Arts & Entertainment
‘Tanzspiel Vienna’ opens tonight
By Lisa Nielsen
Staff Reporter
The University ofNebraska-Lin
coln department of theater arts and
dance opens its spring production
tonight with “Tanzspiel Vienna,” a
ballet that will end internationally
acclaimed choreographer and
dancer Michael Thomas’ five-week
residency at UNL.
“Tanzspiel Vienna” uses Ger
man composers’ romantic and ex
pressionists music. Some of the
composers featured arc Ludwig van
Beethoven, Johannes Brahms,
Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoen
berg.
The first half of the program
features classical ballet, which
brings out the powerful essence of
Vienna’s past. The second half is
modem and dramatic.
The ballet holds the attention of
its audience members, challenges
them and makes them pay attention
to and think about what they’re
seeing and what it means. Even
those who are unfamiliar with dance
will come away with a clear idea of
what happened. Boredom simply
won’t be an obstacle.
The choreography is imagina
tive, always conveys meaning and is
visually attractive. The pieces will
constantly keep the audience re
freshed and wanting to see what’s
next.
The technical aspects of the pro
duction deserve merit. The different
lighting effects, scenery and props
add to the production without taking
away from the dancers. The danc
ers’ costumes arc unbelievable and
stunning.
The dancers arc still adding the
finishing touches to the production
and can’t wail for it to open. It is the
dancers who will sec their hours of
dedication pay off. It isevident from
start to finish that this is a cast that
has worked well together. Both the
dancers and the choreographers
alike arc anxious to give credit
where it’s due.
“I think a great deal of credit goes
to Jerry Bcvington, Laura Milan and
Michael Thomas, for not only did
they have to choreograph, they also
all perform in the show, in addition
to the six hours of class each of them
teach a day,” said Chris Martin, a
dancer in the production. “Everyone
has been able to work together.”
Bcvington, artistic director for
the production, said, “The majority
of the credit must go to the dancers.
They’ve given us a lot of theii time,
and every day we’ve challenged
them more.”
After seeing “The Outing,” his
piece for “Tanzspiel Vienna,” and
talking to the students who worked
with him, I think Thomas’ success at
UNL is evident.
“Michael Thomas is wonderful,”
said dancer Melissa Mapcs. “His
patience as a teacher is phenomenal.
I always leave his ballet class on a
high.”
The dancers said they believe the
production will be well-received.
“It has drama, modern, ballet,
pax de deux (a dance for two
people), corps dancing, solos, diver
tissements (dancers entering and
exiting the stage at intervals during
the piece); it has something for
everyone,” Mapcs said.
It’s everything you’d want to see
in a performance,” said dancer
Donna Scheiffer.
They’re absolutely right.
“Tanzspiel Vienna” will appeal
to most people. The best pieces arc
Thomas’ “The Outing,” Milan’s
“Three Pieces for Orchestra,” and
Bcvington’s “Lulu.” They’re all
strong pieces that stand on their own
merit.
“Tanzspiel Vienna” plays at the
Howell Theatre on 12th and R
streets, tonight, Saturday, and
Wednesday through Feb. 27 at 8
p.m. There is also a show at 3 p.m.
Saturday and Feb. 27. Tickets may
be reserved at the Howell Theatre
box office or by calling 472-2073.
John Bruce/Daily Nebraskan
fIREHOSE album shows extension;
Gene Loves Jezebel is eerie, radiating
Courtesy Geffen Records
(Jene Loves Jezebel, “The House of
Dolls” ((Jeffen Records)
They’re Welsh (or is it Scottish?
English?). They’re brothers (but
which one is which?), and they have
one of the most original names ever to
appear on a record label. They are
Gene Loves Jezebel, and whatever
else one can or won’t say about them,
they definitely have an air about
them. From thcii appearances— the
last time I saw so many art nouveau
features, they were on an antique
Coca-Cola tray — to their album title
and lack of identification of who
plays and docs what, this isa band that
wants to play with your mind.
Musically, Gene Loves Jezebel
seem to like a lot of guitars mixed in
with a strong percussion background
— a very strong one, at that; This
doesn’t stand out as extraordinary in
itself, but when they sing, that’s it.
There’s really no comparison. No
doubt about it, Gene Loves Jezebel
arc quite eerie. Their voices radiate
over the speakers like two evil ban
shees, a summons from the grave, a
slippery snake that's going to get you
no matter how far you run. You’re
down the hallway and to the door, but
they’re still behind you, and then their
voices have you by the ankles and are
pulling you backward, about to slink
up your spinal column and bile you on
the medulla oblongata until you die.
The snakes mix with the guitars and
drums to hypnoti/.e the listener. Time
and space is moving past you; make
sure your tray table’s in the upright
position before you take off on this
ride.
The best songs to experience the
effect I’ve tried to describe are “Sus
picion” on side one and “Message” on
side two. As a matter of fact, “Mes
sage” to me is by far the album’s
showpiece.
— William Rudolph
Wolfgang, Tail Gators to inhabit the Zoo
tonight and Saturday night at 9 p.m.
By Ken Havlat
Staff Reporter
Bands from Chicago and Austin,
Texas, highlight the local weekend
music scene.
Chicago’s Eddie Shaw and the
Wolfgang, Howlin’ Wolf’s band, is
making a return visit to the Zoo Bar,
136 N. 14th St., Friday night. The
Tail Gators will appear there Satur
day night.
Eddie Shaw has kept the music of
way.”
Shaw has always been a prolific
writer, having composed much of the
Wolf’s material. He also wrote mate
rial for Willie Dixon, a prolific blues
writer himself. Shaw is always enter
taining to watch, and tonight should
be no different.
Austin’s Tail Gators have been
pigeonholed by critics as “swampa
billy.” I have no idea what this refers
to, but the band is well-known for
providing loud, exciting shows. Gui
tarist Don Lcady said the reason for
this is the way the band wants to
interject the bass and drums into its
Shaw courtesy of Rooster Records
Gators courtesy of Restless/Enigma Records
Eddie Shaw
Howlin’ Wolf alive by keeping a
band consisting of his son, Eddie
Shaw Jr., on guitar, Shorty Gilbert on
bass, Bobby Paunkctl on drums and
Shaw on saxophone. Together, they
released an album, “King of the
Road,” on Rooster Blues Records,
which isdistributed by Flying Fish. It
extends the legacy of the Wolf, for
which Shaw has played a big part.
Shaw continues to keep working and
enjoying life on the road.
“We keep going out because ev
eryone has respect for each other and
1 try to treat them right,” Shaw said.
“We don’t dress the blues up,” he
said. “I don’t believe in the exotic
changes. We attempt to keep it high
energy and keep it in the right per
spective. We do the blues the right
way in the manner that Muddy Wa
ters would do it, the Eddie Shaw
The TailGators
sound. Their last official album,
“Mumbo Jumbo,” sold a respectable
17,(XX) copies, Lcady said. (Wrestler
recently released a Tail Gators album
of out-takes.)
With the attention they've re
ceived, they moved from their old
label Wrestler to Rcsiless/Enigma,
where they plan to record in April
with hopes of selling al least 30,0(H)
copies.
Their music is rock stripped dow n
to its basic tw itch and brought up to
the level where it belongs, showing
grit and determination to keep n in a
natural mode. Keith Ferguson on
bass and drummer Gary Smith an
chor the powerful rhythm section.
Cover for each show is S3, and
each band is scheduled to begin at
about 9 p.m.
courtesy SST Records
flREHOSE, “Ifn” (SST Records)
When flREHOSE appeared in
Lincoln last October, it was under the
assumption that a new album would
be out to coincide with the he infa
mous James Worthy tour. Unfortu
nately, because mixing down the LP
took longer than expected, no album
appeared until the first of the year.
Fortunately, the album is worth the
wait. While the band’s previous LP,
“Ragin’ Full On,” won the hearts of
many critics, Mike Watt’s bass guitar
overran too much of the LP, and Ed
Crawford’s vocals and guitar were in
their first stage of development. This
is not to slam that LP, but to indicate
how far flREHOSE is progressing
within the framework they have al
lowed themselves.
Now, after touring incessantly for
the past year, their second LP, “Ifn,”
shows growth in the abilities of
edfROMOHIO’s (Ed Crawford) gui
tar playing and coni idencc in hissing
ing ability. George Hurley’s drum
ming is steady as always. Crawford's
infusion of rock stylings from such
artists as REM and Sonic Youth has
increased their knowledge of rock
and has taken them away from the
path the Minutemcn were going dow n
— that of a rock-jazz hybrid, a direc
tion most of their contemporaries
were headed.
Many probably know the whole
story about the M inutemen by now. so
there isn’t any need to go into it here.
What is interesting on this album is
listening to Wall doing some spoken
word singing and actually having
every song for once be longer than
two minutes, something that allows
for more ideas to be fulfilled.
One of the 14 songs on the album,
“Hear Me,” is about allowing people
to express themselves in these late
days of Reagan ism. “For the Singer of
REM” is a tongue-in-cheek satire of
how many vocalists try to sound like
Michael Stipe, REM’s lead singer.
“Windmilling” takes a look at friend
ships. “Me and You Remembering’
seems like Led Zeppelin’s “The
Crudgc.”
The album gets help from Ethan
James’ minimal production, he isn’t
heavy-handed with his devices, al
lowing flREHOSE to grow and make
listeners feel a part of his production.
flREHOSE isn’t going to be the
next big thing, but it is a band that
demands watching and waiting lor
whatever product or device it decides
to deliver to the listening public.
— Ken Havlat
See REVIEW BOARD on 7