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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1975)
mofiday, dscember 8, 185 page 12 daily nebraskan 11 LOJ Li r- i 'Goodbar' a tale for singles Bode review by BID Roberts Looking For Mr. Goodbar, by Judith RossnerSimon and Schuster, New York $7.95 Judith Rossner's Looking For Mr. Goodbar is an instructive novel for people who think it is safe for a young woman to pick up strange men in singles' bars. But for those who perceive emotional and physical hazards in such a practice, Look ing For Mr. Goodbar is merely a slick, mildly erotic, throwaway novel. Rossner starts her fourth book by giv- ing away the ending. Theresa Dunn is killed in her apartment by Gary White, a pathetic lost soul with a violent streak, whom she met earlier that evening at the Mr. Good bar tavern. The rest of the book is a flashback; trac ing the life of Theresa from her childhood to her mid20s death. It's a sort of pilgrim's progress, as the reader watches her change from a nice girl into a loose woman. , Sarcastic fraud The portrait of Theresa's first lover, English professor Martin Engle, is cleverly done. Engle is a sarcastic, unfeeling fraud, and his affair with her is a classic snow job. He's the kind of character a reader loves to hate. 'To everything, turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn," he tells Theresa in explaining his inevitable desertion. Rossner loses her sense of humor after telling about Theresa's initial contact with a man. She sends her tarnished heroine down a melodramatic path to a swinging single's doom. Theresa is an excellent school teacher, but a daytime rapport with the children won't get her through the night. So she goes to the Manhattan bars, often over sleeping the next day and disappointing her devoted class. Away from it all -She meets a Boy Scout-type lawyer who wants to marry her and take her away from it all. She dumps him for bedroom athlete Tony Lopanto, who makes love in time to rock music. She even attends a meeting of a feminist rap group. Men rule and ruin her life, she is told. Theresa nods thoughtfully, then puts on her customary sweater and jeans and heads for a bar. Looking For Mr. Goodbar was written to give readers something to do besides think. Quickly read and quickly forgotten, Rossner's novel is suitable for long-distance bus trips. 'Crucible' cast suffers from emotional lag Than It a misty plot afoot to tubtia wo should ba criminal to cling to old ntpactt. . .Tha Duvil It allva In Salam and wa dan not quail to follow whanvar tha accusing fingsr pointxl "Tha Crvclbla by Arthur Millar The date is 1692; the location, a small village in Massachusetts; the event, the hunting of witches. This bizarre episode in American history serves as the background material for Arthur Miller's dramatic tour de-force The Crucible, current production by the UNL Theater Dept. Miller, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Death of A Salesman, recreates, with enormous strength, the religious mass hysteria that prevailed in New Eneland in the late 17th century. In historical notes prefacing the play, Miller says, "One will discover the es sential nature of one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history." 19S0 parallels Although Miller was writing about events that occurred in the distant past, the play was published at the height of the McCarthy era, a time that closely com pared to Massachusetts in the 1600s. The parallels between the investigations of alleged Communists by the House Un American Activities Committee and the Salem Witch Trials are almost too frighteningly obvious. Only three years after The Crucible ap peared on Broadway (19S3), Miller him self was convicted by the committee for the failure to disclose names of persons in attendance at Communist Party meetings. Fortunately, Miller's conviction was over turned by a higher court. The Crucible deals with lies the lies of children. In the course of events several of these children pretend to be appraoched by the spirits of witches, and begin naming names. Innocent people are led to jail, already proclaimed guilty by association. In an attempt to discredit the trials and end the insanity, John Proctor, a stalwart farmer, comes before the court, only to be convicted and hanged himself, rather wan confess a sin he never committed. Emotional lag The large cast in the Howell production, under the direction of Hal Floyd, realized very little of Miller's original emotional impact. It was not evident that either the audience or the actors understood what was being transmitted. This was one of a number of reasons The Crucible seemed so interminably long (three hours). Floyd must be given credit, however, for ir Producing a host of new faces to the Howell stage. It was refreshing to see a shift from the traditional casting. Chan Taylor, as Paris, the town Parson, was unnaturally sitff and rigid in his per formance. Although some of this was needed for his character, most of it ap peared effected. It was apparent that most of the characters suffered from this effec tedness stemming from shallow interpre tations. Notable acting Notable exceptions in the cast were Randall Parker, who alternated between moments of strength and weakness as Proc tor, and Ann Perkinton, who portrayed Elizabeth Proctor with a certain depth of feeling. Judy Zimmermann also turned in an interesting portrayal as Abigail Williams, the instigator of the witch crying. The set for the Howell production was superbly designed by Sandy Moeller and Dan Proett. It is equally impressive for its austerity and subtle detail, truly one of the finest scenic designs in recent years. The lighting, designed by Bob Moeller, brought the set to life, adding the exact moods required. The Crucible continues through Dec. 13. i - II If J II 4l-k w W7 15101 I AJS Hardly 'Choirboys' high on list Below are Lincoln's best-selling books. Fiction 1 . The Choirboys, Wambaugh 2. Curtain, Christie 3. The Greek Treasure, Stone 4. Centennial, Michener 5. Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Rossner Non-fiction 1 . The Cornhuskers, Israel 2. A Pictorial History of Nebraska, Nicoll 3. The Doonesbury Chronicles, Trudeau A. Angels, Graham 5. The People's Almanac, Wallechinsky List compiled from the five best-selling books a! B. Dalton, The Nebraska Bookstore and Miller and Paine. Hear the ime 30ii!ios of Small Dee. 8 thru 13th Now Men's A-Go-Go Contests YFomens' Contest Tiies. at 11:00 pan. Wed. at 11:00 pan. Cash Prises 2-fcrs & Niclde Draws 6:30 - 0:15 -The Royal Grove 340 W. eomfitiskcr 3 m SFSMWSBWWSSBr Sholdon Art G2!terw 12 &R NATIVE LAND h r 1 (U.S.A. 1942 65 minutes) Diracted by Uo Hurwitz & Paul Strand NATIVE LAND is a feature- length dramatic documentary about the struggle of Ameri cans to maintain tha civil liber ties guaranteed tham by tha Bill of Rights among tfcem tha riofot of freedom rat . t biy, freedom of axoratsiaa and freedom from iilagal search and seizure - during cm not-so-distant pariod In our history -tha 1330'a. plus a second featurt FINALLY GOT THE NEWS (U.S.A. 1373 E5 minutes) ' - " Louis. THE NEWS Is iS FINALLY GOT -rfcln, conditio, SSk TpaS !S ZEES? " C' Seres . JBi ft N Wit 1 A, Admission $1X3