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Climax
Nebraska ETV viewers will get a chance Monday at 7 p.m.
to be exposed to jazzman Chuck Mangione's musical
versatility, in a 90-minute concert entitled "Together" on the
PBS Special of the Week. . . .
Performing on flugelhorn, piano and organ, JVfanglone will
conduct the 50-member Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
and lead his own quartet.
Accompanying Mangione will be his brother. Gap, on
piano; Gerry Niewood on soprano and tenor sax and flute;
folksingers Bat McGrath and Don Potter; vocalist Esther
Satterfield and soloists from the Rochester Philharmonic
Mangione was nominated for a 1971 Grammy Award for an
innovative instrumental jazz composition, "Hill Where the
Lord Lives.
The Union Special Film. Committee is presenting Jean-Luc
Godard's hew film. Wind From the East and a short film about
picture postcards entitled 7b the Loved Ones at Home by two
local filmers, John Spence, a UNL graduate student in art. and
Ted Kooser, a UNL instructor of English and poetry, on
Tuesday at 3. 7. and 9 p.m. in the Sheldon Art Gallery.
Concerts coming into the area? You bet.
B J. Thomas, with songs like "Raindrop Keep Fallin' on My
Head and "Rock and Roll Lullaby" to his credit, will be
appearing with Climax at Pershing Auditorium on Thursday at
8 p.m.
Tuesday, April 25, finds three "biggies" booked into the
auditorium. Heading the bill is It's A Beautiful Day, with blues
singer Taj Mahal and ex-lead singer of Ten Wheel Drive, Genya
Revan, winding up the card.
With a string of hits too long to mention,
singer-songwriter Neil Diamond will be at the auditorium on
Friday, April 28. Diamond's second act is comedian Albert
Brooks.
, It looks as if the rumors were wrong, the Moody Blues will
not be up in Omaha, but Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary
fame wilt he at the flmaha flivie Aitrlitnrium An Maw 7
'Sf.Joan'
dies a
messy
death
Review by Jim Gray
and Larry Kubert
One can't help wondering, after
viewing Kosmet Klub's production of The
Survival of St. Joan, if burning wasn't too
good for St. Joan. Not that everything
about the production was bad, just nearly
everything.
To begin with, St. Joan - is a rock
opera. And not a good rock opera. One of
the first of a new theater form, St. Joan
attempts to cash in on new trends in
music and drama.
As in all experimental areas, however,
not all attemps prove good. St. Joan tries
to take a dull, confusing plot and make it
interesting by using lots of thunderous
rock music and a negligible amount of
acting. It doesn't
Having thus chosen a poor example of
musical drama, Kosmet Klub's
production went on, believe it or not, to
make things worse. Whether the fault lies
in the cast, its directors or the show's
financial backers is impossible to say. The
show was simply bad.
Admittedly, the show doesn't allow
much room for deep character
involvement, but tin Kosmet Klub
production refused: to admit the
possibility of any acting whatsoever. The
cast closely resembled so many
marionettes bouncing around the stage
with half of their strings cut. No in-depth
characterization was apparent in any of
the roles. . .
In the lead of the 15th Century
French heroine, Sandy Dobbins, wife of
director E. Mike Dobbins promised to
give an adequate performance. But that
promise went up in smoke.
Somewhat more interesting were the
characterizations of the farmer (Mitch
Mohanna) and his son (Dave Landis).
Both, at least -displayed some competence
in acting and singing.
The most outstanding performances
however, came from two lesser
characters. Steve Peter and Robert
Ellenbogen as a pair of deserting soldiers
who attempt to help St. Joan after she
has been raped and left behind by the
French army, were excellent. Their duet
was easily the high point of the show.
On the other hand. Deb Moore's
choreography was the uncontested low
point. With most of the dancing closely
resembling warm-up exercises for a mime
class, one wonders if Moore didn't study
with Jack LaLanne.
Clearly out of its musical element.
Touchstone, backed up by Dick Phillips
and Tom Alesio, proved unable to
provide the music for the show.
Offsetting the music and acting, the
technical portion of the production was
brilliant. Dean Tschetter's scene design
and Jane Tschetter's costumes were the
only bright spots in an otherwise
burnt-out production. Bom were richly ,
imaginative and complementary to the
show.
Considering the limitations of the
UNL Coliseum, the show's lighting was
adequate. The most disappointing
technical aspect was the garbled,
impossible-to-understand sound system.
The audience was tempted, upon leaving
the Coliseum to buy a copy of the
original cast alburn conveniently on sale
in the foyer, simply to find out what the
words of the songs actually were.
Probably one of the saddest features
of the entire Fiasco was that the audience
feit obligated to give the show a standing
ovation. Recently, it seems that almost
any entertainment venture draws
thurnderous applause from Lincoln 1"
audiences, no matter how bad the :
production is. Certainly St Joan didn't :
deserve any ovation, much less a standing
one.
Even worse is the fact that many
people who saw the show will say they
like it, simply because it is currently the
"hip" thing to dig rock opera. A bad
production is a bad production; even if
if s "hip."
One member of the audience best
summed up the show by saying "If this
were opening night on Broadway, this
would be the last chance you'd have to
see this show." Scorching comment, but
true.
ee
iff IMF
SPECIAL! Shsvi done W heal iiknm
fTlX!TN
Shown. TuCi April 18 , 3, llSpm with:
-pP- xyiff from.
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wind ffrp tits ast
WARNING TO MILITANTS: "WATCH OUT. REFLECT. BE EARLY. " y
BE LATE. THINK! MANUFACTURE. SIMPLIFY. BUILD. WAIT. .
A NEW FILM BY JEAN-LUC GODARD.
SHELDON GALLERY
TUESDAY, APRIL 18
3, 7, & 9 PM
$1.00
PRESENTED BY UNION SPECIAL FILMS
irti nil
PAGE 6
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
MONDAY, APBIL 17, 1972