Arts & Entertainment
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Jason Fisher, a freshman electrical engineering major, plays pinapong with Buzz the Gorilla (Gabe Cook,
freshman history major) in the Nebraska Union.
Play addresses social issues
By Robert Richardson
Senior Reporter
Thursday in the Nebraska Union, the
Lied Center for Performing Arts sponsored
a promotion of a coming show by featuring
a “gorilla” and his trainer playing a game of
pingpong.
The show is Ping Chong’s production of
“Kind Ness,” which will play at the Johnny
Carson Theatre, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Kind Ness” tells the story of five chil
dren and one gorilla, “Buzz,” who meet in
elementary school and become lifelong
friends. It was written by Chong, the artistic
director and founder of the company, who
has been working at his craft since 1972. He
founded his company in 1975.
The work, developed at Northeastern
University in Boston, did not start out in a
play format. Bruce Allardice, company di
rector said this work is not necessarily in
dicative of Chong’s work; it just sort of
happened.
“The important thing to remember about
Ping’s work is he does not write plays,”
Allardice said. “They are created through
improvisations in rehearsal. And they’re
created collaboratively as a group effort.”
The organized effort paid off— the play
won a 1988 USA Playwrights award. In
addition, it was published by the Theatre
Communications group.
“It was developed in the same experi
mental way that all of Ping Chong’s works
have been,” Allardice said. “But in a sense,
it has become a play and now it exists in a
play form. And other theaters around the
country have licensed the work and directed
it and done their own interpretations of the
piece.”
But “Kind Ness” is not something to be
taken lightly. Allardice said people will be
confronted with issues.
“It’s basically a social satire. Ping some
times calls them subversive comedies. Ei
ther term is fine,” Allardice said.
Different ethnic backgrounds separate
the five children and one gorilla as they deal
with their various differences.
“The play operates on two levels. It is at
once a kind of nostalgic look at childhood
and growing up in American in the ’50s and
’60s,” Allardice said. “And it does that by
looking at the lieves of six kids in school.
And each one is intentionally a kind of
stereotype.”
There will be tension, Allardice said, but
he hopes there also will be familiarity.
If I was to broadly categorize it,” he
said, “I would say the dramatic effect that he
does, which is relatively rare, not the usual
work process for most artists, is that he
creates a world on stage that is alike and not
alike.”
With all this information being presented
to the audience, Allardice said. Ping thought
there were no wrong answers.
“I know what Ping would say is that all
answers are right," Allardice said. “And
what the audience would come away from it
with is the point. In that sense it’s poetry. In
all of Ping’s work it’s personal interpreta
tion.”
But in order for Ping and company to feel
successful, they would ask just a little bit
more from the audience.
“If we succeeded in making people ask
some questions about the way they conduct
their lives, the way they experience their
lives then we’ve succeeded,” Allardice said.
“And I think that’s the intention of the
work.”
“Kind Ness” is playing at the Johnny
Carson Theatre, 12th and R streets, on
Tuesday, 8 p.m. and Wednesday, 2 p.m. and
8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for UNL students and
S10 for general admission and arc available
at the Lied Center Box Office.
Country artist
performance
set at Omaha
By John A. Skretta
Staff Reporter
Barbara Mandrell may have been coun
try when country wasn’t cool, but Ricky
Van Shelton sure wasn’t.
In fact, according to Andrew Vaughan,
author of Who’s Who in New Country Music,
Van Shelton grew up listening to the Beatles
and the Rolling Slones, thinking country
music was very “uncool.”
Van Shelton has now established himself
as one of the premier neotraditional country
vocalists. Fans can listen to Van Shelton’s
baritone prowess tonight at Omaha’s Civic
Auditorium.
Van Shelton’s ride to success required
talent and dedication. His father was a part
time gospel singer and his older brother
played in a bluegrass band, so when Van
Shelton’s voice began changing, his family
noticed the potential he had. Several years
later, he found himself in Nashville record
ing a series of classic country tunes by the
likes of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens for
a debut album from CBS records.
“Wild-Eyed Dream” was Van Shelton’s
1987 debut, and according to Jim Patrick,
program director of KZKX (96 KX) radio in
Lincoln, “after that, everybody wanted Ricky
Van Shelton.”
Not only was the album successtul artis
tically, Patrick said, but “Wild-Eyed Dream”
was a financial coup for CBS records.
“They didn’t do more than three lakes on
any song for the first album,” Patrick said,
“bkause Ricky was so conscientious, he
had the songs learned previously and the
work was completed in a matter of days.
Obviously, production costs were minimal.”
If Van Shelton’s first album established
him as an up-and-coming talent, RVS III,
released in 1990 by CBS, “firmly entrenched
Van Shelton and cemented his status as a
country superstar,” Patrick said.
RVS III contained several smash singles,
including Jan Crutchfield’s “Statue of a
Fool” and “I Meant Every Word He Said,”
by Curly Putnam, Bucky Jones and Joe
Chambers. RVS III reflects the work of 18
songwriters, including Van Shelton.
Van Shelton is at the forefront of coun
try’s new traditionalism movement, Patrick
said, using less of the twang in older country
music.
Tickets are still available for tonight’s
show and can be purchased at all Pickles
locations and at the Omaha Civic Audito
rium. Tickets are $16 each. All seating is
reserved. Patty Loveless and Aaron Tippin
will open for Van Shelton.
Rap musician aims for education, entertainment
Courtesy of 4th and Broadway/lsiand Records
By Andrea Christensen
Staff Reporter
“Message for survival: Education
is power, so tear your soul out!” rap
musician Laquan notes on the CD
cover of “Notes of a Native Son,” his
latest release from 4th and Broad
way/Island Records.
The messages on this are com
mon: Avoid drugs, stay out of jail,
praise God, be proud of your heritage,
beat the odds. Many listeners may
find the messages repetitive.
The musical style also is familiar,
rap superimposed over a standard rock
beat.
Laquan, who goes by only one
name, often preaches directly to
“brothers” about religion, drugs, self
esteem and discrimination. Presuma
bly his message would apply to women
as well, but they arc seldom men
tioned.
The fast and often complex rhythms
of the record lend themselves to modem
hip-hop dancing, but those who pay
too much attention to the beats will
miss the record’s progressive politi
cal message.
The first and title cut addresses
issues from murder to Christianity.
Tying the issues together are seem
Laquan
“Notes of A Native Son”
4th and Broadway/lsland
Records
Rating: 2 1/2
Ratings are 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent).
ingly interminable strings of disjointed
adjectives.
“Panic, rhythmatic, dope addict/
Words come automatic/ Sticks like
static/ Frozen and freeze-dried,” is a
typical line.
Next is “Brother to Brother,” a cut
that’s a little more focused. The track
presents Laquan’s arguments against
selling and using drugs. Although these
arc not or iginal, they arc worded in a
fresh way.
The instrumentation, however, is
the same measure after measure. A
monotonous, syncopated drumbeat and
repeated organ chords make this cut
tiresome.
“Now’s the B-Tum” is more so
phisticated. It encourages black pride,
an issue particularly close to Laq
uan’s heart. The lyrics approach elo
quence several times, especially with
“Africa is home and the birth of
humanity,” and “Awareness of black
pride was kept inside/ It’s time the
mentally dead revise alive.” A com
plex rhythm and the addition of a
flute add interest.
Laquan describes his reason for
singing in a track entitled “Soul Solo
ist.” He says,” So what if you don’t
dance/ As long as you’re hearing me?”
Clearly, his purpose is as much edu
cation as entertainment.
The second half of the album
addresses more controversial issues.
In “Swing Blue, Sweat Black,” Laq
uan speaks of frustration about con
tinuing inequality in the United States.
He urges listeners to refuse to recite
the pledge of allegiance to an unjust
nation and urges Bag burning for the
same reason. He asks, “When will
this color war come to an end?/ And
do the good still always win?/ Hell is
on earth.”
“Imprison the President” is a witty
track that points out the corruption of
the government by exaggerating it. It
See LAQUAN on 10