Star City Blog / Theatre & Film

Grassroots Theatre The Colonel Mustard Presents 'Dr. Quinn: the Musical!' August 7th

By Jessica Heerten
Photos Courtesy of Lindsay Kerns

Expect unexpected, and perhaps unnecessary, violence.  Expect banjo.  Expect fake blood.  Most of all, expect spectacle, because the Colonel Mustard has scheduled its sixth biannual performance for August 7th.
   
Dr. Quinn: the Musical! is the brainchild of Phillip Malcom and Lindsay Kerns, birthed from a series of texts and three weeks of late-night writing at the Hi-Way Diner in Lincoln.

The musical spoofs the 90s hit show “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” about a liberal doctor who leaves Boston in 1867 to travel west.  As in past musicals and plays by the creative collective, Kerns and Malcom largely draw on pop culture references for song and character inspiration.

Review of 'Bye Bye Birdie' at the Lincoln Community Playhouse

By Ladd Wendelin

Lately, I’ve been thinking about antiquated musicals. Broadway is a relatively young art form and about as healthy, normal, and American as summer camp or booster shots. Bye Bye Birdie, which runs through June 27th, opened to a receptive audience Friday at the Lincoln Community Playhouse.

Unfortunately, with its dated references to Peter Lawford, Terramycin, and getting “pinned,” Birdie falls into the same sad pile of musicals containing Lil’ Abner, Grease, and West Side Story (Let the debate commence!). Either these musicals are played for the period pieces they are or not at all.

Director Paul Pearson and his sizable cast have done well to play Birdie as a blistering ode to early ‘60s nostalgia, accented by Pearson’s own trademark adoration of sassy kitsch and delightfully tacky sexual bravado. The sparse set and period costumes were generously decorated with pastels, gaudy colors, and prints that looked like something out of Mad Men or the film adaptation of Birdie itself. To this end, the production worked.

Review of 'Nunsense' at the TADA Theatre

By Dennis Kornbluh

Yesterday afternoon, I read in the New York Times that Rue McClanahan, of Golden Girls fame, had passed away early Thursday morning at the age of 76. What I didn't realize, until Bob Rook, Managing Artistic Director for the TADA theatre, brought it to my attention, is that McClanahan had appeared in television productions of both Nunsense and Nunsense 2 in the role of Mother Superior.

This happens to be the 25th anniversary of the production, which first played at the off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City. In the mid-1980s, I lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, which is the setting for the play.

What does this all mean?  It's all rather nunsensical, I suppose, but what an eerie juxtaposition of facts and coincidences preceded this performance of Nunsense, which opened Thursday evening at the TADA Theatre.

Lincoln Community Playhouse Hosts Composer James Merillat for His New Musical 'Wonderland High'

Lincoln Community Playhouse is pleased to announce composer, James Merillat, will be Music Director for the Theatre Arts Academy production of his new musical, Wonderland High. Enrollment is open to students age 12-17 and will be held July 12-24. Classes are Monday – Friday, 9 am to 4 pm with performances on July 24th at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Fee is $275.00 for subscribers and $300.00 for non-subscribers.
 
Wonderland High is a new musical twist of Alice and Wonderland revolving around Arthur, the new kid, at Wonderland High. His new school is a place where hallways seem to lead nowhere and the lockers hold a lot more than books.  Writer/composer, James Merillat states, “The show is part Glee, part High School Musical, and all fun.” The lyrics for Wonderland High are by Ryan Stotts with book and additional lyrics by Jesse Johnson and James Merillat.

Take in the Film Premiere of 'Jazz Cabaret' at the Sheldon

Some like it hot. Some like it cool. And the UNL Faculty Jazz Ensemble provides plenty of both in Jazz Cabaret, the new musical special from NET Television. Taped before a live audience, the septet – comprised of Paul Haar, saxophone; Darryl White, trumpet; Eric Richards, trombone; Peter Bouffard, guitar; Rusty White, double bass; Tom Larson, piano; and Steve Helfand, drums – deliver a showcase of jazz artistry with a mix of jazz standards and original contemporary compositions.

Sheldon will host the premiere screening of Jazz Cabaret which will be held Tuesday, May 25, in the Ethel S. Abbott Auditorium. The 30-minute screening is free, but an R.S.V.P. is required to guarantee a seat and a place at the reception to follow. Please call (800) 634-6788 or go online at www.netNebraska.org/reply to reserve space.

Lincoln Community Playhouse Presents 'Bye Bye Birdie'

Lincoln Community Playhouse concludes Season 64 with the Broadway musical hit, Bye Bye Birdie. The show opens on Friday, June 4 and plays weekends through June 27 at the Playhouse. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Friday and Saturdays with 2:00 p.m. Sunday matinees.  Tickets are $20 for adults and $10.00 for students. Tickets may be reserved at the box office or by calling 489-7529, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
 
Bye Bye Birdie tells of Conrad Birdie, a 1950’s Elvis type singer, who is being drafted into the Army and plans on bestowing a symbolic farewell kiss on a fan in Sweet Apple, Ohio. When the rock and roller hits Mainstreet, the little town will never be the same. The classic score includes “Put on a Happy Face” and “Kids.”

Metropolitan Opera Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet ‘Live in HD’ Rescheduled at the Ross for May 16

NOTE: Previous Encore HD transmission of Hamlet at The Ross was cancelled due to a staff scheduling mix-up.

The fourth season of The Met: Live in HD continues on at The Ross on Sunday, May 16 at 1 p.m. CT with Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet, with the powerful pairing of Simon Keenlyside in the title role and Marlis Petersen as Ophélie. Conducted by Louis Langrée, Hamlet also stars Jennifer Larmore as Gertrude, Toby Spence as Laërte and James Morris as Claudius. The Met’s new production of Hamlet by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser opened at the Met on March 16 and was the company’s first performance of the opera since 1897.

Review of 'Rent' at Nebraska Wesleyan's McDonald Theatre

By Sarah F. Sullivan

The rain was only starting to threaten a downpour as audiences hurried into Nebraska Wesleyan’s McDonald Theatre on Thursday night, but it didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. After all, they were going to see Rent, perhaps one of the most groundbreaking and well-loved musicals of the past fifteen years. Unsurprisingly, the production packed the house.

Audiences were greeted at the door with a sign proclaiming that Nebraska Wesleyan is the third college in the country to be granted the rights to perform the production, an honor any school should carry proudly. However, with such pride comes the hope that the students will be able to do the production justice. I am thrilled to say that Nebraska Wesleyan not only did the production proud, they owned it.

Met Opera Live in HD Presents Rossini's 'Armida' at The Ross May 1st

The fourth season of The Met: Live in HD concludes at The Ross on Saturday, May 1 at 12:00 PM/CT with Rossini’s Armida, starring celebrated American soprano Renée Fleming as the mythological sorceress, Armida, in one of the greatest virtuoso roles from the bel canto repertory.

Fleming is joined by Lawrence Brownlee, who sings Armida’s chief love interest, Rinaldo, and five more tenors in the roles of the crusader knights. José Manuel Zapata portrays Rinaldo’s rival Gernando. John Osborn sings Goffredo, and Barry Banks, Kobie van Rensburg, and Yegishe Manucharyan are the knights Carlo, Ubaldo, and Eustazio, respectively. Riccardo Frizza conducts. The opera was performed at the Metropolitan Opera for the first time on April 12, 2010 in a new production directed by Tony Award-winner Mary Zimmerman.

'Neil Young's Trunk Show' @ The Ross

The words Trunk Show conjure visions of unique and precious goods, displayed from old chunky leather-strapped luggage. The images recall a time of purposeful travel, when people moved across the country with deliberate speed.
 
NEIL YOUNG: TRUNK SHOW, opening at The Ross on Friday, April 23, uses the traveling exhibit concept to bring to life his collection of rare song gems (“Mexico,” “Kansas” and the “The Sultan”), crowd favorites (“Cinnamon Girl,” “Cowgirl in the Sand” and “Like a Hurricane”) and more recent material (“No Hidden Path” and “The  Believer”).
 
It is a collection for the ages.