Friends of the
fuzzy bear
Paddington
Brown rejoice at
a London train
station after
finding the curi
ous bear.lhe
Adventures of a
Bear Called
Paddington'will
be performed at
the Lincoln
Community
Playhouse.
BY JOSH NICHOLS
He’s a 48-inch tall, suitcase-toting bear who wears a
goofy looking hat and duffle coat
Despite having a heart the size of a hot-air balloon, he
has a knack for getting into troublesome situations.
Tonight, the innocent antics and misfortunes of the
huggable little bear known as Paddington will be per
formed at the Lincoln Community Playhouse.
“He always finds himself in a ‘muffle,’ which is a British
word for that familiar place where we find ourselves over
whelmed,” said Mark Gruber, director of "The Adventures
of a Bear Called Paddington.”
The play will be showing through Nov. 26 at the Lincoln
Community Playhouse’s Family Theater.
Gruber said the play is a children’s story that is an
“episodic development of all the trouble one bear can get
into.”
Paddington Bear always has good intentions, but the
means to accomplish these good intentions are often lack
ing, Gruber said.
“I hope children in the audience will be able to identi
fy with Paddington,” he said.
One aspect of the play Gruber said he was particularly
excited about was the bear costume developed for the
role.
“We’ve taken the image from a story book and made
ourselves our own little Paddington,” he said. “The cos
tume is truly a delight"
Underneath the furry costume are Jamie Michelsen
and John Potter, who alternate in the role of Paddington.
Gruber said he has been impressed with the job the
children have done in what he said is a difficult role to play.
He said playing Paddington is a physically demanding
role.
In theater, he said, Paddington’s role is known as phys
ical or low comedy and described as "circus clown-like."
“We’re asking 12- and 14-year-old actors to do some of
the most difficult comedy,” he said. “I’m a skilled actor,
and I think playing that part is difficult without a costume.
"It’s great the children can pull it off.”
Also thrown into the challenging mix is off-stage actor
Bill Stibor, who does the voice of Paddington.
Stibor said it has been a challenge to make his lines
correspond with the bear’s actions on stage.
“Because I’m up in the booth and separated from the
actors, I need to have an understanding of how they work
as kids,” he said.
But he said it’s going well.
“They’re lots of fun,” he said. “The bear is really cute.”
Paddington’s appeal has enabled him to be a mainstay
in children's stories for nearly 50 years.
The first “A Bear Called Paddington” story was pub
lished in the United Kingdom in 1958.
The stories were written by Michael Bond and illustrat
ed by Peggy Fortnum.
Since then, numerous other books, short stories and
shows have been done about the adventures of the curious
little bear.
The original story is about Paddington being sent out
to see the world by his aunt in Peru.
She hides him in a ship’s lifeboat and sends him to
England.
There he is discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown, who
find him with a note
tied around his neck
that reads: “Please
take care of this bear.
Thank you."
Mr. and Mrs.
Brown take him home
to live with them and
their two children,
Jonathan and Judy.
The little bear gets
along with most every
one, especially Mr.
Gruber, his good
friend and mentor
who owns an antique
store.
The only person
Paddington doesn’t
get along with is the
Brown’s mean neigh
bor, Mr. Curry.
Stibor, who speaks
with an English accent
Performance Preview
The Adventures
o! a Bear Called
Paddington
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in the play, described Paddington as a curious, helpful
chap with a good soul.
The bear always means well but also gets into difficult
situations, especially with Mr. Curry.
“He’s not quite up for the task he sets himself up for
sometimes,” Stibor said.
But that’s OK, Gruber said, quoting a line from the play:
“He’s just that kind of bear.”
Honeydogs' premier
whets palate for more
BY ANDREW SHAW
Honeydogs’ debut release, “Here's
Luck," is a barbecue bacon cheeseburger
of an album.
Adam Levy’s songwriting talents are a
mouth-watering combination of early
rock influence and modem-rock expert
ise.
The beef of the album is Levy’s
melody writing. Each track offers a tune
that sticks to the roof of your mouth and
slowly seeps into your brain.
The songs are reminiscent of Fastball,
catchy and hummable, but the lyrics are
an intelligent slice of cheese, melting
around the meaty melodies.
The full five-piece band works with
the intricacy of the finest barbecue sauce,
blending spicy drum patterns with sweet
harmonies and smooth keyboards. A
soothing acoustic guitar track follows you
throughout the album, comforting and
satisfying your appetite.
Honeydogs surge with Beatles influ
ence like Elliot Smith, complete with
searing Beatles-esque guitar solos and a
John Lennon-like organ matched with
“Octopus’s Garden’s” arpeggios. Like a
sesame-seeded bun, the sound is not
expected on a band’s first album, but the
surprise is very stimulating.
The best part of "Here's Luck” is how it
all fits together and feels so effortless. We
could call it the “bacon” of the album -
how strings, piano, acoustic and electric
guitar, a rollicking drum set, and Levy’s
heartfelt lyrics bring all of the Honeydogs'
various tastes and bouquets together into
a perfect meal.
Every bite of "Here's Luck” is a well
planned and well-executed song, from
the moseying “Stonewall” to the tremolo
happy “Red Dye #40” to the strip-it-down
and build-it-up “Freakshow.”
The only regret from the album is that
it is gone too soon, only whetting the lis
tener's appetite for more.
The second course will be Friday at 9
p.m. at W.C.’s, when Honeydogs and
Lincoln’s Floating Opera, with special
guests The World Record Players, take the
stage. Tickets, sold at W.C.’s and Recycled
Sounds, are $6 in advance and $8 at the
door.
i
Folk musician to entrance listeners
BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON
He’s got crazy hair - not quite
an organized-chaos mop of hair
like Jimi Hendrix, but he does
have crazy every-which-way hair.
The craziness ends there.
His smooth voice takes over
the microphone while he strums
his acoustic guitar gently in the
background.
He would almost lull you to
sleep with the peacefulness if it
weren’t for his critically applaud
ed lyrics, which keep the audi
ence entranced.
His name is Vance Gilbert,
and he might be one of the better
folk musicians you’ve never heard
of.
Only you just might start to
hear of him. Gilbert took the New
England area folk scene by storm
and is now trying to invade the
nation.
"News of this bold, infectious
performer spread like prairie fire,”
the Boston Globe reported. “No
local acoustic performer in recent
memory - not Tracy Chapman,
not The Story, not Dar Williams -
has gotten hot faster than
Gilbert.”
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
called Gilbert’s lyrics “some of the
best you will ever hear.”
This is exactly why the Lincoln
Association for Traditional Arts
jumped at the chance to have
Gilbert perform in Lincoln.
On Saturday, Gilbert will per
form at 7:30 p.m. at the 7th Street
Loft Tickets sell for $12 and $6 for
students.
“Some of the board members
were familiar with Mr. Gilbert,
and they unanimously recom
mended he come here,” LAFTA
board member Kerry Krause said.
Gilbert may sound familiar.
He played as a guest artist at the
Lied Center for Performing Arts
last year.
Fans can expect Gilbert to
play many of the songs from his
newest CD, “Somerville Live,”
which features 16 tracks. It is the
fourth CD that the New England
native has produced.
LAFTA President Pat
Kirkenback said those who attend
won’t be disappointed.
“He’s a wonderful performer,”
she said. "Some people are just
good at guitar or singing, but he’s
got the whole package. He can
play, has a great voice, and he’s
funny and a great entertainer.”
Kirkenback said Gilbert also
adds another dimension to the
7th Street Loft’s season schedule.
“We really like to have singer
and songwriters perform like /
Vance,” she said. "He offers folk 4.
music, but we’ve had many differ
ent types now like blue grass and
Celtic.”