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: or is & .entertainment
rAlie' leaves
audience Irs wonderland
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Thoto fey VLsebst Hsay
The tta Theatre-prodsscfba c.f A'ice in Wonderistd h a assskl 'tsiszsa cf tie ; ' '
Lewis GsicSisnd. , ' ' . .
By Carla Engstrom '
Alice in Wonderland is so hopelessly
abstract and absurd that one cannot help'
getting lost in the plot. But at the same
time, its originality makes it entertaining
; The production runs through Sunday at
Studio Theatre. . ;;'. - v
If you're expecting a play similar to a
Neil Simon comedy, Alice isn't for you. It
has its moments of comedy, but it consists
mainly of scenes thatvmake you wonder.
; Somehow Alice (Elizabeth McCord) was
different in the book, but there is no doubt
in your mind who Alice is. Her small frame
and blond curls give her away. , ,
, A cast of six play various parts, except
for Alice, who remains Alice throughout
the show.
The cast begins the play, by discovering .
an sbaadcjitti iwui. At first, it appears to
be hectic backstage action. Then one. sees
thst they're just children. They scream like
children, jump up and down in place and
try to frighten one another with the props
in the room. - , ......
. v . . Jsbherwcck recognizable '
The first recognizable scene, from the
book involves the, Jabberwock (Judy
You expect to see an adult characteri
zation, but she retains a child's perspective.
This is hard to adjust to because it seems
somewhat unprofessional. -
The J&bberwock's costume is not
frightening itself.: It's made up of an eld
coat put on backwards and a mop wig.
The audience has to ry on the reactions
cf tM cast for the impact cf the Jabber
wock. j!. jj, ,t t. (J .
, '...TlttimilsBiJasL ' -
The transllMSiis are Mrd to follow. And
the actions dras until the White Rabbit
(Scctt Hsbhs) sppssrs. s
The V."hite Rabbit convinces the aud
fcace. thst tfsM of Mt own shadow. :
IIs's perfect except he doesa szy his
dasac line Tra late. Tm bte for a very
feporttnt date."
One nice thing about Lewis Carroll's
characters is that they are so human. It's
easy to identify with the conversation
Alice has with the rabbit.
Because the play is surreal, some of the
things that appear in the play don't appear
in the book. 7
In avante-garde theatre, it's easy to
attach meaning to actions. So the scene
where the ventriloquist (Hobbs) and his
puppet Alice perform, doesnt relate to
- the story, but it might add to Alice's fur
ther loss of her identity.
Growing sequence Ingenious'
. ' The cast does an ingenious job of help
ing Alice in her growing sequence. They
inflate Alice by blowing in her fingers.
Her body seems to grow larger than the
rest of the cast. ;'
At the end of the scene, Alice doesn't
like her shape and deflates. The scene is
interrupted by art absurd chorus of "By the
sea, by the sea.'!
It doesnt make much sense.
The Mouse (Greg Wagner) plays a typi
cal versbn of a scared mouse. He is timid
in his actions and his costume consists of
a rope tied around his waist for a tail, a
pair of wire rimmed glasses and a Mickey
Mouse hat. - ' . . " ;
Conthsisdcap. 13
School of Music ;
slates frea concert
" Use UNL Schot rA Msesc will present
" a free public concert at 8 pjn. Th'jrsdsy
at Kimball Recital HaH, 1 1th and R streets.
The concert will feature the UNL saxo
phone and percussion ensembles.
; ;Ccstssoniy'; and dasdeal - ccsrposi
tions. will be peifcrsxd along with orpnd
. works by members cf the saxophone
. ensemble.
Theme: of i he Front gives s
WIG
us, lasting ; lesson
DylYLlikiffssssi
I,!any people w3 go to see The Front with fee Ulusloa
' ihsy aisofflg to see pmt no&er Woody Allen ccsaedy. .
They come sway disappointed feecsass The, Front
certsttfy doe t - - '
certainly doesn't fit the mold of the usual Woody Alen
brand of cinematic comedy.
The film deals with an intensely important subject
the blacklisting of writers, directors and actors during the
McCarthy Era.
Although the studios and networks never admitted
that such a list indeed existed, many persons were denied
any type of work simply because they refused to
cooperate with the witch-hunters. .
In rite Front, Woody plays a small-time, unsuccessful
bookie who serves as a "front fpr three blacklisted
writers. Hes in it for fee money, which allows him to
live the high life he has always dreamed of.
Things aren't quite so simple. One of Woody's friends,
an actor named Ifccky Brown (Zero Mostel), commits
suicide because he has been blacklisted and can't find
work. The realization arrives that it's more than just a
game. s
In the end, Woody must make a decision. Should he
continue to play along and .3 retain his new found -
The fZzs t!sa is sscccssfcl in trasbrrdr.g a politicd
true cto rrdi, fctsasn terms. The fZtrkcrs cbvkKiily
l&wfr &zsp SkIsjs jzd. :sysspll2tks' for- ihs'duxacters..
- and sitastioss, md the find creis explain why.
Prddum-dirscior Martin Ritt. writer Walter Bernstein,
and actios UsstV 3croidi and Lieyd Gough were all
blxkHsted duricgihe early S0s.
Their tone is not bitter; rather, they seem to be trying
to explain just how easily such shameful occurences can
happen. '
The McCaslliy Era is one of the low points of
American history,' and the flm translates those histories!
terms into hum&i cnes by showing us how many innocent
people suffered.
; ; Many hetvUy thems-orkstM fSms Y2zz T!& Front lose
. relevance after a few years. Either their- messages lose
topicality, or the controversy surrcuadirg the films dies
down, revealing the film wai.'t good to begin with.
I believe The Front will withstand the test of time. I
certainly hope thetMcCarthy nightmare is never forgotten.
It could happen again so easily.
That is the main achievement of The Front-tesskiihiz
us in a subtle, yet effective way just how quickly and
easily our rights can be breached.
freeze
frames
tSumxl The find scene, whsre Woody tcstifbs bsfore
the Un-American ActVitls $ Ccnrnittee, is superb. 1
Alan's face can express more in cat sma3 glance than
cth:r actor's can in a hcle scene.
AH cf thf rforrnarces are first rate, including Allen,
I! .-sid, HerscSel'BcrBardi as a tslri'mon producer caught
ti he mkldls, and Michael Murphy as one cf the fcbek-
your especta-
because it avoids the heavy, preacny sryie cx
: A
Iizls4 w&ztt. -----
iSV J IZZZZS SCC IflC rival, tui iirfuv ;u4
t;.;-ns. The fUra treats a serious subject in a secretin:?
l.-tt-bzziici. wey. Fortunately, this approach proves mere
manv otbsr lhcrne movies.
-
i
t
IZcbsd UsrpSy cJ Wcc5 A2ca play ia The Front, a very wt2bne movie about the tladJIir that went ca '
