AT&ENTERTAInmENT
Page 12 Tuesday, October 12,1999
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■ ‘Sweeney Todd’ is a dark
musical comedy playing at
the Star City Dinner Theatre.
By Josh Krauter
Senior staff writer
The words “musical comedy”
don’t often spring to mind when one
thinks of crazed barbers who cut their
customers’ throats.
But for the next three weekends,
the Star City Dinner Theatre'will work
to change that.
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon
Barber of Fleet Street” tells the story
of an escaped convict in 19* century
London who was set up unfairly
because the judge was attracted to his
wife. Todd, the convict, escapes after
15 years in prison to find that his wife
has died, and the judge has gained
custody of his daughter.
Todd, a barber before he was
locked up, vows to kill the judge and
goes on “a romp of vengeance,” said
William Shomos, a UNL assistant
professor of voice and opera who
plays Todd in the musical.
Shomos, who has taught in the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s
School of Music for five years, said he
hasn’t had to juggle teaching and
rehearsing for the play since
rehearsals are on evenings and week
ends.
“I have had to juggle family time,”
he said. “My family has been very
patient with me.”
The cast has been rehearsing since
late August, and Shomos said the cast
members are a multitalented bunch.
“They’re a combination of really
fine musicians and actors,” he said.
“They are singers who can act and
actors who can sing. There really isn’t
, \Matt Haney/DN
a weak link.”
Several students from the School
of Music are in the ensemble, Shomos
said. The original musical score was
written for an orchestra, but because
of limited space, synthesizers are used
in the orchestra’s place. Shomos said
the singers are talented enough to
make up for it.
He also said the set designers
deserve some credit.
“The space is small, but the set is
pretty elaborate. There are lots of
quick scene changes. They’ve made
excellent use of the space.”
The musical is roughly 80 percent
singing and 20 percent dialogue,
Shomos said, with songs written by
Stephen Sondheim and the plot by
Hugh Wheeler. Sondheim and
Wheeler’s musical version originally
opened in 1979 on Broadway and won
eight Tony Awards.
This wasn’t the first time the
Sweeney Todd legend had been per
formed. The story can be traced back
to 1825, when it appeared as a short
story in a French magazine.
Please see SWEENEY on 13
Theater Preview
Hw Facts
What: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of
Fleet Street*
Where: Star City Dinner Theatre & Comedy
Cabaret
When: Oct. 14 -17,21 - 24,28 - 31,7:30 p.m.
Cost: $23 for dinner and show
$13 for show only
The Skhmy: Dark musical comedy about a crazy
barber out for revenge.
Turkish musician
breaks boundaries
Jason Hardy
Senior staff writer
It seems that people, in general, like to put
things into groups. Especially music.
Is it jazz? Is it swing? Is it rockabilly, psy
chobilly, whntabilly, or is it classical, new age,
old age, or is it just noise?
Whatever it is, people want to know.
Burhan Opal has dedicated his life and
career to destroying those boundaries, building
new bridges between cultures and combining
musical genres.
Tonight, he’ll be performing with the
Seamus Blake Quartet at the Johnny Carson
Theater, located at 11th and Q streets, as part of
the Lied Center’s ongoing Discovery series.
The series attempts to bring in young, cutting
edge talent that explores creativity and expres
sion.
OgaL, a native of Turkey, spent much of his
life learning to use the wide variety of instru
ments and vocal styles associated with Turkish
music.
Overtime, the young Turk was exposed to
Western jazz and classical musical influences
and began fusing them with the music he’d
heard all his life. What he .came up with was a
sound too diverse to classify.
While much of the diversity comes from
Opal’s songwriting ability, credit must be given
to the variety of instruments he incorporates
Conceit Preview
ike facts 1
What: “Burhan Ogal”
Where: Johnny Carson Theater, 11th and Q
streets
When: Tonight at 8
Cost: $22 general, $11 students and youths
The Sldnny: Diverse Turkish musician
performs with jazz quartet.
into his music. Ogal’s instrument repertoire
includes the darbuka, kudum, bendi, divan-saz,
tanbur and ud - instruments most people have
trouble pronouncing, let alone playing.
Now add to that list of cultural diversity a
good old American jazz band such as the
Seamus Blake Quartet, and the music is sure to
turn eclectic.
The Quartet includes Seamus Blake on sax
ophone, Scott Kinsey on keyboard, Jesse
Murphy on bass and percussionist Marlin
Browden.
Tonight’s Ogal concert is one of only two
that will feature the Seamus Blake Quartet, the
other being in California, and will certainly be a
one-of-a-kind show.
Tonight’s performance begins at 8 in the
Johnny Carson Theater on the northwest side of
the Lied Center. For more information, call die
Lied box office at (402)472-4747.
Bunkers sports bar caters
to true Husker fans, spirit
By JJ. Harder
Staff writer
Nowadays, any Lincoln sports bar must live
and breathe Huskermania.
NU signs and schedules must be plastered on
the walls. Cheesy “Husker” dishes on the menu
and specials on gameday are a must. And 99 per
cent of the actual sports paraphernalia must say
“Blackshirts” or “National Champions.”
But most of the time it’s a bunch of crap.
The people who own the bars may or may not
be big Husker fans - they just put up die posters to
get more customers. And most of these places
have standard, manufactured fan merchandise -
probably straight from Husker Authentic.
However, one new sports bar may be an excep
tion to the rule.
Bunkers, at HiMark Golf Course, has the true
hometown Husker spirit You won’t see any cheesy
Tommy Frazier Adidas posters there. But you will
find authentic Husker jerseys on the wall - of Matt
Turman and David Seizys. Turman was a third
string quarterback who barely played Seizys was
a receiver known for his superb snapping abilities.
They were hardworking and didn’t care about the
limelight
And that attitude pretty much sums up
Bunkers.It’s located in an unassuming area,
southeast of 84th Street and Pioneers
Boulevard, and doesn’t have any big neon
signs. The walls are a subdued shade of green,
and the room has a two-story ceiling. You can
catch the current sporting events on one of the
27 televisions in the room. It’s very similar to
Heidelberg’s, a north Lincoln sports bar.
\
Restaurant
RihImh
IIGVICW
The Facts
What: Bunker's
Where: 8901 Augusta
Type: Sports bar fare
Cost: $5 -10
The Scoop: Out of the way but authentic
The service is quick, and the wait staff is pleas
ant without being too cheerful and annoying. Its
menu isn’t large and doesn’t have a lot of unique
specialty items. But what is on the menu is solid
and filling.
Bunker Burgers are the restaurant’s version of
me iNeorasxa sianaara. i ney weren t great, out me
patties were obviously handmade.
The pizza was a perfect complement to the
Monday Night Football I was there for. It wasn’t
overloaded with sauce like Valentino’s and wasn’t
thin like Lazzari’s. I’d compare the pies more to
Old Chicago’s - small and doughy, but good
The appetizers were also good. Thick chicken
strips and big old-fashioned steak fries were the
highlights. But the onion rings were thin, bland
and void of much actual onion.
I did eat what I truly believe to be the largest
plate of nachos I had ever seen.. And it had blue
and red nachos, too - a nice little twist.
Bunkers also offers a few salads but not a lot
more. So the menu opts for quality over quantity.
Just like the restaurant, it’s not crying out for atten
tion but does a good job anyway. Like Turman and
Seizys.
