1
'Princess and the Pea'tale retold on stage
BY CHRIS JACOBS
The Star-City Dinner Theatre will open its
doors Thursday for "Once Upon a Mattress," a
musical comedy that has helped define the careers
of Carol Burnett and Sarah Jessica Parker.
This year, however, the lead role (Princess
Winnifred) will be played by Suzanne Lee, a
University of Nebraska-Lincoln junior music
major.
"I think they have a brilliant lead role," said Bob
Rook, artistic managing director of Suzanne Lee’s
performance.
Produced by the UNL School of Music Opera
Program under the direction of William Shomos,
professor of voice and opera, the show will run
Thursday through Sunday over the next two week
ends. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Thursday
through Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $13 for the performance, $26 for the
performance and dinner and can be purchased in
advance by calling 477-8277. The Star-City Theatre
is located on Eighth and Q streets.
"It’s “The Princess and the Pea’ with a contem
porary twist/ Shomos said of the musical.
"It's simply great fun, a comedy/
Rook, who has worked with Shomos before in
one of his own pieces, said he was impressed with
the bright colors of the set design, which was built
by members of the UNL Theatre Department, and ’
the modem day references Shomos added to the
script
In one scene, characters ask to use a life line
when demanded to answer questions in one scene
of the musical, Rook said.
“Once Upon a Mattress” opened at the Phoenix
Theater in 1959, propelling a young Carol Burnett
to stardom and fame as she played the part of
Princess Winnifred. In 1997, Sarah Jessica Parker
earned a Tony Award nomination with the role for
Best Musical Revival.
Said Shomos: "If I give you a moral, it’s going to
be too serious and heavy."
Shomos went on to admit a lesson of die story:
"Don’t judge a book by its cover. We've heard it a
million times, but it is, nevertheless, true!"
Shomos' bottom line: "The show is entertain
ing."
RIGHT: Brandi
Michael, 15,
Erica Hansen,
16, and Jenna
Smith,15,al of
I inroln. hang
out with a group
of friends at Ihe
Coffee Home on
Monday night
Smith said the
group of friends
comes to The
Coffee House
weekly before
going to see
MIDDLE:
Sophomore
finance major
Erica Dhtsmore
stories Monday
night at the MM.
Dhtsmore said
the MM offers a
pleasant study
gMdciflfeiL
BOTTOM: Max
and Ruby Reis
enjoy a cap of
coffee Tuesday
meriting at
Coffee Culture,
where their son
Terrance is the
Coffee Talk
Analyzing the ever-popular
trend of coffee-house culture
Coffee is a beverage - to state the obvi
ous. So why do people come together all
over the world and spend time with one
another in the presence of coffee?
“ It's coffee culture - much like the bar or
dance cultures with a different face - and
it's often ignored as a vital form in the art of
social interaction.
Ken Kavanaugh* general manager of
The Mill at 800 P St, said there was a trend
in coffeehouses over the last six to eight
years, but the trend had been a part of our
society for generations.
“Once people start, they stick with it,”
said Kavanaugh* who has been working at
The Mill for six years.
Mark Shriner, owner of The Coffee
House on 1324 P St., said drinking coffee
was a good alternative to drinking alcohol
and being part of the bar scene.
Shriner, who bought the establishment
in 1990, said the coffee culture was com
posed of diverse individuals.
Said Shriner “We attract anybody and
everybody- allraces, ages, sexual orienta
tions, religious backgrounds... adults,
kids, college students, businessmen, sales
men. ,
“We don't care what you’re all about as
long as you agree with us on enjoying a cup
of coffee.”
Shriner said coffee houses were origi
nally designed as meeting places for con
versation, and in England, die tip originat
Ied so waiters wouldn’t tdl authorities what
people talked about while enjoying the
dark beverage.
I Scott Brewer, an anthropology major at
Nebraska Wesleyan University, said he had
gone to The Coffee House to study, hang
out and have conversations since he was a
junior in high school.
Said Brewer on why he liked the place:
“This place doesn't have any pretensions.
Sometimes I view this as an alternative
version of a soup kitchen.
“All sorts of people are coming here -
some to just get out ofthe cold for a while.”
Brewer said coffee houses gave him a
comfortable place to hang out
"You have a set of regulars you know, so
there's a sense of community,” Brewer said.
"It’s the Elders Club or bowling alley of
younger generations.”
Jennifer Kuzara, a senior anthropology
and German major at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, said she had been
going to The Coffee House since her fresh
man year in high school because there was
nothing else to do in town.
“We don’t care what
you're all about as
long as you agree with
us on enjoying a cup
of coffee."
Mark Shriner
The Coffee House owner
“It's an opportunity to be sociable ...
meet people you otherwise wouldn't
meet,” said Kuzara, who frequents the
establishment almost every day of t(ie
school week.
Kuzara’s argument for going every day
makes sense.
"If you have an hour or two-hour break
between classes, where else do you go?"
she asked.
Kuzara said she liked coffee because it
gave her an energy boost, but that wasn't
the main reason she went to The Coffee
House.
"Coffee is a side effect,” she said. "You
drink coffee because you’re here.”
Shriner said coffee was an important
part of our history, citing examples of cof
fee being banned by kings, women in
Hirkey divorcing their husbands because
they couldn’t make a good cup of coffee
and popes saying it was a wonderful bev
erage to prevent it from being cast away by
the Church.
Shriner also said coffee was responsi
ble for our 24-hour work days.
Kavanaugh talked about people gath
ering around coffee pots at work because h
was a legal stimulant
But most people don’t look at coffee as
a drug, said Brewer, who admitted to not
really liking coffee, preferring the coffee
house environment instead.
Said Brewer of his past experiences in
high school at coffee houses: "I’d come
here every Friday and Saturday, play a cou
ple of games of chess and go home at mid
night thinking I’d solved all the world’s
problems.”
Coffee might not bring divine inspira
tion, but it certainly can provide people
with an inclusive environment to try.
Said Shriner ofThe Coffee House: "We
advertise to all minorities in town. We're all
a member of the same race - the human
race that is.”
Story by Chris Jacobs
Photos by Derek Lippincott
Old hall
changes
its look
■After a two year facelift,
Richards Hall is ready for
re-dedication and opening.
BY SEAN MCCARTHY
Hie outside of Richards Hall
may be one of the only things
that looks similar to the build
ing's original look.
For two years, the building
was closed from faculty and stu
dents as extensive repairs were
made. Asbestos removal and
lead abatement began in 1998
and renovation construction
started in 1999. Hie cost of the
renovation was $8.5 million.
Today, Richards Hall is set to
be officially re-dedicated.
Chancellor Harvey Perlman,
NU President Dennis Smith and
Lawrence Mallet, interim dean
of the Hixon-Lied College of
Fine and Performing Arts, are
among die key speakers.
Along with tours of the
building, the
Eisentrager/Howard Gallery
will be dedicated. Hie gallery is
named after two former
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
professors, James Eisentrager
and Dan Howard. The gallery is
comprised of three gallery
spaces and is named in recogni
tion of the two professor's dona
tions to the University of
Nebraska Foundation.
The new additions to
Richards Hall include a kiln
pavilion for ceramics and a new
sculpture foundry. Joseph
Ruffo, chairman of art and art
history, said Richards Hall was
basically gutted during the ren
ovation period. The biggest
challenge of the renovation was
to reorganize the building to be
more efficient
"The old building had a lot
of wasted space," Ruffo said.
While the inside of the
building went through signifi
cant changes, much of the exte
rior to Richards Hall remained
unchanged. The shape of the
windows remains intact, but
energy-efficient glass is now
installed in the panes.
Kathryn Scherfenberg, a
junior ceramics major, said she
liked the new look of die build
ing.
“There’s a lot of space," she
said.
With the new renovations
and added space, the Ceramics
Department moved into
Richards Hall from its former
home at the Woods Art
Building. Eddie Dominguez,
ceramics professor, said the
increased space allowed stu
dents to increase the scale of
their work.
"It’s a very functional build
ing,” he said.
Su Harvey-Sorensen, a sen
ior ceramics major, has taken
classes at UNL since 1977. She
took many classes in Richards
Hall and occasionally worked in
the basement as the building
was deteriorating.
“It was like a system of cata
combs down there," Harvey
, Sorensen said. “It looked like a
scene from a ‘Dracula' movie."
Although she loved the
design of the basement, she
also said it was dark, poorly lit
and disorganized. She planned
on attending today’s reception.
“I’m really glad they kept
Richards Hall," she said. “I've
always loved this building."
Tours of the building will
run from 4-6 p.m. The re-dedi
cation ceremony will start at 5
p.m. in the Richards Hall audi
torium.
