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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1997)
Play examines diversity Symbolic performance addresses multiculturalism, raises questions ---> > --—-— By Gerry Beltz Senior Reporter Out of the ashes of a cross-burn ing incident involving a UNL frater nity comes a play looking at racially charged issues, symbols and vocabu lary. s “All Tangled Up,” a play directed by artist-in-residence Jeff Raz, will be performed at the UNL Culture Cen ter, 333 N. 14th St., at 8 pjn. on Sat urday. Admission is free. Raz said although he had a vague idea of what kind of play he wanted to work on before he came to Lincoln, the cross burning was the real inspi ration. “I already knew the play would have a dual purpose of performing and dealing with issues of diversity,” he said, “but I wasn’t sure of the exact theme before I got here.” Sigma Chi fraternity members were placed on probation by their na tional fraternity after a Jan. 23 inci dent. Members of the fraternity were dressed in Civil War uniforms and the remains of a burned cross were found. Raz arrived in Lincoln the week after, and the ball started rolling, he said. “I thought to myself, ‘here’s an interesting incident which isn’t a hate crime per se,’” he said, “and what’s more useful than the theatrical use of a symbol?” Working through UNL’s College of Fine and Performing Arts, Raz cre ated the play with the multicultural education class instructed by Ed Nemeth. “The play is made up of personal stories we have told in class,” he said. “Some have nothing to do with cross burning. We read historical docu ments, experimented a lot with ges tures, language and symbols, and we share some of that with the audience.” Please see RAZ on 13 Our aim is not to make a definitive statement. That is rarely what theater is about." JeffRaz artist-in-residence Omaha cookin’ with pig roast By Ann Stack Senior Reporter Nothing goes together quite the way the blues and a pig roast do, with the exception of maybe headaches and Span ish 201. This Sunday, the 18th Amendment Bar and Grill, at 96th and Q streets in Omaha, will be hosting a Blues Fest and Pig Roast. The pig roast will take place in the beer garden; a sand wich-and-chips combo will go for $5. The doors open at 1 p.m., and the bands will perform on the indoor stage until 1 a.m. There will be an $8 cover charge for the all-day event. On the bill are some of the hottest blues musicians — ^ ^^Pl6aSe 866 °n ^ Sincerity adds depth to film of romance, growth, nostalgia By Bret Schulte Film Critic As Bob Dole felt (with his left hand), America yearns to return to its contemporary neoclassical age, the ’50s, which witnessed the birth of rock ‘n’ roll and modem home appli ances. Today, as the 20th century rapidly pe ters out, the ’50s have come to embody inno cence and hope. “Inventing the Abbotts” is the latest of a string of feel-good ’50s movies favored by nos talgic Gen-Xers — progenitors include “The Outsiders” and “Book of Love.” Similarly, “In venting the Abbotts” contrasts America’s fa vorite decade with authentic visions of restless youth, sexual exploration and full-service gas stations. In the small town of Haley, 111., a rich fam -The Facts Film: *inventing the Abbotts" Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup, Liv Tyier, Jennifer Connelly Director: Pat O'Connor Rating: R (Language, Nudity) Grade: A Five Words: Americana love story done right ily of ebony-accented beauties has enraptured the Holt boys, Jacey and Doug. Jacey (Billy Crudup) and Doug (Joaquin Phoenix) are rela tively poor because their father died when they Please see ABBOTTS on 13 Courtesy photo THE BILLY’S, a Minneapolis-based band, will perform at tbe Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St., in a 21-and-over show Saturday night. Billy’s not typical of Minneapolis bands By Ann Stack Senior Reporter Maybe if the Jayhawks had Jimmie Rodgers for a lead singer and listened to a bit more Sonic Youth while growing up, they’d sound like The Billy’s. That’s quite a combination, but not really a fair comparison. The Billy’s share the same city (Min neapolis) as the Jayhawks, and they also excel at catchy choruses, tight musicianship and hooky harmo nies. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The Billy’s, who got their name from the Kurt Vonnegut Jr. novel, “Slaughter house Five,” sound as though they’d be equally as comfortable romping through a Texas Torna does number or tearing through a Soul Asylum song. Of course, the simple route would be to compare them to other Minneapolis bands — to clump them with the plethora of other bands from that region that seem to have that coined sound: a loose blend of country-rock and pop har monies. “We get compared to the Gear Daddys a lot,” singer and guitarist Eric Roberts said. “That happens when you’re from a place like this. You can kind of tag a city, like Se attle or Athens. People just grab at the most obvious comparisons.” The Gear Daddys comparison is fair though — the first two Billy’s albums both featured former frontman Martin Zellar. For their next disc, they plan on getting guest help on backing vocals from mem bers of other Minneapolis bands, such as Tina and the B-Side Move ment. the Billy’s have been together for five years and have two albums, 1994’s “Roses and Flowers and Plants,” and 1995’s “All American Lounge,” both on the Oar Fin la |bel out of Minneapolis. The next album, due out sometime this sum mer, will be put out by themselves, Roberts said. The new album, as yet untitled (“Unless the other guys haven’t told me,” Roberts said), won’t be much of a digression from The Billys’ previous two albums, he said. “I think we’ve gotten tighter; we’ve played a lot of shows since then,” he said. “The first one was pretty playful; we recorded it in this guy’s basement and we weren’t re ally sure what we were doing. “You always think your sound changes,” he said. “But I think technically we’re better players and songwriters.” The Billy’s make a stop in Lin coln on Saturday at the Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St. Local boys Houndstooth will set the stage with its brand of roots-rock, going on about 9 p.m. There’s a $4 cover charge. ' Photo Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox UV TYLER AND JOAQUIN PHOENIX portray two young people whose strong friendship aid love endure despite formidable obstacles In the drama “Inventing the Abbetts.”
