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Tuesday, October 26,1999 Page 9
■ Broadway’s longest
running musical, “Cats,” is
based on children’s poetry.
Danell McCoy
Staff writer
Since its opening in 1981, “Cats”
has continually captured the hearts of
audiences around the world.
Beginning tonight at-the Lied
Center for Performing Arts, 301 N.
12th St., “Cats” will begin its five
performance run featuring the Fourth
National Touring Company of “Cats.”
The musical is based on a book of
14 children’s poems written by T.S.
Eliot called “Old Possum’s Book of
Practical Cats.” The book was not
considered one of Eliot’s most
famous works by his peers but was
adored by children.
The book began as a collection of
poems Eliot had written for the enter
tainment of his friends and godchil
dren. Each poem defines a specific
cat and the personalities of that cat. At
the same time, Eliot appears to make
fun of the owners and of English soci
ety as well.
Eliot’s whimsical prose inspired
composer Andrew Lloyd Webber to
create the musical score for “Cats”
“Cats” opened for the first time in
London in May 1981 and became the
longes't-running musical in
Broadway history in June 1997.
Paul Clausen, who plays
Munkustrap in the production by the
Fourth National Touring Company,
UWCewr.jss*)
n* Facts
What: “Cats’
Where: Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N.
12th St.
When: Tuesday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Oct. 29. All
performances at 8 p.m. with an added matinee
at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Cost: $45, $41, $37 or Wed. afternoon $42, $38,
$34. Student tickets are discounted.
The Skinny: The Broadway musical prowls into
Lincoln.
said one reason “Cats” is so popular
is its ability to attract a variety of age
groups.
“I think that it resonates within a
wide group of people,” he said. “Most
children’s shows are not for parents,
but ‘Cats’ is more sophisticated.
Children enjoy it, but parents can also
enjoy it, because of the poetry and the
costumes. The whole musical is craft
ed smartly.”
“Cats” has what Clausen calls
“the feel of a family reunion.” This is
because the plot focuses on a group of
cats that gather once a year at a
Jellicle ball. At the gathering, the old
est cat of the group, Old
Deuteronomy, picks one who will be
reborn.
Throughout the performance, dif
ferent cats are introduced, and their
stories are told.
Clausen’s character is the narrator
of the story who introduces the differ
ent cats.
Clausen said that as an actor, his
love for the musical comes from the
part that he plays.
Courtesy Photo
In June 1997, “Cats” won its title as the longest-running Broadway musical in history.
“You have to not be self-con
scious,” he said. “You have to throw
away all cares of how you look and go
to total abandonment. It’s a very
physical show and very challenging.
“As for my character, I get to tell
the story every night, and I get to
communicate to the audience what is
happening. To see the audience
understand what is going on onstage
is very rewarding.”
Clausen has worked with the
Fourth National Touring Company
since January, but he performed with
the tour during its 1987-89 seasons.
‘ Clausen, who saw the musical in
New York when it first opened, said
“Cats” was a good way to experience
theater.
“For a lot of people, their first the
atrical experience either bores them
or it’s great.
‘“Cats’ is a great theatrical experi
ence. There is music and poetry, act
ing and dancing. There are so many
layers of art onstage.
“And there is always a new gener
ation to see the show. That helps it to
keep running for so many years. I
think it deserves its longevity.”
Omaha’s Joslyn recovers
its original 1930s beauty
■ Renovations have
restored architect’s
intended look and
highlight display features.
Josh Nichols
Staff writer
The Joslyn Art Museum contains
beauty that has been hidden for 20
years.
In an attempt to extend hanging
and display space in the 1970s, the
Joslyn, 2200 Dodge St. in Omaha,
covered a majority of its galleries’
elegant architecture and wall designs.
Now, because of recent renova
tions, visitors will be able to enjoy art
from past centuries in a setting that
highlights some of the beauty in the
building’s original design.
Last Saturday marked the reopen
ing of the Joslyn Art Museum’s
Hitchcock and Kiewit Galleries.
Both galleries, which feature 19th
century European and American art,
have undergone a three-month reno
vation period. The renovation includ
ed revealing the galleries’ original
marble wainscoting along with
adding new color and lighting
scheme^,
“We have introduced color into,
the galleries for the first time,” said
Claudia Einecke, associate curator.
‘‘Every gallery now has its own color
scheme.” -
Blue-gray shades enhance the
Hitchcock Gallery, while the walls
and ceilings of the Kiewit Gallery are
a brownish-gray. The new schemes
bring out details in the architectural
designs.
“The changes have created a
warmer, more welcoming feeling,”
Einecke said.
Significant changes have also
been made in the galleries’ art dis
plays.
The Kiewit Gallery now presents
19th century European and American
art side by side. In the past, the
gallery displayed European art alone.
“A lot of American art is very
closely related to European art of the
same time,” Einecke said. “Back
then, many American art students
went to Europe to study, because
Europe was the leading place in art
production of the time.”
This display will give people the
opportunity to see the parallels and
differences between works from the
two continents, Einecke said.
Another change in the Kiewit
Gallery was the construction of a sep
arate, smaller space within the larger
gallery as a home for smaller-scale
paintings.
“The reason for doing that was a
lot of a 19th-century French collec
tion contained small paintings. A
smaller space was more appropriate
and suitable,” Einecke said.
The Hitchcock Gallery, dedicated
to early, European-derived art from
America’s colonial and post-colonial
eras, also had some changes in its dis
play. The museum has added a new
feature display of Spanish Colonial
paintings to the gallery. Some are on
display for the first time in the muse
um.
“Some have been hung in other
galleries, but the paintings haven’t
been made as a feature for many
u
The changes have
created a warmer,
more welcoming
feeling!*
Claudia Einecke
associate curator at Joslyn
years,” Einecke said. “They make
quite a nice group.”
One of Joslyn’s goals in the reno
vation and reinstallation project was
to provide visitors with more infor
mation about the art they were look
ing at.
“We are offering more material
for people to read and look at if they
like,” Einecke said. “Every piece of
artwork has an individual label and
text explaining the artist and work on
display.”
Einecke said the museum also is
providing more information about
groups of work and explanations
about the time period they came
from.
Every gallery -also has gallery
cards explaining the different art
themes. People can pick up the cards
and keep them.
Marsha V Gallgher, chief curator
of the museum, said the gallery reno
vations were an attempt to recreate
the gallery’s original appearance.
“We were not trying to put the
galleries back exactly how they were
in 1931 but put back what the archi
tects intended the building to look
like,” Gallgher said.
UNL’s The Lion in Winter’
lacks cohesion, comic hook
■ The Theater depart
ment’s production con
tinues through Saturday.
ByLizaHoltmeier
Senior editor
“The Lion In Winter” is often
called a dramatic comedy. In the
UNL Department of Theatre Arts’
production, it’s easy to see why the
drama comes before the comedy.
In Saturday’s performance of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln pro
duction, the cast carried off an emo
tional royal family’s feuding well, but
the actors’ perpetual regalness
drowned out many of the more comic
lines.
The play takes place on
Christmas in 1183. Hairy II, King of
England, has gathered his wife and
sons for a holiday celebration. And
celebrate they do, with back-stab
bing, conniving plots over who will
be die next king.
The play s comic elements suffer
most from pacing problems. Many of
the actors present each of their words
with a plodding gravity, forsaking the
quick repartee needed to make this
royal family’s sparring effective.
Each set change is also solemnly
drawn out, interrupting the show’s
flow.
For the part of Henry II, the
department brought in Equity actor
David Wiles. While Wiles’ voice pro
vides his Henry with a regal and often
imposing nature, his stilted manner
isms inhibit the character from devel
oping fully. He lacks the variety need
ed to make Henry into the cunning,
spirited fox he should be.
Shirley Carr Mason, a UNL the
ater professor, is the highlight of the
show. Mason plays the deliciously
shrewd Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry’s
wife. Mason brings a vigorous
strength to the role, making Eleanor
humanly greedy and alternately nur
turing.
Karen Kumm, a UNL theater
major, plays Alais Capet, Henry’s
mistress. For the first act, Kumm
resorts to stony glares and head-shak
ing disdain Only near die last act do
we see the range of emotion she is
capable of.
Steve Barth plays die sullen John,
Henry’s youngest son. Barth brings
the immature youth to life with his
smug walk, snotty head tosses and
curt remarks.
The second eldest son, Geoffrey,
is cleverly played by Kyle Johnston.
Johnston knows when to raise his
voice and when to be subtly forceful.
He delivers Geottrey s lines with a
dry, intelligent wit
Matthew Bross plays Richard,
Henry’s eldest son. During the first
act Bross delivers his lines with a
relentless morbidity. But in the final
act he rounds his character out with
telling softness.
At one point amid all the decep
tion and treachery, Eleanor remarks,
“What family doesn’t have its ups and
downs?”
The same holds true for this pro
duction, which shines with several
individual performances but fails in
cohesiveness.
The play continues tonight
through Saturday in the Studio
Theatre of die Temple Building.