Arts ©Entertainment
Thursday, February 8, 1996
Page 12
Emily Wray
‘Terabithia’
goes beyond
grade school
“Bridge To Terabithia” by
Katherine Paterson is one of the great
est books ever written. Really, it is.
Stop laughing.
If you haven’t read this book, go
into any Lincoln bookstore and spend
the $2.95 it will cost you (at least
that’s what it cost me in 1986 U.S.
dollars) for your very own copy.
Or, if you’re of the frugal sort,
come down to the Daily Nebraskan
and you may borrow my copy.
Yes, really. We here at the Daily
Nebraskan are sensitive to every other
student on campus, as long as you fork
over your student I.D., car keys, room
keys and driver’s license.
Actually, I’ll let you borrow
“Bridge To Terabithia” with a mini
mal amount of fuss.
With that out of the way, it s time to
explore what makes “Bridge To
Terabithia” one of the greatest books
ever written.
It’s got kids, romance, animals and
death in the true spirit of
Shakespearean comedy, i.e., only one
person dies, not every character.
All of this drama is hidden in the
form of a 126-page book about fifth
graders.
By no means, though, is “Bridge
To Terabithia” just a book for the
average elementary student.
Jesse Oliver Aarons Jr. is the main
character. He lives on a farm by a
Virginia town near Washington, D.C.,
and is a fifth-grader who has to deal
with four sisters.
“Jess” is also a gifted artist. But his
father doesn’t appreciate artistic tal
ents in a world where there are farm
chores to be done.
Add Leslie Burke, a new girl in
school who’s a faster runner than all
of the fifth-grade boys. Needless to
say, she’s quite unique, and that doesn’t
roll really well with typical elemen
tary peers.
Follow the trials and tribulations in
their imaginary kingdom called
Terabithia, and it’s a story.
Of course, real world problems also
have to be addressed. These include
school teachers, their families and
cruel classmates.
rwi ui uicsc uiaracier elements
combine to make this book excellent.
Imagination is a key to this book
for many reasons. In fact, it’s required
to fojlow the story line. Putting your
self in the hero’s place is also very
worthwhile.
Besides, it’s no fun to just lode at
words and not be stimulated by
thoughts and pictures in your mind. If
you want that kind of action, please
turn cm the boob tube.
Another appealing aspect of this
book is that it’s grounded in realism.
Even with all the unagination required,
it’s not hard to believe that the events
described actually could happen.
“Bridge To Terabithia” also deals
with issues involved in growing up.
It’s not preachy, but the messages get
across. Finally, the book’s characters
are easy to relate to, and it’s generally
lots of fun for all ages.
Go and buy your own copy of
“Bridge to Terabithia” or come on
down and borrow mine. Just don’t
forget your student I.D. and car keys.
Wray is a sophomore broadcasdag ma
jor aad a Dally Nebraska! staff reporter.
Aaron Steckelberg/DN
Enhanced CDs offer more to explore
Editor's note: This is part three of
a series designed to take a look at
enhanced compact discs, their fea
tures, their creators and the musi
cians who have used them.
By Cliff Hicks
Music Critic
With all of these Enhanced CDs
and CD Extras, the compact discs
that double as CD-ROMs, on the
market, how is the thrifty consumer
to know what’s worth the cash and
what’s best to pass on?
Here for your assistance is an
overview of some of the Enhanced
CDs on the market today, as well as
the ups and downs of each.
Let’s start with the earliest, Sarah
McLachlan’s “The Freedom Ses
sions,” an eight-song acoustic EP
that doubles as a CD-ROM. One of
the major pitfalls of “The Freedom
Sessions” is that all of the computer
data are on track one, thus nulling
your chances of leaving it on shuffle
in a multi-disc player.
On the plus side, “The Freedom
Sessions” is one of the best of the
Enhanced CDs out there, simply be
cause the amount of music is smaller
than a full album, leaving more room
for video and computer data. By this
token, however, the amount of mu
sic one gets is cut down, and the
price tag is steep for an EP.
The same can be said about the
self-titled debut EP from Civiliza
tion, whose sound is a mix of ambi
ent and techno. With only five tracks, •
there is a lot of open space for CD
ROM material. But the amount of
music poses limitations because
there is only so much material to
delve into.
Oh the plus side, ^Civilization”
uses the AIX pregap format, so there
is no danger in putting the disc in
your player and hitting shuffle. Also,
the disc is not terribly expensive,
running at a normal EP price.
Bahu Barn, whose sound is best
compared to Alice In Chains, also
See CD on 13
Sober play returns
for second season
By Brian Priosman
Staff Reporter
Fall semester 1995: Theatrix
opens its fall season with a produc
tion of David Mamet’s “Oleanna.”
Spring semester 1996: Theatrix
opens its spring
season with a
production of
David Mamet’s
“Oleanna.”
Dejavu strikes
imsweeKena as
the critically ac
claimed produc
tion, “Oleanna,”
returns for three
performances.
■starring
Colene Byrd and Jason T. Richards,
“Oleanna” is an in-depth look at
what constitutes sexual harassment
in a student-teacher relationship.
Carol (Byrd) visits one of her
professors to gain help in his class.
John (Richards), her professor, is in
the process of buying a house and
receiving tenure. As their meeting
progresses, the two discuss their
places in society, and it seems as if a
bond has been made.
When we next see the two of
them, John’s tenure is being held up
because Carol has filed a complaint
of sexual harassment. Eventually, a
charge of rape is added to the com
plaint, and John’s life is brought to
shambles by Carol and a mysterious
group that she has joined.
“Oleanna” is considered by many
theater-goers to be one of the most
dangerous dramas in the world.
“The audience has to make up
their own minds,” said Amy K. Rohr,
the play’s director. “The incidents
that bring about the charges of ha
rassment are never seen by the audi
ence.”
When “Oleanna” opened in New
York, audience members were on
their feet shouting at each other by
the end of the show, said Tice Miller,
chair of the theatre department.
The production opened to criti
cal success last semester, and Miller
wanted Theatrix to bring the show
back again.
“It’s a very good production,”
Miller said. “Its ideas alone were
worth bringing back.”
Rohr and her cast had very little
difficulty bringing the show back
after several months off, Rohr said.
The only problem they encountered
was moving the show to its new
home, Rohr added.
Last fall, “Oleanna” was pre
sented in a classroom on the second
floor of the Temple Building. This
spring, it has moved upstairs to
Studio 301.
“We call it ‘the echo chamber,”’
Rohr said.
“Oleanna” will run Friday
through Sunday with performances
at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at
2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are S3 at the
door.
Duo gets into politics
Farley, Spade help in run for governor
By Jenny Parmenter
Rim Critic
Chris Farley and David Spade,
the slapstick duo from “Tommy
Boy,” are back in Paramount
Picture’s newest comedy, “Black
Sheep”
The plot is the same. Farley gets
himself into unbelievable trouble and
Spade unsuccessfully tries to get
him out of it. This time, however,
the plot revolves around a political
campaign for governor.
Mike Donnelly (Farley) is trying
to help his older brother, A1 (Tim
Matheson), win the gubernatorial
race in Washington state.
Spade plays Steve Dodds, the
apathetic campaign worker assigned
to keep Donnelly out of trouble.
Dodds has his work cut out for him
as Donnelly gets into one mishap
after another.
These incidents include taking
over an MTV Rock-the-Vote rally,
tumbl ing down a mountain and earn
ing the respect of a crated Vietnam
vet, Drake Sabitch (Gary Busey).
No matter how hard Donnelly
See SHEEP on 13
eastern musicians
will mystify tonight
By Patrick Hambrecht
Senior Reporter
“Let go your mind and float down
stream” with live transcendental mu
sic from Omaha’s Maharishi
Gandharva Vedic University at the
Westbrook Music Hall tonight.
The trio, including Tanpura and
Tabla players, will play a particular
type of mystical Eastern music, rep
resenting the same spiritual move
ment reflected by George Harrison
on various Beatles albums, UNL
management assistant professor Jen
nifer Meyer said.
Just like the Beatles and magi
cian Doug Henning, the musicians
—Rabi Shankar Bhowmick, Seema
Bhowmick and Manas Chakraborty
— also represent the teachings of
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Meyer also has learned from the
Maharishi’s meditation techniques
and serves on the Maharishi
Gandharva Vedic University’s board
of directors.
Meyer said mediation was “not a
religion, not a philosophy, but amen
tal technique” that helped her in
crease her intelligence and con
sciousness.
John Karis, a transcendental
See CONCERT on 13