Lied sports expanded lineup
LIED from page 17
director, is ready to party.
“We’re kind of like pulling out all
the stops. We just want to celebrate, so
we tried to bring in a full spectrum of the
performing arts,” Bethea said. “We
want to, once again, affirm what the
Lied Cotter stands for but celebrates at
the same tone, and we’re doing that
“It’s a big season.”
The word “big” is often a relative
term, but a quick glance at the Lied’s
schedule can assure anyone that Bethea
means what he says. All the way down
the list big names keep popping up:
singer Harry Belafonte, an off
Broadway production of “Cats,” singer
1~
Judy Collins, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, dancer
Bill T. Jones and last, but not least,
Gregory Hines.
While the focus of this season is
definitely on the graceful aging of the
Lied Center, one part of this year’s line
up is, in a sense, just now being bom
die Nebraska Artist Series.
“When we thought about planning
for the 10th anniversary season, we
wanted to develop a commitment to per
forming artists that have some connec
tion to this state and have been success
ful and are continuing to be successful,”
Bethea said.
The Nebraska Artist Series is not
only making its debut this season, it pro
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vides the opening act, which features
comedian and Omaha native Pat Hazell.
His show, “The Wonder Bread Years,” is
a humorous account of Hazelly child
hood growing up in Nebraska.
Aside from kicking off a new series,
this season also continues to emphasize
two of die Lied Colter’s other success
ful series - die Discovery Series, dedi
cated to cutting edge original ideas and
performers, and the Family Series,
which offers cheaper tickets to family
oriented events.
One highlight from this year’s
Discovery Series is sure to be “Orfeo,”
which combines the opera with some of
the most innovative multimedia effects
ever used on stage. Performers and
music are woven seamlessly into three
dimensional holographic images that
are projected onto the stage.
One of the not-to-be-missed family
events is the “Fred Garbo Inflatable
Theater Company” a show that com
bines ballet-like movement with bal
loons and other inflatable objects.
With a commitment to finding acts
to fit specific categories such as the
Discovery Series and the Family Series,
itls easy to assume that, at times, quality
suffers. Bethea, however, is quick to
claim the opposite.
“My programming philosophy is:
Anything we put on stage must meet our
standards of high artistic quality, diver
sity and be generally representative of
all the forms of performing arts,”
Bethea said. “It’s not like we’re tacking
these shows on. We’re blending them
into our programming philosophy.”
As if booking almost 10 more acts
wasn’t thanks enough for Lincoln^ con
tinued patronage over the past 10 years,
the Lied Center is throwing the town a
party, too.
On Sept. 24, the Lied will hold
“Jubilied,” an outdoor birthday party in
the Lied Plaza with free food, free music
by the Cajun band BeauSoleil and free
dancing under free stars.
Ah, yes, it’s the icing on the cake.
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lied Center
1999 ,
Pat Hazed, comedian
10 7&9p.m. Pat Hazed, comedian
12 2&6p.m. Pat Hazed, comedian
22 8p.m. Harry Belafonte
24 ‘ 7p.m. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet
1 8p.m. Bobby Watson and Horizon with Victor Lewis
3 7p.m. Moscow State Radio Symphony Orch. &
Chorus
5 8p.m. Perlman/Nikkanen/Baiiey Piano Trio
6 8p.m. Don Cossacks of Rostov
8 8p.m. Perlman/Nikkanen/Baiiey Piano Trio
12 8p.m. Burhan Ocal & Seamus Blake Quartet
18 8p.m. National Symphony Orchestra
20 8p.m. Irakere
22 8p.m. Susan Marshall & Co.:“The Descent Beckons"
26 8p.m. "Cats’
27 2&8p.m. “Cats"
28 8p.m. “Cats’
298p.m. “Cats"
2*4 7p.m. Michaef Cooper
5 8p.m. Club 47: Rush, Ian, Taylor & Gilbert
12 8p.m. The Watts Prophets: “Talk Up/Not Down"
14 7p.m. Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Naoto Tanaka,
19 8p.m. The Edlos
December
2-3 7p.m. Big Apple Circus “On Stage”
4 2&7p.m. Big Apple Circus “On Stage”
5 2&6p.m. Big Apple Circus “On Stage”
12 7p.m. “A Judy Collins Christmas
^Mk22*^ 8p.m. Junebug Production, Roadside Theater,
Preaones I nentor
25 8p.m. Yo-Yo Ma, Cello & Kathryn Stott, piano
28-29 8p.m. “Orteo”: Michel Lemieux victor Pilon Creation
2 8p.m. Ballet de I’Opdra de Bordeaux
8 8p.m. Dominic Gaudious, guitar
n 11 8p.m. Bill T. Jones
13 7p.m. Joshua Bed, violin
16-17 8p.m. Rinde Eckert: “Romeo Sierra Tango”
22 8p.m. Buto-Sha Tenkei
25 8p.m. “Voices of Light”
27 7p.m. The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band
29 8p.m. Les BalletsTrockadero de Monte Carlo
6 8p.m. Aquila Theater Company: “The llliad”
7 8p.m. Aquila Theater Company: “King Lear”
9 8p.m. NYC Opera Natl. Co.: “Barber of Seville”
11 8p.m. Poncho Sanchez/ Latin Jazz Band
14-15 7p.m. Fred Garbo Inflatable Theater Co.
17 8p.m. “Show Boat”
18 2&8p.m. “Show Boat”
19 2&7p.m. “Show BoaT
21 8p.m. Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal
23 8p.m. Ballet d’Afrique Noire: “The Mandinka Epic”
27 8p.m. Beaux Arts Trio
“FTddler on the Roof
9 2p.m. ‘Fiddler on the Roof
11 8p.m. Lang Lang, piano
29 8p.m. Gregory Hines
MattHaney/DN
Performer prepares
for magic at welcome
By Jason Hardy
Senior staff writer
Jerry Seinfeld once said he hated
magicians because they take your quar
ter, make it disappear and leave you
there, broke and feeling stupid.
Luckily for Gayle Becwar, self-pro
claimed magician, humorist and mind
reader, feeling stupid is just part of the
act.
“It’s kind of a high energy magic act
that’s sort of like Barney Fife, Clark
Griswold or Tim Allen with magic,”
said Becwar. “In that regard, I kind of
make fun of magic.”
This Sunday, Becwar will bring his
zany comedy and magic routine to the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln as the
headlining act for this year’s Big Red
Welcome.
Becwar is no stranger to UNL. In
1984, he graduated with a degree in
broadcasting and speech. And though
the Big Red Welcome has previously
been headlined by better-known musi
cal acts who draw thousands of stu
dents, Becwar feels his brand of slap
stick, magical humor will be right at
home.
Becwar’s off-kilter comedic
approach is blatantly apparent at first
sight of his attire - the typically classy
top hat, tux and wand have been
replaced by plain clothes, a shower cap
and a papa* towel roll.
“It’s kind of stupid humor; like Steve
Martin or Jim Carrey, guys who can
take a joke themselves,” Becwar said.
“I’m just taking that philosophy and
adding magic”
Aside from Becwar’s onstage
antics, this year’s Big Red Welcome
also offers a wide array of offstage
information and activities. The festivi
ties start at 6 p.ni. in front of the Union,
with a free picnic followed by perfor
mances by die UNL Yell Squad, Herbie
Husker and Lil’ Red.
Before Becwar begins his act at
8:30 p.m., both the Scarlet and Cream
Singers and the Scarlet dancers will per
form. As always there will be almost
250 booths full of free stuff, informa
tion for campus groups and depart
ments and other things every UNL stu
dent should know.
Becwar said the carnival-esque
style of die Big Red Welcome is perfect
forhisshtick.
“My act is kind of like being a street
performer. You start off usually with
maybe 10 or 12 people around you, and
hopefully you’ll have around 300 by the
end,” Becwar said. “Except for this one,
I won’t have to pass die hat.”
Becwar said his performance relies
heavily on crowd participation and
spontaneity, two things that can back
fire if an audience feels its being made
fun of. For that reason, Becwar always
makes it clear he is not afraid to laugh at
himself.
“I tell people ‘I don’t want to make
fun of you, I want to have fun with you.’
I make it kind of like a big party on
stage.”
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