PAPIO POOL Life Guards. Contact Jennifer Rees-Goss at papiopool@gmail.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT (First Data Merchant Services Corporation - Omaha, NE): In large global card transaction processing co., ensure adherence to established stds on DataPower, Webmethods, & Java/J2EE tchnlgs. Reqts: Master’s deg or foreign equiv in Comp Sci, CIS, Math Sciences, Engg (any), or rel. + 2 yrs of exp. in job off’d or rel. Must have 2 yrs exp w/: DataPower, Webmethods, Java/ J2EE technologies, SAML token based authentication mechanisms, WMQ, JProbe, Citrix/Bladelogic, SiteMinder, DB2, SQL Server, Oracle, JBoss, WAS, Apache, Wily Introscope, & Tivoli Performance Viewer. Any suitable combo of education, training, or exp is acceptable. Apply at www.firstdatajobs.com. Go to “Search Openings” & enter Req. No. 36289BR.
IEEE Part-time Associates (Deli & Maintenance). Go to OmahaJobs.com for information. CATHOLIC CHARITIES Maintenance Mechanic. Contact Bonni Pulte at bonniep@ ccomaha.org or at 402-8299247. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. DUNCAN AVIATION Programmer/Analyst II, Java & Programmer/Analyst II. Call 402-479-4135. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Faculty, Administrator and Staff Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
ALEGENT CREIGHTON HEALTH Communications Operator CUMC OnCall (Sa/Su hours 11p-7a). Contact Allison. merkel@alegent.org or at 402-717-1974. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information ALEGENT CREIGHTON HEALTH RN Team Lead Care Mgt Lakeside (FT). Contact Jennifer Acker at 402-717-1883 or at Jennifer.acker@alegent. org. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. THE DURHAM MUSEUM Part time Retail Supervisor. Contact Amy Carolus at acarolus@durhammuseum.org or call at 402-444-5071. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. BENCH CRAFT COMPANY Sales Representative. Contact Greg Barnhart at gbarnhart@benchcraftcompany. com or 1-800-824-8311. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. PRAIRIE INET Staff Accountant. Contact Human Resources at nebraskajobs@corp.skybeam.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. DUNCAN AVIATION Programmer/Analyst II - Java & Programmer/Analyst II. Call 402-479-4135. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. AAA LIFE INSURANCE Customer Service Representative. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
TRANS CONTINENTAL CONSULTANTS Financial Analyst, Physical Therapist, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Occupational Therapist, & Speech Language Pathologist. Contact Kristi Weldon at medlinkne@gmail.com or 402-753-7230. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. ALEGENT CREIGHTON RN-Performance Improvement FT Days CUMC-Trauma. Contact Jennifer Acker at Jennifer.acker@alegent.org or 402-717-1883. Go to OmahaJobs.com for information ALEGENT CREIGHTON HEALTH Certified Meidcal Assistant OnCall for Rehab at Immanuel & Certified Medical Assistant FT Days Lakeside. Contact Teri Prochaska at teri. prochaska@alegent.org or 402-717-1869.Go to OmahaJobs.com for information. THE VINCIT GROUP Area Manager. Contact employment@vincitgroup.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. KRYGER GLASS Warehouse Delivery. & Overnight Delivery Driver. Contact Sheri Sealock at hr@krygerglass.com or 1-816-4716944. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information ALTEC Field Technician. Contact Yolanda Bailey at Yolanda. bailey@altec.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. WASHINGTON COUNTY EXTENSION Extension Assistant – 4 H/ Youth Development. Contact 402-426-9455. Go to OmahaJobs.com for information.
CENTURY LINK Supervisor & Repair Service Attendant. Go to OmahaJobs.com for information. INVENERGY LLC Operations & Maintenance Manager. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information ALEGENT CREIGHTON Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Urgent Care FT. Contact Kim.Cadwell@alegent.org or 402-717-1852. Go to OmahaJobs.com for info. ALEGENT CREIGHTON HEALTH Certified Medical Assistant Urgent Care FT Day/Eventing West Broadway Clinic. Contact Kim.Cadwell@alegent. org or 402-717-1852. Go to OmahaJobs.com for info/ WEST CORPORATION Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. CORESLAB STRUCTURES Now Hiring General Laborers, Equipment Operators, QA Inspector. Contact Amanda Becker at 402-291-0733 or at abecker@coreslab.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for info. BERG/HELIX Electrical Forman. Contact Paul Shy at pshy@bergelectric.com or at 402-913-8637. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information MICROTEL INN AND SUITES Field Technician. Contact Ryan at tryanbelford@yahoo. com or 712-256-2900. Go to OmahaJobs.com for info. HEARTLAND MARKETING & COMM. Back-Pack Journalist. Contact Becky Jungers at HMCListing@gmail.com or 402293-0200. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information.
OFFICE IN THE HEART OF Small, public-facing office available in the heart of South Omaha with shared reception area and conference room. Includes street signage opportunity and internet. Great Value!
Please contact Clay Seaman, clays@thereader.com or 402-341-7323 x108 if you are interested.
2
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
| THE READER |
omaha jobs
UBIQUITY GLOBAL SERVICES Outbound Sales and Support Representatives. Contact Catherine Ihonvbere at hr@ubiquitygs.com . Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. MINNEAPOLIS BASED COMPANY Expanding across nation. We need sales reps with excellent opportunity to move into sales management. Excellent commissions. We train. Ag/ construction experience a plus. Call 1-888-372-0594 ext405 (MCN)
PAID IN ADVANCE! MAKE $1000 A WEEK mailing brochures from home! Helping Home Workers Since 2001! Genuine Opportunity! No experience required. Start Immediately! www.mailingincome.com (VOID IN SD) (MCN)
ALEGENT CREIGHTON Therapist-Mental Health Independent Psych Associates FT. Contact jared. mccready@alegent.org or 402-717-1964. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
AVON Earn extra income with a new career! Sell from home, work, online. $15 startup. For information, call: 888770-1075 (M-F 9-7 & Sat 9-1 central.) (Ind Sls Rep)
ALEGENT CREIGHTON RN Emergency FT Nights Midlands Hospital. Contact Jennifer.acker@ alegent.org or 402-7171883. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information.
$1,000 WEEKLY!! MAILING BROCHURES From Home. Helping home workers since 2001.
Genuine Opportunity. No Experience required. Start Immediately www.mailingmembers.com (AAN CAN) AIRLINE CAREERS begin here – Get trained as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800725-1563 (AAN CAN) EARN $500 A DAY as Airbrush Media Makeup Artist for Ads, TV, Film, Fashion. One Week Course. Train & Build Portfolio. SPECIAL 20% OFF TUITION AwardMakeupSchool.com 818-980-2119 (AAN CAN)
ead Gardener-H We are proud to take care of some of the most beautiful spaces in Omaha and our Gardeners are at the core of each one. If you have a minimum of 2 years experience, desire to be a part of a team that honors the profession of horticulture and values community, simplicity, stewardship, and habitat, we invite you to join our team!
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LIFT SOLUTIONS Receptionist. Contact Bob Svoboda at bsvoboda@lsi.bz or call at 402-330-1690. Go to OmahaJobs.com for info.
OMAHA STEAKS Temporary Graphic Designer. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
SECURITAS SECURITY SERVICES Third Grade Engineer. Contact Shannon Gernandt at Shannon.gernandt@securitasjobs. com or 402-558-6900. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
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heartlandhealing N E W A G E H E A LT H A N D W E L L N E S S B Y M I C H A E L B R AU N S T E I N
Homeopathy: When Less is More
A
mericans believe bigger is better, excess exquisite, more is the matter and The Donald is trump. So how to explain a medicine based on dilution of a solution to the point of an undetectable amount of the infused ingredient? It defies Western logic but as Einstein said, “Not everything that counts can be counted.” Homeopathy is a system of treatment using medicines derived from natural sources (plants, minerals or animals) in amounts so dilute that they are virtually undetectable. Homeopathy’s trump card is the belief that the body has an innate ability to heal itself and needs only a trigger to activate its powerful healing system even if the trigger is tiny. That healing ability of the body is something that Western science can neither explain nor deny. What is most odd about homeopathy may not be that it works or is gaining scientific support but that so many in the United States are drawn to using it. Homeopathic remedies are big sellers at health food stores and homeopathic practitioners are sought for their advice. All the while, the practice is the target of harsh criticism by some who find that the idea of infinitesimals flies in the face of Western science. Yet mainstream medicine has no problem using the same philosophy when injecting human guinea pigs with virus particles called “vaccines.” They say it causes the body to “immunize.” A specific science Too often, Americans misuse the term homeopathy and apply it to anything that is a non-conventional therapy. But homeopathy is a very specific branch of natural medicine incorporating a practice known by famous physicians throughout history. The “Law of Similars” states that “like cures like.” Hippocrates was the first to use the law of similars in Western culture. The word itself is of Greek derivative. He, and later others, reasoned and demonstrated that a substance producing a particular symptom in a healthy person would stimulate the body to remove that symptom in a sick person. Hippocrates used homeopathy extensively and 15th century physician Paracelsus documents homeopathic medicines. In the 18th century, German physician Samuel Hahnemann disapproved of the bloodletting, leeching, blistering and purging that were the mainstream medical practices in 1759. Hahnemann worked with herbs and noticed that herbs taken in low dosages cured the same symptoms that those herbs produced when taken in high doses. He experimented on himself with quinine, the plant-based cure for malarial
fever. When he took small doses of diluted quinine, he became ill with fever. When he stopped, the fever went away. For him, that proved the Law of Similars. Hahnemann developed his own ultra-diluted medicines. Homeopathy formally came into being. The dilution solution. Hahnemann intuited something that is difficult, if not impossible to empirically prove. The idea is that if one is sick, a homeopath administers a specific medicine containing a diluted substance, if given in full strength to a healthy person, would cause the same symptoms as the disease. The body is stimulated to reverse the imbalance that caused the symptoms. The idea of dilution is what really confounds the Western mind. To Western thinking, a medication, whether pharmaceutical or herbal, is more powerful or effective the more concentrated it is. Not so in homeopathy. A homeopathic medicine is made by introducing the so-called “active” ingredient, often an herb or mineral, into pure water at a ratio of 1 part per 99. That solution is shaken vigorously in a process known as succussion, then one part is added to 99 parts of pure water. The mixture is shaken again and the process repeated perhaps hundreds of times. Finally, the end result water is dropped onto an inert pill or tablet and the medicine is ready. Critics contend that the final water solution is so dilute that it cannot contain even a single molecule of the original element. But that element has imparted a characteristic to the water molecules that persists. Modern research now shows that indeed, water molecules are changed when these natural elements are introduced and the water is agitated. The molecules “clump” together in a regular pattern. Research suggests that the newly “structured” water is the real trigger for the body to start healing itself. Research or not, it’s hard for the Western mind to wrap itself around that notion. Judging by consumer acceptance of homeopathic medicine, it doesn’t matter. People want it because it works for them. Since the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938, homeopathic medicines have been recognized as safe. There have been no reported ill effects and no deaths. After all, how could an ultra-diluted drop of water be dangerous? One extensive Swiss study found proof that homeopathic remedies are effective. An English study found otherwise and considered them placebos. But somehow, millions of people have found that homeopathy works for them. Placebo or not, truth diluted is still truth. Be well. ,
• MAY 22, 2014 • The most powerful institutions of democracy in the next few decades will be the neighborhood association. These small groups of homeowners and renters will begin to wield unexpected influence as they grow in organizational skill, demanding city governments respect their needs, forcing
out undesirable homeowners and landlords, and voting as a bloc. Some will grow totalitarian, building neighborhoods of stifling sameness, but many will cause previously degraded neighborhoods to flourish. Look for community gardens and well-used parks -- that’s where the future lies.
Embrace Creativity! May 21
7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m
Free
Coffee at KANEKO, an Omaha Gives Open House
May 21
6 p.m.
May 24
10 a.m.
Free
Artist INC Info Session
$65
Blacksmithing with Elmo Diaz Information and Registration OmahaCreativeInstitute.org Rebecca@OmahaCreativeInstitute.org 785-218-3061
HEARTLAND HEALING is a New Age polemic describing alternatives to conventional methods of healing the body, mind and planet. It is provided as information and entertainment, certainly not medical advice. It is not an endorsement of any particular therapy, either by the writer or The Reader. Visit HeartlandHealing.com for more information.
heartland healing
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
3
SPAIN + OMAHA =
SPOMAHA I
BY SARA LOCKE
f you know me well, you know me as clever, charismatic, and not even a little bit awkward. I’ll pause for the collective eye rolls from my dearest friends, co-workers, and boyfriend. But every now and then, even I feel the need to turn off the charm and just allow myself to relax and be entertained while dining out. This leaves me to make a difficult decision — do I shell out the dollars for a beautiful meal while settling for the sounds of the couple at a neighboring table breaking up as my sole means of cultural stimulation? Do I huddle on an Old Market corner over my Nachos Bell Grande while taking in the talents of a troubadour? I do not, my friends. Instead, I search the city for the holy grail of dining experiences, a meal worth writing to my darling readers about, an establishment clean and cozy enough to eat in, a staff that is friendly and attentive, and a talented musician serenading the room. To find such a place, I journeyed to Benson. Upon entering Espana Tapas Bar (www. espanaomaha.com), you are greeted by vibrant red and gold decor and the smell of a thousand spices you suddenly wish you knew how to cook with. Instantly at ease by the heavenly aromas, you are faced with the worst part of the evening: making the decision between the famous sangria and a glass of Spanish red. Take your time pondering the menu, but know that if you’re interested in the paella (you are) you’ll need 2 diners to finish the dish, and you’ll be in for a bit of a wait. While you wait, order at least 2 tapas. I say at least 2 because you will not be able to rest until you’ve tried them all, but you really need to leave room for the paella. Just trust me, guys. You have your choice of both hot and cold tapas ranging from a sizzling garlic shrimp and escargot
crumbs
n JOIN THE CLUB AT URBAN WINE COMPANY Omaha’s Urban Wine Company hosts its monthly wine club Sunday, May 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. Sample wine and appetizers and don’t fret about getting up early for work the next day, what with it being Memorial Day and all. www.urbanwinecompany.com n CRUSH IT AT OMAHA CRUSH Tickets are now on sale for Omaha Crush, which is an annual event bringing together wine, food and art. Mark your calendar for Saturday, Aug. 2, from 1 to 5 p.m. The Grey Plume, Kitchen Table and McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe are just a few of the many local restaurants offering delicious food at this fun event. www. omahacrush.com n BEER DINNER AT SALT 88 Reserve your spot
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MAY 22 - 28, 2014
| THE READER |
dish
dish to ceviche and tomato rubbed baguettes. As frequently as the menu changes, the staff is on the ball and ready to answer any questions you may have as someone who has never traveled to Spain. Watch for specials - for instance, on Tuesdays they offer a free tapas to each guest who orders 2! For me, the steamed mussels and the Carpaccio were too beautiful to pass up. While we slowly, delicately, and not at all like starving children made our way through our delicious dishes, we realized how much time had passed since one of us had spoken. We were both taking in the beautiful swell of Spanish guitar played by a petite girl with an enormous talent. I learned later that our trobairitz (known also as Melissa Dundis) plays every Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m., and the Omaha treasure Hadley Heavin plays on Fridays and Saturdays. Occasionally, you’ll catch a guest appearance by the Omaha Guitar Trio. This isn’t Spanish Lite, or Flamenco for beginners. This is truly tested talent playing time honored classics. When your perfectly seasoned paella arrives, you’ll begin to rack your brain wondering where you left your passport. Surely a trip to Spain can’t be too expensive, can it? And even though you’re full, you find yourself scraping the bottom of an empty dish, wondering where it all disappeared. Your waiter will come by and ask if you’re interested in any of their equally beautiful desserts, and we all know you want to at least try the Tres Leches. Don’t try to fool them. They’re a well trained staff. They know you want dessert. Regrets are for another day, and you’re not ready to leave the ambiance anyway — so loosen your belt buckle, order a glass of dessert wine, and let the guitar quiet your heart for just a little longer. ,
now for the Beer Dinner at Salt 88 May 29 at 6 p.m. There will be a variety of beers from all over the world for your sampling pleasure. Before you get too excited by the prospect of having beer for dinner, you should know that there will be food there, too – they’re just not revealing the menu until that night. salt88.com n EAT BREAKFAST AT THE FARMER’S MARKET When you head to the Benson Farmer’s Market Saturday mornings, bring your appetite along and visit Star Deli from 8 to 11 a.m. for breakfast. Don’t miss their Tap Dancer Coffee to give you the energy you need to properly peruse the offerings at the Farmer’s Market. stardeliomaha.net — Tamsen Butler Crumbs is about indulging in food and celebrating its many forms. Send information about area food and drink businesses to crumbs@thereader.com.
BUILD a
future
Brit Floyd Discovery 2014_OMAHA__Art_4.9 x 4.9.pdf
doing what you love.
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THE ORPHEUM THEATER OMAHA MONDAY 16th JUNE 7.30pm
BOX OFFICE 402.345.0606 www.ticketomaha.com | THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
5
W
alking around the backstage shop of the Omaha Community Playhouse, set builders are hard at work creating the upcoming musical Young Frankenstein by Mel Brooks. They’re making gigantic coffins, painting large landscapes, sanding down staircases, and building a massive hayrack on bouncy springs for ‘ze roll in ze hay’. Checking in on the progress and showing me around the shop are the shows directors, Carl Beck and Susie Baer Collins. “As big as Les Miserables was, Young Frankenstein appears to be even bigger.” Beck said. This is a landmark show for the two of them because it will be their last as heads of the Playhouse’s artistic staff. From working as actors in the Nebraska Theatre Caravan to becoming Associate Directors and eventually taking over responsibilities from former Artistic Director Charles Jones, Beck and Collins have been a part of the lifeblood of the Playhouse for three decades. They first met in the early 1970s as members of the Nebraska Repertory theatre in Lincoln, NE. They moved around the country to several locations as itinerant actors for several years (including work in the Nebraska Theatre Caravan), eventually landing consistent television work for Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta from 1981-83. As the work at Turner was finishing up, former Playhouse Head Charles Jones was in the process of expanding and revitalizing the community theatre. “Luckily, every time a show at Turner was cancelled and you were out of work, I was able to pick up work here, jobbing in and guest directing,” Beck said. “I had done that a couple of years before and then came on as Associate AD and then we moved back to Omaha.” Charles Jones had done wonders at the Playhouse. He arrived in the summer of 1974, just in time to meet the great tornado that ran down 72nd street in the summer of 1975 and the huge blizzard that followed that winter. The elements had left the Playhouse severely damaged. Jones not only rebuilt the theatre but expanded it, adding in the space that now furnishes the Howard Drew Theatre. Throughout the 80s and 90s and still today, the Playhouse became known as the number one community theatre in the country. In 1997, Jones retired and Beck took his place as Artistic Director, with Collins joining him as Associate. “In the relationship we had, Charles was very generous,” Beck said. “He gave you a lot of freedom. There was never a presence looking over your shoulder micro-managing. You had a certain freedom to make discoveries, to make gigantic mistakes, but also to create a positive learning atmosphere. I think we have continued that process as Susie and I have come in. We made sure to give that sense of freedom to all of our guest directors when they came here.” Susie Baer Collins started at the Playhouse when she was hired as an associate artist alongside former Creighton professor and Omaha theatre icon Bill Hutson. Her jobs included performing in shows, teaching classes, and directing assignments with the Caravan. As time went on, she started perform-
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MAY 22 - 28, 2014
ing less and less as directing became her mainstay. Collins remembers the spirit of Charles Jones, especially in the early years. “When I first came here, I had maybe directed one show in my life,” Collins said. “There was a lot of belief from Charles that I could move into directing. He was one of those people who thought I could do something without a lot of stuff on paper that proved I could. He gave me an opportunity and I will never forget that.” Directing any show is a challenge but the true ‘Trial by Fire’ for a Playhouse director is the granddaddy of them all, A Christmas Carol. “When you get thrown into A Christmas Carol for the first time, it’s terrifying,” Collins said. “At least I was osmosed into the show. Carl was thrown to the wolves!”
| THE READER |
cover story
Beck remembers the inherent challenges of trying to put together a mainstage show and tours at the same time in the 80s. “I realized very early on that I could easily direct two different shows at the same time. But at the point I was asked to do three at the same time, boy I crumbled,” Beck laughed. He continued on saying, “There are subtleties and variations when you are doing the tours vs the mainstage. Not only are you grasping one production but realizing that the rules change with a touring production and smaller cast. There are limitations. And best of all, nowhere was anything written down from previous years! Back in the 80s, they didn’t believe in writing! Nowhere did you have a stage manager’s notebook that said ‘Here’s the props involved.’ Everybody just knew it. Gradually,
you learned to know it but you also wrote it down in case you were hit by a bus.” Working between the professional tours and the community rendition of Carol in those early years revealed something about the Playhouse they will never forget. In the early years, coming from a professional acting background, they both tended to gravitate towards the Caravan. They enjoyed working with professional actors on limited contracts while putting together productions. “Somehow, gradually, over the course of years, you shifted,” Beck said. “We both did. You shift into really a preference and joy of working with the community theatre volunteer actor. You got this wonderful sense from them. They are there every single night because they want to be there, because they like docontinued on page 8y
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Find available smoke-free housing at RentSmokeFree-Tenants.org This project is supported in part by Region 6 Behavioral Healthcare through funding provided by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services/Tobacco Free Nebraska Program as a result of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
QUARTERpageforReader5/22/14_Layout 1 5/13/14 6:33 AM Page 1
Heartland Pride 2014 is almost here! There are FANTASTIC new events this year! Have you taken a boat ride recently? YOU CAN WITH US! heartlandpride.org/events/rainbowrun How about a 5k run/walk? YOU CAN WITH US! heartlandpride.org/events/riverride Another BRAND NEW event this year is
HEARTLAND YOUTH PRIDE! heartlandpride.org/events/youthpride Check out www.heartlandpride.org for more details!
JUNE 7
OMAHAROLLERGIRLS.ORG | THE READER |
Ticketmaster.com MAY 22 - 28, 2014
7
y continued from page 6 ing it. They’ll work 8 hours a day, then miss dinner or bring dinner in a bag, then come in and give three months of their lives because they want to be here. It makes for such a wonderful rehearsal atmosphere.” During their tenure, there have been many amazing productions performed on Playhouse stages. Collins remembers shows like Violet, Secret Garden, and many others where magic just seemed to manifest on stage. “You have the absolutely perfect group of people in a great project that becomes greater than the sum of its parts,” she said. “We’ve just had so many. It seems unfair to pick any one. Of course, I could more easily list the complete failures than successes!” Anyone who has worked in theatre will tell you with uncanny detail, the great flops of their career. There’s something in the humility and humbleness that comes with falling flat on your face. “You know at the time, you have to believe this is the most wonderful project in the world,” Collins said. “But you do that in order to get through it. Then afterward you look back and say, ‘I had no business directing that show.’” For Collins, it was show called The Enchanted Cottage that was done to celebrate an anniversary at the Playhouse. The higher-ups wanted to put it on the season but the script was terrible. They tried to freshen it up with Larry Williams coming in from LA to create a new version that was doomed from the start. “It had witches from MacBeth in it, a story about real estate, people were disfigured. I don’t know what happened. It was a mess,” Collins said.
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MAY 22 - 28, 2014
Beck talked about a production of The Coconuts, once again trying to take a weak script and turn it into something fresh. “I wanted to recreate it,” he said. “I added a fantasy sequence for Harpo where he goes underwater and saves a mermaid. There were people dancing on airplane wings. And, of course, we built a huge, gigantic turkey that nobody wanted to see.” But even in the failures, both said, you still make fantastic relationships and memories that stay with you long after the show closes. The show almost closed prematurely for them in 2009, when the financial crisis hit the Playhouse hard. Tensions between the administration and artistic staff arose, culminating in Beck being asked to resign. Collins walked out immediately after along with the cast of Moonlight and Magnolias, the show Beck was directing at the time. A town hall meeting with the community followed and the end result was Beck and Collins returning to work along with President Tim Schmad in steering the Playhouse through the tough times. “I think the primary result from that whole thing was how hard everyone worked to amend the damage done,” Collins said. “We were a unified force putting on our programming as opposed to fighting about money and whatnot.” Beck agreed saying, “It was a unified effort on everybody’s part to keep in mind that the Playhouse is a bigger entity than the personalities involved.” Now the Playhouse is as strong as ever. Beck and Collins are preparing to hand the reins over to new
| THE READER |
cover story
Artistic Director Hilary Adams who will usher in a new era for the nation’s largest community theatre. As they prepare for one last show, Beck and Collins thought about the legacy they will leave. “One thing that was important to me was diversity,” Collins said. “I don’t think I ever said ‘Here’s my mission! I’m going to create more diversity!’ but it seemed to be what fell in my lap to some degree. To
what extent I was successful might be limited but we made some wonderful strides while I was here and they are only going to progress further.” Beck said that one of their most important legacies to leave was continuing the high standard of production values the theatre is known for. “That was Charles’ vision,” Beck said. “I think we have worked very hard to maintain that sense and make sure the production quality will always be up to those standards.” Now they prepare for the next chapters of their lives. Collins will stick around helping with next season’s A Christmas Carol while directing the Caravan’s production of Little Women and exploring all of life’s new opportunities. When asked what’s next for Beck, he smiled and joked, “I have finally turned in my application to be a greeter at Sam’s Club and am looking forward to hearing from them.” The Playhouse is built on the names that made it great. From the stars on the outside steps, to the bricks on the lobby floor, to the names of volunteer award winners on the walls, each name has been vital to the spirit and essence of the Playhouse. Carl Beck and Susie Baer Collins have left their names elsewhere. They’re in the joys and memories of actors putting on a show, in the communal spirit that fills the house as audiences get to their seats, in the awe and wonder of kids being mesmerized by A Christmas Carol. It’s those names that cultivated the loving community spirit that runs throughout the Playhouse and will continue to be felt for years to come. ,
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
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coldcream
n One would think that after directing a show like Les Miserables to begin their final season at the Omaha Community Playhouse, Young Frankenstein would be comparatively easy. Not the case, according to directors Carl Beck and Susie Baer Collins. “When we picked the season we thought it was going to be incredibly ambitious,” Collins said. “Now that we’re in it, it was very true.” The directors said that in many ways, Young Frankenstein is actually more of a challenge than Les Miz. “For one, there’s time and availability,” said Collins. “We auditioned Les Miz really, really early because there was so much preparation behind it. We knew it was bigger than everybody and, as a result, we benefitted from all that worry.” “Les Miz had a 10 week rehearsal period, three weeks only to music because of the nature of the show. We rehearsed on the stage from the beginning of the blocking. It had a lot of privileges that Young Frankenstein doesn’t because it’s at the end of the season. Plus, everybody’s graduating from high school and going to all of these events that coincide with the end of season.” Beck added, “It’s very tricky. There’s a lot of complexity in terms of the number of production numbers and scenes on top of what is required of the actors. For a piece of musical fluff, it is pretty darn intricate.” While the two shows couldn’t be more different in terms of subject matter, both directors see plenty of similarities between them. “Much like Les Miz, the ensemble is a living, breathing, huge aspect of the show,” Collins said. “It’s a huge challenge for them but they are amazing, gifted, and up to the challenge. Beck talked about choreography saying, “Melanie Walters’ choreography is nothing short of splendid. She realized very early on how strong the dance ensemble was. She’s laying on some very hard work and they are just eating it up.” The other similarity between the two shows is the challenge of performing such iconic work. “You want to give actors freedom,” Beck said. “You want to give them a sense of finding their own timing and playing with the material. Yet, you are dealing with something as huge as the film Young Frankenstein with so many lines that everyone can quote. You have an obligation to deliver what they see in the film. It’s a balance about giving them the freedom and yet fulfilling expectations.”
PLAYTIME N E W G R E AT P L A I N S T H E AT R E C O N F E R E N C E S E R I E S E M B R AC E S C O N T E M P O R A R Y A N D C U T T I N G - E D G E A R T I S T S BY LEO ADAM BIGA
T
he Great Plains Theatre Conference continues stretching beyond its hidebound beginnings by assuming an ever freer, more engaging public model. Where it was once top-heavy with crusty old lions of the conventional New York City stage, it’s now embracing more contemporary, cutting-edge, community-based artists. Where it often played like an exclusive party or lab for the drama circle set, it’s now a more inviting, inventive forum for artists and audiences alike. GPTC artistic director Kevin Lawler, who’s acutely aware of theater’s challenge capturing audiences, has made the conference more accessible through PlayFest series offerings that take theater outside the box. Lawler entrusts PlayFest to artists from Omaha and New York, where he’s worked as a director, to create site-specific, free-form, multi-genre works that break barriers and embrace community. “Theatre in the U.S. stagnated heavily in the last century with ticket prices climbing ever higher and content being generated by an overwhelmingly white, male,
— William Grennan Cold Cream looks at theater in the metro area. Email information to coldcream@thereader.com
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MAY 22 - 28, 2014
| THE READER |
theater
privileged, linear storytelling, playwright-director based system driven mainly by capitalist economics rather than community enrichment,” he says. “The idea behind PlayFest is to move theater out of the established ‘temples of art’ by experimenting with content, form, means of production and dissemination. “On top of the spirit of experimentation and exploration we make a special effort to create a Neighborhood Tapestries project performance each year from the stories and history of our own community members. All these aspects combined with the fact PlayFest is free, open to everyone and performed in alternative sites across the city creates a wonderful new dynamic for theater in our community.” This year’s PlayFest features three distinct events over four days at venues that couldn’t be more different from one another. On May 27 the artists of Omaha-based aetherplough present We’re Almost There – High Viscosity. This conceptual performance piece will inhabit the wide-open, light-filled
second floor at Kaneko, 1111 Jones Street. The piece is directed by Susann Suprenant and Jeanette Plourde. Specifically designed for the show’s cavernous interior, the piece is also informed by the transformation of this former Fairmont Creamery warehouse space into a cultural oasis. Lawler says he brought the two directors together because “Susann and Jeanette seem like sisters in the realm of creativity and thought,” adding, “With their heavy background of performance based in movement I knew they would complement each other wonderfully.” “We both bring an intensity of focus, a trust in collaborative creation and a willingness to explore performance made with-for-in the space and with the body as the impetus, rather than narrative as the impetus. We trust in the ‘meaning-making’ abilities of the audience,” says Suprenant, dean of communications and humanities at Metropolitan Community College. “We’re kindred spirits with respect to the creation of performance and the creation of events to share with an continued on page 12 y
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
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y continued from page 10 audience,” says Plourde, a New York director. “We create performance, we create live events, we work with groups of artists we consider artist-creators. There isn’t a script. We start with questions and territories of exploration and as directors we guide the exploration with a company to create what ultimately becomes a performance event.” Each year the conference recognizes a playwright and celebrates their work. During the May 28 Voices at the Center 2014 honored playwright Kia Corthron will read from a selection of her politically charged plays and be joined by local spoken word artists, actors and musicians speaking their own truths. Set outdoors at the Malcolm X Center, 3448 Evans Street, this gathering of raised social consciousness at the birth-site of the slain activist born as Malcolm Little is curated by Omaha Community Playhouse Education Director Denise Chapman. This Neighborhood Tapestries event will intersect with issues affecting inner city communities like North Omaha’s. The Harlem-based Corthorn will read from her new play Megastasis, which she says is “inspired” by the Michelle Alexander book The New Jim Crow in its look at “how the war on drugs has impacted the black community in such devastating ways.” Chapman
will direct an excerpt from her adaptation of ancient Greek theater, Women of Troy, that substitutes modern urban women “left behind” as collateral damage in the war on drugs. TammyRa, Zedeka Poindexter and Monica Ghali portray the Trojan women. Corthron, who’s written for television and has authored a novel, will read from at least two more of her plays: Trickle and Sam’s Coming. She recently won a $150,000 Windham Campbell literary prize. She says she strives to affect audiences emotionally as a way to engage them and therefore “make them think and maybe reconsider or for the first time consider issues they hadn’t thought about before.” She says as a black woman writing about the black experience whatever she chooses to address in her work is bound to be militant in someone’s eyes. “I feel like if you are part of a community that has been traditionally oppressed as the black community has been … it’s hard to write anything without it being somewhat political.” In Corthron’s view, wearing one’s hair natural or not, having a light or dark skin tone and using slang or proper English all potentially become tense political-ideological points thrust upon and internalized by blacks. When Corthron’s penning a play she says “’I’m just really conscious of and true to the world of these
characters and to the way these characters would speak. That’s sort of my driving force when I’m writing – their language.” The playwright’s excited to have her characters’ voices mix with those of The Wordsmiths, led by Michelle Troxclair and Felicia Webster, the poets behind Verbal Gumbo at the House of Loom, along with Devel Crisp, Leo Louis II and Nate Scott. Adding to the stew will be hip hop artists Jonny Knogood and Lite Pole. Chapman looks forward to this “battle cry music that speaks truths about what’s going on in the community and offers platforms to start conversations for solutions.” Corthron and her fellow artists will do a talk back following the show. Gabrielle Gaines Liwaru is creating original mural art for the evening. On May 30 PlayFest moves to the historic Florence Mill, 9102 North 30th Street., for Wood Music, an immersive event created by the writers, directors and actors of the New York-based St. Fortune Collective. Omaha’s own Electric Chamber Music is composing original music. New Yorker Elena Araoz, is directing. Her husband Justin Townsend is designing the show with the conference’s Design Wing fellows. Araoz says the 1860-set piece will have the audience walk through the mill to meet characters drawn
from its past. That year is when the mill converted from water to steam energy. Around that time Florence lost a contentious bid for the state capitol. It all concludes with an outdoor celebration featuring millthemed music, dance and secret burlesque. “We’re trying to give the audience more of an experience than just a play,” says Araoz. The theatrical party will be a direct through-line to the communal, festive life of the mill today as the home to a farmer’s market, an art gallery and live music performances. St. Fortune writer Jack Frederick says the event will both “pay homage to and activate the mill’s rich history” and new reuse. Frederick, Araoz and Co. have tapped mill director Linda Meigs, who led efforts to preserve the site and has made it into an arts-agriculture-history colony, for details about the structure’s Mormon settlement lineage. Brigham Young himself supervised its 1846 construction as a grist mill. After the Mormons abandoned their winter quarters the mill was rebuilt and a grain elevator added. , Each PlayFest event is free and starts at 7:30 p.m. For more details and for a schedule of conference events, visit www.mccneb.edu/gptc. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com.
CLASSIC ROCK MEETS THE
OMAHA SYMPHONY! ELO’s
“Strange Magic” Procol Harum’s
“Whiter Shade of Pale” The Moody Blues’
“Nights in White Satin” ExclusivE Post-concErt Party!
Hyatt Place in the Old Market (12th & Jackson) Join us for free food, drink specials and door prizes. Order now! 24-hr ticketing at
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MAY 22 - 28, 2014
| THE READER |
theater
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
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T H E R E A D E R ’ S E N T E R TA I N M E N T P I C K S M AY 2 2 - 2 8 , 2 0 14
DAYS TOPTV “I WANNA MARRY HARRY” Tuesdays, 7 p.m. (Fox)
IGive Fox credit for a diabolical dating-show conceit. “I Wanna Marry Harry” features a dead ringer for Prince Harry, fourth in line to the British throne. His real name is Matt, and he works as a ditch digger. But when installed in a castle with a retinue of servants, he can pass for the real thing — at least to 12 American women convinced they have a chance at being “Harry’s” lover in a Bachelor-style elimination contest. “I Wanna Marry Harry” is a deliriously enjoyable stunt. And it’s not as frivolous as you might expect. By transporting the women to England, it reveals something about the American character — something awful, that is. As a fine British citizen, Matt displays good manners, an educated perspective and beautiful elocution, even when he’s out of character in behind-thescenes interviews. The women, by contrast, are the sort of cocky, cackling nincompoops familiar from other American dating series. They shout profanities, apply bronzer to their cleavage, and proclaim themselves “bangin’ in a bikini.” “American girls don’t seem to have inside voices,” Matt gently observes after a night of squealing and screaming. These women all hope to be princesses, but the sad fact is that they’re not even worthy of a British ditch digger. — Dean Robbins
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MAY 22 - 28, 2014
FRIDAY23
CLARK AND COMPANY
Friday, May 23
CLARK AND COMPANY W/CHRIS SAUB
Bridge Beats Riverfront Concert Series Bob Kerrey Bridge Plaza — Omaha side 7 p.m., Free, Free parking available at Storz Brewing, the Lewis and Clark Landing www.bridgebeats.com If it were just about the music, Clark and Company, one of the nation’s few triplet bands, would already be an anomaly; but, birthright aside, this trio of Westside High School juniors is set apart by a first-to-Omaha accomplishment. Sophie, Cooper and Simon Clark, who comprise Clark & Company, are also the Metro’s only instrumental/singer/songwriting group to place in the 10th Annual International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA). While the band was one of 80 groups selected worldwide by IAMA to compete for the top award, it was the trio’s submission in the Best Group/Duo category that netted them a top-10 finalist position. Fellow finalists in other categories included Emmylou Harris and JD Souther, who cowrote the songs “Best of My Love” and “New Kid in Town,” with his friends the Eagles. The submission, “Battle Cry,” an original piece written by Sophie and featuring Cooper on bass, Simon on drums and percussion, Sophie on keyboard and vocals and fellow Westside classmate Cameron Thelander playing saxophone, is also on the group’s debut album, “Three of Swords,” which includes 13 original songs and is described by Sophie as “incorporating many acoustic sounds and styles, including singer/songwriter, blues, soft rock and many other influences.” Check out the Clarks Friday night at the first-ever Bridge Beats, a free familyfriendly music series that occurs at the base of the Bob Kerrey Bridge Plaza on Omaha’s side. The Bridge Beats concerts will be held every Friday through June 27. Read more about Clark and Company online at www.styleloud.com. — Jill Bruckner
| THE READER |
picks
SATURDAY24 Saturday, May 24
ULTIMATE SYMPHONIC ROCK SHOW Holland Performing Arts Center 1200 Douglas St. 8 p.m., Tickets start at $27 www.omahasymphony.org
The Omaha Symphony, with vocals from the early ’90s rock band Jeans ‘n’ Classics, will perform a show featuring rich orchestrated songs arranged by Electric Light Orchestra, Peter Gabriel, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, David Bowie, and The Moody Blues. The Ultimate Symphonic Rock Show, conducted by Ernest Richardson, has its focus on producing a mixture of the finest elements of classical music fused with classic arena rock. Jeans ‘n’ Classics began as a seven-piece group but now holds an ensemble of 29 people performing with over 80 orchestras worldwide. A post-concert party for ticket holders will follow the rock show at Hyatt Place in the Old Market, featuring free food, drink specials and door prizes, including a jewelry package from Silver of Oz. But wait, there’s more! If you’re a student and have a valid ID, two Student Rush tickets may be purchased for $10 the day of the concert. — Mara Wilson
Through May 31
VARIOUS STATES BY JEFF KING
Gallery 72, 1806 Vinton St. 402.496.4747, gallery72.com/exhibits.cfm Painting can be a lot of things: colorful, resilient, meaningful, puzzling at times and extremely personal. But it is seldom boring. The signs, symbols, images and colors on a flat surface hold our attention and at moments have us at a dazzling balance between our emotions and our reason. Discussions can be sparked and open up new perspectives that maybe otherwise go unrealized. Never shying away from conversation, a new show, Various States by Jeff King, at Gallery 72 is all about painting’s complexities and the use of rich colors with nonapologetic brushstrokes. King’s new show focuses on beauty or at least the deconstruction of what beauty is. Read more about this exhibit and an interview with the artist at www.thereader.com — Laura Vranes
2014 MDR Reader Full Page_Layout 1 3/21/14 10:30 AM Page 1
It’s a race for all ages and fitness levels. Enjoy food, music, kids’ activities, awards and much more!
May 26, 2014 Running for 30 years! •Kids’ Fun Run • 1-Mile Walk/Run •5-Mile Walk/Run
Special Prize BOYS TOWN National Research for Best Hospital ’80s Wear!
®
MDR, 1984
Register online at MemorialDayRun.com or call 402-498-6729 for more information
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
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livemusiccalendar
SEND CALENDAR INFORMATION — including addresses, dates, times, costs and phone numbers — to The Reader’s calendar editor. Mail to or drop off information at P.O. Box 7360 Omaha, NE 68107; email to listings@thereader.com; fax to (402) 341.6967. Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to issue date.
THURSDAY 22
Billy Bacon - 6:00 pm | The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Head out every week for some great live music to get you moving! The Cate Brothers - 6:00 pm | The 21st Saloon 4727 S 96th St. Omaha, NE 68127 The Cate Brothers are the singersongwriter-musician duo of Earl and Ernie Cate, twin brothers from Fayetteville, Arkansas, who in the mid 1960s became performers of southern soul music at clubs and dances throughout the regional South of the United States. Acoustic Music Thursdays - 7:00 pm | Two Fine Irishmen 18101 R Plaza Omaha, NE 68135 Join us every Thursday night for some great live acoustic music. Steve Raybine - 7:00 pm | Ozone Lounge 7220 F Street Omaha, NE 68127 Join us every week for some of the best live entertainment around! Turnpike Troubadours - 9:00 pm | $15 The Slowdown Omaha 729 North 14th Street Omaha, NE 68102 The overwhelming success that Turnpike Troubadours have had on the socalled Red Dirt circuit of those states says a lot about the quintet’s authenticity and fire, particularly because their music is not exactly what that scene in known for producing. Admission: $15
Orgone,Dopapod - 9:00 pm | $10 The Waiting Room Lounge 6212 Maple St. Omaha, NE 68005 For over a decade, Orgone has been steaming up nightclubs and drenching the largest music festivals in the country in sweat. Serving a coldblooded concoction of deep soul, rare funk, and afro-disco with a raw rock star edge that is uniquely LA. Plaid Company and Thundersandwich - 9:00 pm | $5 The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Join us for some great live music. UZ - 10:00 pm | $20 The Bourbon Theatre 1415 O Street Lincoln, NE 68508 The mysterious UZ came up on the soundcloud scene about 1 year ago. With huge support from DJs worldwide, the likes of Diplo, Flosstradamus, Skrillex, Toddla T, Baauer, and Craze to name a few, UZs debut EP was released on Jeffrees, a sub-label to Mad Decent.
FRIDAY 23
Billy Bacon - 5:00 pm | Cover Charge The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Join us for some great live music. The Personics - 7:00 pm | Free The Loose Moose 4915 N 120th Street Omaha, NE 68164 Join us every Friday and Saturday night for some of the best live music around!
EnVy - 7:00 pm | Ozone Lounge 7220 F Street Omaha, NE 68127 Join us every week for some of the best live entertainment around! KISS 96.1 Takes Over NIGHT GAMES at Amazing Pizza Machine - 7:30 pm | $23.99 The Amazing Pizza Machine 13955 S. Plaza Omaha, NE 68137 Join Montez from KISS 96.1 FM as they TAKE OVER The Amazing Pizza Machine every Friday night this summer starting May 23, featuring cool lights and today’s most popular tunes, along with an unprecedented offer: UNLIMITED rides, UNLIMITED Amazing Quest LASER TAG, UNLIMITED GO KARTS, and unlimited food. Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers 8:00 pm | $18-$22 The Bourbon Theatre 1415 O Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers are musical beacons of the Southwest. Over the last fifteen years, the Arizona-based quartet has delivered vivid lyrics, addictive guitar riffs, and a full-bodied rhythm section. CivicMinded CD Release Show - 9:00 pm | $7 The Slowdown Omaha 729 North 14th Street Omaha, NE 68102 Join us for some great live music and a CD Release show tonight! Jack Hotel - 9:00 pm | $5 The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Join us for a night of great live music you will not want to miss!
Cactus Hill - 9:00 pm | Two Fine Irishmen 18101 R Plaza Omaha, NE 68135 Head out every week for some of the best live music around! 3D In Your Face - 9:00 pm | The 21st Saloon 4727 S 96th St. Omaha, NE 68127 3D In Your Face is the nation’s number one 80’s hair metal tribute band. Big Hair, loud guitars, and more makeup than your mother on date night. The Young Funk - 9:00 pm | $5 The Barley Street Tavern 2735 N 62nd Street Omaha, NE 68104 Join us every week for some of the best live music around!
SATURDAY 24
Student Recital - 3:00 pm | University of Nebraska at Omaha 6001 Dodge St Omaha, NE 68182 Head out and enjoy a student recital. Devil in the Details - 6:30 pm | $8 Sokol Auditorium 2234 S. 13th St. Omaha, NE 68108 We are a five piece progressive, posthardcore band from Omaha, NE out to connect with people through music. The name Devil In The Details is a reminder not to take everything at face value because things aren’t always as they seem. Secret Weapon - 7:00 pm | Free The Loose Moose 4915 N 120th Street Omaha, NE 68164 Join us every Friday and Saturday night for some of the best live music around! Soul Dawg - 7:00 pm | Ozone Lounge 7220 F Street Omaha, NE 68127 Join us every week for some of the best live entertainment around! Hidden Agenda - 9:00 pm | Two Fine Irishmen 18101 R Plaza Omaha, NE 68135 Head out every week for some of the best live music around! The Electroliners - 9:00 pm | $5 The Barley Street Tavern 2735 N 62nd Street Omaha, NE 68104 Join us every week for some of the best live music around! Like A Storm - 9:00 pm | Free The Bourbon Theatre 1415 O Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Join us for some free live music. The Seen - 9:00 pm | $5 The Slowdown Omaha 729 North 14th Street Omaha, NE 68102 The Seen’s melodic but driving sound situates itself between post-hardcore indie rockers like Thursday, Omaha’s own Cursive, and bigger pop punk leaning acts like Say Anything.
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MAY 22 - 28, 2014
| THE READER |
music listings
SUNDAY 25
Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s 8:00 pm | $12 The Slowdown Omaha 729 North 14th Street Omaha, NE 68102 Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s formed in Indianapolis in 2004 as an umbrella under which a rotating group of friends could come together to record Edwards vast array of songs. Luigi, Inc. - 9:00 pm | Free Mr. Toad’s Pub Omaha 1002 Howard St. Omaha, NE 68102 Since 1975, Mr. Toad has brought you the finest Jazz Omaha has to offer in our Library. The legendary Luigi Waites held court there for nearly 35 years until his passing in April of 2010. The gig goes on as Luigi would’ve wished, with his band ‘Luigi, Inc.’ holding down the fort.
MONDAY 26
Emily Bass - 5:00 pm | Cover Charge The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Join us for Piano Hour!
DJ Relic Soul Party - 9:00 pm | Free The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Join us for an all vinyl night! Hip Hop at the Zoo: JE Double F - 9:00 pm | Cover Charge The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Live music also featuring Static Soul, Sleep Sinatra, Ginzu, MC Teach, Never Enough Sleep and Mild David
WEDNESDAY 28
Lil Ed and the Bues Imperials - 6:00 pm | The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Head out every week for some great live music to get your moving! Bozak & Morrissey Band - 7:00 pm | Ozone Lounge 7220 F Street Omaha, NE 68127 Join us every week for some of the best live entertainment around!
Mike Gurciullo and His Las Vegas Big Band - 7:00 pm | Ozone Lounge 7220 F Street Omaha, NE 68127 Join us every week for some of the best live entertainment around! Kishi Bashi - 8:00 pm | $12-$15 The Waiting Room Lounge 6212 Maple St. Omaha, NE 68005 Having collaborated and toured with indie strangelings of Montreal, Regina Spektor, and Sondre Lerche, THE NAKED AND FAMOUS singer, violinist, and composer, K Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi), embarks on a The Naked and Famous - 9:00 pm | epic orchestral solo project. $15 The Slowdown Omaha Songwriter Open Mic - 9:00 pm | Free 729 North 14th Street Omaha, NE The Barley Street Tavern 68102 2735 N 62nd Street Omaha, NE The Naked And Famous reached the 68104 end of a remarkable two years in Sign up starts at 7pm. Talk to the June 2012, finally leaving the road bartender to get on the list. 15 min- having completed a 250 gig camute sets (including set-up/tear-down paign reaching 24 countries in suptime). Here’s your chance to show off port of their debut album Passive Me your own music. Aggressive You (Fiction Records).
TUESDAY 27
Jazzocracy - 6:00 pm | Free The Zoo Bar 136 North 14th Street Lincoln, NE 68508 Head out on Tuesdays for some great music! Grieves - 9:00 pm | $12-$14 The Waiting Room Lounge 6212 Maple St. Omaha, NE 68005 Seattle rapper Grieves returns to deliver his fourth studio album, Winter & The Wolves, on Rhymesayers Entertainment. The insatiable, devilmay-care MC is well known for his meticulous exploration of life, love and loss, through a unique medley of hip-hop and soulful music.
Ghost of the Saber Tooth Tiger - 9:00 pm | $15 The Waiting Room Lounge 6212 Maple St. Omaha, NE 68005 On April 29th 2014, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (The GOASTT) will release Midnight Sun, a guided tour of bold, shape-shifting sonic murals and evocative lyrical panoramas. Rockchild - 9:00 pm | $5-$7 The Bourbon Theatre 1415 O Street Lincoln, NE 68508 In a malaised scene redundant with one Indy Rock act after another, Los Angeles based ROCKCHILD delivers a much needed catharsis with their powerful fulfilled sound.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
ALICE IN CHAINS
STAIND
WITH SEVENDUST
MAY 24
JUNE 1
THE BAND PERRY
DIERKS BENTLEY
JULY 18
JULY 19
AMERICAN IDOL LIVE! AUGUST 3
COLLECTIVE SOUL
WITH GIN BLOSSOMS JUNE 7
JUNE 15
REO SPEEDWAGON JULY 20
FOSTER THE PEOPLE AUGUST 5
O.A.R. AND PHILLIP PHILLIPS
COUNTING CROWS
WITH SPECIAL GUEST TOAD THE WET SPROCKET JULY 26
PAT BENATAR AND NEIL GIRALDO
WITH SPECIAL GUEST LITA FORD
MATT NATHANSON & GAVIN DEGRAW JULY 5
JULY 11
FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS
ARCTIC MONKEYS JULY 30
JULY 27
PRINCE ROYCE AUGUST 20
AUGUST 15
A L L AG E S P E RM I T T E D. T I CK E T S AVA IL A BL E AT S T IRC OV E.C O M O R BY P H O N E AT 1- 8 0 0 -74 5 -30 0 0.
WILLIE NELSON & ALISON KRAUSS
SUMMER NATIONALS SEP T EM BER 11 ON SALE JUNE 6
MANY MORE TO COME...
Schedule and artist subject to change. Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF (In Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700 (National) ©2014, Caesars License Company, LLC.
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| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
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backbeat
■ D-Rock’s in Papillion will host an outdoor concert featuring bands comprised of local kids ages 9 and up. The show kicks off at 3 p.m. Friday, May 23, at Sumtur Amphitheater, 11691 S. 108th St. and will feature local bands including Just Sayin’, Creative Tension, SIO, The Concept and Demented Memories. The show will also feature a screening of the animated movie Frozen. ■ The Holland Center, 1200 Douglas St., will also host outdoor music and movie screenings, starting Friday, July 11. The three consecutive Friday night events are free. Dani Cleveland performs before Frozen July 11, the Root Marm Chicken Farm Jug Band plays July 18 and the Electroliners are on tap for July 25. The free event kicks off with music at 7:30 p.m. ■ A quick note of the Monday, May 19, Morrissey show at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln: it was surprisingly short. ELECTROLINERS But turns out the previous night in Denver was also a set that ran a little over an hour. Morrissey and his band started off with a good deal of energy but the set derailed once Morrissey began to talk about the drive across Nebraska. “It’s boring,” crowd members interrupted each time he began his story. Morrissey got frustrated at the interruptions, moved on to the next song and didn’t talk to the crowd much for the rest of the night. He didn’t even return for an encore. If you saw Morrissey’s 2007 Omaha show, consider yourself lucky. This time, the vibe was wrong and the Moz seemed eager to be done. — Chris Aponick Backbeat looks at music in the metro area. Email information to backbeat@thereader.com
6 TO 9:30 PM
TUESDAYS & WEDNESDAYS AT 10 A.M. JUNE 3 – JULY 30 AT THIS THEATRE
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MAY 22 - 28, 2014
| THE READER |
5/8/14 12:04 PM
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
23
overtheedge LIFESTYLE COLUMN BY TIM MCMAHAN
Nebraska: Come Be Our Plus One
I
suppose there’s no need to pile on. I’ve yet to meet anyone who likes the new “Nebraska Nice” marketing campaign. And thanks to social media, we all get to know that no one likes the new ads. Social media has made a portion of our society who do nothing but dwell on the negative all too visible. Before, the only people they could whine to was their immediate friends and anyone dumb enough to listen. Now with Facebook and Twitter, their unending bitching gets amplified over and over. It’s done without consideration of all the talented people and countless hours that went into developing the phrase “Visit Nebraska….Visit Nice.” Surely all those folks along with the deciders at the Nebraska Tourism Commission think the phrase — along with the abbreviated form “Nebraska Nice” — isn’t just a good idea, it’s a stroke of marketing genius, rather than a timid backhanded compliment bandied about by elderly women gossiping in the canned-vegetable aisle at Hy-Vee: “Oh that Martha, isn’t she nice?” “Well, yes, she’s nice, but she’s Nebraska Nice.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “You just wait and see…” “Nebraska Nice” seems to imply that every state has its own unique personal qualifier, like “New York Angry” or “Florida Stupid” or “California Crazy.” The thought that tourists decide where to go on vacation based on the temperament of a state’s citizenship seems farfetched, even “Nebraska Farfetched.” Sure, Colorado has the mountains and the Gulf Coast has the ocean and Utah has miles and miles of colorful, rugged bike trails, but aren’t the people who live in those states a bunch of pricks? In addition to that, doesn’t everyone need a break from all the assholes they’re surrounded by in their home states? Forget about bountiful natural resources, escape to a land whose finest quality is the niceness of its people. I question whether being “nice” is a commodity uniquely Nebraskan, and if the term actually applies. I just assumed considering all the jerks I meet here on a typical weekend, the slogan must have been developed by an advertising agency from outside the state whose chief “creatives” were overwhelmed by kindness when they came to visit Omaha for the brainstorming meetings. But no, the fact is the slogan was developed right here by an in-state agency that apparently couldn’t find one other state quality they could center the marketing campaign around. The most common question among those who hate the new phrase (which is everyone) is how the Tourism Commission could turn its back on something as golden as “The Good Life.”
FRIDAY, MAY 23: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS ROCK VS. HIP HOP GEMINI BIRTHDAY PARTY
FEATURING THOSE GUYS, ROME WITH MAD MARLON, BO HUSTLEHOLIC AND MORE. . .
Doors 7:30pm Show 8pm 21+ ID REQUIRED INTERESTED BANDS CALL 402 304 5206 TO REGISTER
The best band will receive a future headlining gig at Homely Dan’s, an out of town gig and a song on the next King of the Cut Rock Files Mixtape hosted by Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes.
EVERY SUNDAY:
BRIAN SAXKEYS HOLLAND THIS SUNDAY: MAY 25 @ 5PM
SATURDAY
MAY 24@ 9PM
ENTRY FEE IS $5 Fundraiser to replace Brian’s stolen instruments and equipment Raffles and drink specials.
Spread the word, you know he’d do the same for you!
3121 N 108th St. (402) 934-4042 www. homelydans.com
Like the Cornhuskers and “The Beef State,” we all grew up with The Good Life and think it’s a phrase that’s not only unique, but unrivaled by any other state slogan. Transplants from other states, however, don’t get “The Good Life.” To them it sounds odd and awkward, not to mention brazenly “in your face” to every neighboring state whose citizen’s lives apparently aren’t “good.” “Aksarben” is another one of those unique Nebraska phrases that leave recent transplants flummoxed. It usually takes a few months until they realize Aksarben isn’t the name of a nearby lake or mountain range and surely isn’t the last name of a state founding father. When I reveal the mystery behind the made-up word, their reaction is universal: “You’ve got to be shitting me!” Back to Nebraska Nice and its angry public reception. The only thing I hate more than bad ideas are jerks who point out bad ideas without offering a suggestion of their own. With that, let me share this idea: No one comes to Nebraska to enjoy its natural resources. We don’t have mountains or oceans. Sure, we have lakes, but every state in the union has lakes. Yes, there’s Chimney Rock, but have you ever met anyone who travelled to Nebraska just to see that eroding stone tower? The only reason people come to Nebraska other than to visit relatives is to attend special events. Think about it. The College World Series. Berkshire Hathaway Weekend. The Olympic Swim Trials. Husker football games. Let’s build on that. Let’s try to get even more of those big-draw ticketed events throughout the year even if it costs us up the ass. And then let’s market the hell out of it with a phrase that speaks to a new generation of tourists: Nebraska: Come Be Our Plus One. I can see the TV commercials now — shots of people handing over tickets as they push through turnstiles, sitting with their giant foam fingers in Ameritrade Ball Park, standing on the floor of CenturyLink Arena surrounded by giant banners with Warren Buffett’s wizened face emblazoned on them. “Come Be Our Plus One,” says an earnest stock trader. At night clubs and concerts and the Maha Music Festival, fans yelling over the crazy disco beat “Come Be Our Plus One!” The phrase even works for the great outdoors — a nerdy birder wearing binoculars as Sandhill Cranes are about to take flight whispers: “Come Be Our Plus One;” a fisherman stands in a tranquil lake in hip-waders waves his leathered paw and coaxes in a deep Midwestern voice, “Come Be Our Plus One.” OK, maybe the phrase is a little confusing and jargony, but it’s something to consider in six months when the new campaign fails to gain traction. And the best part, I’m letting you have it for free, just because I’m Nebraska Nice. ,
OVER THE EDGE is a weekly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com. And be sure to check out his blog at Lazy-i.com
24
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
| THE READER |
over the edge
BY B.J. HUCHTEMANN
Cate Brothers and Hayes Carll
T
he Cate Brothers perform at The 21st Saloon Thursday, May 22, 6-9 p.m. The Cate Brothers are legends in American soul-blues music. Raised in Fayetteville, Ark., Earl and Ernie Cate were exposed to the pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll at a local club where they also became friends with a young Levon Helm. Steve Cropper and Helm were involved with The Cates’ debut on Asylum Records, with Cropper producing the record and Helm playing on it. Helm’s nephew Terry Cagle drummed for the Cate Brothers and continues to work with Earl Cate in his band Earl & Them, which also features former Nebraskan “Baby” Jason Davis. Earl and Ernie Cate, Terry Cagle and bassist Ron Eoff were part of The Band when the group reformed in 1983. This is a rare opportunity to catch the highly respected Cate Brothers in a local club. Hayes Carll at Sunday Roadhouse The Sunday Roadhouse presents Hayes Carll Sunday, May 25, 5 p.m. at The Waiting Room. The Austin-based Carll is a national and local favorite. He puts on a fine, entertaining Americana-roots-country-folk show. He has an earnest, romantic, poetic and nobull persona that attracts a variety of listeners. See sundayroadhouse.com. Jack Hotel Lincoln Americana act Jack Hotel has a
hoodoo
CD release party Friday, May 23, 9 p.m. Evan Bartels & the Stoney Lonesomes and The Wondermonds also perform. The disc Good Sons and Daughters was recorded live at Fuse Recording Studios in Lincoln and is being released on Lincoln’s Sower Records label. Jack Hotel is Günter Voelker (Ember Schrag) on guitar/vocals, Joe Salvati (Kill County) on dobro/steel guitars, Josh Rector (Emmett Bower Band) on violin, and Marty Steinhausen (Tijuana Gigolos) on upright bass. See jackhotelband.com. Hot Notes Chicago jump-blues guitarist Rockin’ Johnny Burgin plays with Honeyboy Turner Band at McKenna’s Friday, May 23, 8-9:30 p.m. Billy Bacon plays with Tijuana Gigolos at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Thursday, May 22, 6 p.m. and Friday, May 23, 5-7 p.m. Next Wednesday, May 28, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials play 6-9 p.m. followed by amazing rockabilly artists Nikki Hill Band after 9:30 p.m. The 21st Saloon hosts Nikki Hill Band, Mezcal Brothers and Scott Keeton next Thursday, May 29, 6-9 p.m. Lippy’s BBQ in Malcolm, Neb., near Lincoln hosts their third Memorial Weekend Blues Fest Friday and Saturday May 23 & 24. Performers on Saturday include Rockin’ Johnny with Honeyboy Turner Band, Josh Hoyer & The Shadowboxers, Billy Bacon with The Gigolos and The Bel Airs. $12 admission. See facebook.com/lippysbbq Friday, May 16, 9 p.m. ,
HOODOO is a weekly column focusing on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a Reader senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who has covered the local music scene for nearly 20 years. Follow her blog at hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.com.
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MIDLANDS HUMANE SOCIETY
walk run5k SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2014 RAIN OR SHINE!
KMART SE Parking Lot - Council Bluffs
8:00am - 5K Fun Run
* Dogs are NOT allowed * Runners registration from 7am-7:45am
Packet pick-up at Fusion Fitness (Mall of the Bluffs) on 6/27 from 5-7pm
5K Registration: $25 and includes event t-shirt
Register for 5K by May 20 to guarantee an event t-shirt! https://runsignup.com/
9:00am - Pet-Friendly 1 Mile Walk Check-in starts at 8:15am
FREE ADMISSION T-shirts available for $20
event sponsors
Visit www.midlandshumanesociety.org for more information!
hoodoo
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
25
newsoftheweird
T H E WO R L D G O N E F R E A K Y B Y C H U C K S H E P H E R D W I T H I L LU S T R AT I O N S B Y T O M B R I S C O E
Too Much Money
L
arry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle Corp. (and the world’s fifth-richest person, according to Forbes magazine) is a big basketball fan and was reported in April to have an interest in purchasing the Los Angeles Clippers NBA team. An Ellison associate told the Wall Street Journal, for example, that Ellison has basketball courts on at least two of his yachts and shoots hoops for relaxation on the open water. To retrieve his errant shots that go overboard, Ellison hires a ballboy in a powerboat to trail the yachts.
Latest Religious Messages Speaking on a popular Christian Internet podcast in March (reported by Houston’s KHOU-TV), Pastor John Benefiel of Oklahoma City’s Church on the Rock described how, in a 2007 blessing, he might have prayed “too hard.” He was attempting to help drought-stricken Texas and Oklahoma by using a specific prayer message (the “Baal divorce decree”), but that inadvertently resulted, he said, in “every lake” in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri rising above flood stage, causing thousands of people to lose their homes and 22 to lose their lives. -- In his March 23 sermon (according to Huffington Post), Phoenix, Arizona, pastor Steven Anderson of the Faithful World Baptist Church explained in detail why women in the congregation must refrain from speaking during services. Citing 1 Timothy 2:11 and 1 Corinthians 14, Anderson said the woman should learn only “in silence.” “Now obviously, before the service begins,” he conceded, “there’s chatting and talking going on that’s perfectly legitimate. (And when) we all sing praises to God, of course the ladies should also lift up their voices. But when it’s learning time, it’s silence time (for females).” (Also, he said, since the comment “Amen” means “That’s true,” it would be inappropriate for females to utter it.)
26
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
| THE READER |
weird news
-- At one Hindu temple in India’s Kerala state, the religious gift of choice -- both for offerings to the deity Lord Muruga and for distribution from the deity to devotees -- is the chocolate candy bar, which visitors bring in cartons, according to a March report by the Press Trust of India. (Muruga is the son of the lord Shiva and was originally worshiped as a child, leading to speculation that he would respond to chocolates.) -- Details! After convicted murderer Loren Larson Jr. filed a federal lawsuit in Anchorage, Alaska, claiming that his prison wristband ID “defil(ed)” him religiously because it was a “mark of the devil,” a Goose Creek Correctional Center official lectured him on the Book of Revelation. Actually, wrote the official, we would be commanding the “mark of the beast” only if we ordered the ID either “in the right hand” or “in the forehead,” and neither is required by current wristband policy. (Hence, the double-murderer, serving 198 years, still qualifies to avoid hell.) -- An unnamed British inmate published a letter in a prison newspaper in April alleging continuous religious discrimination against him by guards and officials. The man claims he is a practicing Jedi (and of course cannot reveal his name because he fears retaliation “from the dark side”) and complains that Jedi-ism, though officially recognized as a religion in the UK (the 7thmost popular, according to the census, with more than 175,000 adherents) is nonetheless unacknowledged by the National Offender Management Service.
Inhumane Society Denmark’s Copenhagen Zoo aroused worldwide ire in February when it slaughtered and publicly dismembered a healthy young giraffe (“Marius”) in order to feed a hungry lion. Then, in March, the Zoo
COPYRIGHT 2014 CHUCK SHEPHERD. Visit Chuck Shepherd daily at NewsoftheWeird. blogspot.com or NewsoftheWeird.com. Send Weird News to WeirdNewsTips@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, FL 33679. Illustrations by Tom Briscoe (smallworldcomics.com).
killed four healthy lions to make room for a new male. By contrast, reported Vice.com in April, Denmark has no law against humans having sex with animals (unless it amounts to torture). Animal rights campaigners have recently expressed alarm that Denmark will become a destination for “animal sex tourism” attracting horny “zoophiles” from around the world.
Questionable Judgments Manhattan’s New York Sushi Ko is only the most recent sophisticated restaurant to feature creative dishes made with Hormel Spam, and foodies and hipsters in fashionable neighborhoods have flocked to the foods. Spam is a well-known delicacy in Hawaii, and the New York facilities offer the island’s musubi (fried Spam, rice, seaweed) and other Spam fried rice bowls with seared ahi and flourishes of fresh pineapple, according to an April report on Gothamist.com. Sushi Ko’s chef playfully acknowledges that his contents are fresh -- “fresh from the can” and sourced locally -- “from the nearest bodega.” -- O Canada! Skylar Murphy, 18, happened to show up at Alberta’s Edmonton International Airport in September 2013 with a black-powder-loaded pipe bomb in his carry-on, ready to board an international flight. Agents confiscated the bomb but allowed Murphy to continue on his trip, and in fact police were not notified, nor were possible “terrorism” ties examined, until four days later. (Canada’s version of the Transportation Security Administration is not allowed to apprehend or detain passengers.) In December, the harsh hammer of justice finally slammed down on Murphy. He was fined $100 and sentenced to a year of probation. -- Unclear on the Concept: Britain’s most-tattooed man (the former Mathew Whelan, 34, now “King of Ink Land Body Art The Extreme Ink-Ite”), whose body is 90-percent ink-covered, finally acknowledged in March that he needed to undergo laser removal to clear up his skin. However, “Body Art,”
le Sa On ow! N
“The funniest, naughtiest LADIES-NIGHT-OUT of the year!” Omaha Performing Arts Presents
as he is known, then explained that he was spending the equivalent of about $10,000 on removal just so he could start over with new tattoos.
Least-Competent First Responders: (1) In February, East Detroit High School swim instructor Johnathan Sails, 24, sitting poolside, dived in to help a drowning student -- but only after first going to the locker room to change from his street clothes. He was charged with involuntary manslaughter when the student died. (2) When a 6-year-old girl had her finger severed by a closing door in school in December, administrators at the Dickinson School District near Houston merely called her parents to come take the girl to the hospital. The principal denied it was an “emergency,” since the girl’s finger, after all, had already been bagged in ice. (3) When a fire alarm sounded in February at Como Park High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, one girl was in the school swimming pool, and the outside temperature was minus 5 F, but several faculty members insisted (by protocol) that she leave the building dressed as she was (barring her, even, from waiting in a teacher’s car because it is against the rules). Least Competent Criminals At a press conference in April, as Houston police officers announced they were after two burglars who had broken into Katz’s lingerie boutique, surveillance video showed two armed men cautiously creeping through the store until one accidentally bumped the other, apparently startling the bumped man, who turned and fired -- causing the first man to fire back. Officers counted nearly a dozen bullet holes in the store. Said the Houston press briefer, these are “by far some of the clumsiest crooks that I’ve seen in a long time.” ,
eR
HaRD
The ALL-NEW, hilarious follow-up to
SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody
June 6 & 7 | 8:00 PM Slosburg Hall | Orpheum Theater All productions, performers, prices, dates and times subject to change.
Tickets from $35 | TicketOmaha.com | 402.345.0606
FOR SALE Mendez model Olds Trumpet, LP Conga drums other horns and drums
Call: 402-681-4188
weird news
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
27
cuttingroom
GODZILLA IS RADIOACTIVE FUN
R
epent! The end is nigh! For unto them shall come a lizard with a beer belly, barfing atomic breath and bringing despair and sadness to Heisenberg from “Breaking Bad!” It’s safe to say that the ad campaign for director Gareth Edward’s Godzilla reboot sold an apocalyptic product that seemed to be in line with the grim’n’gritty, death’n’destruction blockbusters that are en vogue these days. From the previews, you’d expect an origin story in which we see Godzilla’s parents murdered by an evil skyscraper, giving him grounds for revenge against said architecture. Nope. In a sign that Edwards did more than simply browse through a toy catalogue, Godzilla truly honors the optimistic, fun nature of the franchise. Without giving too much away, considering you’d never get the impression from the trailers, you actually get to cheer for the portly King of the Monsters before all is said and done. The humans, however, earn little more than a polite golf clap.
Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater 14th & Mike Fahey Street (formerly Webster Street) More info & showtimes 402.933.0259 · filmstreams.org Facebook | Twitter | Instagram: @filmstreams
28
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
B Y R YA N S Y R E K
The film opens in the late ’90s. Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) and his wife, Sandra (Juliette Binoche), are investigating bizarre seismic readings at the nuclear reactor, where they work. Things do not go well. The nuclear station goes kablooey, Sandra is killed and Joe spends the next 15 years trying to get to the bottom of what really happened. Cut to the present day and Joe’s son, Ford (Aaron TaylorJohnson), returns home to San Francisco from serving overseas and immediately has to head to Japan to spring his father from jail. He leaves his wife, Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) behind, but then again, so does the script. Joe and Ford meet up with a pair of scientists, Vivienne (Sally Hawkins) and Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), who reveal that the source of the disaster was actually a giant spider/bat/crustacean monster who feeds off of radioactivity, swilling nuclear waste like fine whisky. Dr. Ichiro is optimistic though; he’s pretty sure a giant, spiny, lizardy “alpha predator” is gonna restore “the balance of nature.” It’s a fancy way of saying, “Never fear, Godzilla is here!”
First-Run Films Belle First-Run (PG)
Dir. Amma Assante. Starts Friday, May 23 Based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, whose remarkable life helped bring about the end of slavery in England. “Beautifully cast, touchingly played and handsomely mounted, Belle is as close to perfect as any costumed romance has a right to be.” — Roger Moore, Movie Nation
| THE READER |
If you don’t enjoy the second half of Godzilla, why did you go see Godzilla? It’s nothing but monster-on-monster mayhem in which Godzilla uses some kind of kaiju krav maga against the Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism (or M.U.T.O.S.). It’s the rest of the movie that has issues. Most notably, the film has earned the dreaded “failure to appropriately use Elizabeth Olsen” award, which comes with an automatic loss of a full letter grade. Taylor-Johnson is fine, but when the rest of the cast is nothing but uber-good actors and actresses, he looks second rate. This is to say, good luck developing a bond with any of these nondescript, ambiguous non-characters. If it was Edwards’ intent to have Godzilla, a creature that doesn’t speak, be the most interesting character in the film, he pulls it off. In the end, Godzilla gives us Godzilla as Godzilla should be: it’s grand, goofy entertainment that compensates for crappy characters with optimism and sizzling summertime spectacle. GRADE = B
Only Lovers Left Alive First-Run (R)
Dir. Jim Jarmusch. Through Thursday, May 29 Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as the ultimate jaded hipsters -- art-damaged vampires.
“It should come as no surprise that Jarmusch’s take on the vampire genre is like no other — and better than nine out of every 10 this reviewer has seen. Make that 99 out of 100.” — Bob Fischbach, Omaha World-Herald
Coming Soon Ida (PG-13)
film
n Here’s the thing: I don’t really care what Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell choose to make a movie about, only that they’re teaming up again. The Make-Ya-Pee-Your-Pants Pair (feel free to steal that, guys) aren’t doing a sequel to The Campaign, but they are doing Larry’s Kidney. What’s fascinating is that the director, Richard Linklater, is known more for sly, subtle, heartbreaking dramedies than goofy schtick films. Does this mean Galifiankis and Ferrell will have to, you know, actually try to act this time? n I like Dave Franco. You get all of the angular, pretty boy good looks of his brother James with only about 50 percent of the self-entitled pretentiousness. Looks like Sony is a fan too, as they have bought the rights to The Intern’s Handbook with the intent of making it Davey boy’s franchise. It’s about an agency of assassins who put their killers into major corporations. Maybe you’re right to be suspicious of the new guy in accounts payable… n Reminder: Just because you own the rights to a comic book character doesn’t mean you have to make a movie out of it. Universal is supposedly mulling a Namor movie. If you’re asked “Who is Namor?” this is why they shouldn’t make a Namor movie. Namor is basically Marvel’s version of Aquaman, only with more exposed man boob and a widow’s peak. He also has these adorable wings on his ankles for no discernable evolutionary reasons. If any of that made you want to see this movie, this is why they may make a Namor movie. n If you hadn’t heard, H.R. Giger died. He was 74. The crazy, nightmare-inducing artist is perhaps best known for creating the design of the alien in Alien, but his work influenced so many films it’s truly remarkable. His indelible work will endure but, as a friend pointed out, for the first time in ages, there is an opening in the genitalinspired, slimy monster designer market. —Ryan Syrek Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com. Check out Ryan on Movieha!, a weekly halfhour movie podcast (movieha.libsyn.com/rss), catch him on the radio on CD 105.9 (cd1059.com) on Fridays at around 7:30 a.m. and on KVNO 90.7 (KVNO.org) at 8:30 a.m. on Fridays and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).
Forever Young Supported by Lincoln Financial Foundation. Chaplin Shorts!: Program Three May 17, 18 & 22 Celebrating 100 years of Charlie Chaplin on screen!
Tickets just $2.50 for kids 12 & under!
Great Directors: Demy Bay of Angels 1963
Dir. Jacques Demy. May 23 & 26
Umbrellas of Cherbourg 1964 Dir. Jacques Demy. May 24, 25 & 27
Bruce Crawford presents a tribute to
Special Guest, Oscar winning actress and TV legend
PATTY DUKE
Friday, May 23rd, 7:00 p.m., Joslyn Art Museum Witherspoon Hall - on the stage-wide screen! 2200 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68102 Tickets $22.00 on sale NOW at Omaha Hy-Vee grocery stores Doors Open at 6 p.m Limited tickets also available at the door A Benefit for the Omaha Parks Foundation. For more information call 402-926-8299.
CALL OR CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MOVIE TIMES AND PRICES
| THE READER |
MAY 22 - 28, 2014
29
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