Tuesday, October 26, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
Page 9
Musical revue
features songs
by Sondheim
For anyone with an affection for
Broadway music and the songs of
Stephen Sondheim, the UNL Opera
Theatre is presenting the musical
revue "Side by Side by Sondheim"
at Kimball Hall at 8 p.m. Thursday
through Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sun
day. The revue will spotlight an assort-,
ment ofNnore than 30 songs from
Sondheim's Broadway musicals like
"A Funny Thing Happened on the
Way to the Forum," "Gypsy," "A
Little Night Music," "Follies" and
"West Side Story." Each song is
made into a small vignette that il
luminates the wit and sophistication
of the spngwriter's music.
The seven-member cast includes
Eric Boardsen, who is also the choreo
grapher. Gregg Tallman, one of the
two pianists, is the director. The
commentator is Rex McGraw, chair
man of the UNL theatre arts depart
ment. New York Magazine has described
Sondheim as "the man who restored
quality and self-respect to the Ameri
can musical theater."
Sondheim began banging out tunes
on the piano when he was 4 and
taking lessons when he was 5. When
he was 15, he moved to a farm in
Pennsylvania, where he was the next
door neighbor of Oscar Hammerstein
II. He met Hammerstein after writing
his first musical, "By George ."
Hammerstein said, "It's the worst
thing I've ever read and, if you want
to know why, I'll tell you," and that
cemented their relationship. Sondheim
became Hammerstein's apprentice for
the rehearsals: of "South' Pacific"
and The Kuw antf
When he 'was '25, Sondheim met
librettist Arthur Laurents, who was
working with Jerome Robbins and
Leonard Bernstein on an updated
version of "Romeo and Juliet" called
"West Side Story." Sondheim became
its lyricist, and his career took off
from there.
He was lyricist for the 1951 musical
"Gypsy." He wrote both words and
music for "A Funny Thing Happened
on the Way to the Forum," which
won the Tony Award for Best Musi
cal in 1962. With the 1970 musical
"Company," Sondheim was named the
season's best composer and lyricist.
He won two more Tony Awards for
words and music with "Follies" and
"A Little Night Music."
Tallman will present "informances"
a half hour before each performance
in the Westbrook Music Building 119.
Artist Billy Shaffer
paints on Hefty bags,
sings about Nebraska
By Jeff Goodwin
Local artist Billy Shaffer didn't always want to be
an artist.
"I wanted to be a fireman up until last week," he said.
A display of his paintings is currently on exhibition in
the Nebraska Union main lounge.
The paintings are somewhat unusual in" that they are
painted on plastic-Hefty bags, inflatable life rafts and Go
Big Red ponchos - rather than canvas.
"I couldn't afford canvas anymore, and I had these
Big Red ponchos lying around, so I decided to use them."
he said. "I think I'll use them for awhile. Canvas would
cost 18 times more than an inflatable air mattress."
Shaffer received his bachelor of fine arts degree from
UNL in 1978. For the past three years he has lived in
Seattle, where he had a one-man show. He is currently
working on his master s degree at UNL.
"A lot of people work with plastic in this plastic age,
he said. "But I've never seen anyone use Hefty bags or
beach balls before as canvas.
Shaffer, a veritable Renaissance man, is also involved
in other creative fields.
He is a musician and plans to release an EP in the
near future. One of the songs is entitled I m from Ne
braska."
"I wrote it before Springsteen came out with his new
album," Shaffer said.
The album will be recorded with help of local musi
cians Sean Benjamin, Jim Jacobi and Dave Robelhe said
Benjamin was formerly a member of the Heartmur
murs and currently is the head of his own band. Jacobi is
the lead singer of the Crap Detectors and Robel is the
drummer for Charlie Burton and the Cutouts.
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Staff photos by Craig Andresen
'Arch Enemies (Best Friends)"
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