Pago 10
Daily Ncbraskan
Monday, Februarys, 1982
Arts & Entertainment
light Up the Sky' glistens with humor and talent
Uy David Thompson
"Mad sire? Ah, yes - mad indeed, but
observe how they do light up the sky. "
The Idle Jeste
It is from those lines that Moss Hart borrowed the
name of his play Light Up the Sky. The mad people who
shine so brightly are the people of the theater, and in this
stylish, hilarious play Hart has captured their light and, at
the same time, shown us who they really are.
Light Up the Sky, running at the UNL Temple Studio
Review
Theater until Feb. 13, has captured the atmosphere of the
play extremely well.
Light Up the Sky, which first opened in 1948, has
succeeded in its evocation of the prosperity of the post
World War II years and its fast comedies, overflowing with
repartee, that reached its height then. The stylish peak
shouldered dresses glitter almost as brightly as the humor
in the luxurious hotel suite where the play takes place.
The suite belongs to Irene Livingston, a neurotic
Broadway star who is somewhat of a cross between Joan
Crawford and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard.
Livingston wants nothing more than "the peace and
quiet of an oxygen tent."
She is perfectly played by Joi Hoffsommer, who has all
the affectation of the character down pat, right down to
calling everyone her "darlings."
Role of Kansas City in
development of jazz
focus of NET V series
Through the songs, sounds and memories of Count
Basie, Mary Lou Williams and Jay "Hootie" McShann, the
legendary sounds of Kansas City's jazz will be recalled and
re-created on Swingin' The Blues, premiering Wednesday
at 9 p.m., repeating Friday, at 9 pjn. on the Nebraska
Educational Television Network.
The four-part series, produced for national public tele
vision distribution by the Nebraska ETV Network and the
Mid-America Arts Alliance, features jazz pianist Billy
Taylor as series host.
The proud heritage of Kansas City and its place in jazz
history are captured on the premiere program of Swingin'
Vie Blues, "Goin' to Kansas City." Contemporary perfor
mances by Basic, Williams and McShann are featured. Also
included are musical segments of Big Joe Turner, a Battle
of the Bands, archival footage and historic sound tapes.
The initial program sets up the three succeeding perfor
manceinterview programs with Basie, Williams and
McShann, airing on the following Wednesdays at 7 p.m.,
repeating Fridays at 9 p jn.
Count uassie returned to Kansas City with his famous
orchestra to celebrate his 75th birthday at a diamond
jubilee concert at the Uptown Theater. Recorded on
location, the second program in the Swingin' The Blues
series, airing Feb. 17, includes musical segments from that
concert as well as a special interview of Basie by Taylor.
Light Up the Sky is a play about a play, in which Irene
is starring. In the first act, everyone is sitting in Living
ston's suite on opening night waiting for showtime. The
producer of the play, the director, the playwright, the
star's mother, just about all the theater caricatures drop in
for a visit.
The producer is the man with the bucks. He has no
culture but since he has money he figures he's "good for a
Cezanne and maybe a Matisse" to impress his friends with.
He is played by Kirk Benson, who captures the character's
down home attempts at eloquence but is slightly lacking
in polish. His pauses between lines hold back the clipping
pace of the play. It would be difficult to slow down the
producer's folksy humor too much, though. He's got the
money and the enthusiasm to "stick a Roman candle in
the tired face of show business."
The producer's wife, Frances, is the 1940s predecessor
to Flo from One Day at a Time. She uses her hubby's
bucks to move "into a store like the Soviets into occupied
territory." Kathy Morrow docs an excellent job playing
the crassly humored woman, right down to her red hair.
Frances is the pin in the balloon-size egos of the real
theater people like Irene Livingston.
Another balloon belongs to Carlcton Fitzgerald, the
director of the play. Carleton is the man who doesn't
know the difference between being off stage and on. He
stares off into space with a pained expression on his face
as if everything he says is a soliloquy. Christopher Darga
provides the most complete characterization in the play as
the dramatically overblown director.
All of these people arc rushing about in preparation for
the play while the young man who wrote it sits around
with a Howdy Doody expression on his face. Todd Nelson
plays the small-town writer who makes it to the big city.
He is "Coolidge with a head cold," the wimpy idealist
who has a colorless personality next to the psychedelics of
the theater folk. Nelson's wide-eyed expressions and John
boy voice are all appropriate.
Around all of them are the normal folk. Their parts are
well acted, but not near as much fun as the other zanies.
Geoff Lower plays another playwright who has dropped
in on the fun. Lower doesn't seem quite sincere in his
part, and his character doesn't come off being very differ
ent froin the role he had last semester in Bus Stop.
Joette Pelster is good as Irene's mother. She doesn't
quite look old enough, but she is funny and she teams up
with Frances for some of the most comical dialogue in the
play.
The set, designed by Timothy Jon Case, is a perfect
evocation of the chic, smoke-filled rooms identified with
the theater of the 1940s. Janice Stauffcr's costumes are
ravishing and fit in well with the gleam of chrome and the
tinkle of champagne glasses. Julie Pearson's direction is
well done, and she handles the performance in-thc-round
well. The dialogue jumps from actor to actor, and some
times leaves the rest of the cast hanging when it focuses
on two actors, but the pace is reasonably quick .
Hart has not given us simply light comedy, and the
play has a lot to say about all people and not just the
world of theater. The third act is especially serious in
tone, when the young playwright becomes disillusioned
with the hypocrisy and affectation of the theater folk.
"You saw our best and our worst," they tell him.
"That's human isn't it."
In one scene there is the rumble of offstage voices, men
talking about hardware and plywood, reminding us of the
real world out there. The world of the theater may be a
little more flamboyant, but it's basically the same as
everywhere else.
Light Up the Sky is a very funny and insightful play.
This production is well done, capturing the atmosphere of
the 1940s. The actors do an excellent job at playing
theater people, who are only slightly more exaggerated
versions of ourselves. After all, the theater doesn't have a
monopoly on madness; there's a little bit of it, and the
light, in everyone.
'Venom' victim of gratuitous violence,
poisoned plot and unintentional humor
By Pat Higgins
Venom is a clever corporate ploy to pick up a quick
tax loss before April 15.
It is basically an insipid movie with all kinds of grat
uitous violence and looks of boredom from the cast.
The only redeeming virtue is a large dose of unintentional
humor.
This is the kind of movie that is best appreciated on
Showtime late at night with the sound turned off while
j Movie
-iN Review
you and your friends ad lih better lines for the movie
than those on the soundtrack. Actually, the marketing
brains behind Venom should have considered a direct
release to the drive-in shock -and-schlock circuit in the
summer. Venom might possibly sneak by then.
Mistaken identity
The basic scenario here concerns a kidnapping for
ransom and the case of mistaken identity involving a
harmless garden snake and the deadly maniba - the
heavyweight champ of killer snakes.
Venom is basically yet another man-against-beast
movie. The music is rather similar to what was used in
Jaws, wliich is kind of a dead giveaway as to when the
action is going to begin. Also the sound doesn't appear
to be dubbed in properly which makes the characters look
like they are speaking in foreign tongues.
Recognizable faces
The cast for Venom is basically respectable with a
half-dozen recognizable faces although it's absent of any
box-office stars. There arc enough quality people involved
that it should be better than the almost complete yawn
that it is. Everybody has to make a buck, of course, so
maybe these actors take the money for Venom to fin
ance something artistic. Fat Chance.
Nicol Williamson is the top cop involved in dealing
with the kidnappers. He looks "downed out" from ter
minal boredom and it is hard to blame him. Oliver Reed
is the heavily-boozing butler and he looks embarrassed
to be involved in the whole sorry affair. The highlight
of Venom is Susan George who gives one of the great
extended death scenes seen in quite a while.
Kidnappers mastermind
German film star Klaus Kinski is the mastermind of
the kidnappers. He was also seen in the lame Buddy,
Buddy. At this rate Kinski is not making much of a name
for himself in the U.S.A.
Kinski looks sinister enough to pass for the East
German advisor to the Libyan hit squad. He olows it then
with his Boris Badenov accent which is a real laugh.
Steer clear of Venom.
Late-night show a bowl of television junk food'
Entertainment Tonteht is for all rf
those people who love People magazine but
hate the trouble of turning the pages.
The show delivers a nightly half-hour
of Hollywood hype; behind the scenes
looks at the latest movies, talks with rising
stars, stuff like that. It's the perfect quasi-
Television
Review
news show for the late-night audience
that is trying desperately to find something
about which it won't have to think.
Entertainment Tonight can be found at
10:30 pjn. on WOWT (Channel 6 in
Omaha) and God4cnows how many
other stations on the Lincoln cable chan
nels. Why anybody would watch this with
Saturday Night Live reruns available on
another channel is anybody's guess, but it
happens. We seem to have an insatiable
appetite for the "hip" goings-on of our
entertainment stars, and Entertainment
Tonight is out to feed that appetite.
I'll give you an example. A recent show
featured a segment about a big free concert
affair that Charlie Daniels and his band put
on every year. They line up a bunch of
Nashville acts, but don't tell anybody
who they are, and then set out to have a
grand old time. Probably a lot of fun.
But the good folks at Entertainment
Tonight, with a half hour lo kill, bring
on Charlie Daniels for an interview about
the concert. Daniels, to no one's shock,
says he likes the concert and thinks it is
a good idea. This kind of probing, inci
sive material dominates the half hour.
But on the other hand, some people
I know actually enjoy this kind of tele
vision junk food. I mean, how else would
they ever have found out how much Glen
Campbell's house cost (55. 1 million, so
it's out of my price range), what Engle
bert Humperdinck was doing now (who
the hell cares?) or the first names of that
California high school rock and roll group,
the Go Go's (which I can't remember now
for the life of me).
One person I know says she likes the
show simply for its theme song. I know,
it's a catchy song, but when it's over
there is still 29 minutes of Entertainment
Tonight to wade through.
And then those announcers. . . they've
got to go. They perpetuate the kind of
happy talk patter that should have died
when local newscasts first experimented
with it.
Ron and Dixie approach every night's
show like they're selling a fleet of used
cars, as they try to bowl over the tired
and late-night audience with loud and
mindless chatter. I just about vomit when
ever I see Ron's face bobbing into the
television camera with a cheery grin, or
Dixie's plastic face framed with that
frosted hair. Where did the producers
ever dig up those clowns?
But, Entertainment Tonigh: does have
some redeeming value. It keeps Lucy
show re-runs out of the 10:30 pjn. time
slot. And what's more, it puts the audience
in the uncritical frame of mind necessary
to truly enjoy Ed Muscare on All A'frf
Live.