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Thursday, July X8,1994
ARTSffiENTERTAINMENT
Nebraska Rep’s season closes with romantic musical
By Paula Lavigne
Staff RepwiBr_
She loves me. She loves me not. She loves
me. She loves me not. Who is she?
Through a mixture of confusion, irony and
contrast, the Nebraska Repertory Theatre’s sea
son finale “She Loves Me” creates a tension
only romance can endure.
This Broadway musical revival pits two peo
ple whodisl ike each other into a compassionate,
quirky romance.
In the 1930s, women were expected to be
barefoot, pregnant and unemployed. However,
for Amalia Balash, (played by actress Susan
Arundalc) her single life as a worker in a
perfumery makes her a striking contrast to her
time.
Arundale, an Actors Equity Association ac
tress, said her character was a strong woman
with many obstacles to overcome for a single,
working woman in the 1930s.
“It’s a lot of fun to be playing ahead of her
time,” Arundale said. “She’s struggling with a
lot. In her lime, if you weren’t married at a
certain age, there was something wrong with
you.”
Although Amalia is struggling with single
life, Arundale said, she does meet someone —
through the mail.
“She’s actually fallen in love with someone
she’s corresponding with and who she’s never
met,” she said.
Arundale said playing Amalia was an enjoy
able experience because she was allowed to
explore how Amalia resolved her many con
flicts. She said she could also relate to the role
on a personal level.
“In acting, it’s very hard to get in. It’s very
competitive and there’s always a challenge,”
she said. “When your job is over, you have to go
back out an audition for another one.”
The “certain fear” that lies in searching for
a new job is what lies the knot between Arundale
and Amalia. However, the two don’t lead par
allel lives.
Arundale is happily married, and ironically,
her husband is performing alongside her in
“She Loves Me/
“I do have someone to share my life with,”
she said. “However, there have been times when
I was lonely and looking for a relationship.”
Performing as a lady in the 1930s was not a
challenge for Arundale, either, because of her
upbringing.
“I have parents who are quite a bit older and
I had to relate to their lives." she said. “When I
was a child, I was always asked to be a young
Jason Levkulich/DN
Cast members of “She Loves Me” rehearse the show’s finale for tonight’s opening.
lady because at that time, that was what was
expected of you."
For director Keith Grant, the challenge of
“She Loves Me" lies in the linguistics of the
musical.
“A lot of the scenes take pi ace in a perfumery
and it’s challenging to orchestrate the move
ment around that,” he said.
Grant, who once taught at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, said his return to Nebraska
has taken him somewhat out of his normal
repertoire. Grant said most of his work was
“very political and darker” than the lightheart
ed romantic comedy in “She Loves Me.”
“This was a chance for me to find a vision for
this piece ” Grant said. “1 wanted to find a way
to do it differently than any production of it I'd
ever seen.”
Grant said there was “too much tension” to
give anything away which would ruin the mu
sical’s “big moment of discovery.”
“It’s very ‘Crying Game’-esque,” Grant
laughed. “I see it as people missing each other
ana not really connecting.”
The relationships within the play arc very
subtle and intimate, which adds to the play's
lighthearted atmosphere.
“It’s a very charming, music box, Valentine
Faberge’ egg,” Grant grinned. “It’s very ex
quisite — not big and brassy.”
“She Loves Me” will be performed today,
Friday and Saturday and Aug. 4-6 at 8 p.m. in
the Howell Theatre in UNL’sTcmplc Building.
There will be 3 p.m. matinees on July 31 and
Aug. 7. Tickets arc $20 and student tickets arc
$10.
‘Client ’guilty of solid acting, plot
“The Client”
By Joel Strauch
Staff Raportor_
“The Client” has been found guilty
ol being the best Him interpretation of
a John Grisham novel yet.
The movie does justice to the book
and also stands on its own as a solid
film.
It tells the story of Mark Sway
(Brad Renfro), a young boy who wit
nesses a suicide and learns the where
abouts of the body of a murdered U.S.
Senator.
Mark enlists the services of attor
ney Reggie Love (Susan Sarandon),
and she helps him ward off the un
wanted attention of both the mob and
a relentless federal prosecutor. Rever
end Roy Foltrigg (Tommy Lee Jones).
Mark and Reggie desperately try to
find a way that Mark can divulge the
information he knows without putting
him or his family at risk.
The strong acting adds much to an
already intense Grisham plot. Acade
my Award-winning Jones fits well
into the role of the attention-grubbing
Foltrigg. who hopes to gain enough
publicity from the ease to run for
governor.
Twice nominated for an Oscar,
Sarandon is exceptional as the re
sourceful and motherly Love. Setting
aside her own problems, she gives her
all for Mark and his family.
Newcomer Brad Renfro is capti
vating as the frightened but assertive
Mark. Only 11 years old, Mark has
matured beyond nis age by growi ng up
without a father. Renfro beautifully
captures the essence of a young boy
who is forced into a situation that
quickly becomes too much for even
his heightened maturity.
The filmmakers left out a few parts
of the book that would have easily
added a lot to the film, but overall
“The Client” is a great watch for
Grisham fans and non fans alike.
Child stars make splash
on new video shelves
“Blank Check” (PG) — An
enjoyable comedy starring Brian
Bonsall (“Star Trek: The Next
Generation”) and Miguel Ferrer
(“Point of No Return”), “Blank
Check” is a story about a kid who
gets a million bucks dropped into
his lap, what he docs with it, and
how he avoids the people that want
it back.
“What's Eating Gilbert
Grape” (R) — An incredible film
with some of the best young acting
talent around, courtesy of Johnny
Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio and
Juliette Lewis.
Gilbert (Depp) is a young man
whose life is at a standstill in a
small town, and he is caring for his
entire family, including his men
tally challenged brother Arnic
(DiCaprio, in an Academy Award
nominated performance).
PICK-OF-THE-WEEK —
For anyone that enjoyed James
Cameron’s “Terminator 2: Judg
ment Day”, call the local video
store to see if they arc carrying
“Terminator 2: Director’s Cut” on
their shelves. There’s about 15 ex
tra minutes of footage, including a
different ending and even more
funky special effects with both of
the terminators.
— Gerry Betti