla Qm 1.1 S
Onion 1.50
Sausago 1.65
Mushroom 1.65
Pepptroni 1.65
Anchovy 1.6$
Pizza Suprtai 1.90
Vt Cktcst Vi Sausagt 1.50
Hamburger 1.65
Canadian Bacon 1.65
Shrimp 1.65
Block divt 1.50
Extra Ingrtdioitts JO
MfLX PCP
EAT IN OR CARRY OUT
OPEN 11:00 A.M. DAILY
7 DAYS A WEEK
tar Pewter Service Phone Ahood
A flew 20 Mimtw
4601 "0" St. Phone 459-4431
2435 So. 48th St. Phone 483-2359
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13,
bitter about the lack of ap
preciation of others for the
strict discipline to which he has
always held this discipline is
amoral and .cruelly so, the au
dience finds out as the play
progresses. Edgar is poor, so
he drains Kurt's capital (while
Alice is draining him emo
tionally and physically); Edgar
is estranged from Alice, so he
has a brief affair with Kurt's
Midwest
drama at
it's best
ex-wife, whom he knows Kurt
still loves.
Gene Driscoll as Edgar and
Tom Adams as Kurt were both
far more than sufficient in their
roles, but neither had the
nuance to fully complement the
force and beauty of Lee
TrudeU's Alice. With impec
cable diction, considerable
power of presence, and con
trolled functional movement,
her Alice was a demon-woman
who alternately horrified and
tore empathy from us.
Judith, Edgar, Alice's
daughter, and Allan, Kurt'3
son, may be seen as
metaphoric representations of
the spiritual side of man. These
characters capture the com
bination of ecstasy and despair
which is that of the spirit of
eternal youth and the
rediscovery of self a self
Largo
1.90
120
155
155
155
155
3.15
120
155
155
155
120
JO
1970
divorced from the physical.
Diane Casker as Judith was
exquisite and impressive;
Larry French handled the dif
ficult role of Allan with com
petance. Their flight from conflict-dominated
presence of
their parents was clearly
representative of Strindberg's
affirmation of man's existential
possibilities through the spirit
of love and art. Robert Neu's
direction offered clean func
tional movement and a cons
tant flow of action from scene
to scene. -
Sets, costuming and lighting
complimented a soundly
directed and performed aura of
action.
This production seems to me
the best community theater
I've seen in this area; and,
since it is Neu's first produ
ction of the season, area
viewers may look forward to
other productions of this same
high caliber. The short trip to
Omaha is well worthwhile.
The next Studio Theater
Production at Omaha will be a
night of one-act plays,
presented on Dec. 4-6, and 11-13.
Read
Nebraskan
Want Ads
r i
-NEBRASM
T2thPSt!Mt
TL. I I I AT
2 1'
r
as
, . usgaussi umss tr deem " -v &
- 4 i i f
Car eLTS'WSaSSW mm'
G
CX3H
-WAR t liOO. 4;i5,
"MONSTER" at 2:30,
THE NEBRASKAN
T0M1V NIGHT at 8:00 P.M.
Pf7fe3 m
Continuous from 1 PJM.
www wist roilta
now showing!
"' 11,11 '
it t aJL.
': v'.iTv-
5(15, 10t20 P.M.
5:40, Ii43 P.M.
CONCERT C7
"EASY" RIDER" . . . EASY
LISTENING" Featuring
"In-A-Goddo-Da-Uida"
DON ELLIS
AND
23 FRIENDS
ALL SEATS RESERVED
$3 $4 - $5 - EXTRA
SPECIAL LIMITED SECTION - $6.50
PERSHING TICKET OFFICE
OPEN 12 NOON TILL 6 P.M. DAILY
rv.
10 CCOf co
GCUfGE
STCEJTS
MET
CE
By conserva
tive estimate
more than fifteen million college
students have used Cliff's Notes
since we became America's tint
literary study aid. This prefer
ence continues to build-far
two big reason!
1 QUAIITY-The eaiy-to
understand commentary an4
explanation you get from
Notes result from painstaking
work by our board of authors.
Predominantly Ph.D.'s, these"
scholars art specially selected)
for their knowledge of particular
works and for their ability to
make these works meaningful
to you.
2AVAIUBIUTY-Cltfrs Notes
concentrate on giving yoa all the
plays and novels moat frequently
assigned In colloga. If your dealer
is temporarily out of the title you
need, ask him tocall us on his
special "Hot Line."
Buy Clim Notes today- they're a
bargain in understanding college
literature assignments.
$1 at your bookseller or writet
J!lifiki:oic
Wnccln, Nebraako 68901
PAGE 9
323P23P2''
nJBSininnii
"lif
