Arts & Entertainment
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Tammy Taylor/Daily Nebraskan
Lied Center programming
already getting underway
By drag Hammond
Sag Reporter
In 1933, a University of Nebraska
Lincoln chancellor first dreamed up
the idea of a new performing arts
center In 1990, the dream will be
d Center for Performing
Arts wil open its doors to the public
an September 1,1989. Although the
nand opening will not be until Feb.
28,1990, there will be smaller per
formances earlier in the year to gel
things rolling.
**We have the King Singers, for
example, is a group that’s coming
with a Christ mas snow in Decem
ber,” said Sheila Griffin, Lied Center
Prefect director. “It’ll be kind of
exciting. ’’
When the grand opening day does
come around, there could be a small
problem, Griffin said. The theater
seats 2300people, but the parking lot
does not pait 2,300.
wncn uie original plans were
made for the Lied Center, the city of
Lincoln said it would plan for a park
ing garage to handle both the Lied
Center and downtown redevelop
ment palling, Griffin said. After the
Lied building was underway, the
puling idea fell through, Griffin
said.
“The city does maintain it has a
responsibility to provide parking,
(although) it will not be in the form of
a parking garage,” Griffin said.
‘“Iney are going to be helping us to
earmark the surface parking that is
within two blocks of the Lied Cen
ter.”
If patrons arrive 15 minutes before
the show, they should have no prob
lem finding a parking place within a
two-minute walking distance, Griffin
said. It will only be the people who
show up two or three minutes betore
the show that will have a 15-minute
walk from their parking place, Grif
fin said.
Along with the Lied Center Build
ing itself, a park is also planned for
the south side of the block east of the
Lied Center.
“In long range plans . . . (the
University) will lake over the entire
block and the only building, eventu
ally that will stand on that block, will
be the Temple building,” Griffin
said.
No date is set for completion of the
park.
In addition to the park, a recent
donation was given to the Lied Proj
ect to develop a boulevard, Griffin
said. The boulevard will extend along
12th Street from Q Street up to a
tnrnjnMinyl noar f hr* Art
Gallery, she said. People will be able
lo drive north, turn around and drop
people off in front of the Lied.
The donation will also pay for
various landscaping and special
lighting on the new boulevard. The
boulevard project will be finished by
the Lied’s opening.
UNL is already looking for nation
wide entertainers. Ron Bowlin, the
coordinator and booker for the Lied
Center, is already talking with agents
and planning trips to seek out enter
tainment such as country music stars,
new wave bands, comedians and
Broadway musicals like Lcs Miscr
ables.
Although there arc plans for a
great deal of outside performers,
UNL built the Lied Center facility as
just that, a facility, to be used, first
and foremost, for education, Griffin
said. One of the first performances in
the building will be UNL’s produc
tion of “Wcstside Story,” Griffin
said.
Sheldon displaying Rodin exhibit I
By Lisa Donovan
Senior Reporter_
Auguste Rodin employed photog
raphy to perfect his sculpting and to
show people how he wanted his art to
be seen, said a Rodin expert this
weekend at the University of Ne
braska-Line oln.
“The photographic print was a
step in the creative process,” said
Albert E. Elsen, prolessor of art h^
tor\ at Stantord l niversity and cura
tor of the Rodin collection.
Elsen spoke to atxiui 2(X) people
F riday night at the Sheldon Memorial
Art Galler) about the techniques and
style of Rodin, a late 19th early 20th
century French sculptor. A Rodin
exhibit will he on display at Sheldon
through Ma^ 22.
In 1978, Elsen was working in the
Rodin Museum in Paris when he was
invited to view a room that had been
unlocked for the first time since
Rodin s death.
Elsen found, among other things,
an attic full of photographs taken
before Rodin died.
Elsen said some of the pictures
had writing on them.
‘‘I wondered, what idiot wrote on
these photographs?” Elsen said.
“Answer: Rodin.”
Apparently, Rodin used photogra
phy to capture the art w ork the way he
wanted people to see it and to help
him decide what he could do to com
plete or change the piece. Elsen said.
Elsen conjectured that Rodin
commissioned Edward Stcichen and
other photographers. Although
Rodin never “tripped a shutter,” he
would select the light, angle and
composition.
1 When you study Michealangclo
. . . and other famous artists, you
wonder at w hat angle dies would like
us to see their work, Eisen said.
The pictures were especially
beautiful, Elsen said, because the
photographers us«.d hand-made pho
tography paper
Elsen said that many of the photo
graphs were taken troin the sculp
ture's back.
“He could make the human body
as interesting in front as in the back,”
he said.
One example of a sculpture that
was shot from the back is “The
W'alker.” Elsen said that a viewer
£an see the human locomotion in the
piece.
* “You just start (viewing from the
back of the sculpture) and follow the
stride,” he said.
“Rodin wants you to note his
works have three-dimensional sen -u
ality,” he said.
Elsen said Rodin used special
angles to capture the sensuousness ol
his sculptures.
Rodin didn’t alwavs follow the
rules of photography when he in
structed photographers to shoot his
sculptures. He has pictures of hi- j
work partially in the shadow. Elsen
said, and sometimes shot again.-.! the g
light.
Not only did Rodin break some
rules of photography, but sot wily and
artistically, he broke mans taboos.
“He was a spokesman ol the un
spcakablc,” Elsen said.
“He showed in public w hut other
thought should be shown in private.
Such things included sculptures ol
nudes and sculptures show ing human
vulnerability. The figures weren’t
very attractive, Elsen said.
4 4 He was interested in expression .
. not cosmetic perfection,” Elsen
said.
“He wanted to bring the sculpture
to life to make you forget about the
art,” he added.
“I would hope you would look at
the art out there and not the labels,”
Elsen said,4 and look at them against
the light.”
. —- 1 .-■ — 1 " 1 a
Production gives sinful version of Hell I
By Adam T. Brantmg
Staff Reporter
“It’s just an innocent vision of
Hell," says the character DeCeri
say.
tHeato,
Vision of Hell, yes. Innocent,
not by a long shot. The University
Theatre and Dance Department’s
production of “The Devils’’ has
left innocence at the door in this
exploration of sin -- all kinds of
sin.
Director Keith Grant moves a
true story of deception and lechery
in 17th century France to the year
2550.
Father Urbain Grandier (John
Heuertz) has a problem. He’s
unorthodox, a trouble-maker and
homy.
Grandicr’s exploration of wid
ows, schoolgirls, and other babes
has raised some eyebrows, includ
ing those of Adam and Mannoury
(Jim Hanna and Andrea Kimberly
Walker). They set out on a plot to
bring Grandier down.
But Sister Jeanne (Kristy
Breen) does the most damage.
After Grandicr’s refusal to be
spiritual advisor at Sister Jeanne’s
convent, the Sister - who’s al
ready a few bricks short of g full
load - claims Grandier is a demon
who has seduced her and other
nuns.
From there the play sets off in
an exploration of faith, evil, the
church, politics and lust. The end
ing is predictable; the journey
there is shocking:
The best move director Grant
made was to move this play into
the future. David Blenderman’s
minimalist set, centcrpieccd by 10
television sets to show the action,
is excellent, as is Lori Bush’s
harsh, evil and sometimes sultry,
lighting.
The worst move Grant made
was doing the play in the first
place. It is a muddled, vicious little
play with unlikeable characters in
an unfavorable situation.
The great theological point, or
explanation of the condition of
mankind or whatever, is lost in
bland dialogue and a slow-starting
story. The play becomes focused
and strong in the second act, and
near the end actually sparks some
interest.
This leaves the actors in a very
critical position - they must, in the
midst of this great set and horrible
dialogue, make a point.
Hcuert/.’s Grandicr does not
assert himself soon enough as a
strong character. He’s almost evil
in some points where he shouldn’t
be. But he does better in the second
act, showing a man who thinks
with more than Mr. Happy.
As Grandier’s main nemesis,
Breen’s Sister Jeanne can be a lad
melodramatic atpoints, sne s very
evil, but none1 too subtle. Breen
shines when she’s “possessed. ”
The best performances seem to
coincide with the juiciest parts.
Jim Johnson as Father Barre, a
priest specializing in exorcism, is
particularly good as a priest with
the single-minded mission of de
stroying evil. His anger and zeal
flow from him easily.
The most questionable move
that Grant made was some of the
staging in this endeavor. Grant
lakes many risks that arc not usu
ally taken in college theater.
There’s nothing wrong with taking
risks, but this play is not good
enough to warrant this kind of
potential trouble.
Thq second act treats the audi
ence to its most bizarre sight. Sis
ter Jeanne and her pristine nuns
become ‘ ‘ possessed ’ and turn into
BISEXUAL NUNS FROM HELL,
raping all the subsequent priests
and passers-by in the area.
Yes, it was erotic. This was aw
fully nifty. Other members of the
audience did not think so. Some
blushed, some turned away from
the bumping and grinding nuns in
bras and panties and priests in jock
straps.
44The Devils”, is for the very
open-minded. It is a well-acted,
visually sumptuous play that goes
nowhere.
John Brue*/Dally Nebraskan
Odd plot, weird production, wrong cast ruin 'Her Alibi
Shut Up and Watch the Movie
was written by Lisa Donovan, a
junior news-editorial, and William
Rudolph, a sophomore English ma
jor.
Lisa Donovan: I wish 1 would have
had my remote control so I could
switch off the boring parts.
William Rudolph: If I would have
had my remote control, I’d have
changed to a channel without “Her
Alibi.” But not before I’d put the
pause button on Paulina Ponzkova.
Okay, okay, I’ll say it: she’s really
beautiful. And she can act, too, sort
of.
LD: I guess she’s all right - if you
like the flawless type. But let’s get
down tO'^- this flick had plenty of
flaws and scratches. Now I think the
stoaryas pretty good, original and it
might have wonted with the right
cast.
WR: But, Lisa, the problem was
that “Her Alibi” had the wrong cast,
not to mention a really stupid and
strained story. I mean, Tom Selleck.
Right. He’s old enough to be
Paulina’s grandpa. What the movie
did have was a lot of weird people,
especially weird old ladies. Yeecch!
LD: And weird old men, Rudy my
boy - let’s no* ''e sexist. There were
weird people in general - ahh heck,
the whole dam movie was weird!
And the camera work, oh God, it
looked like my high school TV pro
duction class did this one.
WR: Everything looked like ama
teur week. Who came up with the
bright idea to put everybody in bright
blues and reds and greens? I thought
I was in a color-safe, liquid bleach
commercial. Unfortunately, I wasn’t,
'niiitl). t.:i . ..
because “Her Alibi” lasted longer
than 30 seconds. Everything dragged
on, except the sex scenes. There was
one. And it lasted about two seconds.
LD: Thank God! I liked Sellcck
belter when he played the asexual
Magnum P.I. The smooch scenes
were unbearable -- Tom kisses like a
vacuum.
WR: But enough of that. On to the
alleged plot. Tom Selleck is a hack
mystery writer who has run out of
inspiration. Lo and behold, enter
Paulina Porizkova as a mysterious
Romanian beauty accused of murder.
Tom’s in heat - er -- in love, that is.
So he decides to . .. take it away,
Lisa!
LD: Well, he decides he’s her -
you guessed it HER ALIBI. Anyway,
he lakes her to his Magnum P.I. set, I
See SHUTUP on Page 11
ai
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