Musical 'Tommy' Brings Rock Opera to Lied

Long before MTV, the '60s rock band The Who wrote one of the original rock operas, combining musical innovation with theatrical performance. Audiences will have a chance to experience this exciting genre when the Lied Center for Performing Arts hosts four performances of The Who's Tommy.

During the Weekend of Oct. 6-8, Tommy will be presented at 8 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, and again at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Initially just a hit record, Tommy was made into a full-length feature film in 1975, which earned Pete Townshend of The Who an Academy Award nomination for best film score. Nearly two decades after the movie's release, Townshend reworked Tommy into a full stage production with the help of director Des McAnuff. In 1993, Tommy merited five Tony Awards, including Best Original Score and Best Director.

Two pre-performance talks will be give in the Lied Center's Steinhart room prior to each performance. Stephen Buhler, UNL assistant professor of English, will offer his insights 55 minutes and again 30 minutes before curtain.

Tickets are $34, $30, and $26; half price for those 18 and under or UNL, Wesleyan, and Doane students with identification. The Lied Center box office is open for walk-in sales on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and 90 minutes before the performance. Phone orders may be placed by dialing 2-4747 or 1-800-432-3231.

Theatrix Opens Season With 'Oleanna'

University Theatre and Dance's student producing organization, Theatrix, opens its '95-'96 season in October with Oleanna, a drama by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Mamet.

Oleanna is a seething investigation of political correctness in a time when the nation's morality has been tested by increased incidents of sexual harassment. In the play, Carol, a college student, visits the office of her college professor in order to solicit his assistance with her course work. The professor, John, who is in the middle of buying a house to celebrate his nomination for tenure, at first seems less that engaged in the discussion. As the meeting progresses, the two discuss the nature of understanding and judgment in society, as well as their own function within that society.

It seems as though the two have developed a bond, yet when they next meet a report has been filed to the tenure committee - Carol has joined a "group" and has decided that John sexually harassed her during that first meeting. Their second meeting dissects the first, analyzing and twisting every word in to something else. Or did every word get twisted? John's unsuccessful attempts to convince Carol to retract reach a dangerous level, culminating in violence.

Oleanna shows at 8 p.m., Oct. 4-6; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Oct. 7; and 2 p.m., Oct. 8; Studio 221, 2nd floor Temple, 12th and R Streets. Tickets are available only at the door for $3, call 2-1619 or 2-1620 for more details. There is limited seating on first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not accepted.

UT to Present 'To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday'

University Theatre and Dance opens its 95th anniversary season with To Gillian on her 37th Birthday by Michael Brady, directed by assistant professor Paul Steger and starring Patrick Tuttle and Lisa Mercer.

This Michael Brady romantic drama places several very nice people in a beach cottage over a summer weekend and allows them to talk and love their way out of a terrible grief. The chief mourner is an embittered professor who has retreated from life to keep alive the memory of his adored wife, Gillian, who died two years earlier in a boating accident. To inject him with "an infusion of the life-force," his concerned in-laws, his 16-year-old daughter, and even the very alive memory of his dead wife lovingly conspire to make him fall in love with an ex-student.

Brady treats his serious subject in a way that gives it buoyancy - with a mix of whimsy, frank talk and a sense of spontaneity. As the characters take their journey to recovery, no one of them has a monopoly on wisdom , but through opening up and confronting their feelings, they assist each other in the healing process.

Shows are at 8 p.m., Sept. 28-30 and Oct. 3-7 at the Studio Theatre. Call 2-2073 for tickets, $6 for students, $7 for faculty/staff/senior citizens, and $9 for all others.

For questions regarding these Scarlet pages, contact:
dtaurins@unlinfo.unl.edu
(402) 472-8518, Fax: (402) 472-7825