Above, Jackie, Lynn and Sue at 14, and below at 42. The women are several of the subjects of director Michael Apted's camera in 42UP, showing at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater on March 30.

UP Series Continues at Ross Theater

In 1964 acclaimed director Michael Apted interviewed 14 children for a TV documentary, 7UP. All of these children were 7-years-old and from completely different backgrounds creating a snapshot of children all over Britain. The basic premise was to examine the Jesuit theory ­ "Give me the child until he is 7, and I will show you the man." Is a person's fate sealed at birth?

Apted has returned to those children every seventh year to chart their progress through life, creating the 7UP series of documentaries (7, 14, 21, 28 and 35UP), now officially the longest running real-life documentary ever made, all of which have shown previously at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater.

42UP, opening at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater on March 30, is the latest fascinating installment. Of the original 14 subjects, 11 remain. Now halfway through their lives, how close are they to realizing their dreams and ambitions? This enthralling film gives viewers an understanding not only of the lives of these people, but of British life as a whole in the late 1990s.

Find out what has happened to physicist Nick, ex-foster care boy Symon, solicitor Andrew, East End school mates Jackie, Lynn and Susan, cab-driver Tony, shy teacher Bruce, Aussie émigré Paul, and of course, the heartbreaking Neil. As the series reaches maturity, it starts asking grander questions. What is love? What is character? What is success?

"The UP documentary series strike me as an inspired, almost noble use of the film medium. No other art form can capture so well the look in an eye, the feeling in an expression, the thoughts that go unspoken between the words. To look at these films, as I have every seven years, is to meditate on the astonishing fact that man is the only animal that knows it lives in time," writes Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times critic.

42UP is showing on March 30 through April 2. Screenings are at 6:45 and 9:15 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; at 1, 3:30, 6:45 and 9:15 p.m. on Saturday; and at 3:30, 6:45 and 915 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for students, senior citizens, children, and members of the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater.

Alan Corduner and Jim Broadbent as Gilbert and Sullivan in Topsy-Turvy, continuing tonight through March 25 at the Mary Riepma Ross Theater.

Film Garners Critical Praise, Accolades

Topsy-Turvy Over the Top in Superlatives

Nominated for four Academy Awards and named Best Film and Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle, acclaimed director Mike Leigh's highly audacious, hugely enjoyable, exceptionally well-written, brilliantly edited, and exuberantly actor-driven extravaganza, Topsy-Turvy, continues March 23 through 25 at the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater.

Screenings are at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays; at 1 and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for students, senior citizens, children and members of the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater.

Leigh leaps back in time to enter the lives of two Londoners who were marked by extraordinary creativity: William Schwenck Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. The film traces the bumpy collaboration of the writer-composer team after a period of declined popularity and creative impasse.

Time magazine's Richard Schickel writes, "It's 1884, and Gilbert and Sullivan need a hit. Princess Ida is just not doing the sort of business they're used to. But Sullivan (Allan Corduner) wants to write something more serious than comic operettas. And Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) keeps trying to recycle stale story lines that his collaborator (and the critics) dismiss. Their solution to the problem ­ based on Gilbert's chance encounter with Japanese culture at a London exhibition ­ turns out to be The Mikado. And Mike Leigh's movie about mounting that best of all Gilbert and Sullivan works turns out to be one of the year's more beguiling surprises."

One of World's Greatest Piano Trios

Beaux Arts Trio's Refinement Showcased March 27

One of the world's greatest piano trios, the Beaux Arts Trio performs at 8 p.m. March 27 in Kimball Hall as part of the Lied Center's 10th anniversary season.

The Beaux Arts Trio, composed of pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Young Uck Kim and cellist Antonio Meneses, continues a musical tradition started in 1955. Founded by Pressler, Daniel Guilet and Bernard Greenhouse, the Trio debuted at the Berkshire Music Festival and since that time has played to enthusiastic audiences around the world. Even as the lineup changed, the Beaux Arts Trio's reputation for sterling performances has not diminished.

For its Lincoln concert, the Trio will perform: Variations in G Major on Muller's 'Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu' by Ludwig van Beethoven; Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67 by Dmitri Shostakovich and Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op. 97, Archduke also by Beethoven.

Each member of the Beaux Arts Trio brings a highly acclaimed musical career to this ensemble. This is particularly true of founding member Pressler. For nearly five decades, Pressler has earned a reputation as a brilliant chamber and solo performer. His musical precision and extensive knowledge of the piano and chamber music have also contributed to his renown as a teacher.

Born in Germany, Pressler received most of his musical training in Israel, having devoted his life to music at a very early age. His astounding career was launched after being awarded first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition. Since that time, Pressler has performed around the world with the Beaux Arts Trio, with many of the world's greatest ensembles and as a soloist. In addition to over 50 recordings with the Beaux Arts Trio, Pressler has compiled over 30 solo recordings.

Pressler's prestigious career has earned him numerous accolades including the Chamber Music America's Distinguished Service Award in 1994, and in 1998, he received the prestigious Gramophone Lifetime Achievement Award. Pressler also holds honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Nebraska and University of Kansas.

Violinist Kim has enjoyed international acclaim for nearly three decades. He has performed as a soloist with many of the world's leading orchestras and collaborated with such artists as Andre Previn, Leonard Bernstein and Yo-Yo Ma.

Meneses, born in Brazil, began studying music at age 10. He has since gone on to win prestigious awards at international competitions such as the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, as well as touring around the world with various chamber ensembles. Meneses also performs regularly with world-renowned orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets are $24 and $20; half-price for students. Call the Lied box office at 472-4747 for ticket availability.

Belafonte Performance March 25 at Lied Center

World-renowned entertainer Harry Belafonte will be making his first appearance at the Lied Center for Performing Arts at 8 p.m. March 25.

Perhaps best known for his calypso music including the legendary "Banana Boat Song," there seem to be no limits to Harry Belafonte's talents. Often called "the consummate entertainer," he has been successful in many artistic endeavors including recording artist, concert singer, movie, Broadway and television star and producer. His success includes being the first artist to sell more than 1 million copies of an album (Calypso, 1955) and winning Tony and Emmy awards.

Born in Harlem, Belafonte spent five years of his childhood in Jamaica, years that influenced his outlook and musical tastes. After a stint in the Navy during World War II, Belafonte was working in New York when he discovered the theater. After some modest success with the American Negro Theatre and completing studies in the dramatic arts, Belafonte discovered another of his many talents ­ moving people with his incredible voice. As a class project, Belafonte sang one of his original tunes and the response was overwhelming. It was the first time he had considering singing as a career. Not long after, Belafonte's album Calypso made him a star.

Belafonte was the first African-American to win an Emmy, which was garnered for his music program, "Tonight with Belafonte." He was also the first African-American producer in television. Belafonte's Broadway success includes a Tony Award for his role in John Murray Anderson's Almanac. On the big screen, Belafonte has also made a name for himself with outstanding performances in films such as Carmen Jones and Island in the Sun. Most recently, Belafonte has appeared in Robert Altman's Kansas City and White Man's Burden with John Travolta.

Belafonte is equally well-known as a humanitarian. He has been recognized by organizations such as the American Jewish Congress, the NAACP and the Peace Corps for his dedication to human rights. In 1982, he received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize, and has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Belafonte was a driving force behind the "We Are the World" project and the creation of USA for Africa in 1985.

Belafonte gives audiences on his current tour a mix of new and old. His musicians and singers come from diverse backgrounds and the resulting music has varying themes and rhythms. "We have traditional material such as 'Banana Boat,' and 'Island in the Sun,'" said Belafonte, "but even the traditional material has been redefined. 'Banana Boat' will be recognized instantly, but it is presented differently. With audience participation, it's no longer just a song, it's a celebration."

Pre-performance talks begin 55 and 30 minutes prior to curtain in the Lied's Steinhart room.

Tickets are $39, $35 and $31; half price for students. Call the Lied Box Office at 472-4747 for ticket availability.

Nebraska Rep Announces Sleeping Beauty Auditions

The Nebraska Repertory Theatre announces auditions for its annual Theatre for Family Audiences production of Sleeping Beauty from 5 to 9 p.m. March 28 on the Howell Theatre Stage in the Temple Building. Callbacks will be March 29. To reserve an audition time, call 472-2072 from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The play, written by UNL Alumnus Frederick Gaines, and directed by Mary Douglass, is the timeless tale of the beautiful young princess who is placed under a spell at birth by an evil fairy. She is fated to sleep for 100 years. Gaines' script includes a multitude of characters who blend the elements of good and evil with the handsome prince breaking the spell for a heartwarming outcome. Those who wish to audition should prepare two monologues, one classical and one contemporary, totaling less than four minutes combined.

Roles available include: McGuire, an elderly Irish gentleman; Riley, his elderly Irish female cohort; Little One-The Princess, in her early teens; Crums-The Queen, in her 30s; Watteau, in his 20s; The King, in his 30s; Betty, a teen-ager; Angus, a young boy; Lupine, an ageless male; Councilor, a 20s male; and eight to 10 extras of various ages.

Rehearsals begin April 10. The show runs until May 26 both in Howell Theatre and on tour within the city of Lincoln. For more information, call 472-2072.

ARIEL BYBEE, NU Artist in Residence, will perform At the Met: Onstage and Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera, at 8 p.m. March 28 in Kimball Hall. Admission is free.

Bybee To Perform in Free Concert March 28

After 18 consecutive years at the Metropolitan Opera, mezzo-soprano Ariel Bybee can tell quite a few tales about the inner workings of the world-famous opera house. In a unique concert, "At the Met: Onstage and Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera," UNL's artist-in-residence will tell those anecdotes and, with the assistance of UNL students, perform several of the scenes she brought to life at the Met.

Semi-staged and costumed, the concert will be at 8 p.m. March 28 in Kimball Recital Hall. Admission is free. Bybee and the students will perform scenes from Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Carousel and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.

Bybee first earned accolades at the Met for her performance as Jenny in Mahagonny when, on very short notice, she replaced Teresa Stratas. Further acclaim came from her performances as Annio in the Met's premiere of Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito. Bybee has sung numerous leading roles at the Met including Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Nichlausse in Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. She made her highly successful debut at the Washington, D.C., Opera in a new production of Menotti's The Consul and her European opera debut as Melisande at the Sofia Music Weeks in Bulgaria. She made her debut with the Vienna Philharmonic (Lord Maazel, conducting) in a concert performance of Elektra at Carnegie Hall.

Bybee's professional talents were discovered by Maestro Maurice Abravanel of the Utah Symphony and later by Kurt Herbert Adler of the San Francisco Opera.

Before making her debut with the San Francisco Opera Company, Bybee taught junior high school music for five years, first in Utah and then in California. Because she believes that teaching refines her own performance skills, Bybee has continued to give master classes and voice lessons on the university level.

She has taught many talented singers in her New York studio, as well as teaching both at the Lee Strasberg Institute and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.

Ross Theater Benefit Sale April 28-29

A cavalcade of high-quality merchandise at bargain prices can be found at the Golden Oldies & Other Treasures Sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 28-29 at Christ United Methodist Church, 4530 A St. The sale is sponsored by the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater.

Your tax-deductible donation of good quality items for the sale will help the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater maintain an exceptional film program. Items needed include: art objects, seasonal items, jewelry, books, toys, tools, china, crystal, furs, collectibles, furniture, electronics and antiques. Each item should be valued at $10 or more.

Your items can be picked up or dropped off. Call 486-4496, 423-6559 or 489-7814 to make arrangements.

Hershberger Piano Recital March 31

The School of Music presents guest pianist Jay Hershberger at 8 p.m. March 31 in Kimball Recital Hall. Admission is free.

For his program, Hershberger has chosen works by Bach-Busoni, David T. Childs and Franz Liszt.

Hershberger received his degrees in piano from Arizona State University, Wichita State University, and the University of Tulsa. His principal teachers included Robert Roux, Robert Hamilton, and Boaz Sharon. He also coached with Luiz de Moura Castro. A national finalist in the 1987 Wurlitzer Collegiate Artist Competition, Hershberger also received the Naftzger Young Artist Piano Award and first prize in the Babe Stewart Memorial Graduate Artist Competition.

He has appeared with orchestras throughout the midwest and southwest United States, including the Albuquerque Philharmonic and the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra. An acclamied solo performer and chamber musician, Hershberger has played throughout the United States, most recently at the 1998 Great Romantics Music Festival in Canada, and at the 1997 North Dakota Music Teachers Association State Convention where he was the guest artist and clinician.

He is a member of the piano faculty at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. Previously he was a visiting assistant professor in piano at Arizona State University. An active adjudicator, Hershberger has judged for the San Angelo Symphony Sorantin Awards, the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Young Artist Competition, the Music Teachers National Association and the Piano Teachers Guild. He is president of the Concordia College chapter of the American Liszt Society, and was recently elected to the national board of directors of the ALS.

Eterovich Solo Performance Spotlights 17th Century Woman

The Department of Theatre Arts presents national touring artist Karen Eterovich in the one-woman show Love Arm'd, Aphra Behn & Her Pen at 7:30 p.m. March 31 and April 1 in the Studio Theatre, third floor Temple Building. Tickets, available at the door only, are $2 for students and $4 for all others.

Eterovich portrays Aphra Behn, a dramatist, novelist, spy and poet who lived from 1640-1689.

"Aphra Behn broke all the rules," says Eterovich. According to Eterovich, in September 1670, when Aphra Behn made her literary debut with her play, The Forced Marriage, produced at Lincoln's Inn Fields, she had no precedent. There was no Englishwoman before her who had earned her living as a writer. Her novel, Oroonoko (1688), a story of an enslaved African prince whom Aphra knew in South America, unquestionably influenced the development of the novel. Her poems, like her life, have been underestimated. Aphra Behn was intensely popular with the wits and poets of her day as well as with the court. She is said to have given many young writers, including Thomas Otway, their start. She was also the center of much scandal.

Her origin remains a mystery; an unidentified child named Aphra traveled with a couple named Johnson to Surinam (Dutch Guiana), then an English possession. Upon her return to England, she may have married a London merchant named Behn. Her wit and beauty having caught the eye of the court, she was employed by Charles II as a spy in the Netherlands. Unrewarded and imprisoned for debt, she began to write to support herself. From 1670 until her death in 1689, Aphra Behn was commercially successful, published and produced. Her witty and vivacious comedies, such as The Rover (two parts, produced 1677 and 1681), were highly successful. She was well read, fluent in French, Italian and some Spanish, and she often adapted work by older dramatists. Her versatility, like her output was immense.

Eterovich's resume includes a recent film project with Tandy Cronyn and Earth Mothers with Rare Terra Theatre at the Wings Theatre.

Love Arm'd has been performed in more than 25 different locations including the Bedlam Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was developed over three years at Cosmic Leopard's Womenkind Festival in New York City.

Welsch Talks with Roads Agronomist Gray

Dick Gray, agronomist for the Nebraska Department of Roads, is this week's guest on Roger Welsch & when the interview series airs at 8:30 p.m. March 31 on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network. The program will repeat on EduCable, the cable television service of Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, at 4 p.m. April 9, and at 4 p.m. April 23.

Gray is based in the Roadway Design Division and does the erosion control design for 200 highway construction projects a year. This includes the seed mixes used on a project and the protective measures taken to keep silt in place, as well as the seeding specifications, chemical recommendations and noxious weed trouble-shooting. He has worked as an agronomist for the Department of Roads since 1962.

Morels and Walleyes on Outdoor Nebraska

A mushroom hunt in Tekamah, a fishing trip to Lake McConaughy and a North Platte archery club are featured on this week's edition of Outdoor Nebraska on the statewide Nebraska ETV Network. This episode of the outdoor news magazine series airs at 7:30 p.m. March 30, and repeats at 8 a.m. April 1. The program will repeat on EduCable at 4:30 p.m. April 2.

In the featured story, the Bacon family of Tekamah goes on a hunt for morel mushrooms. In other features, the Outdoor Nebraska team goes walleye spawn fishing at Lake McConaughy and drops in on a special event at the North Platte Youth Archery Club.

In "Wilderness Workshop," Dick Turpin poses his theory that sugared bread will attract crickets for fish bait. In the "Nature Walk," outdoor educator, Carl Wolfe, discusses the yucca plant and its edible properties and Greg Wagner provides timely calendar reminders and tips on the "Outdoor Outlook."

The "Nebraskaland Moment" offers fall scenes from the Thomas Wildlife Management Area near Bassett.

Statewide Examines State's Most Popular 'Tourist Attraction'

Discover the impact of 480,000 feathered visitors on the state's economy when Statewide, the Nebraska ETV Network's weekly magazine series, looks in-depth at the Sandhill crane migration in a report airing at 8 p.m. March 24.

The series, which includes up-to-the-minute news reports from across the state and other features of interest, repeats at 7 p.m. March 25, and 1:30 p.m. March 26. Statewide also airs on EduCable at 3 p.m. March 26.

Statewide correspondent Brad Penner goes to Grand Island to report on the estimated 480,000 Sandhill cranes who stop in the Platte River valley each spring to rest, forage and rebuild strength during their 14,000-mile migration between southern wintering grounds and northern breeding grounds. Although the birds themselves spend little with local merchants, Penner reports, they create a spectacle that draws thousands of human visitors and adds hundreds of thousands of dollars to the area economy.

GOP Senate Candidates Set for Q&A

Five candidates for the Republican nomination for Nebraska's open U.S. Senate seat have agreed to appear on Q&A, the statewide Nebraska ETV Network's weekly interview series, beginning with physician and farmer Elliot Rustad at 7 p.m. March 23. A videotape of this episode of Q&A will air on EduCable at 3:30 p.m. March 26, and at 8 a.m. March 28.

Other candidates for the GOP nomination will appear in consecutive weeks beginning with Nebraska Attorney General Don Stenberg on March 30, followed by Nebraska Secretary of State Scott Moore on April 6. Omaha business operator George Grogan and Scottsbluff agribusiness operator David Hergert will appear in back-to-back episodes of Q&A on April 13.

Interviews on Q&A are conducted by host Ward Jacobson.