The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, December 16, 1996, Page 13, Image 13

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    Performers
to take stage
for charity
TOYSTOCK from page 12
“I see bands that don’t get huge
right away, that take time to build
up a fan base and make some good
records as being the ones that last,”
he said.
The Hunger have performed in
Lincoln previously, and have played
with some of the other featured
Toy stock bands before.
The performer most familiar
with Lincoln is guitar virtuoso Gary
Hoey. This will be his third time
playing in the Star City, and he said
he’s looking forward to helping a
town he likes.
“It’s always nice to get involved
and be able to give something
back,” he said.
Gary Hoey, who has five albums
under his belt, including a Christ
mas album entitled “Gary Ho-Ho
Hoey,” is currently supporting his
latest release, “Bug Alley.” Pro
duced by Ray Thomas Baker, this
is the first album on which Hoey
sings.
“I do a remake of Santana’s
“Black Magic Woman,” he said.
Hoey recently played a few West
Coast dates on the G-3 tour, featur
ing Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Joe
Satriani.
“That was definitely the high
light of my life,” he said. “It’s a thrill
to be playing with people of that
stature.”
As part of The Blaze’s Toys for
Tots campaign, morning show per
sonalities Tim, the Animal and
Johnny Royal held a 30-hour camp
out to raise money and donations.
Their goal was $10,000 and 1,200
toys. They succeeded and surpassed
their goal.
Tickets for the 19 and over
Toystock ’96 are available all
Ticketmaster outlets and cost $15
in advance or $18 the day of the
show. The doors will open at 6 p.m.
i'""
Play brings true spirit of season to audiences ■
‘A Christmas Carol' continues to be a heartwarming holiday classic
By Liza Holtmeier
Theater Critic
Audiences who attended “A Christ
mas Carol” this weekend saw a pro
fessional and energetic production, but
more importantly, they left the Lied
Center for Performing Arts with an in
ner warmth and calm they did not have
when they arrived.
From the beginning of the produc
tion by die UNL theatre department,
the spirit of Christmas prevailed. The
opulent sets of Larry Kaushansky and
Dan Stratman, coupled with the rich
costumes of Janice Stauffer, brought
Charles Dickens’ England to life. The
mix of Christmas carols and gently fall
ing snow generated the joyous, bright
atmosphere of the holiday season.
The moment the lights rose on
Scrooge’s office, Robert Hurst com
manded the stage. His hunched posture
and miserly looks made Dickens’
Scrooge real before Hurst even said a
word. The entrance of Paul Steger’s
Bob Cratchit and his comic glances at
Scrooge furthered the formidable im
age of Hurst’s character.
The comic tone changed to one
more dramatic as Jacob Marley’s
ghost, played by Steven Shields, vis
ited Scrooge at his home. Though
Shield’s characterization was a bit
over-dramatic, the fog, lighting and
i
sound effects achieved the dire sense
of doom the scene called for.
Just when the audience was begin
ning to feel scared, the Ghost of Girist
mas Past entered, played by Joan
Henneke and Kristi Covey. Henneke’s
exquisite old age makeup contrasted by
Covey’s youthful litheness produced an
ethereal atmosphere in the scene.
The scenes from Scrooge’s past
showcased the range of emotions this
show could produce. William Cover’s
Young Ebenezer, Jacque Camperud’s
Belle and Paul Pearson’s Fezziwig es
tablished the roots of Scrooge’s life.
The delightful flirtation between
Belle and a youthful Scrooge brought
smiles to the faces of the audience,
while the confrontation between the
two characters over young Ebenezer’s
greediness agonized not only the on
looking Scrooge, but also the audience.
Pearson radiated merriment each
time he entered the stage. His gravelly
laughter and cheerful growl for gaiety
heightened the tempo of the show and
served as a symbol for inherent good
ness.
Act 2 got under way with the mag
nificent entrance of Patrick Tuttle’s
Ghost of Christmas Present in a gilded
chandelier lowered. Tuttle’s hearty
laugh sustained the sense of merriment,
-1
though the scenes contained an under
lying tone of sorrow.
Both scenes with the Cratchits were
highlights of the play. The first, in
which the family celebrates over
Christmas dinner, established the
chemistry between the characters.
Heather Currie’s Mrs. Cratch it was
probably one of the most loving wives
to be portrayed onstage, and Steger
needed only to smile to portray the
emotions and happiness of Bob
Cratchit.
One of the most powerful scenes
in the show occurred as the Ghost of
Christmas Present took Scrooge
around the world to show him the
needy and the poor. As the lights low
ered, cast members entered with
candles to line the apron of the stage
and the stairs out into the audience. As
their voices rose singing the divine
notes of “O Holy Night,” the spotlight
dimmed on Scrooge and the sky back
drop was bright with stars. It was a
moment of purity and aching happi
ness.
Next came the Ghost of Christmas
Future and with him, bleak sets and
gray-green lighting to give life to the
doom of Scrooge’s future. Shadows
and fog, accompanied by the cackles
of Joe the Bcetler, also played by
Cover, rounded out the sense of fore
I
boding for the audience and Scrooge.
The subtle approach by Steger and
Currie to the death of Tiny Tim was
beautiful. The characters’ struggle to
keep the tears and emotions under con
trol was heart-breaking for both the
audience and Scrooge.
After the exit of the Ghost of Christ
mas Future, the mood shifted once
again as Hurst’s Scrooge transformed
from a cold, gruff old man to a giddy,
joyful, schoolboy-like character.
Hurst’s scenes with a boy named
Simon, played by Scott Shamblin, were
incredibly genuine. It was as if the two
were unaware they were being watched
by a sold out crowd.
This joyful, upbeat pace was upset
though as the scene switched to people
in the street on Christmas Day. A
woman entered carrying a baby, and
as the cast members gathered around,
the lights dimmed and two donkeys
were led in. The woman knelt with the
child in her arms, and her husband
came to stand behind her. This picture,
meant to symbolize the birth of Jesus,
seemed contrived and out of place.
The show did take its audiences
through the emotional catharsis of
Scrooge. By the end of the show, the
cast had given more than a tremendous
performance to the audience; they had
given a lesson in the meaning of Christ
mas.
--1
Earnings
SOURCE: AP _
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