'Crumb' an Intimate Portrait of Underground Artist

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival,Crumb uses unexpected interviews with the artist, his family, colleagues, critics and ex-lovers, along with footage of his work, to paint a riveting picture of this artist's obsessions, and the powerful visions he has created with them. Ultimately, the film is about following one's own individual vision and the rewards and risks of doing so.

Shot over a period of six years, Crumb is an in-depth look at Robert Crumb, king of underground comic-book artists, creator of Mr. Natural and Fritz the Cat. Zwigoff's powerful documentary feature penetrates the mind and world of this singular creator with uncommon perceptiveness, exploring the sources and implications of his work with discoveries that are both revealing and disturbing. As one encounters members of Crumb's eccentric family, hears cogent defenses of this drawing from the critic Robert Hughes, and observes Crumb himself describing his life and work, an unusually intimate portrait of a serious, obsessive artist takes shape.

Crumb shows Oct. 26 through Oct. 29 and Nov. 2 through Nov. 5. Screenings are at 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays; at 1, 3:15, 7 and 9:15 p.m. on Saturdays; and at 2:30, 4:45, 7 and 9:15 on Sundays. Admission is $5.50; $4.50 for students; and $3.50 for senior citizens and members of the Friends of the Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater.

Pianist Serkin Blends Classic, Contemporary Music at Lied

In a career marked by individualism, Serkin has successfully conveyed the essence of four centuries of musical repertoire. While combining his long-standing interest in contemporary music with a thorough, on-going exploration of the standard classical repertoire, he has earned respect for his performances as a recitalist, chamber music collaborator, recording artist, and featured performer with symphony orchestras.

At the Lied Center, Serkin will perform classical pieces by Beethoven and Brahms, juxtaposed with contemporary selections written by Stefan Wolpe.

Two pre-performance talks will be given in the Lied Center's Steinhart Room. Robert Emil, professor of strings and music theory at the UNL School of Music, will lecture 55 minutes before the performance and again at 30 minutes before curtain.

Tickets are $28, $24, and $29; half price for those 18 and under or UNL, Wesleyan and Doane students who present identification. Also, Target "Treatseats" discount coupons are available at participating Target stores.

The Lied Center box office is open for walk-in sales on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 90 minutes before the performance. Phone orders may be placed by dialing 2-4747 or 800-432-3231.

Turtle Island to Jazz Up the Lied Center

Having distinguished itself as much more than a jazz quartet, the group reflects the influences of jazz, blues, pop, bluegrass and other musical traditions, particularly in pieces written by the members themselves.

Further confounding categories, Turtle Island String Quartet has played its expansive music everywhere from concert halls and fine arts centers to intimate jazz clubs and outdoor festivals. Tours have taken them to Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia, South America and Canada, and in this country, they have been featured on national, as well as regional, television and radio appearances.

Two pre-performance talks will be given in the Lied Center's Steinhart Room. Ed Love, music director of the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, will lecture 55 minutes before the performance and again at 30 minutes before curtain.

Tickets are $22, $18, and $14; half price for those 18 and under or UNL, Wesleyan and Doane students who present identification. Also, Target "Treatseats" discount coupons are available at participating Target stores.

The Lied Center box office is open for walk-in sales on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 90 minutes before the performance. Phone orders may be placed by calling 2-4747 or 800-432-3231.

'Titanic' to Set Sail in Theatrix Production

Directed by senior theatre student Channing Roos, Titanic sets sail with an odd assemblage of passengers revealing all manner of shocking secrets and bizarre fetishes. Somehow, during that fateful voyage, the ship seems unable to find the iceberg destined to sink her. It is a "drowning-room" farce about the nature of the American family and the society which nurtures it.

Amid a tangle of changing identities -- and sometimes sexes -- the action of the play centers on an American family, the Tammurais, who are traveling aboard the Titanic. The Tammurais undergo a series of sexual permutations as they reveal all sorts of shocking secrets and bizarre fetishes while awaiting the iceberg which, somehow, the ship seems unable to find.

Eventually the ship does go down, taking its odd assemblage of passengers with it, but leaving behind a remarkable array of original thoughts on the nature of the modern American family and the society which nurtures it.

Showing at 8 p.m. Nov. 2-4 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 5 at Howell Theatre, $3 tickets are available at the door. Call 2-1619 or 2-1620 for more information. Seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are not accepted.

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