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By Judi Nfyfrcn
eires
r
The actors and actresses preparing their make
up at the ice-creara parlor tables go unnoticed by
the children who run through the zoo's village
square fighting for more popcorn and playing Duck-Duck-Goose.
But once Toby bounds onto stage, the
games cease and the popcorn grows cold in idle
hands.
Toby, a red-headed, freckle-faced, country bump
kin played by John Merriman, is the star of "A Toby
Show." In his starring role, Toby plays narrator
talking with the audience throughout the hour-long
play comedian, prankster and fair godperson.
Toby is a natural comedian with his down-home
humor, but he makes an unlikely fair godperson. He
only becomes fairy godperson after stumbling into
an evil step-mother's scheme to keep her beautiful
step-daughter locked in the kitchen while her two
bumbling daughters court the prince.
If this tale sounds familiarly stale, don't be dis
heartened. The Nebraska Repertory Theater adds
contemporary twists to the classic "Cinderella"
story to create a refreshing rendition both children
and adults can enjoy.
The show offers something for every age group,
according to Christopher Wineman the show's dir
ector. Children at each performance find Toby "very
entertaining," he said, and adults leave saying, "Oh
wow, I saw Toby when I was growing up."
Because so many area adults grew up watching
Toby, Wineman said the repertory theater feels it is
important to travel throughout Nebraska perform
ing the children's play. .
"It is a chance to let the children in the area see a
part of theater that their grandparents saw when
they were growing up," he said.
Unlike the open-air performances children watch
at Folsom Children's Zoo, many grandparents grew
up watching performances in tents or local opera
houses. The old shows, accompanied by vaudeville
acts and bands, gained popularity in the early
1900s.
hmg lor kids, adults
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David TroubaDsily Nebraskan.
Tlie "bad guys" in A Toby Show are from left
to right: Sophia, played by Jane Gronst&l;
Mauderina, played by Priscilia Stengel; and
Mrs. Van Undersquire, played by Patricia
R&xm.
Dur ing the shows' height of popularity, more than
400 traveling companies performed throughout the
Midwest and South. The companies performed s
different show each night and over a period of time,
more than 200 Toby tales developed.
It was from the early companies' shows that
Aurand Harris created his "Cinderella" version in
1078. Harris wrote the script after months of
researching, interviewing retired repertoire perform
ers and attending shows performed by today's only
touring Toby company based in Mount Pleasant,
Iowa.
Harris discovered that Toby could be young, old,
lazy, energetic, Southern, Mid-Western or anything
else an author wanted Toby to be. Harris chose to
create an energetic, country boy turned fairy god
person for his rendition.
Today, Harris' design is further enhanced by the
repertory company's casting of Toby. Merriman's
sturdy, young body squeezed into tattered overalls
lends itself to the hick design and makes for a most
unusual fairy godperson; the traditional fairy god
person being a pudgy, old woman.
Merriman's gender and physique are not the only
vthings that make him an unlikely candidate for fairy
godperson. While the traditional fairy godperson
drips with sweetness, Merriman's character poun
ces on every opportunity to hurl insult3 at the high
falutin' Mrs. Van Undersquire, played by Patricia
Raun, and her daughters, Sophia, a singer played by
Jane Grostal, and Mauderina, a poet played by Pris
cilia Stengel.
For instance, after Mrs. Van Undersquire discov
ers Toby is not the prince but merely a handy-man,
she sends him to the kitchen. Toby constantly gets in
Mrs. Van Undersquire's way as her kitchen helper
driving her to holler, "You can't even talk to an idiot."
"Okay,Toby responds, "111 just write to you."
Although the list of Toby's failures as a traditional
fairy godperson goes on and on, he finally fulfills his
role after befriending the step-daughter, Cindy,
played by Joyce Welsch, Prince Burtock, played by
Shimon Ramirez, and the prince's grandfather, the
Colonel, played by Todd Pickering.
Toby calls upon many standard "Cinderella" tac
tics to accomplish his mission, but off-beat charac
ters and incidents help him do so in such a way as to
breathe new life into the age-old tale.
"A Toby Show" will be performed at the Folsom
Children's Zoo, 27th and A streets on Aug. 2,4,9 and
1 1 at 10:30 am. City Parks and Recreation will spon
sor a performance at Antelope Bandshell Aug. 1 at
7:30 p.m.
ce-reai o
By Mlk Frost
"And welcome to another edition of
"Between the Covers," the program
that talks about books and their auth
ors. Books have always played an im-
lalog
lies
inspire Spanish; Mutbor
portant role in the teaching of foreign
languages. Today, we're fortunate to
have in our studio Frank Lenoir, a gen
tleman who's written many instruc
tional books including "Spanish I,"
"Spanish II," "Spanish III," and an ef
fective compilation, "Spanish Mil."
"Welcome to "Between the Covers," Mr.
Lenoir."
"Good evening. What are you called?"
"My name is. Peter Toomey."
"Good evening, Mr. Toomey. How are
WTTT1
v y 21 IL
One of the world's greatest art forms
is quickly becoming extinct. Walk in to
your kitchen or bathroom. Look down.
Do you see what I see? Our linoleum
has gone to the dogs.
lliv
liaffer
As a house remodeler in the Pacific
Northwest a few years back, I began to
collect patches of the floors in kitchen
and bathroom that were to be replaced.
The patterns were fascinating exam
ples of a time when the idea of "mod
ern" could even be applied to your
floor. Most of these designs were pro
duced in the 40s and 50s, at a time
when the world was ready to move
ahead and forget about world wars.
Well, everyone knew that the "mod
ern" home needed a "modern" floor
covering. Something plastic, something
Friday, July 20, 1984
you (formal)?"
"I'm fine. How are you, Frank may
I call you Frank?"
"Very good, thank you. What condi
tion is your mother in?"
"Condition? She's fine. What condi
tion is your mother in?"
"Condition? She's fine, I suppose."
"How is the weather?"
"Frank, I have this sneaking suspi
cion I've heard you speak somewhere
before."
"What is the place you (formal) have
seen me, Mr. Toomey?"
"I know. The dialogue tracts in my
"Spanish I" book you must have
written it!"
"Yes, this is of the truth. You (for
mal) are very smart."
"Well, thank you."
"It is of nothing."
'Tell me, where do you get the inspi
ration for the dialogues you create for
these books?"
"They are all taken from life-real, Mr.
Toomey."
GUftlUi IlIILLV ILilim
durable, but most importantly, some
thing "smart." The world had come to
accept, if not appreciate, the work of
Piet Mondrian and Theb van Doesberg.
Mondrian's work became classiied under
the "De Stijl" movement, but he per
sonally preferred the term "neo-plastic."
Mondrian's work was a very objective,
stylized, and analystic form of abstrac
tion. Mondrian's theory of "plastic mathe
matics" is an especially fitting term for
what evolved into the predominant
style of "modern" linoleum. Floating
squares, circles and stripes repeat them
selves in endless patterns, similar to
Larry Poon's paintings in the 60s and
70s. The look is distinctively "jazzy,"
loose but placed into a structured
framework.
The color scheme of the old linoleos
invariably consist of a flat, neutral
grayish or light background with bright
primary and secondary colors used for
the squares, stripes, etc.
Continued cn Page 7
"I find that hard to believe, Frank.
Let me translate, if I may, from page 24
of "Spanish I."
- "Please, you (formal) translate from
page 24 of 'Spanish I.'"
"Here we are. 'Pedro, how have you
come here?' 'I have not come by car,
Jose.' 'Have you come by the autobus?'
'No, I have not come by the autobus.'
'Have you come by the burro?' 'Yes, I
have come by the burro.' 'Goodbye
Pedro.' 'Goodbye Jose.' "
"Yes, this was an actual life-real con
versation I had with my friend."
f "Well, if this is how you conduct a
conversation, I think you've been in the
Spanish language text book business
just a little too long."
"You (formal) are correct, I have
been in the Spanish text book business
a. little too long. This is why I infor
mal) have decided to branch out into
styles different of writing."
"Yes, I noticed you brought a bound
manuscript with you. Is this your new
book?"
"Yes, this is my new book. It is called
The Mountains of Mexico.' "
"Sounds fascinating."
"Yes, it is the sound of fascinating. I
would like to read a selection to you
(informal). May I call you (informal)
you (informal)?"
"Please."
Thank you (informal). I shall read
now. There are many mountains in
Mexico. Many of the mountains they
are tall. You cannot travel to them in
an autobus. You cannot travel to them
by burro. You must travel by helicop
ter. Jose travels by helicopter."
"Well, I see we're just about out of
time, Mr. Lenoir. Thank you for sharing
your book with us. Good luck."
'Thank you (informal)."
"Until next time, I'm Peter Toomey,
"Between the Covers."
"I need a ride home. I cannot ride by
burro. I cannot ride by airplane. I can
not ride by autobus."
"Good night everyone."
Ti
JzU'--.-. - ;'
Two pieces from the Billy Shaffer Collection of Antiquated linoleum.
Daily Nebraskan
Pace 5
