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Tuesday, October 29, 1985 D t
Daily Nebraskan Page 7
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Arts iHs
Do!
By John Lechner
Staff Reporter .
When contemplating, at my advanced
age, a drive to Omaha for pleasure or
Theater Review
entertainment, it might as well be a
bus ride to Cleveland it's not some
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Thingsville offers tricks, treats
for spooks in search of costumes
Analysis by Laura Hansen
Staff Reporter
On Halloween night, ordinary
people will turn into someTHING
else. Whether you do it for a party, or
if you still think people will give you
candy if you go door to door, a lot of
The finished
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New Diana Ross album fille
By Randy Schummer
Staff Reporter
Diana Ross, "Eaten Alive,"
RCA.
Record Review
Let's face it, Diana Ross looks like
she's in her 40s as much as I look 65.
She has graced the music charts since
The Supremes. Her newist single "Eaten
Alive" (written by Michael Jackson and
Barry and Maurice Gibb) is bombing on
Do!'
thing I care to do. However. I was olnH I
made the trip when I ventured east
Friday night to the Firehouse Dinner
Theatre. It was my first visit to the
Firehouse, and if every production is as
good as "I Do! I Do!," I've waited
entirely too long.
Dinner is served at Harrigans, a res
taurant neighboring the theater. Din
ers are given a choice of Chicken Cor-
Hansen is made up for Halloween.
people will be turning into their
own THING.
Deb Harr, a UNL sophomore bus
iness major who works at Things
ville in the Centrum, said you can
make your own costume for under
$30.
To see how true this was, I went
costume.
nan DulanevDaily Nebraskan
the charts and all I have to say is Why?
This is one of her best releases ever.
I must admit that when I opened the
album and saw that Barry Gibb helped
write every song on the album, and his
brothers Andy, Maurice, and Robin also
helped in writing a few of the songs, I
thought it would be Ross sings the best
of "Saturday Night Fever," or the Gibbs
would try to match her pitch. Both
thoughts are equally scary. Thank God
the album did not have these problems.
On this record Diana seemed to
experiment with many different musi
V-
insightful play on marriage
don Bleu, Shrimp on a Skewer or Prime
Rib. It's also possible to get a show-only
ticket.
When purchased with a show ticket,
the dinner is not expensive. I had the
Prime Rib, and my companion had the
Shrimp. Both were good. Dessert and
drinks are served in the theater itself.
There were no prices on the menu, so I
was cautious and didn't order dessert. I
Dan OulaneyDaily Nebraskan
to Thingsville to see what I could
be. It turned out to be pretty scary
business.
Harr, with the help of fellow
employee Jamie Cox, a UNL fresh
man art major, showed me just what
they could do with a little facepaint
and a rubber snake.
Harr said that Halloween mer
chandise is the main money maker
for Thingsville.
"Halloween and Big Red really
bring people in," Harr said.
Cox said that Halloween is a
limited market. "Few places have
this much stuff, at this cost," he
said.
Harr said that this year they are
stocking a lot more accessories.
"People want to pick and choose,"
Harr said.
Cox said they probably have the
widest selection in town of Hallo
ween accessories, including every
thing from spider webs, fingernails,
the all new pig-nose plus hair and
body paint in a rainbow of colors.
This year Thingsville calls its
Halloween campaign "make your
own thing," and I think they proved
it.
Even without any of the more
expensive wigs they made me lopk
quite frightening.
Harr said they don't always have
the time to make people up, although
they enjoy it. However, she said,
they always show a person how to
apply the makeup and howto take it
off. They also have many ideas about
how to have the most fun with it, she
said.
Thingsville has everything imag
inable for Halloween, and people
can find everything they need for a
night or maybe more.
cal styles. "Chain Reaction" has a
bouncy '60s sound, "More And More"
has Ross singing torch, and on "Eaten
Alive" we have disco rock...pretty di
verse. The ballad "Experience" is a beauti
ful song, and Ross has never sounded
better. There is one really annoying
song that I really hate to see my needle
drag through called "Oh Teacher" (it
even has a stupid title). It tries to be
sexual and funky, heedless to say it
comes off sounding ridiculous. But this
is the only problem song on the album.
was surprised to learn that for $3.50 I'd
purchased the glass my juice came in.
By the way, gratuities are not included
in the price of the dinner.
The entertainment starts with the
Firehouse Brigade, singing waiters and
waitresses. Their musical revue of the
history of radio was clever, well-paced
and short. The voices were good, the
musical arrangements pleasant. They
signed as well as sang the last song,
"We Are the World." Although I profess
to be tired of the song, I still got a tear
in my eye.
"I Do! I Do!", the main show, is a
musical about marriage. While I'm per
sonally not into that particular institu
tion, it didn't keep me from enjoying
the show. I thought about my parents
and about by own attempts at relationships.
As the musical took me through 50
years of a couple's togetherness, it gave
me pause several times; to compare, to
empathize, to feel. It made me think
about things like sacrifices for child
ren, and how deep the love between
two people can grow. I laughed a lot
too, sometimes through slightly misted
eyes.
Theater-owner Dick Mueller and New
York actress Patricia Kies made a
charmingly believable couple. They
were such good actors that they didn't
get in the way of the play. The beauty of
the dialogue seemed to flow right
through them.
The actors themselves didn't dis
tract at all from what the characters
Mueller and
If you're wondering if the Gibbs sing
on the album, yes they do, but they do
not overshadow Ross at any time. I
could not be more thankful. It wouldn't
be so bad if the Gibbs would sing in
their own key, but it seems that they
enjoy singing three octaves above their
natural voice...sad, sad, sad.
I thought this album "would be a
disaster, Titantic style, but I was wrong.
Ross has indeed surprised me. It is an
excellent piece of work, and it's just a
shame the charts don't reflect that.
One thing to remember is that this
a with d
had to say. If a lot of work went into
"constructing" their characters, it
didn't show. As much as an audience
member can, I was caught up in the
drama, sweetness and humor of their
relationship.
I especially liked Mueller as Michael.
When his wife spoke, he listened, he
didn't just pretend to. When the script
called for him to be nervous, he was
nervous I could see his Adam's
apple bouncing up and down. His
pliant face indicated well a rich "inner
life." A good thing, as close as we were
to the stage. Both actors were "there'
at all times their thoughts as well as
their bodies. There was no drifting off,
no uncertainty about what they were
saying.
I liked the play itself no needless
dialogue. Crisp, clean writing. The
many songs were likewise enjoyable;
nice melodies, harmonies, and never
superfluous to the action of the play.
Both actors sang very well, Mueller in a
rich baritone. Kies with everything
from a sweet, lyric quality to a razzma
tazz belt.
"I Do! I Do!" has a lot to say about
relationships. I recommend it for anyone,
and a ticket to it might make an espe
cially nice Christmas or anniversary
gift for your parents.
This evening full of dining and en
tertainment runs through January at
the Firehouse Dinner Theatre in
Omaha's Old Market district. For res
ervations and information, call 346-8833.
! I' ' b
Courtesy Firehouse Dinner Theatre
Kies in "I Do! I Do!"
iversity
album is angled at older Ross fans, who
want a little romantic music in their
life.
G.P.A. 3.59
Diana Ross, "Eaten Alive
Extend Mix," RCA.
The new word for this year seems to
be "Extend Remix". Most music stores
have them, so I feel they are equally
important to review. After all, they do
range in price from $3.99 to $5 and
most people want to know if it's wcrth
it
Please see ROSS on 8