Sondheim revue challenges company
BILL WHITNEY, left, Shari Myers, Karen Cbuplis, Cris Rook and Vincent T. Learned are starring in “Side by Side by
Sondheim,” a musical revue starting Thursday at the Downtown Dinner Theater at 245 N. 13th St.
By Liza Holtmeier
Senior Reporter
Stephen Sondheim’s work spans 4
1/2 decades, and this week, audiences
have the opportunity to enjoy a por
tion of his genius.
The musical revue “Side by Side
by Sondheim” premieres at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday at the Downtown Dinner
Theater in The Green Room, 245 N.
13th St. It features 33 songs from the
late 1950s to the mid ‘70s, and
encompasses award-winning musi
cals like “A Funny Thing Happened
On The Way To The Forum,” “West
Side Story” and “Company.”
Earning numerous Tony Awards
and fame equal to that of Sir Andrew
Lloyd Webber, Sondheim’s songs
culminate in a memory-filled revue.
“Sondheim’s music is so rich in
content besides being beautiful and
funny,” cast member Cris Rook said.
“I think people will discover a lot of
songs they didn’t know.”
Director Julie Hagemeier said the
magnitude of work to be performed
in during the two-hour show presents
a challenge for cast and crew alike.
“We have lots and lots of music,
and we have to find a way to tie it
together and make it continue to
flow,” she said.
The complexity of Sondheim’s
work also makes it hard to memorize.
“It’s hard because some of
Sondheim’s lyrics don’t fit neatly into
stanzas,” Rook said. “He breaks out
of what is expected a lot of the times.”
Rook said she hoped the popular
ity of Sondheim’s work would help
increase the patronage of the theater,
which is irt its second full season.
Hagemeier said the atmosphere
of The Green Room could help to
accomplish this aim.
“It is so intimate,” she said. “It’s
sort of like the (University of
Nebraska-Lincoln) Studio Theatre
because people are right there in front
of you.”
Rook added that the space helped
the actors develop the ability to relate
one-on-one with the audience.
“It’s a very personal experience ”
Rook explained. “As an actor, you
really notice the difference after per
forming on a large stage.”
According to cast members, the
production especially benefited from
the intimate atmosphere.
“The show is based on the musi
cal number and the ability of the five
people on stage to relate to each
other,” Rook explained. “The audi
ence will be closer to those relation
ships with this stage.”
The show runs Thursday, Friday,
Saturday and Sept. 25-27. Dinner
tickets are $20 on Thursdays and $22
on Fridays and Saturdays. Show only
tickets are $ 10 for general admission
and $6 for students on Thursdays and
$12 Fridays and Saturdays. Dinner is
served at 6 p.m. with the show fol
lowing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday’s per
formance will be at 8 p.m. To make a
reservations call 477-9894.
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Photo courtesy of Polygram Films
TERRORIZED BY UNKNOWN FORCES that seem intent on dismantling every
thing he has built, Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) has to win this
enigmatic game or lose control of everything in his life.
‘The Game’ credits
re-emerging genre
By Bret Schulte
Film Critic
In a recent interview, Michael '
Douglas proclaimed that his latest
silver-screen offering, “The Game,”
was built on the best script he had
read in 10 years - Hollywood stars
must not make it to the movies a lot.
However, “The Game” is a sur
passing and emotionally draining
thriller, intelligently paced with a
Hitchcockian momentum and packed
with psychological beatings.
Smoothly puppeteered by the
artistic hands of director David
Fincher - best known for his morality
play cop flick, “Seven” - this most
recent effort is similar in cinematic
style. It features gritty film tech
niques, artistic and bleak settings (in
other words, California) and a char
acter-based world of doubt and greed.
The story revolves around a “mil
lionaire fat cat,” Nicholas Van Orton,
played by experienced thriller-film
and Hollywood fat cat Michael
Douglas, whose credits in this genre
include the critically-acclaimed
“Fatal Attraction.”
An investment banker and old
money elitist, Nicholas lives a cau
tious and enclosed life intentionally
removed fropi the swarming masses
of mainstream society. In this world,
he exists very alone and very safely -
until his renegade younger brother,
Conrad (Sean Penn), re-enters
Nicholas’ life on his 48th birthday.
Please see GAME on 14
_ ... - . _ Photo courtesy of Restless Records
CHOPPER ONE (from left, Tyrone Rio, Amy Cropper and Jason Cropper) makes a two-day stop in Nebraska
starting tonight at Omaha’s Ranch Rowl. The high-octane pop-rock outfit will play Tuesday at Duffy’s Tavern
in Lincoln.
Energetic Chopper One to play
By MaryAnn Muggy
Music Critic
Fasten your seatbelts and
get ready for takeoff. Chopper
One is landing in Nebraska.
The L.A.-based group will
play Omaha’s Ranch Bowl
tonight, taking the stage around
10 p.m. The group will be in
Lincoln Tuesday at Duffy’s
Tavern, with Rank Strangers
opening at 10 p.m.
This new, happy pop band
has a live show that has been
compared to Cheap Trick, The
Who, Big Star and Nirvana. But
’ their sound has mostly been
compared tathat of Weezer.
This stems from the fact that
Jason Cropper, lead guitarist of
Chopper One, was an original
member of Weezer and left as
they were recording their debut
album with Geffen Records.
Cropper left to become a
family man, spending time with
his wife, Amy, Chopper One’s
bassist. Jason taught Amy how
to play while the two awaited
the arrival of their adorable
daughter, Kiefer, who is fea
tured on the band’s compact
disc cover.
In the spring of ’95, the two
formed a band called Braxton
Hicks. (The term is said to
come from the term for\farly
labor contractions.) When
Braxton Hicks drummer Darrin
Pfeiffer left to Join Goldfinger,
the Croppers farmed Chopper
One.
Both Amy and Jason
Cropper wrote the songs for the
debut album and backed them
Up with strong vocals. By fall
’95, the Croppers added Tyrone
Rio on drums and released an
independent single by the end
of the year.
Chopper One also was fea
tured on a compilation album
called “HUSH,” which came
out of L.A. in ’96. Jason
Cropper’s other projects
include playing, singing and
co-writing (with his wife) on
the album by ska group 22
Jacks and producing an album
Please see CHOPPER on 14 ,
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