Arts ^Entertainment
Satirical ‘Anarchist’
breaks theater rules
theater
preview
By Anne Steyer
Senior Reporter
Society gets skewered in Dario
Fo’s wicked satire “Accidental Death
of an Anarchist,” which opens Thurs
day night in Temple’s Studio The
atre.
A presentation from UNL’s stu
dent production company, Theatrix,
the play follows a maniac, Catherine
Jarboe, around as she tries to uncov
er the reasons behind the mysterious
death of an anarchist.
Julie Hagcmeier, Theatrix spokes
person, said satire was as accurate a
description of the play as possible,
considering there was so much going
on onstage.
“It’s very fast-paced and is full of
very physical action as well as verbal
content,” Hagemeier said.
Hopefully, she said, the audience
will recognize the commentary on
society — through references to ac
tual events such as the Rodney King
beating — and reflect upon them.
The play’s director, Gregory
Tavares, agreed.
“It’s absolutely about being acti
vated, about not being passive, about
breaking rules when rules need to be
broken ” Tavares said.
Tavares said he was sure no one
would leave the theater without be
ing activated in some way, cither
agreeing with the material or dis
agreeing with it. ...
Tavares said the play was about
something that really happened in
Italy, but here at UNL it will have an
American and contemporary twist.
The story begins after the suppos
edly accidental death of an anarchist,
who died in police custody. The ac
tion begins when a maniac infiltrates
the police station, trying to gain in
formation about the death.
This attempt at uncovering the
truth behind the police’s facade re
quires the maniac to be involved in a
jumble of disguised and clownish
tracks.
Those moments of absurdity from
the maniac trick the buffoons in the
police department to give a confes
sion, albeit unknowingly and unwill
ingly.
Hagemeier said she thought the
play could be viewed as commentary
on how society is prone to gloss over
events that involve bureaucracy, po
lice and government officials.
Tavares agreed.
“It’s about brutal murder and po
litical cover-up,” Tavares said. “It’s
the funniest play about political mur
der you’ll ever see.
-44
It’s like a roller coast
er. You get on and
you can’t get off.
— Tavares
director
“It’s like a roller coaster,” he said.
“You get on and you can’t get off.”
In addition to Jarboc as the mani
ac, the cast includes Todd Zaruba as
Bertozzo, Mario Bravo as Consta
bles, Chris Williford as Pissani, Darla
Hermance as Felleti, and Tom Crew
as Superintendent.
In addition to the interesting
plotline, Hagemeier said the staging
is unique as well.
“The set is used as a performance
space,” she said, “so that the audi
ence is aware they are in a theater at
all times.”
“It’s an innovative use of prop,
scenery and costumes too,”
Hagemeier said. “All of the techni
cal and visual aspects are very inter
esting.”
“We’ve got people swinging from
the ceiling, just crazy, crazy stuff,”
he said.
Performances begin at 8 p.m. on
Thursday and run through Saturday.
There will be an additional perfor
mance Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are
$2 and are available at the door, on
the third floor of the Temple Build
ing.
n • iii Julia Mikotajcik/DN
Big ol horn
John McDevitt, a freshman in the Cornhusker Marching Band, practices Wednes
day morning in the Cook Pavilion.
Latest in Castaneda’s mystical series escapes definition
Carlos Castaneda
The Art of Dreaming
Harper Collins
Carlos Castaneda made anthropological his
tory 20 years ago with the publication of “The
Teachings of Don Juan.”
Castaneda had apprenticed himself to the
Yaqui Indian sorcerer who gave his name to
the book.
Don Juan introduced Castaneda, and gener
ations of readers, to the magical properties of
“Mescalito” — or peyote.
But along with the psychedelics came some
mystical teaching on consulting one’s own
death, on the nature of reality and how to see
past it.
In short, the books that followed “Teach
ings: A Separate Reality,” “Journey to Ixtlan,”
“Tales of Power,” and “The Second Ring of
Power,” — constituted a kind of short course
in the practice of Don Juan’s brand of sorcery.
However, with the publication of “The Ea
gle’s Gift” a few years ago, things took a
definite turn for the strange.
In that book, Castaneda began to recount
teachings of Don Juan that he had, until then,
forgotten.
He explained this by saying the teachings
had been given to him while he was in “the
second attention” — a kind of altered state of
consciousness.
Don Juan put him in this trance by the
unlikely means of slapping him very hard on
the back. And while he was under the influ
cnce of the second attention, Don Juan took
him places, introduced him to people, and
gave him instruction in things that make the
earlier teachings seem pale obvious things by
comparison.
That’s about the time this reviewer stopped
reading the series.
But Castaneda did not stop writing it:
“The Fire From Within” and “The Power of
Silence” followed, and now “The Art of
Dreaming” concludes a cycle.
In it, for the first time, Castaneda has as
See DREAMING on 12
Dog duo does nothing but dreck for loser comedy
“Look Who’s Talking Now”
There are a couple of standard warning
signs when you’re at a bad movie — like a
lack of previews. Even worse is if the movie is
a follow-up to a very poor sequel.
Such is the case with “Look Who’s Talking
Now.” All the signs were present, including
the most obvious. I was the the ONLY person
in the theater. Also, the movie gave me chest
pains — a sign of a really awful movie.
Back again are John Travolta — a true
Thespian at work — and Kirstie Alley, the
whiner of the year — she probably misses
“Cheers” — as the proud, semi-incompetent
parents of Mikey and Julie, the lovely off
spring bom in the first two “Look Who’s Talk
ing” films.
However, Julie and Mikey can talk now, so
all the “mental talking” comes from the two
new dogs in the apartment, street-smart Rocks
(Danny DeVito) and pampered poodle Daphne
(Diane Keaton).
There is a story line — sort of. Molly (Al
ley) has been fired from her accounting job,
and the only job she can get is as one of
Santa’s elves, watching over a bunch of un
grateful little whelps. James (Travolta), on the
other hand, has found a well-paying job as a
private pilot for the seductive, flesh-hungry
Samantha (Lysette Anthony, “Husbands and
Wives”).
Of course, the “plot” and “acting” are put
on the back burner to make way for the hilari
ous moments provided by Rocks and Daphne.
If there had been some “hilarious moments,”
this movie may have actually garnered a half
a-rccl as a final rating.
However, Kirstie Alley’s acting is worse
than John Travolta’s, and that is a concept that
boggles the mind. All the jokes fall flat, and
See TALKING on 12
Courtesy TriStar
Rocks, a rambunctious mutt with a voice like Danny DeVito’s, and
Daphne, a well-bred poodle who sounds like Diane Keaton, make an
unlikely couple in the new movie “Look Who’s Talking Now.’’