Wednesday, Decembers, 1934
Pago 14
Dally Nebreskan
Tl
lis sum LmmLrmmmei
At
'(hi
uimve
Tfiaeatee. to present
By Toger Swanson
Dtlly NebraIuuj EUXT Reporter
Whispers of Salieri!, Salieri!, assassin!,
Mozart! will be heard on stage of the
Howell Theater Thursday, Friday, Satur
day and Dec. 10 through 15. "Amadeus"
by Peter Shaffer, pruduced by the Uni
versity Theatre, and directed by professor
Tice Miller, promises to be an entertaining
look into the world of a musical genius.
"Amadeus" involves passion, intrigue,
death and most of all, the beautiful music
of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His music
pervades the entire production and brings
life and power to the characters. The
music created by Mozart provides the
show's source of conflict.
Antoinio Salieri, played by Larry
French, is a contemporary and rival of
Mozart. French explains that his charac
ter wants no sympathy, only understand
ing. He asks for no pity from those of his
age but appeals to the ghosts of the
future, the audience.
French said Salieri has been the most
challenging character of his career be
cause Salieri can be worked and rehearsed,
but never perfected. He sees this role as
the finest of our age in the theatre, he
said. In fact, Salieri never leaves the stage
during the entire show. French began
rehearsing for the role in September and
plans to take a break from the theater
after "Amadeus" and devote his time to
full-time work on his doctoral degree.
A protruding stage puts the audience
almost among the actors and actresses.
Peter Beudert designed the raked stage
to extend nearly into the audience in
order to intensify contact between
audience and players. Salieri's mind pro
vides the real setting for the show with
the audience invited to climb in and view
the story of Mozart's fame through the
eyes of a jealous, second-rate composer.
While the viewpoint is that of Salieri,
the subject is an impestuous, vile, imma
ture, offensive, young -genius named
Mozart. Jeff Talbott portrays this "crea
ture," as Salieri calls him, in his first major
role at the University Theatre. Talbot said
he sees Mozart as a musical genius, but
also as a man with frailities and short
comings. Shaffer's script evokes pity for the man,
but awe for his music. The character of
Mozart must be diverse to portray both
the genius and the child wrapped up in
this troubled man. The enigma of Mozart
is what makes him so fascinating and so
challenging to portray, Talbott said.
The third major role in the show,
Mozart's wife Constanze, will be played by
Roxanne Baird. She sees her character as
a calculating intelligent woman who cares
for her husband but possibly more for his
career. Baird doesn't see "Ainadeus" as a
tragedy, because Mozart was simply used
up at the play's conclusion after having
given so much to mankind.
The play in its present form opened in
New York, where it received 5 Tony
awards in 1081. What makes the play
work is its characterizations and the
intense focus upon personalities. Miller
plans to magnify that focus, a task live
theater is suited for.
One of the most difficult things for the
cast to learn has been to synchronize
their lines with the 2 12-hour sound
track tape prepared from selected re
cordings by Patricia Flanagan Behrendt
and Michael Pear.
Tickets for "Amadeus" may be pur
chased at the Howell Theater box office
from noon to 5 p.m. week days on the first
floor of the Temple Building, 12th and R
streets, or by calling 472-2073.
( v -N 0
s .. ft
f "
Tis the season to by jolly, and folks will
y be telling it on the mountain this week at
f T TXTT
The UNL School of Music will perform
its fourth annual "Messiah Sing" Thurs
day at 7:30 p.m. at Kimball HalL All those
who have sung Handel's Messiah are
beckoned to sing it again. Singers are
concert is a School of Music production,
billed as a "musical gift to the commun
ity." The program will include a mixture of
familiar and unusual carols by Gabrieli,
Schutz, J. M. Bach, Vaughan Williams and
Mendelssohn.
The University Program Council and
the University Chorus-East will present a
urged to bring their own scores; if that is
not possible, scores will be on sale or
loaned in the lobby before the big sing.
Non-singers are welcome to come and
listen.
Also at Kimball Hall will be a Christmas
Carol Concert Saturday at 8 p jn. The
Christmas Concert Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in
the East Union Great Plains Room. The
annual concert has been a tradition at
UNL since the late 1940s. This year's ver
sion will feature. holiday melodies from(
the 16th century, a West Indian spiritual
and selections from Handels Messiah.
Admission is free.
ISO co-sponsors
'First Friday )
storyteller featured
Well-known Nebraska storytel
ler Duane Hutchinson will be the
main attraction at this month's
"First Friday," sponsored by the
International Student Organiza
tion and the Office of Interna
tional Educational Services.
The holiday special is free of
charge and open to the entire
UNL community, including child
ren. The event is scheduled for
7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Marks On
The Campus, 13th and R streets.
HA5 eeevM.
ii
ii i ii
IT'S MFUL. 1 HfiPIO
BREAK HlfUW(P6 H!5
tm BLANK AUV START
HM6MKONimiON6
MAP TO AMERICAN mPP(-
CIA55 mwtf.
i j. w7f vivw rsr& i rv v
I njrr aaj nr-nisnc I x l y
fmr too., UNS
. deveze..- yd
lit
9
eiUlO
ewjj win
fmiN. mve a
